These Coconut Oil Rice Crispy Treats are easy, quick, and so delicious! A dairy free version of the classic treat that you are guaranteed to love!
Rice Crispy (or Krispy) Treats were a favorite of mine growing up. I’m thinking my mom made them a lot because they are so easy. No baking, only a few minutes involved, and so good! I still love them and I wanted to try making them with coconut oil in place of the butter- it was a great idea! You will not miss the butter- promise!!
How to make sure they don't turn out hard
This is a common question when making crispy treats and the key is to melt the marshmallows slowly. Don't be tempted to crank up the heat, that is what results in them getting so hard when they set. Be patient, stir the marshmallows well as they slowly melt and you will have the best, soft and chewy crispy treats!
All you need is 3 simple ingredients to make these. It can’t get much easier than that! One tip I have is to make sure the pan you use is big enough. It has to hold not only all those melted marshmallow, but also all the rice crispies. I have had a mess more than once trying to make these work in a too small pan.
To make using a 16oz bag of marshmallows
Sometimes you grab the big bag of marshmallows and want to use it all so I've updated the recipe with instructions for that. You'll want to increase the coconut oil to 6 tablespoons, the cereal to 7 cups and use a 13x9 pan. So easy for a bigger pan of crispy treats.
These are gooey, sweet, and the perfect combination of crispies and marshmallows. I know that might not seem like a big deal, but I have definitely had overly dry and overly marshmallowy treats. Made this way will result in ooey, gooey, soft, pillowy, sweet squares. They are perfect!
Dairy Free and Gluten Free
Because coconut oil replaces the butter, these are dairy free. They can also easily be made gluten free if you use gluten free rice crispy cereal. I made them with both regular and gluten free cereal and both turned out great.
You will love these Coconut Oil Rice Crispy Treats because they are so fast, easy, and delicious! Here are some more no-bake treats to enjoy:
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Coconut Oil Rice Crispy Treats
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 1 10.5 oz bag marshmallows
- 5 cups gluten free crispy rice cereal
Instructions
- Line a 9x9 square pan with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In a large pan, combine coconut oil and marshmallows over medium heat until completely melted. This should take 4-5 minutes and make sure to stir constantly so the bottom doesn’t burn.
- Once mixture is smooth, add the rice krispies and mix until evenly coated.
- Pour into prepare pan and let cool for about an hour. Cut into squares and serve.
patricia says
this may be a silly question (because i've never used coconut oil before) but is it 1/4 cup solid or melted?
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Patricia- not a silly question at all! I just measured it from the jar, so room temperature. It will melt in the pan so no need to melt it ahead of time. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy!
Shayna says
Has anyone had any luck finding vegan marshmallows?
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Shayna- I know there is a brand names Dandies that is vegan, but I'm not sure how they melt.
Stacy says
Can it be any kind of coconut oil? Or does it have to be that brand?
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Stacy- it can be any brand. Hope you enjoy!
Suzanne Holt says
I've made gluten-free rice crispy treats before, but have never thought of using coconut oil to make them dairy-free as well! That's such a great idea! Coconut oil is so versatile, it's becoming one of my new favorite things in the kitchen.
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks, Suzanne! Coconut oil is so great- I hope you enjoy them!
Allene says
Warning! It isn't gluten free unless the marshmallows are gluten free! Some are not.
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks for that tip, Allene!
Kelly says
I'm just starting my gluten free journey and I am really craving sweets and cookies--so this recipe is really going to help!!
Jessica DeMay says
Awesome, Kelly! I think you'll love them 🙂 Just double check to make sure the crispy's are gluten free. Enjoy!
Lauren says
However, marshmallows are made with gelatin which, of course, is not vegan unless you can find vegan gelatin.
Jessica DeMay says
Yes- thank you! I'm not claiming them to be vegan :), but sometimes people get that confused.
Sara says
For people noting that marshmallows are not vegan, it is true that regular marshmallows are not vegan because of the gelatin. (marshmallows don't have dairy though). However, you can find GF vegan marshmallows at health food stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods (I often see the brand "Dandies" which makes fun flavors for the holidays too like pumpkin and peppermint), and Trader Joe's also has mini and regular size vegan marshmallows. I'm totally pinning this recipe because it's so easy to make it vegan!
Jessica DeMay says
Thank you for all the tips, Sara! That is so helpful 🙂
Heidi says
Trader Joe's marshmallows are also vegan, they don't use gelatin in them. I think they even taste better!
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks, Heidi!
Obie says
Marshmallows are not vegan - they contain eggs which vegans do not eat.
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Obie- I am well aware that marshmallows are not vegan which is why I never said anything about them being vegan. I said they are dairy free which is different. If someone has a dairy allergy they could have these without any issues.
Jeannette says
I I did not know the difference! Thank you! Thank you for the recipe too. Am trying tonight!
Lauren says
Marshmallows do not have egg in them. You're thinking of the marshmallow cream which does. My sister-in-law was allergic to eggs and couldn't eat the whip. However, she could eat the marshmallows.
Jessica DeMay says
Thank you for that tip, Lauren! That is helpful 🙂
Meg B. says
Where did you find gluten free rice krispy cereal?? Last I heard they had discontinued it – that they only have the gluten (malt) ones now.
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Meg- the brand I found that was gluten free is Mother's Best. It's actually the chocolate crispies and it worked great. I hope that helps!
Kelly says
So glad to hear they are available! I was beyond disappointed when I heard Kelloggs discontinued making the gf version. Couldn't bear the thought of never having Rice Krispie treats again!! Where did you purchase the Mother's Best brand? I hadn't heard of that before....???
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Kelly! I get the Mother's Best brand at Kroger or Meijer. I'm thinking they probably sell them at health food stores as well. I hope you find them and I hope you try them! 🙂
Patti Tomb says
Malt o meal has a gluten free rice krispy cereal. It is an off brand but the ingrediets are the same as Kellelogs before the decided not to be gluten free.
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks for that info, Patti! I didn't know that- how helpful 🙂
Sherry Lemke says
MaltoMeal brand rice crispy cereal (comes in big bags, not boxes) is GF. I find it at Walmart.
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks for that info, Sherry!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
That marshmallow looks so delicious Jessica! I think I would need to eat all three in the stack!
Jessica DeMay says
Thanks, Mary Ann! Three is totally an acceptable serving 🙂