Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

Sweet, pink, and pretty Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats are both a feast for the palate and the eyes! The rice cereal and homemade marshmallow fluff are lightly flavored with freeze dried strawberry powder, giving this no-bake dessert a berrylicious flavor.

Just like my Strawberries and Cream Mini Tarts and Berry and Lemon Poppyseed Cake, these rice krispie bars are a perfect treat to enjoy on Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, or really any special occasion. The pink color pops on any dessert table!

Short on time? These gooey and chewy rice krispie treats will be just as flavorful and sweet with storebought marshmallow fluff instead of homemade. Plus, they can easily be customized by substituting the strawberry flavor for anything else you like, such as cocoa powder, coffee, matcha, and more.

If you want to play with more delicious rice krispie treats, check out my chocolate rice krispie treats, coconut rice krispie treats and salted caramel rice krispie treats!

🍴Ingredients

These pink, berry-flavored treats are elevated above the classic version thanks to the homemade marshmallow fluff and freeze dried strawberries. Here’s what you need to pick up at the grocery store:

• Rice krispies cereal - Or any other puffed rice or corn cereal will work just as well as your main cereal mixture. 
• Freeze dried strawberries - This dry strawberry powder packs in the craveable berry flavor without adding unnecessary moisture to the marshmallows. A secret ingredient that adds a fruity twist to your classic rice krispies! 
• Unflavored gelatin powder - Gelatin is necessary when making homemade marshmallows and will give them a light, bouncy, and slightly chewy texture.
• Sugar syrup - A simple combination of sugar, water, and light corn syrup that, when heated to the correct temperature, will whip up into marshmallow fluff.
• Unsalted butter - Adds richness to the marshmallow mixture and prevents it from getting too sticky.
• Vanilla - The warmth of vanilla extract helps these cereal bars taste a step above the rest!

📖 Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Warm the cereal. Grease a large mixing bowl with butter and pour in the rice krispies. Place the bowl in the oven on low to warm your cereal. This will make the future mixing process much easier!

Step 2: Bloom the gelatin. Mix the gelatin with a little water and vanilla in a small bowl. Set aside.

Step 3: Make the sugar syrup. Heat the sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until it begins to bubble over medium heat. Continue to cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 250°F.

Step 4: Whip up the marshmallow fluff & add the freeze dried strawberry powder and softened butter. Add rice krispie cereal and mix together until just combined.

Step 5: Assemble, cool, and serve. Transfer this mixture to a parchment paper lined prepared pan and top with more freeze dried strawberries.

Step 6: Form into an even layer and let the cereal treats set and firm up before cutting them into pink treat bars and enjoying!

❓ Can I use real strawberries?

Sadly, I would not advise using fresh strawberries for this recipe. The amount of water and moisture that exists within a fresh strawberry will not work.

Instead, the fresh strawberry moisture will make the rice krispie treats soggy - a tragedy! Personally, I like using freeze-dried strawberries and strawberry powder to assure that the rice krispie treats are packed with flavor while also maintaining the perfect texture!

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

1. Pay attention to the specific temperatures of your sugar syrup before moving onto the next task. Make sure to use a thermometer and babysit the syrup to ensure that you are hitting the right temperatures.
2. Be extra gentle when you are mixing together the cereal and marshmallow fluff. The cereal is quite delicate and can easily be crushed!
3. Make sure to grease your spatula! This ensures that your marshmallow fluff and rice krispie cereal does not get stuck, preventing you from incorporating everything well.
4. To make sure that the rice krispie treats hold their shape, wait to cut into them for at least an hour. I know... it's hard to wait! But you won't regret it.

❄️ Cutting & Storing

After cutting into my fair share of rice crispy treats this summer, I would highly recommend using a serrated knife! Light, airy and chewy rice krispie treats tend to get squished incredibly easily if they're not handled with care. Using a serrated knife to cut into your squares will prevent this from happening and allow for the perfect squares.

If each rice krispie treat is individually wrapped and kept at room temperature in an airtight container, they should last for up to five days!

💭 Recipe FAQs

Looking to make more Valentine’s Day treats?