Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

By: Shelly
Posted: Mar 27, 2025

Crispy, gooey brown butter rice krispie treats are classic no-bake treats made even more irresistible with rich, nutty browned butter and cinnamon spice. Browning the butter is an extra step, but it’s quick and easy. The flavors it brings to these krispie treats are unbeatable!

If you love the flavor of browned butter in desserts, try my brown butter chocolate chip cookies and these brown butter cinnamon crinkle cookies.

Brown butter rice krispie treats stacked on a wooden cutting board.

Why You’ll Love Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

I’ve replaced the melted butter in my perfect rice krispie treat recipe with brown butter and the outcome was even more delicious than I could have imagined! If you haven’t browned butter before, I should warn you: You’re going to want to include it in every dessert moving forward, and not just these amazing brown butter rice krispie treats! Here’s why this easy dessert is one you need to make ASAP:

Quick and easy. Crispy, chewy rice krispie treats are such a blessing. No oven, no fussing, and they’re ready in a short amount of time.
Browned butter. Browning butter is a short step that adds irresistible toasty nuttiness to just about any recipe, sweet or savory. The flavor is very similar to toffee, with a rich, caramelly aroma. I use the same browning method to bring out the flavor in my browned butter bourbon chocolate chip cookies. It’s the best!
Perfect for sharing. I love bringing these to fall gatherings and holiday parties (but really, any occasion) because they offer an unexpected twist on your usual rice krispie treats. Like other dessert bar recipes, they’re total crowd-pleasers.

Ingredients for brown butter rice krispie treats with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

What You’ll Need

The beauty of rice krispie treat recipes is that they need only 5 ingredients! These brown butter rice krispie treats need 6, mind you, since I’ve added cinnamon, but you get my drift. Check out my notes here, and scroll down to the recipe card for the printable recipe details with amounts.

Butter – Salted or unsalted.
Marshmallows – I use mini marshmallows since they melt more easily. I also love to fold whole marshmallows into the krispie treat mixture for delicious little marshmallow pockets throughout the finished treats.
Vanilla and Salt – To enhance and balance the flavors. Make sure to use pure vanilla extract.
Cinnamon – Nothing pairs better with browned butter than cozy cinnamon. You could also use another warm spice, like nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice.
Rice Krispie Cereal – The classic. You can use name brand Rice Krispies or store brand. This recipe also works with other cereals. I’ve been dying to try out a version similar to my Cinnamon Toast Crunch krispie treats!

Two brown butter rice krispie treats on a plate, one pulled apart, with more krispie treats in the background.

How to Make Rice Krispie Treats

My original krispie treats are one of my favorite desserts because they’re just so easy! The steps to make these brown butter rice krispie treats are mostly the same. The only difference is that you’ll brown the butter for an extra minute or two after it’s melted. Follow along below, and scroll down to the recipe card for printable instructions.

Browned butter in the bottom of a large pot. — Brown the butter.

Brown the butter. Take out a large saucepan and melt the butter over medium heat. As it starts to boil, continue to cook, stirring constantly while the butter browns and begins to smell nutty.
Add marshmallows. Once the butter turns a deep amber color, stir in 8 cups of marshmallows. Keep stirring until the marshmallows are fully melted.

Cinnamon added to melted marshmallows in a large pot. — Add vanilla, salt, and cinnamon.

Put it all together. Take the pot off the heat and stir in vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Next, gently fold in the cereal along with extra mini marshmallows.
Fill the pan. Press the krispie treat mixture evenly into a greased and foil-lined square pan. Afterward, let the treats cool and set before slicing them into squares. Enjoy!

Overhead view of brown butter rice krispie treats cut into squares.

Recipe Tips and Variations

Use fresh marshmallows. Old marshmallows won’t melt as nicely. The fresher, the better.
Don’t overheat the marshmallow mixture. This is the cardinal rule of rice krispie treat making. Overheating the marshmallows is akin to overheating homemade caramels: The longer you cook sugar, the harder it gets! To avoid hard rice krispie treats, take the pot off the heat as soon as the marshmallows are completely melted.
Try not to crush the krispies. This applies when you’re stirring the rice krispies into the marshmallows and when you’re pressing the mixture into the pan afterward. You want to be as gentle as possible to avoid compact, dense krispie treats.
Let the treats cool. Resist the urge to cut into your marshmallow treats before they’ve cooled completely. Otherwise, they’ll be too gooey. I recommend leaving them to set for at least an hour or two before slicing.
Change up the spice. I mentioned it in the ingredients section, but you can swap out cinnamon for another cozy spice. Try pumpkin spice rice krispie treats made with brown butter! And if cinnamon is up your alley, also try these Snickerdoodle rice krispie treats.

Close up of a brown butter rice krispie treat pulled in two, surrounded by more krispie treats on a wooden cutting board.

How to Store

At room temperature. These brown butter rice krispie treats can be stored airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freeze. Alternatively, you can freeze these krispie treats for up to 3 months. Wrap them in a double layer of plastic wrap or stash them in a freezer bag, and thaw the bars at room temperature before serving.

More Rice Krispie Treats Recipes

Description

These chewy, gooey brown butter rice krispie treats are classic no-bake treats made even more irresistible with rich, nutty browned butter!

5 tablespoons butter
10 cups mini marshmallows, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 cups Rice Krispie cereal

Line a 9×9 pan with aluminum foil and coat lightly with nonstick spray.
In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Once it’s melted, continue to cook the butter until it boils and begins to brown, stirring constantly.
Once the butter is an amber color add 8 cups of the marshmallows and stir constantly until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Immediately stir in the cereal until coated evenly in the marshmallow mixture.
Stir in the remaining 2 cups of mini marshmallows.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and press evenly.
Allow the krispie treats to cool completely before cutting them into squares.