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The only downside was I couldn’t stop eating these. Five stars.
Karen
This is a classic case of “it doesn’t have to be fancy to be amazing.”
In This Post: Everything You Need For Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars
- How These Treats Came to Be
- These Bars are Extra and Everything
- Refrigerate These Rice Krispie Treats, Please
- Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars: Frequently Asked Questions
The Rice Krispie Bar Love Story
I REALLY ADORE these Rice Krispie Bars.
I’ve been making them for a long time, ever since my cousin’s wife Erica brought them to us years ago and I fell absolutely in love with them.
I bothered her for the recipe, as one does, and she sent me this recipe from All Recipes.
The adjustments I’ve made over the years have mostly to do with convenience: standard-size boxes and bags rather than the hard-to-find ones, light brown sugar instead of dark, and ditching the corn syrup, since you already have the sticky caramel to hold it all together.
And also because I’m known to be a fan of short ingredient lists.
These Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars Aren’t For Everyone
If you’re the kind of person who likes an understated dessert, you might need to look elsewhere.
These are butter-forward, sugar-forward, and salt-forward. These are not subtle. They are simple, but they are also big, very sweet and salty, obnoxiously extra, and so deliciously life-changing.
They remind me of the Extra Good Puppy Chow – like, you’ve probably already had puppy chow, but you haven’t had AMAZING puppy chow until you’ve basically doubled the butter and chocolate and stuck the whole thing in the freezer.
That’s what’s happening here. You’ve had a Rice Krispie Bar, but you have not lived until you’ve had THIS Rice Krispie Bar. Extra butter, extra gooey goodness in the form of a quick homemade salted caramel, and extra textural goodness from a pop into the fridge. DIAL IT UP.
I won’t judge if you’re a person who takes their treats a little more restrained. But for those of us who enjoy a massively caramelly, unapologetically salty-sweet bite of a classic RKB, this one will deliver.
Please Refrigerate These Rice Krispie Bars – Yes, I Said It
Rice Krispie Bars usually aren’t refrigerated, but here is my weird secret: I really enjoy these Rice Krispie Bars cold out of the fridge.
For regular Rice Krispie Bars, that would not work. They’d dry out in two seconds.
But in this case, we have twice the butter (yay!) so the cold treatment tightens up the buttery-mallow-salty-caramel mixture into something a bit more firm, but still very soft and chewable. So what you get is a tight, tender, chewy, sweet and salty crispy-crunch that is just so ultra-satisfying.
They are a 10 in all forms, so room temp will also work for you and be nice and soft. But just try refrigerating them for a texture boost. See if I’m crazy.
Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars: Frequently Asked Questions
You’ll want soft caramel for these bars. To achieve this, avoid boiling the caramel excessively. I’d recommend just keeping the caramel over low heat and heating it just enough to get it incorporated and slightly thickened.
Get yourself some Maldon Sea Salt Flakes (affiliate link) – just so good!
You can, but please try them in the fridge. They stay cold, crispy, buttery, and are still deliciously soft and chewy.
Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 15–20 bars 1x
Description
Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars! Perfectly chewy, crispy, caramelly, buttery, soft, and exactly as over-the-top as you need them to be.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
- 10-ounce package miniature marshmallows (16 ounces for extra gooey!)
- 12-ounce box of Rice Krispies or crispy rice cereal (about 11–12 cups)
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add sugar and whipping cream; stir to incorporate. It will take a minute, but as it heats, you’ll start to see a smooth, creamy caramel mixture form. Heat over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes, until you have a slightly thickened caramel sauce that coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat and stir in the salt. Taste and adjust for more salt if you want.
- Add the marshmallows and stir until melted.
- Stir in the cereal. Press mixture into a 9×13 pan. You might have a little bit of extra that doesn’t fit in the pan – perfect for a little snack, if you ask me.
- Cool slightly, cut into squares, and enjoy! You can eat these at room temperature, but I also love them in the refrigerator! They stay excellently tight, compact, and yet still soft and chewy as they thaw. For some reason that cold, crispy, buttery texture is just really enjoyable.
Notes
You don’t want to boil the caramel mixture excessively, otherwise you’ll end up with firm caramel instead of soft caramel once the bars cool. I’d recommend just keeping the caramel over low heat and heating it just enough to get it incorporated and slightly thickened.
Personally I don’t like to store these at room temperature for more than a few hours because of the cream in the caramel sauce. You can let them hang out on the counter for a bit before you serve, but then I usually pop the leftovers into the fridge for some cold, crunchy magic.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: rice krispie bars, salted caramel rice krispie bar, dessert bar
More Treats To Love
- Modern Scotcheroos (another take on the classic Rice Krispie Bar)
- Favorite Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (browned butter is next-level good)
- Old School Homemade Oreos (why are these so amazing??)
Made these twice. First time measured the cereal by weight, second time with cups. The cups were waaaay too much. Twelve cups equaling close to 20 oz and there was too much cereal. Recommend weighing, or changing the recipe to allow for the correct amount.
I have made these several times and love them. I had to accommodate for vegan needs and substituted vegan butter and whole coconut milk and they turned out fabulous!
These are dangerously good, thank you for the recipe!
I’ve made this twice now and it is so good! So easy and so tasty!
I have never written a review on a recipe but this recipe is so good I just had to. I saw someone make this recipe on TikTok. I have made this recipe 3 times and I follow the recipe as is except for a little less salt. They are the most perfect chewy, delicious Rice Krispie treat.
These are so amazing! I’ve made them quite a few times and they always get rave reviews from everyone- kids and adults. I’ve used the large marshmallows with no issue, subbed half coconut oil for the butter, and today made with corn Chex instead of rice crispies because it’s what I had on hand and they’re perfect every time! I DO keep them in the fridge or they’re messy-soft, but they’re so good cold!
These bars are super easy and delicious! I cut back on the flaky salt a touch (to 1 1/4 teaspoons) as I’m making them for a bbq with a mixed group (adults and kids). I used 16 oz of marshmallows for the extra gooey option!
Some of my friends don’t like this dessert, but I really like the taste of this cake.
These are just so delicious and easy to make!! Such a winner!!
This food is good! I tried it and am addicted until now ^^.
It’s very good, I’m going to try it.
It’s a nice snack, I’ll try it.
Thank you, for recipe. Very interesting for me.
Deeeeelicious!!! Everyone loved them!! Making again for Thanksgiving!!
Love this recipe. It looks so simple and I love anything salted caramel!
Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars for evening snacks it was the best food with friends and family. These look amazing I’m going to make them in this family weekend party.
Never really tried anything like this, only the plane ones, but I am curious, will give it a go this weekend! Thanks 🙂
Great blog thanks for this content i really like it this type of blogs.
The only downside was I couldn’t stop eating these. Five stars.
Made these yesterday for a spooky movie night, and they were a big hit! Made the caramel vegan by making and using cashew cream, instead of heavy cream, and it tasted so good. Put them in the fridge as suggested overnight and they’re firm but still very chewy. Love it.
Thanks
Never heard of these but sounds delicious!
Made these and they were a huge hit! The store sent frosted Rice Krispies, so I used browned butter to try and cover the sweetness. They ended up delicious.
These really are good out of the fridge! Agreed with other posters that I needed to keep it on low heat to melt the marshmallows, but besides that, these truly are a lovely treat! Chewy in the best way, buttery, sweet and salty… I’m always thinking about eating a square for dessert, with coffee or tea… they’re perfect!
Since I found out about this recipe in my family, there has never been a day that I have not eaten. My whole family is addicted to this dish. Thank you so much for sharing