These gluten-free rice krispies treats are crisp and chewy with gooey marshmallows throughout. This easy recipe is made with brown butter, giving these crispy treats a rich caramelized flavor, paired with a pinch of sea salt and vanilla for the ultimate classic treat!
Rice Krispies treats are a childhood classic no-bake dessert with simple ingredients. The original recipe uses melted butter but in this gluten-free version, we take things to a whole other level by adding brown butter, vanilla, and salt, giving these treats a rich buttery caramel-like flavor.
5 Ingredient Gluten-Free Rice Krispies Treats
This classic rice krispies treat has only five ingredients! The key to creating the best rice krispies is having the perfect amount of butter, marshmallows, and cereal.
- Gluten-Free Crispy Rice Cereal: There are many brands of gluten-free crisp rice cereal, and in this recipe, we used the brand Baraba. Remember to always check the ingredient list first.
- Butter: Butter is the base of this recipe, and unsalted works best. Browning the butter creates caramelized flecks for a rich decadent flavor.
- Marshmallows: Mini marshmallows gives this recipe its gooey texture. Make sure your bag of marshmallows is fresh for the best results.
- Vanilla Extract: Use a high-quality vanilla extract for best results.
- Salt: This brings out depth and flavor to the brown butter.
Are Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats Gluten-Free?
No, unfortunately, the Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal is made with malt flavor, which comes from barley and may contain gluten. For those with food allergies, make sure to look for gluten-containing ingredients on the back of the ingredient label when purchasing your rice cereal. Gluten-free products are often certified and labeled on the box but always double-check.
What Brand of Rice Krispies Are Gluten Free?
There are several brands that do make gluten-free rice cereal including:
- One Degree Organic Foods (this is a brand we have used with good results).
- Barbara’s (this is a brand we have used with good results).
- Wegmans
- Arrowhead Mills
- Erewhon
- Aldi
- Nature’s Path
- Tesco ( International )
What Makes These Rice Krispies Treats The Best? Brown Butter!
One of my favorite ways to bring a ton of flavor to a recipe is by using brown butter. Making brown butter is super simple! All you will need is a lightly coated frying pan or pot, a wooden spoon, and a stick of butter. In this recipe, we use 10 tablespoons of butter.
How to Make Brown Butter
- Melt the unsalted butter in a lightly coated frying pan on medium-low heat, stirring frequently.
- Watch closely as the butter begins to melt. Within 2-3 minutes the butter will start to foam and the milk solids will begin to caramelize producing a nutty aroma and chestnut color.
- Once the color starts to change, quickly remove the butter from the heat. (There is a short window between burnt butter and brown butter, so make sure to watch closely.)
- Pour the brown butter into a glass container. Make sure to scrape all of the little brown bits into the glass container, this is where the flavor comes from.
How To Make Gluten-Free Rice Krispies Treats
This no-bake treat takes less than 30 minutes to make with only 2 hours of waiting time for the rice krispies to harden. It’s the perfect easy treat!
- Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with a piece of parchment paper or lightly grease the pan with oil. Set aside.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a very large pot. Within 2-3 minutes the butter will start to foam, whisk constantly until the butter begins to brown, then turn down the heat to low.
- Add the marshmallows, reserving 2 cups aside. Continue to stir for 2-3 minutes until the marshmallows are melted. It’s ok if there are a few clumps.
- Stir in the vanilla and salt.
- Add half of the cereal to the pot, and continue to stir. Fold in the remaining cereal and marshmallows and remove the pot from the heat.
- Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared pan. The marshmallows will be very sticky, therefore an easy way to spread out the mixture is by using a greased rubber spatula. Gently press the mixture down into the pan with the spatula but avoid packing. This will allow the treats to form together but not overly harden.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and allow the treats to set at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Avoid Hard Rice Krispies Treats
The trick to having the BEST gluten-free rice krispie treats is this: DO NOT PACK THE RICE KRISPIES IN THE PAN!
Packing the marshmallow cereal mixture creates hard, dense treats. My trick is not evenly spread out the mixture is to melt coconut oil or use cooking spray and coat it over a rubber spatula. Then use the rubber spatula to gently push down the treats, forming them to the pan, but do not compact them.
How Long Do Rice Krispies Treats Last?
These rice krispies will stay soft and delicious for up to two days. You can wrap each rice krispies square individually in plastic wrap to make sure they stay soft. A trick to soften them quickly is to microwave 1 treat for 5-8 seconds.
Marshmallow Conversion Chart
Use this chart to help when measuring out the cups of the mini marshmallows.
1 - 10 ounce bag of Mini Marshmallows: 5 ½ cups
1 - 16 ounce bag of Mini Marshmallows: 8 cups
Looking For More Delicious Treats? Check Out The Links Below
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Balls (no bake recipe)
- Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Truffles (Vegan) (no bake recipe)
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free)
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies (Gluten Free)
- Gluten-Free Halloween Mummy Rice Krispies Treats
Gluten-Free Rice Krispies Treats
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 16 ounces mini marshmallows, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 cups gluten-free crisp rice cereal (240 grams)
Instructions
- Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with a piece of parchment paper or lightly grease the pan with oil. Set aside.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pot. Within 2-3 minutes the butter will start to foam, whisk constantly until the butter begins to brown, then turn down the heat to low.
- Add the marshmallows, reserving 2 cups aside. Continue to stir for 2-3 minutes until the marshmallows are melted. It's ok if there are a few clumps. Stir in the vanilla and salt.
- Add half of the cereal to the pot, and continue to stir. Fold in the remaining cereal and marshmallows, then remove the pot from the heat. Mix until well combined.
- Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared pan. The marshmallows will be very sticky, therefore an easy way to spread out the mixture is by using a greased rubber spatula. Gently press the mixture down into the pan with the spatula but avoid packing. This will allow the treats to form together but not overly harden.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and allow the treats to set at room temperature for 1 hour before cutting. Serve.
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