Peanut butter rice krispie treats add a delicious sweet-salty twist to elevate a childhood classic. Through countless batches and recipe testing in my home kitchen, we’ve perfected the ratio of marshmallow to peanut butter to create soft and chewy bars with a rich, nutty flavor that make them truly irresistible.
We love no bake dessert recipes in our house, especially during the summertime. And after a lifetime of loving classic rice krispie bars (thanks mom!), and 20+ years of making all kinds of different twists on the classic, we absolutely can’t get enough of this peanut butter version. The peanut butter adds complexity and depth of flavor that appeals to both kids and adults alike. They’re still perfectly gooey and crispy, but with a more sophisticated flavor profile.
And because these quick and easy bars always impress, they’re great for potlucks, tailgates, bake sales, and as an after-school treat. So if you’re a peanut butter lover (like we are!), this recipe deserves a spot in your regular dessert rotation. For more tested and perfected cereal bar variations from my kitchen, be sure to try our homemade scotcheroos, cocoa krispie treats, fruity pebbles treats, and easy s’mores bars recipes too!
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love These Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
- Peanut Butter Rice Crispie Bars Ingredients
- How to Make Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats
- Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats Recipe Variations
- Tips for Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Bars
- How to Store Peanut Butter Rice Krispies
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
- Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Bars
Why You’ll Love These Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Super easy to make! A great entry-level recipe to try.
Great peanut butter flavor. Peanut butter is the star of these Rice Krispie bars. They kind of give you a bit of a fluffernutter vibe with the combination of the peanut butter and marshmallow.
Ready to enjoy in 30 minutes! This includes time to make the peanut butter Rice Krispie treat recipe and allow for them to cool and set up too!
Peanut Butter Rice Crispie Bars Ingredients
- Rice Krispies Cereal (or Puffed Rice Cereal). The base of these treats! You can use name brand Rice Krispies or any generic puffed rice cereal. They all work great and give you that signature crispy texture.
- Mini Marshmallows. Mini marshmallows melt more quickly and evenly than large marshmallows, making them ideal for this recipe. When combined with the butter and peanut butter, these create the gooey, sticky binder that holds everything together.
- Butter. Adds richness and helps melt the marshmallows smoothly. I use salted butter, but unsalted works too.
- Creamy Peanut Butter. The star ingredient! Creamy peanut butter blends smoothly into the marshmallow mixture and adds that delicious nutty flavor throughout. I recommend using a standard brand like JIF or Skippy rather than natural peanut butter, as natural varieties can be tricky to work with and may cause the bars to be greasy or not set properly (depending on how well they were mixed).
- *Optional: Vanilla Extract. Adding vanilla extract gives a more rounded, balanced flavor. If you want a strong peanut butter punch, leave it out. If you prefer a milder peanut butter flavor with more complexity, add it in. Both ways are delicious!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Why is the Vanilla Extract Option in These Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats?
I’ve made this recipe with and without vanilla extract, and have decided to write it in as optional. If you want more of a peanut butter punch to your treats, leave the vanilla out. If you want a more mild peanut butter flavor, add the vanilla to balance the flavors out. Both ways are delicious, but they end up being pretty different!
How to Make Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats
Melt the marshmallows with the butter and peanut butter: Place the marshmallows, butter, and peanut butter in a large microwave safe bowl, and microwave in 30 second increments. Stir after each 30 second increment to coat the marshmallows in the butter and peanut butter. Repeat until marshmallows are poofy and melted. This will take approximately 3-4 rounds (or 1.5-2 minutes) to complete, depending on your microwave.
Note: If you are adding the option vanilla, stir in after the marshmallows have been melted
Note: You can also do this on the stovetop if you prefer! First melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Then add the marshmallows and peanut butter and stir continuously until melted.
Stir in your Rice Krispie cereal: Stir in 5 cups of puffed rice cereal until evenly distributed. If additional cereal is desired to obtain your perfect cereal-to-marshmallow ratio, stir in up to 1 additional cup of cereal.
