These 7 ingredient peanut butter rice krispie treats are so addictive! They are sweet, salty, crunchy and topped with a layer of decadent chocolate.
Just when you thought rice krispie treats couldn’t be any more delicious- we go and add two of our favorite ingredients to take them to the next level- Chocolate and peanut butter!! If you love peanut butter like we do then you will also love our no-bake peanut butter pie, chewy peanut butter blondies, and peanut butter buckeyes!
7 Ingredients Only!
These sweet, salty, crunchy treats were sort of a happy accident. I was cleaning out our pantry the other day and happened to find a bag of Rice Krispies cereal as well as a bag of mini marshmallows nearing their expiration date!
You see where this is going, right?
I so badly wanted to whip up a batch of my favorite gooey rice krispie treats, but since I can’t have dairy right now, that wasn’t really an option. Yes, you can swap out the butter for coconut oil (just like I did in this recipe), but without additional ingredients, they just don’t taste the same. They need butter, trust me.
So I grabbed some peanut butter, along with vanilla extract, sea salt, and chocolate and went to work. It took all of 15 minutes for me to make these bars… with only 7 ingredients!
How to Make Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
While these don’t require any baking, they do require a little heat
You can melt the peanut butter marshmallow mixture and the chocolate on the stovetop or in the microwave, whichever you prefer.
Simply combine a few tablespoons of coconut oil or butter in a non-stick pot place over medium-low heat. Once melted, add a full bag of mini marshmallows. Let them melt, stir them every few minutes to help speed the process along.
When the marshmallows are nice and creamy, add the peanut butter and stir it in quickly to prevent it from burning. Remove the pan from the stovetop immediately. Add a splash of vanilla and a pinch of salt. Pour in the rice krispies and stir until they are evenly coated.
Press into an 8×8-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper or wax paper. This will allow you to avoid greasing the pan.
Melt 1 ½ cups of chocolate chips or chunks and spread over top. And like always, add a pinch of salt. ?
Place the bars in the refrigerator until the chocolate topping has set. This takes anywhere from 10-20 minutes. Remove the bars from the pan, cut into squares and enjoy.
PB Rice Krispies FAQs
Aren’t these know as “scotcheroos”? These are slightly different. Scotcheroos typically use corn syrup and sometimes butterscotch chips and these are good ol’ peanut butter rice krispies!
Does the texture change much when using coconut oil? The texture of melted butter and liquid coconut oil are almost identical if anything, using coconut oil would change the overall taste of the baked good.
Can I use foil if I don’t have wax or parchment paper? Using foil with this kind of recipe is taking a risk for sure because the sticky marshmallows will stick to the foil and will not come off easily. If you don’t have wax or parchment paper I suggest greasing a glass dish really well.
Can I use almond butter or another nut butter? Yes, you can substitute any nut butter for peanut butter!
How to Store Rice Krispie Treats
- These can get hard and not fun after 2 days at room temperature. To prevent this I recommend wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap or have them in an air-tight Ziploc bag.
- You can freeze them in layers separated by wax paper for up to 6 weeks. When you want to consume them let them thaw at room temperature for 15ish minutes.
These 7 ingredient peanut butter rice krispie treats are so addictive! They are sweet, salty, crunchy and topped with a layer of decadent chocolate. If your home is anything like ours, they will disappear in no time! We’re obsessed!!
Other Rice Krispie Treat Recipes:
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp coconut oil - or unsalted butter
- 1 (16 oz) bag mini marshmallows
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp coarse kosher sea salt - + more from topping
- 5 cup crispy rice cereal - white or brown
- 1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks* - or bittersweet chips
Instructions
- Line the bottom and sides of an 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment or wax paper, set aside.
- In a large non-stick pot set over medium-low heat, add the oil or butter. Once melted add the mini marshmallows. Stir every minute or so until they have melted completely.
- Stir in peanut butter, then remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and salt, mix until thoroughly combined. Fold in rice cereal, coat evenly.
- With a rubber spatula, stir continuously until the mixture becomes smooth and shiny. Remove from heat and mix in salt and vanilla.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and press with the spatula to create a dense, even layer.
- In a double boiler or a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate until smooth. Spread over the top of the bars. Sprinkle with additional salt, if desired. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 10-20 minutes before cutting and serving.
I’ve been looking for a peanut butter rice krispies recipe reminiscent of my childhood. I tried yours because it did not call for corn syrup and yours turned out like the old-lady-from-the-church-bake-sale amazing.
What a great find! I’m so glad you liked it.
Thank you. These are now my new favorite. I did adjust a bit, tho. I didn’t have marshmallows, but had a jar of “fluff”…turned out good!
That works too 🙂 So glad they turned out! Thank you for letting me know!
Thank you for the recipe. The other ones I looked at said Karo syrup yuck.
You are welcome!! I hope you like these!
These are my family’s favorite!! They get requested all the time! Easy to make, chewy, & so good!!
hey girl- these look amazing! yummy!