Last Updated on November 21, 2022 by Kathryn Donangelo
These Christmas Rice Krispie Treats make the best dessert during the holiday season! Adults and kids of all ages will fall in love with them. Loaded with Chex cereal, gooey marshmallows, white chocolate chips, M&Ms, and Christmas sprinkles!
PIN these Christmas Rice Krispie Treats to try later!
Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
Looking for fun, festive, and colorful holiday treats to make to make this time of year? These Christmas Rice Krispie Treats couldn’t be any easier to prepare and they are made with simple ingredients.
Each treat is loaded with sweet marshmallows, red and green M&M candies, sprinkles, and white chocolate. This is the kind of dessert you’ll want to make and bring to your holiday party, dessert table, Christmas parties, or any time you’re in the mood for a fun holiday treat. Did I mention these are a no-bake dessert so no need to fire up your ovens!
Other no-bake and festive desserts to make are my Rocky Road Clusters, Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats, Peppermint Grahams, and Oreo Truffle Cookies.
So what makes these Christmas Rice Krispie Treats different? Unlike regular Homemade Rice Krispie Treats that are made with rice crispy cereal, these treats are made with Chex cereal which has a similar taste but different shape and texture which makes these so fun and different! These treats are also loaded with colorful candies and white chocolate chips that will put you in the holiday spirit!
Ingredients
- Chex cereal: The star ingredient! Adds a fun twist on the traditional treats. You can also use classic rice crispy cereal as well or a combination of both.
- Mini marshmallows: You’ll need one full 10 ounce bag plus more to fold in in the rice krispeis. The marshmallows will melt and bind the other ingredients together. You could use large marshmallows but I find the mini marshmallows melt easier.
- Butter: I use salted butter to balance the sweetness a bit.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances and adds a warm flavor.
- Sprinkles: I love using Christmas sprinkles but feel free to any colors.
- White chocolate chips: Adds a Christmas flavor. You can use any type of chocolate chips or combination of chocolate chips.
- M&Ms: Adds color!
How To Make Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
Prepare pan. Line a 9×9 inch pan with foil or parchment paper and grease with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
Melt butter. Bring a large pot, large saucepan, or stock pot to medium heat and add butter and melt.
Add marshmallows. Reduce the heat to low heat and add 10 ounce bag of marshmallows. Stir until melted, then add vanilla extract.
Add cereal and chocolates. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the cereal until the marshmallow mixture completely coats the cereal. Stir in the remaining marshmallows, white chocolate chips, M&Ms, and sprinkles until evenly distributed.
Press into pan. Add the mixture to the prepared baking pan with a rubber spatula or your hands and gently press the mixture into the pan. Make sure you don’t press too hard otherwise your treats will be too dense and hard. Let rest for 30-60 minutes and slice into squares. Enjoy!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy holiday treat: These no-bake treats are so easy and so much fun to make- you only need about 15 minutes.
Crowd pleaser: The whole family will love them (both kids and adults).
A fun variation on the classic Rice Krispie Treats: It’s always fun to switch things up, especially when it comes to marshmallow treats!
Enjoy these treats anytime: You can enjoy these delicious treats them as a snack, dessert, pack them in lunch boxes, or whip them up for parties, or your next cookie exchange.
Holiday flavor: Loaded with white chocolate chips, sprinkles, and M&Ms.
Extra marshmallows: In addition to the 1 bag of marshmallows, I add an extra 2 cups so these are extra chewy and packed with marshmallow goodness.
Recipe Tips & Variations
Drizzle chocolate: If you want to add more chocolate, drizzle melted chocolate on the tops of these treats.
Switch up the cereal: Alternative cereal to use is chocolate rice krispie cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Golden Grahams, Special K, Cheerios, or any other type of Chex cereal.
Christmas Trees: Shape these treats into Christmas trees by using a cookie cutter to cut them out. You can use any festive shape like a gingerbread man, candy cane star, Santa, etc.
Add color: Add food coloring to the melted marshmallow mixture to make these treats either red or green.
Marshmallows: Be sure to use melt the marshmallows on LOW heat to insure they stay soft and will make the treats fluffy. Only use fresh marshmallows- stale marshmallows won’t make these treats as gooey.
