These 3 ingredient Fruity Pebbles Treats are a fun and colorful twist on the nostalgic gooey marshmallow bars we all grew up eating. This no-bake dessert will quickly become your whole family’s favorite sweet treat!
If you like Fruity Pebbles cereal, you’ll love ooey gooey Fruity Pebbles Cereal Bars! These super-sweet cereal bars have a soft, chewy, and perfectly crispy texture. I love making them because they’re a fun and easy dessert that comes together in about 10 minutes.
The bright rainbow colors and fruity flavors make them really stand out at birthday parties, bake sales, and summer cookouts. Rice Krispies treats might be the classic marshmallow treat, but after you try Fruity Pebbles Treats, you’ll never want to make anything else!
Now that it’s warming up outside, you need a few tried and true no-bake dessert recipes. After you make my Fruity Pebbles Cereal Bars, you need to make my no-bake Scotcheroos, Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats, and Easy S’mores Bars.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Only 3 simple ingredients. All you need to make this recipe is salted butter, mini marshmallows, and Fruity Pebbles cereal. When I say three ingredients, I mean it! You don’t need to add any additional spices, extracts, or salt.
Truly a no-bake recipe. These cereal bars don’t require the oven or the stovetop! I use the microwave to melt the butter and the marshmallows.
So quick and easy. This is an easy dessert recipe that is perfect for beginner cooks, older kids, and teenagers. With so few ingredients and no stovetop required, this recipe is practically impossible to mess up!
Bright and colorful. Classic Rice Krispie Treats need extra food coloring, sprinkles, and toppings to brighten them up. You don’t need to add anything extra to make brightly colored Fruity Pebbles Treats stand out!
Great for kids and adults alike! My toddler would eat her body weight in these if I let her… so would my husband. My coworkers also loved these. This Fruity Pebble treats recipe is always a hit!
Ingredients Needed
Salted Butter. You need to use salted butter, not unsalted butter. The salt adds depth of flavor to the dessert bars and balances out the sweetness.
Mini Marshmallows. Mini marshmallows are melted in the microwave and also folded into the fruity pebbles mixture whole. MINI marshmallows are a must because you can’t stir in regular-sized marshmallows.
Fruity Pebbles Cereal. You’ll want to use the original flavor of Fruity Pebbles that comes in the bright red box.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Try different cereals. You can make this exact recipe using Cocoa Pebbles or Cheerios cereal. You could also make Fruity Pebbles Rice Crispy Treats by substituting half of the Fruity Pebbles cereal with Rice Krispies cereal.
- Add vanilla extract. Some similar recipes call for vanilla extract. I don’t think it’s necessary, but you can add a splash if you’d like!
- Use large marshmallows. If you can’t find mini marshmallows at the grocery store, you can use regular-sized, whole marshmallows. Just melt the full amount along with your butter (do not hold any back to fold in later). They’ll still be super awesome! If you do want to fold some of your large marshmallows into your mixture per the recipe, you’ll have to chop them up into smaller-sized pieces to fold into the cereal mixture at the end.
- Use the stovetop. If you don’t have a microwave, you can still make this recipe! Simply melt the butter and mini marshmallows on the stovetop in a large saucepan over low heat.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Reserve 1 cup of mini marshmallows, and then place remaining marshmallows and butter into a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl.
Step 2: Cook for 1 minute in the microwave. Stir using a rubber spatula, and then place back into the microwave and cook for another 1 minute.
Step 3: Stir again and then place half of the Fruity Pebbles Cereal into the bowl with the melted marshmallows.
Step 4: Stir to combine.
Step 5: Add the remaining fruity pebbles cereal and reserved 1 cup of mini marshmallows.
Step 6: Stir to combine. Be sure all of the cereal has been coated with the marshmallow and butter mixture.
Step 7: Pour mixture into a 9×13 pan and GENTLY press to push the mixture to the edge of the pan.
Step 8: Allow to cool for at least 1 hour. Then cut and enjoy!
Possible Dietary Restrictions?
Post Fruity Pebbles and most brands of mini marshmallows are gluten free, making this a gluten free recipe. Unfortunately, this is not a dairy free recipe though because butter is made from milk.
Fruity Pebbles Treats should be perfectly fine for anyone with a tree nut or peanut allergy.
Storage
Fruity Pebbles bars can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top plastic bag at room temperature for 3-5 days. I doubt they’ll last that long though!
They can also be stored right in the baking dish, as long as they’re tightly covered with plastic wrap or foil.
Refrigeration isn’t necessary, but it won’t hurt them if you’d like to store them in the fridge.
