4th of July Rice Krispie Treats: This patriotic dessert is easy to make, super delicious, and tons of fun to serve at your Fourth of July get-together (or anytime)! Our American Flag Pizza Dessert is another fun recipe to make for the holiday too!
I love a good Rice Krispie treat, but I love it even more when it’s themed to the occasion. This red, white, and blue dessert is the perfect treat to serve for the Fourth of July, along with these 4th of July cupcakes of course!
Rice Krispie treats are an easy, no bake dessert to make and they are so fun to customize. This easy Fourth of July dessert combines three layers of this tasty, nostalgic rice treat and then cuts it into a star for an extra wow factor.
Serve them at your backyard barbecue, your lunch picnic, or any old time! Your party guests are sure to love these Fourth of July Rice Krispie Treats, especially if this 4th of July Puppy Chow is sitting next to them too!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Fun & Festive: This red, white, and blue dessert is patriotic and the perfect dessert to serve at your Fourth of July barbecue or get together. See our substitutions & variations section for ideas of other holidays you could make this for!
Quick & Easy: Although this recipe takes a little bit of time because it has three layers, it’s still a quick and easy dessert to put together.
No Bake: You won’t have to heat up the oven and the house to make this yummy no bake dessert. And if you’re making it for the Fourth of July, which is pretty dang warm in some parts of the country, that’s a big plus!
Delicious: I think most of us have had a Rice Krispie treat before, and for good reason. They are delicious!
What is the Fourth of July?
Here in the USA, July 4th is Independence Day. This is a federal holiday commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
For patriotic holidays like July 4th, it’s common for Americans to celebrate with friends and family. Often these celebrations involve food that is themed after our nation’s flag (which is red, white, and blue and has both stars and stripes on it) as a show of patriotic pride.
How do you make 4th of July rice crispy treats?
You only need 5 simple ingredients (that you probably have in your pantry) to make this super fun treat!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter divided
- 15 cups mini marshmallows
- 12 cups of Rice Krispies, divided (or any crispy rice cereal)
- 1½ teaspoons clear vanilla extract divided
- red & blue food coloring (8-9 red drops, 6 blue)
You can find a complete list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card below.
Instructions
- Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper. Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large pot, start to melt ¼ cup butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, add 5 cups of marshmallows to the butter, stirring often. Once the marshmallows are almost melted, turn the heat to low.
- Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla and the red food coloring, a few drops at a time, and mix well. If needed, continue to add food coloring until desired color. Remove from heat.
- Mix in 4 cups of the Rice Krispie cereal. Stir until the cereal is well coated.
Note: The marshmallow cools down quickly, so be prepared to mix in the cereal immediately after removing from the heat, then quickly add them to the pan before cooling down too much and getting very sticky.
- Pour into the parchment-lined pan. Spread evenly while pressing down firmly, and smooth the top using the back of a buttered spoon.
- Repeat the same process, leaving this second batch white. Pour the white batch on top of the red layer. Press down and smooth evenly.
- Repeat the process one last time with the blue food coloring. Place the blue Rice Krispie Treats on top of the white layer. Press firmly and smooth out the top layer. Allow to cool completely at room temperature (will take about an hour).
- Remove the treats from the pan, using a knife to cut around the edges if needed. Peel off the parchment paper and place on a cutting board.
- Cut the red, white, and blue Rice Krispy treats into star shapes using a cookie cutter. If the cutter isn’t deep enough to completely reach the bottom of the pan, create an indentation with the cutter to use as a stencil, and then cut it out completely using a knife. Be sure to spray your cookie cutter and/or knife with cooking spray so the Rice Krispie doesn’t stick to them.
- Serve & enjoy!
Looking for more no bake desserts? Try this no bake cherry cheesecake or this 4th of July Dip! In fact, if you used a mixture of cherry pie filling and blueberry pie filling this could become another easy Fourth of July dessert!
And since you’re looking for no bake recipes, why not whip up a batch of our amazing no bake cookies to have on hand? They’re a family favorite!
Looking for more Fourth of July recipes and decorating ideas? Check out the Fourth of July section on the blog for red donuts, a red, white and blue themed dip bar, and more!
