These Red White and Blue Rice Krispie Treats are a perfect dessert for the 4th of July or Memorial Day! Easy, with a classic flavor everyone knows and loves. Top them with patriotic sprinkles for the perfect finish. They're festive, fast, and always a crowd-pleaser!
Red White and Blue Rice Krispie Treats
Classic Rice Krispie Treats are a go-to dessert at my house. We always have the ingredients on hand, they can be ready to eat in a matter of minutes, and my kids love them!
These Patriotic Rice Krispie Treats have all the ease and yumminess of classic rice krispie treats - with the added fun of red, white, and blue colors and sprinkles! Grab a star cookie cutter and your July 4th Rice Krispie Treats will be even more festive!
Jump to:
- Red White and Blue Rice Krispie Treats
- Why You'll Love 4th of July Rice Krispie Treats
- Ingredients
- Shop here
- How to Make Red, White, and Blue Rice Krispie Treats
- Recipe Pro Tips
- Variations & Decorating Tips
- Storage directions
- FAQs
- Tools needed to make these July 4 Rice Krispies
- More 4th of July Desserts
- Recipe
Why You'll Love 4th of July Rice Krispie Treats
These patriotic treats are perfect for summertime because they are a no-bake dessert (hello - it's HOT in Mississippi!) and you can take them with you on a road trip, picnic, or have them at a BBQ or potluck!
Even better, this red, white and blue rice krispie treats recipe is budget-friendly! These ingredients might already be in your pantry, but if not, you can likely find everything you need at your local dollar store.
Ingredients
Rice Krispies cereal (or crispy rice cereal): I usually buy the big bag of rice cereal from Walmart unless the brand name is on sale. Either works great!
Marshmallows: I am brand loyal to marshmallows. I always use Jet-Puffed and I always use mini marshmallows. They are easy to measure and easy to melt!
Butter: Be sure to use real butter for these - salted or unsalted!
Red and Blue Food Coloring: Because I'm a cake decorator, I always have gel colors on hand. But you can also use the liquid colors from your local grocery store or dollar store.
Patriotic Sprinkles: these are easy to find from just before Memorial Day all the way through the Fourth of July.
Nonstick Cooking Spray: any brand will do! I use the butter-flavored kind.
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How to Make Red, White, and Blue Rice Krispie Treats
- Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Place 4 cups of marshmallows and 3 tablespoons of butter in a large mixing bowl. Microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds or until the marshmallows are smooth when stirred and the butter has melted.
- Add a bit of the red food coloring using a spoon or toothpick. Quickly stir until no color streaks appear. If it’s not red enough, add a bit more until the correct shade is reached.
- Add 3 cups of the cereal to the melted marshmallow mixture and mix until the cereal is fully coated.
- Add the mixture to the greased pan and spread evenly until it makes a nice even layer, covering the entire bottom of the pan. Do not pack them too hard - just until flat!
Tip: To keep your hands clean, grab a flat spatula and spray the underside with nonstick spray and use it to press the mixture flat and smooth in the pan. You can also use a sheet of wax paper and lay it flat on the cereal to press it flat! Yay for no messy, sticky hands!
- Repeat steps 2-5 for the white layer, but skip adding any coloring to it. Add it on top of the red layer.
- Repeat steps 2-5 for the blue layer, but only add about 2 drops of the food coloring to start. It gets bright quickly. If you need more, you can add it but don’t start with more than 2 drops.
- Sprinkle as many patriotic sprinkles over the top as you like, and lightly press down on the sprinkles so they stick to the top of the treats well.
- Cover and let sit for about 4 hours or until dry. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Recipe Pro Tips
- I have noticed that different brands of marshmallows and cereal will cause the measurements to be off. So, if your treats are too dry, you’ll want to add more melted marshmallows. If they’re too wet, you’ll just want to add more cereal until the right consistency is reached.