Expert Tips
- Don’t forget to reserve 1 cup of mini marshmallows to mix in at the end. Mixing in whole, unmelted mini marshmallows gives each bite an extra bit of gooey goodness!
- If you’re worried about your Fruity Pebbles Treats sticking to the pan, you can line your pan with parchment paper or lightly grease it with nonstick cooking spray or butter. I don’t line or grease the pan though and I’ve never had a problem with them sticking.
- I use a rubber scraper (silicone spatula) to press the mixture into the pan. You could also use your fingers. To do so, dip your fingers into water to prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands.
- If you choose to use the stovetop method to melt the butter and marshmallows, it’s important that you use LOW and SLOW heat. If you try to speed up the process with high heat, you’ll end up burning the sugar in the marshmallows.
- Don’t use an old, opened bag of marshmallows that have been in your cupboards since last summer. Old stale marshmallows will produce hard and stale marshmallow treats! Fresh marshmallows will give your cereal treats the soft and chewy texture we’re looking for in this recipe.
- It’s important to let your treats set for 1 hour (or longer). This will make cutting them into perfect little squares much easier!
- I highly recommend serving Fruity Pebbles Rice Crispy Treats with a glass of cold milk!
My #1 tip for making awesome Fruity Pebbles Treats is to gently press your Fruity Pebbles Cereal Bars mixture into your pan. Do NOT smash them into the pan! Pushing your mixture into your pan with a lot of force will result in hard and dense cereal bars. Gently pressing them will result in soft and airy bars.
Helpful Equipment
You’ll need a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, a rubber spatula, and a 9×13-inch baking dish. An 8×8 square baking dish would also work, you’ll just end up with thicker bars.
Recipe FAQs
This will depend on your measure of what “healthy” is. Fruity Pebbles cereal is a little high in sugar and low in protein and fiber. Based on the nutrition facts, some may decide that there are other cereals that are healthier than Fruity Pebbles.
Rice Krispies cereal and Fruity Pebbles cereal are very similar! Both kinds of cereal are made from rice, they have a similar shape, and a similar texture. The biggest difference is the color and added fruit flavor in Fruity Pebbles!
Yes, you can make Fruity Pebbles Treats with marshmallow fluff. However, it’s not a 1:1 substitute for melted marshmallows. You’ll want to find a recipe that specifically calls for marshmallow fluff.
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📖 Fruity Pebbles Treats
Ingredients
- 16 oz mini marshmallows (1 cup reserved to mix in later)
- 6 tablespoon salted butter
- 6 C Fruity Pebbles cereal
Instructions
- Reserve 1 cup of mini marshmallows, and then place remaining marshmallows and butter into a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl.
- Cook for 1 minute in the microwave. Stir using a rubber spatula, and then place back into the microwave and cook for another 1 minute.
- Stir again and then place half of the Fruity Pebbles Cereal into the bowl with the melted marshmallows. Stir to combine.
- Add the remaining fruity pebbles cereal and reserved 1 cup of mini marshmallows. Stir to combine, ensuring all of the cereal has been coated with the marshmallow and butter mixture.
- Pour mixture into a 9×13 pan and GENTLY press to push the mixture to the edge of the pan.
- Allow to cool for at least 1 hour. Then cut and enjoy!
Notes
- Try different cereals. You can make this exact recipe using Cocoa Pebbles, Cheerios cereal, or a mixture of half Fruity Pebbles and half Rice Krispies cereal.
- Add vanilla extract. If desired, add a splash of vanilla extract to the melted marshmallow and butter mixture.
- Use large marshmallows. Ok to use large marshmallows if desired. Melt full 16oz with butter in lieu of holding any back to mix in at the end.
- Use the stovetop. If you don’t have a microwave, you can still make this recipe! Simply melt the butter and mini marshmallows on the stovetop in a large saucepan over low heat.
David says
I mean, what’s not to like? Pebbles of any variety are superior to Krispies. These are no exception! Very gooey and chewy. Love em!
Meredith says
So happy to hear you loved these too! Thanks for giving the recipe a try.
Kurt Mueller says
A delicious treat! The perfect combination of crunch and gooey marshmallow. Had to stop myself from eating the whole tray in one sitting!
Meredith says
🙌 yaaaaas, it’s definitely hard to stop after 1 bar! glad you love them too.
Vivienne says
love this recipe! Really kicks the Rice Krispie bar up a notch.
Meredith says
so happy to hear you love it too! thanks for giving these fruity pebbles bars a try 🙂