Make your bars: Gently press the cereal and marshmallow mixture into a 9×13 pan with a clean rubber scraper. Note: Option to line with parchment paper if you plan to remove the bars from the pan prior to cutting/serving.
Let your bars set up: Let your Rice Krispie peanut butter treats set up for 20-30 minutes before cutting.
Serve and enjoy!
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats Recipe Variations
Add Chocolate! Peanut butter and chocolate is one of the best combinations. If you’d like to add even more fun to your Rice Krispie peanut butter treats, try one of these chocolate additions:
- Dipping them in chocolate: These bars dipped in chocolate would be an awesome way to add chocolate to your dessert. If you would like to do this, I would recommend dipping one half of each Rice Krispie square or the bottom of each square into melted chocolate and allowing it to set prior to serving.
- Drizzling them in chocolate: If you don’t feel like dipping, try drizzling the tops of your treats with melted chocolate (and maybe some melted peanut butter too!)
Tips for Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Bars
Don’t press too hard into the pan. This is the most important tip! When transferring your mixture to the 9×13 pan, press gently with a rubber spatula or lightly buttered hands just enough to spread into an even layer. Pressing too hard over-compresses the mixture resulting in tough, dense bars instead of soft and chewy ones. The mixture should look slightly fluffy in the pan, not packed down super tight.
Use fresh marshmallows. Old, stale marshmallows that have been sitting in your pantry for months won’t melt as smoothly and can result in hard, difficult-to-chew treats. Fresh marshmallows create soft, gooey bars.
Work quickly once the marshmallows are melted. The marshmallow mixture starts to set up as it cools, so stir in your cereal and get the mixture into your pan promptly. If you wait too long, it becomes harder to mix and spread evenly.
How to Store Peanut Butter Rice Krispies
Store leftover bars in an air-tight container on the countertop for up to 3 days (I will be impressed if they last that long!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the larger sized marshmallows instead of mini marshmallows? Yes! They may just take a little longer to melt, but no big deal!
Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Bars
Ingredients
- 5 C Rice Krispies Cereal or Puffed Rice Cereal
- 1, 10 oz Bag of Mini Marshmallows
- 2 tablespoon Salted Butter
- ¼ C Creamy Peanut Butter
- *Optional: ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Place the marshmallows, butter, and peanut butter in a large microwave safe bowl, and microwave in 30 second increments. Stir after each 30 second increment to coat the marshmallows in the butter and peanut butter. Repeat until marshmallows are poofy and melted. This will take approximately 3-4 rounds (or 1.5-2 minutes) to complete, depending on your microwave.*
- If you are adding the option vanilla, stir in after the marshmallows have been melted.
- Stir in 5 cups of puffed rice cereal until evenly distributed.
- Gently press the cereal and marshmallow mixture into a 9×13 pan with a clean rubber scraper.
- Let your Rice Krispie peanut butter treats set up for 20-30 minutes before cutting.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Store leftover bars in an air-tight container on the countertop for up to 3 days (I will be impressed if they last that long!)
Keith says
I never had a PB rice krispie treat before I found this recipe; I always added chocolate to mine, which is good, but leaving the chocolate off and just appreciating the peanut butter is so good! Love it. Will make for the family again!
Meredith says
so happy to hear that you enjoyed this PB version! thank you for giving it a try, hope you can enjoy another batch soon!
Maggie says
I’ve been making these for 40 years. Only I use 6 cups of rice and I use a whole cup of peanut butter. Also, if you put them down in a very thin layer you can then spread a layer of “all fruit” type spread and then another layer. Not only do I have them for snacks, they also make great breakfast bars.
ourlovelanguageisfood says
Glad you love PB Rice Krispie Bars too! I’ll have to try the amped up PB version and mid-layer next time – thanks for sharing 🙂
Nathan says
Amazing bars! I drizzle mine with a little milk chocolate to take them to the next level.
ourlovelanguageisfood says
So glad you loved them! Agree chocolate drizzle on this is a great add – yum!
Lynn says
Peanut butter and Rice Krispie treats? There’s no better combo!! Delicious!!
ourlovelanguageisfood says
right??? Glad you love this treat too!