- You can use any sprinkles you like. I loved the stars, personally, but there are a ton of fun sprinkles out there.
- If your pan tapers (smaller at the bottom, larger at the top) you may need to add more cereal to the upper layers for it to spread fully over the top without leaving holes.
- If you add too much butter, you will end up with rice krispie treats that want to fall apart and not hold together.
- To avoid sticky hands, use a sheet of wax paper OR the back of a spatula, sprayed with nonstick spray to press the cereal flat for each layer.
- Making Rice Krispies Treats in the microwave is my go-to, but if you do not have a microwave, you can melt the marshmallows and butter in a pan on the stovetop. Keep in mind that it's very easy to scorch marshmallows on direct heat so watch it closely and stir continuously.
- Use fresh marshmallows - old marshmallows get dried out and the exterior hardens. When this happens, they don't melt as easily!
- Let the treats cool before cutting. Confession - I am rarely successful at this. I love the warm gooeyness of fresh rice krispie treats but don't be like me 😉 The way to get perfect squares is to let them cool!
Variations & Decorating Tips
The sky is the limit when it comes to decorating these festive Fourth of July Rice Krispies but here are some fun options:
- Mix the sprinkles into the 'white' layer to add more color.
- Add red, white and blue M&M's to the top of the treats.
- Drizzle with melted red candy melts and/or blue candy melts. Or use melted frosting!
- Use fun cookie cutters, cut the treats into fun shapes, such as star-shaped!
Storage directions
- To store: Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If stacking, add layers of parchment paper or wax paper between them to prevent sticking.
- To freeze: Wrap them in plastic wrap, then a layer of foil for up to 3 months.
- To soften or reheat: (to get back some gooeyness), microwave for 10-15 seconds
FAQs
Don't overheat the marshmallows. Microwave them just until melted. Use fresh marshmallows and when making the layers, do not pack them down too hard. Dense rice cereal treats = hard rice cereal treats.
If you skip the butter, Rice Krispie Treats can be a fat-free treat, but no, I would not call them healthy. They're mostly carbs with the puffed rice cereal, the marshmallows (sugar) and the butter! But they are YUMMY, so enjoy!
Tools needed to make these July 4 Rice Krispies
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More 4th of July Desserts
PrintRecipe
Red White and Blue Rice Krispie Treats
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 24
Description
These Red White & Blue Rice Krispie Treats are a perfect dessert for the 4th of July or Memorial Day! Easy, with a classic flavor everyone knows and loves. Top them with patriotic sprinkles for the perfect finish. They're festive, fast, and always a crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients
● 12 Cups Mini Marshmallows
● 9 Cups Rice Cereal
● 9 Tablespoons Butter
● Red Food Dye
● Blue Food Dye
● Patriotic Sprinkles
● Nonstick Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Place 4 cups of marshmallows and 3 tablespoons of butter in a large mixing bowl. Microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds or until the marshmallows are smooth when stirred and the butter has melted.
- Add a bit of the red food coloring using a spoon or toothpick. Quickly stir until no color streaks appear. If it’s not red enough, add a bit more until the correct shade is reached.
- Add 3 cups of the cereal to the bowl and mix until the cereal is fully coated.
- Add the mixture to the greased pan and spread even until it makes a nice even layer, covering the entire bottom of the pan.
- Repeat steps 2-5 for the white layer, but skip adding any coloring to it.
- Repeat steps 2-5 for the blue layer, but only add about 2 drops of the food coloring to start. It gets bright quickly. If you need more, you can add it, but don’t start with more than 2 drops.
- Sprinkle as many patriotic sprinkles over the top as you like, and lightly press down on the sprinkles so they stick to the top of the treats well.
- Cover and let sit for about 4 hours or until dry. Cut into squares and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cool Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 5
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Microwave
- Cuisine: American
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Joy
What a fun treat this will make for our Fourth of July get-together!
★★★★★
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
So festive!! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party - hope to see you again this Sunday!!