These copycat Starbucks rice crispy treats (also called marshmallow dream bars) are so easy to make at home. They are gooey, sweet, and loaded with yummy marshmallows.
My kids love the rice crispy treats from Starbucks. I was never a huge Starbucks person until we lived in walking distance of one. When my kids would still sit in a stroller, I would walk them over in our massive double stroller and get a venti coffee.
When my kids were both under the age of two (two under two), I needed coffee, like really needed coffee. I was seriously sleep deprived. On a whim, I grabbed a Starbucks rice crispy treat and I’ve been hooked ever since. They are just so good! I love how gooey they are and they go great with a cup of coffee or tea. If you love Starbucks, you might also want to check out this copycat Starbucks banana bread recipe and this copycat Starbucks oatmeal.
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What ingredients are needed to make this recipe?
This recipe is easy peasy, you will need:
- Rice cereal: You’ll need 6 cups worth.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract is best in this recipe.
- Mini marshmallows: Be sure that they are fresh or they’ll make the treats hard. You will need extra marshmallows for this copycat recipe so that the bars will have marshmallows inside, just like the originals.
What type of pan is needed?
You will need a 9 x 9 inch pan. Grease it well!
Tips for this recipe
- Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Don’t forget to set aside some of the marshmallows to mix in with the rice cereal. This will give the bars the same marshmallows throughout, just like the originals!
- Use fresh ingredients. Both rice cereal and marshmallows can go stale easily. Old marshmallows can make the treats come out too hard.
- Don’t press the treats down too hard when putting them in the pan. Pushing them down too much will make them tough.
- To make things easier, spray your hands with non-stick spray before pressing the rice crispy treats in the pan.
Other Starbucks copycat recipes:
If you tried these Copycat Starbucks Rice Crispy Treats (Marshmallow Dream Bars) or any other recipe on my site, please leave a ⭐ rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I would love to hear from you and I’m always happy to try to answer any questions you may have!
Copycat Starbucks Rice Cripsy Treats
Equipment
- 9 inch pan
Ingredients
- 6 cups rice cereal
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 15 ounces mini marshmallows
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 9 inch pan.
- Reserve about 5 ounces of the mini marshmallows and set aside.
- In a medium pot, heat your butter over medium heat. Stir in 10 ounces of the mini marshmallows.
- Gently stir, until everything is well melted.
- Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract. Stir well.
- In a large bowl add the cereal and then add the 5 ounces of mini marshmallows you reserved. Stir well. This will give the treats marshmallows throughout just like the originals.
- Add the melted mixture to the cereal and additional mini marshmallows. Mix well.
- Add the mixture to the 9 x 9 pan and let sit for about one hour.
Colleen says
Really excellent & easy copycat. The volume as written is perfect for a 9×9 pan. I used a greased piece of wax paper to push everything down firmly into the pan.
Deb says
The recipe is great! However, the recommended dish size should be
9”x13”. I decided to 1.5 times the recipe because I felt a 9”x9” pan, (as called for in the recipe) would not yield enough squares for our family. I could barely fit all the mixture in a 9”x13” pan and it was quite thick as compared to Starbucks version. Still delicious!!
Cindy Mom, the Lunch Lady says
These are great! I always make rice crispy treats in my cafeteria, and I will be trying this version in Sept when we go back to school. I love the addition of unmelted mini marshmallows!
Sue says
Wonderful! I love the extra burst of marshmallow you get in some of the bites. Gooey and chewy delight!
Mihaela | https://theworldisanoyster.com/ says
Gosh, you gave my kid ideas:)) Rice cereal on the shopping list at request! I guess we’ll get some gooey chewy squares this weekend!:)
Julia says
My children loved anything with marshmallows in and they still do! Can’t wait to try these.
Anaiah says
Yum, these were soo gooood! Definitely making these rice crispy treats again.
Brianna says
Crispy, gooey and light as air! Perfect with coffee too.
Nora says
Such a lovely snack and easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
Giangi Townsend says
I love rice Krispies and I just so happen I have marshmallows at the house. Fun time dessert!
Kalin says
What a fun snack! I’ve loved Rice Krispies since I was a kid