Substitutions & Variations
Missing an ingredient? Looking for other ways to enjoy these American Rice Krispie Treats? Try these suggestions…
- Butter – I love the flavor of butter, but you can use margarine in this recipe if you need.
- Marshmallows – Store brand marshmallows and old, dried out marshmallows don’t work as well for this recipe. Make sure you use good quality marshmallows, and pick up a fresh bag for the best results!
- Other Holidays/Occasions – The colored layers can be changed for any holiday or occasion. Make these for Christmas (red & green), St. Patrick’s Day (green), Valentine’s Day (red & pink), etc.
- Add Sprinkles or Mix-Ins – Before your top layer cools, quickly press some sprinkles or other fun mix-ins into it for a fun decoration! You could also stir sprinkles/mix-ins into the marshmallow cereal mixture before you press it into the pan. For this recipe, you could use red, white, and blue sprinkles or red, white, and blue m&m. If you are making it for another holiday/occasion, use things that fit with that theme!
Storage
Store your star rice Rice Krispie treats in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days, or in the fridge for 4-5 days.
You could also put these in an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze them for up to a month. Rice Krispie treats keep well in the freezer.
Expert Tips and FAQs
No, it’s not necessary to refrigerate Rice Krispie Treats. If you need them to cool down faster you can chill them for a short while while they are setting, but otherwise, they can be stored at room temperature.
The absolute best way to keep these fresh is to make sure they are stored in an airtight container! If you are concerned about it, you can individually wrap each star in plastic wrap before placing them in an airtight container and this should ensure that they stay nice and soft/fresh until you are ready to eat them.
If you don’t, don’t worry at all! This dessert will look just as great cut into squares, and you’ll still be able to see all three layers and colors that way.
You could also make yourself a star-shaped template out of paper and cut around that with a knife to make your star-shaped treats.
If you like your Rice Krispie treats a bit more on the gooey side (where they pull apart super easily and are more sticky to eat), simply add an additional cup of marshmallows to each of the batches you are making (the red, the plain, and the blue).
Technically, yes you can. In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter in 30-second increments. Once melted, add your marshmallows and continue to heat in 30-second increments (stirring often). When your butter and marshmallows are melted completely, stir in the vanilla and food coloring and quickly stir in the cereal. From there the recipe continues as it is written.
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
Recipe
4th of July Rice Krispie Treats
Equipment
- 3-inch star cookie cutter
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter divided
- 15 cups mini marshmallows
- 12 cups crispy rice cereal divided (I used Rice Krispies)
- 1½ teaspoons clear vanilla extract divided
- red & blue food coloring (8-9 red drops, 6 blue)
Instructions
- Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper. Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large pot, start to melt ¼ cup butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, add 5 cups of the mini marshmallows to the butter, stirring often. Once the marshmallows are almost melted, turn the heat to low.
- Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla and the red food coloring, a few drops at a time, and mix well. If needed, continue to add food coloring until desired color. Remove from heat.
- Mix in 4 cups of the cereal. Stir until the cereal is well coated.
- Pour into the parchment lined pan. Spread evenly while pressing down firmly, and smooth the top using the back of a buttered spoon.
- Repeat the same process, leaving this second batch white. Pour the white batch on top of the red layer. Press down and smooth evenly.
- Repeat the process one last time with the blue food coloring. Place on top of the white layer. Press firmly and smooth out the top layer. Allow to cool completely at room temperature (will take about an hour).
- Remove the treats from the pan, using a knife to cut around the edges if needed. Peel off the parchment paper and place on a cutting board.
- Cut the treats into star shapes using a cookie cutter. If the cutter isn’t deep enough to completely reach the bottom of the pan, create an indentation with the cutter to use as a stencil, and then cut it out completely using a knife. Be sure to spray your cookie cutter and/or knife with cooking spray so the Rice Krispie doesn't stick to them.
- Serve & enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Natasha says
These are so fun and easy to make! My kids loved this recipe and wants me to do more next time.
Kristyn says
So fun & festive!! Rice krispie treats are seriously the best! They are gooey & the easiest treat to make!
Melissa says
Yum – just finished making these! The kids loved them and so did the adults! Great recipe and easy to make!