M&M Rice Krispie Treats with Peanut Butter Frosting

Rice Krispies Treats just got elevated to the next level. These M&M Rice Krispie Treats are smeared with peanut butter frosting and topped with colorful M&M’s for a fun and easy dessert.

When I was a kid, I LOVED rice krispies treats- seriously, I loved them! I wanted to take a nostalgic fun treat and turn it into an epic dessert, that is how these M&M Rice Krispies Treats came to be made!

I have to say I am not a fan of the prepackaged rice crispy treats, though, unless they have improved in the past years as I haven’t had them in a long time. They are so easy to make homemade rice krispie treats and taste 100x better!

I wanted to share an extra special recipe for an after-school snack and I just knew this would be a hit! Lily goes bonkers for these every time I make them.

They remind me of monster cookies; I love the flavors of monster cookies, so adding these additions to these cereal treats was a no-brainer.

It is so easy to get the kids involved, too, you can have the rice krispies and peanut butter frosting ready when the kids get home from school. Have them help you smear the frosting on top and add the m&m decorations!

Don’t you love an interactive dessert?! I know I do.

If you are a peanut butter lover like me then you must give these M&M Rice Krispie Treats a try – simple, easy treats.

Some of our other favorite bar recipes we have on our site include: Homemade Nestle Crunch Bars Recipe with Kit Kats, Chess Squares, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.

1. This fun dessert makes a lot to feed a crowd with simple ingredients.
2. Great dessert option for a themed party or get-together, plus they are no bake treats, which I love.
3. The popular flavor combination of chocolate and peanut butter makes this a pleasing dessert.

• Unsalted
• Rice Krispies cereal
• Mini marshmallows
• Creamy peanut butter
• Powdered sugar
• Heavy cream
• Vanilla extract
• M&M’s

1. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper or wax paper, and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.
3. Add in the marshmallows and let them melt, stirring constantly. As soon as you have melted marshmallows, remove pot from the heat and add the rice cereal. Mix and mix until all the cereal is coated.
4. Spread the mix into the prepared baking dish. For easy spreading, spray a spatula with non-stick spray or your fingers.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

1. Make the frosting by mixing the peanut butter and butter together in a medium-sized bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
2. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until mixed in, it will be thick.
3. Add the heavy cream and vanilla, mix it in until combined, then whip on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.

1. Spread the frosting over the Krispy treats. Use the parchment to help remove it from the pan.
2. Press in the M&M candies in any pattern you wish. Cut into bars and serve.

CAN I USE ANOTHER CANDY?

Of course, you can. I highly recommend sticking with a chocolate candy to pair well with the peanut butter rice krispie treats, here are some ideas:

• Mini m&m
• Chocolate chips, can variety will work
• You can chop up candy bars to use on top: Reese’s, Snickers, Milky Way to name a few

CAN I USE STORE-BOUGHT FROSTING?

I have never seen peanut butter frosting at the store, but if you can get it by all means use it.

But, you do have the option of using any flavor of store-bought frosting that you wish. The cereal bars will no longer have that peanut butter element but that’s okay!

Some other frosting that would work:

• Cream Cheese
• Vanilla
• Buttercream
• Chocolate
• Milk Chocolate
• Chocolate fudge
• Salted Caramel
• Creamy Butterscotch

Really, any flavor would go nicely on top of this version of rice krispie treats.

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ANY ADDITIONS?

Of course, here are some options for the classic rice krispie treats layer:

• Add extra marshmallows at the end while stirring the melted marshmallow mixture with the cereal.
• Sprinkles
• Chocolate Chips
• m&m candies
• Chopped peanuts

Additional toppings:

• Melted chocolate, add a little drizzle right on top
• More chopped up candy as suggested above
• Crushed cookies like Oreos

ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?

Here are some options:

• Use brown butter in place of melted butter
• Melted chocolate in place of the peanut butter frosting
• Other cereal, use any you like that would pair well with peanut butter and chocolate

IN WHAT PATTERN SHOULD I PLACE THE M&Ms?

I normally put a random pattern, but sometimes I’ll do a rainbow effect where each color will be in a row.

Some other fun ideas include making them into Christmas rice krispies treats by placing the candy-coated chocolates in the shape of Christmas trees.

Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Best served and eaten at room temperature.

Freeze for up to 3 months.

Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and then foil, place in the freezer in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, place the dish in the fridge overnight or at room temperature.

Looking to switch up your dessert options? These M&M Rice Krispie Treats are an easy recipe that makes the perfect snack, even great for school events.

If you’ve tried this M&M RICE KRISPIE TREATS, let me know how it turned out in the comments! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes! 

Rate this Recipe

4.50 from 4 votes

M&M Rice Krispie Treats with Peanut Butter Frosting

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

Rice Krispies Treats just got elevated to the next level. These M&M Rice Krispies Treats are smeared with peanut butter frosting and topped with colorful M&M’s for a fun and easy dessert.

Servings 15 servings

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Ingredients

  

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Rice Krispies Treats:

• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• ▢ 4 cups mini marshmallows

Peanut Butter Frosting:

• ▢ 1/2 cup cream peanut butter
• ▢ 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ 1 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• ▢ 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 18 ounce bag M&M's (family size)

Instructions

• Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper or wax paper, and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Add in the marshmallows and let them melt, stirring constantly. As soon as you have melted marshmallows, remove pot from the heat and add the rice cereal. Mix and mix until all the cereal is coated.
• Spread the mix into the prepared baking dish. For easy spreading, spray a spatula with non-stick spray or your fingers.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Make the frosting by mixing the peanut butter and butter together in a medium-sized bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
• Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until mixed in, it will be thick.
• Add the heavy cream and vanilla, mix it in until combined, then whip on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
• Spread the frosting over the krispy treats. Use the parchment to help remove it from the pan.
• Press in the M&M candies in any pattern you wish. Cut into bars and serve.

Notes

• This makes a large batch, but you can easily double it to feed more or halve the recipe as needed.
• Tons of custom options, see my tips above on that.
• Great for a make-ahead dessert.
• This freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
• Use any candy you use, but I suggest sticking to chocolate candies.
• Add any pattern on top of the treats however you wish.

Nutrition

Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 69mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 1061IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Traditional

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Originally Published August 26, 2014

Updated with new photos and updated recipe June 2023