Spray your hands or use buttered spatula: Use either cooking spray or rub them with butter before you press the rice krispie mixture on into your dish. This will prevent your hands from sticking to the sticky mixture. You can also use a butter wrap to press the mixture.
Make them into bite-size treats: I use a 8×8 or 9×9 inch pan because I love the thicker sized treats, but you can also use a 13×9 inch pan to yield 20-24 treats.
Brown the butter: If you’ve ever had Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats, you already know how amazing they are. Follow the steps in this recipe to brown the butter first before adding the marshmallows. This will add a rich, caramel, nuttiness flavor to your treats.
CAN I FREEZE CHRISTMAS RICE KRISPIE TREATS?
You can. However, it can cause them to be less soft and gooey so I do not recommend it.
Place cooled treats in an airtight container and layer with wax or parchment paper to prevent them from sticking. Be sure to let the treats sit out at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or until softened before serving again. Store for up to 1 month.
CAN I USE MARSHMALLOW FLUFF INSTEAD OF MARSHMALLOWS?
You can, however, I don’t recommend it because it will take away from the fluffiness and softness. It will also be extra sweet since extra sugar is added. I’ve never used marshmallow fluff so if you do try it, let me know.
HOW TO KEEP THESE TREATS SOFT?
Keep them away from the refrigerator as they will get hard and the marshmallows will loose their softness and gooeyness. You also want to store leftovers in a sealed airtight container and keep out as much air as possible.
Leftovers & Storage
To-store on counter: Place leftover rice krispie treats in an airtight container or cover a plate tightly with plastic wrap. If you need to layer the bars, I recommend placing a piece of parchment paper or wax paper in between each layer. They will store for up to 4-5 days without tasting stale. You can also store in a large ziplock bag.
To-store in the refrigerator: These treats will last a bit longer if you store them in the refrigerator. They will store well for up to 1 week. Be sure to let sit out for at least 30 minutes because they will become hard.
Other Christmas Treats To Make
- Sugar Cookies
- Snowman Cookies
- Santa’s Cookies
- Hot Chocolate Cookies
- Christmas Shortbread Cookies
- Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
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Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 10.5 ounce bag mini marshmallows plus 2 cups
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups Rice Chex cereal
- 1/4 cup red and green M&Ms
- 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Line a 9×9 inch pan with foil or parchment paper and grease with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- Bring a large pot or stock pot to medium heat and add butter and melt.
- Reduce the heat to low heat and add 10 ounce bag of marshmallows. Stir until melted, then add vanilla extract.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the cereal until the marshmallow mixture completely coats the cereal. Stir in the remaining marshmallows, white chocolate chips, M&Ms, and sprinkles until evenly distributed.
- Add the mixture to the prepared 9×9 inch pan and gently press the mixture into the pan. Make sure you don't press too hard otherwise your treats will be too dense and hard. Let rest for 30-60 minutes and slice into squares. Enjoy!
I am just getting my list of baking made for the holidays. Looks like I have one more to add to the list. These would be perfect for taking to parties. Great food gift too.
These are so festive and fun! My kids had so much fun making them and decorating them. What a great recipe, thanks!
I love that your kids helped make these treats! Thank you, Tracy!
This recipe was so easy to make and was very delicious! Going to make it again for our annual cookie exchange party 😉
I used plant-based ingredients for the marshmallows and dairy things, and it worked amazing! This is going to be a wonderful addition to Christmas this year.
I’m so glad you were able to make these treats with plant and dairy free ingredients. Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
These Christmas rice krispie treats are SO cute! My kids are going to absolutely love making (and eating!) these!
I pinned this for later. I can’t wait to make them this Christmas season. I know my nieces will love them!
Gooey sweet marshmallow treats are a favorite in my family. My kiddo thought this was so fun to make and his ‘most favorite’ to eat.
These look so fun! This would make a great gift for teachers or daycare teachers! Thanks for the share! Excited to make these!
I love that idea! I hope you do make these and that they all love them!
I couldn’t wait to make these and made a batch this weekend. I loved the rice chex ~ a nice change from rice krispies. They are so festive!
I made these over the weekend to have a fun Christmas treat while we were decorating. They were so cute and festive and absolutely delicious! Loved the white chocolate addition.