Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Calling all peanut butter lovers! These gooey gluten-free peanut butter rice krispie treats are the perfect recipe when you want an easy crowd-pleasing dessert. We can’t get enough! 

Rice Krispie treats are some of our favorite treats here at Sweets & Thank You!

Whether it’s Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats, Fruity Pebbles Treats, or this Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats recipe, we love the combination of crisp rice cereal and gooey marshmallow. There’s just something about that crispy, gooey, chewy texture we can’t get enough of!

It doesn’t hurt that they’re *super* easy to make, too, right?

I mean…a handful of ingredients, just a few minutes of prep, and no preheating an oven. What’s not to love?! This easy no-bake recipe takes everything we love about a classic rice krispie treat and adds the nutty flavor and creamy goodness of peanut butter. YUM!

They’re the perfect snack or treat for a movie night, game night, party, or celebration. And they start with just 6 ingredients…

Simple Ingredients To Get Started

As always, you can find the full recipe, including step by step instructions, ingredient amounts, and tips in the recipe card below.

• Gluten-Free Crisp Rice Cereal. Gluten-Free Cereal. Rice Krispies brand cereal is NOT gluten-free. (It contains malt, which is derived from barley and contains gluten.) To keep these peanut butter rice krispie treats gluten-free, you MUST use a gluten-free brand of crisp rice cereal. We love Barbara’s or Aldi brands, but you can check out more options in this post. 
• Mini Marshmallows. A must for this sweet treat! You’ll set aside 1 cup to stir in at the end, but the rest of the marshmallows get melted and gooey to help the cereal stick together.
• Butter. This helps the marshmallows melt and keeps the bars soft.
• Creamy Peanut Butter. While you *can* get away with using natural peanut butter here (just peanuts or peanuts + salt), I usually use conventional peanut butter spreads (like JIF or Skippy) because they are easier to work with and keep the rice krispie treats soft longer.
• Vanilla. Some vanilla extract is a must! It adds such great flavor!
• A Little Salt. I love to finish these peanut butter rice krispies treats with a few flecks of flaky salt. It balances all the sweetness we have going on without making them salty.

How To Make Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats, Step By Step

1. Prepare. First, add crispy rice cereal to a large mixing bowl and set aside. Line a metal 8×8 square pan with parchment paper. Make sure you have everything ready to go, since the recipe moves quickly once you start. 
2. Set Aside 1 Cup Mini Marshmallows to stir in at the end. 
3. Melt Butter & Marshmallows. Add butter and the rest of the mini marshmallows to a large saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the marshmallows are melted and gooey.
4. Add Peanut Butter & Vanilla. Turn off the heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla extract. Stir quickly until smooth. 
5. Pour melted marshmallow mixture over the crisp rice cereal and add reserved cup of mini marshmallows. Stir to coat the cereal evenly. (This works best with a flexible silicone or rubber spatula.)
6. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and gently pat out into an even layer. (You don’t want to compact it too much, so it keeps a nice airy texture.) Garnish with a few flakes of flaky sea salt. Let the rice krispy treats cool completely before you cut them into squares.

Extras & Variations To Try

TBH, 99 times out of 100, we’re going to make this peanut butter rice krispie treat recipe just like I described, but when you’re in the mood to change things up, here are a few options…

• Use Sprinkles! WHY NOT? Right after you pat the cereal mixture into the pan, sprinkle the treats with some colorful sprinkles for a fun touch. I like nonpareils for this job, but check out our Sprinkles 101 post to learn more about different types of sprinkles & how to use them.
• Add Peanut Butter Chips. For an even more decadent treat, you can mix in a few peanut butter chips or even butterscotch chips along with the marshmallows.
• Drizzle With Chocolate. Combine that peanut butter flavor with some chocolate! Try dipping or drizzling the cereal squares in chocolate–milk chocolate, semisweet chocolate, dark chocolate…your choice!

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The BEst Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats

A Trick For Perfect Texture. My ideal peanut butter rice crispy treats have some softness and gooey-ness from the marshmallow mixture, but still have a light, crispy texture. The secret? Don’t pack them down too tightly! Use gentle pressure to spread them into an even layer, then just leave them to cool.

Can I Use Crunchy Peanut Butter? Technically yes, but it will impact the texture of the bars a bit. If you don’t mind, then go for it! Otherwise, I recommend sticking with smooth peanut butter.

How Long Do These Last? Stored in an airtight bag or container, these treats will keep fresh at room temperature for 3-4 days. If you want them to stay super fresh, you can individually wrap the squares in plastic wrap before storing them in a bag or airtight container, but we haven’t found that strictly necessary.

Dairy-Free Option. Swap in vegan butter (like Earth Balance) and these are dairy-free! Use vegan butter + vegan marshmallows for a gluten-free vegan version.

🌟 Leave a star review below when you try our Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats recipe! We can’t wait to hear what you think!

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