Red White and Blue Rice Krispies Treats

Name: Red White and Blue Rice Krispies Treats
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 29 min
Ingredients: 1 cup + 2 tablespoons butter (divided); 30 ounces marshmallows (divided); Red & blue food coloring; 18 cups puffed rice cereal (divided)

Red white and blue rice krispies treats are an easy patriotic treat! These quick cereal treats are ready in no time and make a great dessert for Memorial Day or 4th of July.

Two red white and blue rice krispies treats stack on each other on a white plate.

Red white and blue rice krispies treats are an easy, patriotic dessert. They are perfect for Memorial Day or 4th of July get-togethers, barbecues. and potlucks.

The cereal treats are also really easy to make, and they can be made in about 30 minutes. There are step-by-step photos and tip below to help you make perfect treats.

Ingredients

Butter: I use salted butter.
Marshmallows: Mini or regular marshmallows will work.
Food coloring: Gel food coloring will usually give you brighter color (like the treats pictured in the step-by-step instruction photos) than liquid food coloring (pictured in the final photos). However, feel free to use liquid food coloring if you prefer.
Puffed rice cereal: Rice Krispies or any similar cereal will work.

How to make red white and blue rice krispies treats

Step 1: In a large saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons of butter over low heat.

Step 2: Add 10 ounces of marshmallows, stirring until smooth and well-combined. Remove from heat.

Step 3: Stir in enough red food coloring to make it the shade you’d like.

Step 4: Add the cereal and stir in until well-combined.

Step 5: Scoop the cereal mixture into a lightly greased 9×13 pan and press down until flat.

Step 6: Repeat steps 1-4 using a clean saucepan, but do not use food coloring.

Step 7: Scoop the plain cereal mixture on top of red cereal mixture in the pan and press down until flat.

Step 8: Repeat steps 1-4 using a clean saucepan and the blue food coloring.

Step 9: Scoop blue cereal mixture on top of the other two layers and press down until flat.

Step 10: Let the cereal treats set up before cutting and serving.

Three red white and blue rice krispies treats on white plates.

Tips

Use fresh marshmallows! Stale or old marshmallows won’t melt well. It’s best to use soft, fresh marshmallows.
Let them rest! Let the finished cereal treats cool to room temperature before cutting. Otherwise, they’ll fall apart as you try to cut and remove them from the pan.
Shapes! You can use a star-shaped cookie cutter to make star-shaped treats.

Recipe FAQs

What if my pan isn’t deep enough to hold the treats?

If your pan isn’t deep enough to hold the rice krispies treats, you can place each layer in a separate pan. Once the layers have set up, you can stack them and then press them together before cutting and serving.

Should I use gel or liquid food coloring?

That’s up to you! Gel food coloring will usually give you brighter colors, like the step-by-step instruction photos above. So it just depends on how bright you want the cereal treats to be.

Three 4th of july rice krispies treats next to an American flag.

Storage

The rice krispies treats can be stored in an airtight container for up 2-3 days.

More cereal treat recipes!

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5 from 3 votes