Perfect Oreo Rice Krispie Treats
The only thing better than a good ol’ classic rice krispie treat is one loaded with cookies. This really is the perfect Oreo rice krispie treats recipe (and it’s so super easy)!
There is nothing quite like a good ol’ rice krispie treat. They rank right up there with sugar cookies for me: I can’t resist them even though my soul is usually craving deep, dark chocolate desserts.
Lately, we’ve become obsessed with adding Oreos every time we make them. I mentioned this on Instagram stories a few weeks ago with a quick note about how I varied this classic rice krispie treat recipe to include Oreos (basic idea: use less cereal).
However, after making several Oreo-filled batches, I realized there were a few more small but significant changes that would really take this Oreo rice krispie treat recipe to the next level.
5 1/2 simple ingredients
- butter (yes, you’ll want to brown it and it will be worth all 5 extra minutes of your time)
- marshmallows (we’ve amped up the amount for maximum gooey factor)
- vanilla (don’t leave it out)
- rice krispie cereal (technically I don’t think I’m allowed to refer to it as that but “crisp rice cereal” is just so boring)
- Oreos (I use exactly 24; follow your own moral compass)
The 1/2 ingredient is the pinch of coarse, kosher salt you’ll add with the vanilla. A little smidgeon of salt goes a long way to break up the one-note sweetness of the marshmallows.
The Oreos
How finely to chop/crush the Oreos is up to you. I like substantial pieces of cookies here and there in the rice krispie treats, so I go for more of a coarsely chopped effect. Usually that just means I put all the cookies in a ziploc bag and pound on them with the palm of my hand or a rolling pin until it looks about right.
Because there are about one zillion flavors of Oreos, you can get pretty creative with this recipe. When I use the dark chocolate Oreos in these rice krispie treats, you better believe nobody better stand between me and that pan. We’ve also used peanut butter Oreos AND added a spoonful of peanut butter in with the marshmallows. Wow.
Trader Joe’s Jo Jo cookies work great in this recipe, too. I’ve included weight measures in the recipe below to help out any potential cookie conversions.
This perfect Oreo rice krispie treats recipe is high on the marshmallow to cereal ratio, which is important because adding extra ingredients (like Oreos in this case) can dry out rice krispie treats pretty quickly.
And I don’t know about you, but there is nothing like going in for a much-anticipated ooey gooey rice krispie treat only to take a tentative bite and end up with crackly, crispy shards of crystallized marshmallow and crispy cereal flying everywhere leaving you with a sore palate and a longing heart.
While I highly recommend the amped up marshmallowy goodness in this Oreo version, if you are super loyal to the texture of the classic rice krispie treats recipe and you want slightly less ooey gooey factor, use 16 ounces of marshmallows instead of 20 ounces.
These Oreo rice krispie treats are gloriously chewy and soft with just the right amount of crunch. Considering they can be yours in less than 20 minutes makes them even more endearing.
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Perfect Oreo Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) butter, softened (I use salted)
- 20 ounces (567 g) marshmallows, large or mini (see note)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of coarse kosher salt
- 7 cups (198 g) rice krispies (or other brand) cereal
- 20-24 (227-284 g) Oreo cookies, about 8-10 ounces, coarsely chopped or crushed
Instructions
- Butter the bottom and sides of a 9X13-inch pan. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter on low or medium-low heat and let it cook until the solids start to turn golden brown and it smells caramelly and fragrant (here's a browned butter how-to if you'd like a visual), 3-4 minutes.
- Add the marshmallows and cook on low, stirring constantly until mostly melted, a few small lumps here and there are ok. Add the vanilla and salt and stir to combine.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the rice krispies and Oreos. Stir until evenly combined; scrape up the bottom of the pan really well to make sure to incorporate all the marshmallows.
- Scoop the mixture into the prepared pan and press the mixture into the pan with lightly greased hands (smashing them down too hard will result in firm rice krispie treats – so use a gentle hand if you want them chewy). Let cool before slicing into squares.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
TASTY change up to a generational favorite. I made a regular batch, & a batch with GF Millville Crispy Rice and GF Oreos.
Has anyone made these with “vegan butter” aka margarine? I know they’ll lose their depth of flavor but wondering if anyone’s used it and experienced separating or impacts to final texture, etc. I’d like to make gluten free and dairy free version but have never made any rice krispie treat recipe with margarine! thanks in advance! 🙂
These were so goodddd! My husband loves them, addicting! I used Trader Joe’s Chocolate Vanilla Creme Joe-Joe’s in lieu of Oreos. Thank you Mel for this easy and delicious recipe!!!
These came out perfectly. Chewy and delicious! Made them for a school bake sale.
Our high school students loved these!
It was perfect! Not too sweet. The only addition I made was to cover it with sprinkles. Gave it same
Pizazz!!
Either needs more rice krispies or less oreos, as they turned out hard. Or remove the center or not over cook the butter.
Hit or miss with this recipe.
These are absolutely the best!! My son requests them – & so do friends! I’m not always a fan of Rice Krispie treats, but THESE!! Yum!!!!
Super Amazing! But if you use christmas red stuffed oreos, it’ll look more Halloween and less Christmas, oops!
This recipe is beyond delicious.
These were perfect
I make these regularly since Oreo came out with a gluten free version and Kroger has a gluten free rice cereal. My celiac husband LOVES these! I have a little trick that has made the mixing part so much easier. I smash the Oreos in a Ziploc, like Mel suggests, then I measure the rice cereal into the bag and shake it up to evenly combine before adding to the marshmallow goo. It makes it so much easier to get those Oreos evenly distributed through the treats. Hope that helps!
Do you think I could replace the Oreos with M&Ms? Would I need to make any adjustments?
Should work just fine! M&M’s “bleed” their color with heat, so try to minimize stirring!
Hi Mel! Can I halve all the ingredients & bake in an 8×8 with good results?
Yes, you can halve for an 8X8-inch pan (but it doesn’t need to be baked).
Awesome! Definitely came out soft & chewy! It’s a keeper!!! Thank you!
Soooo delicious! Browning the butter, some salt and vanilla add all the difference. Thank you Mel!
I made these rice krispie treats for my family today, and I just wanted to tell you we all LOVED them! I think these are my favorite RKTs ever. Thanks for the tip about not pressing them down too firmly. I’ve never thought about that before, but you were right… it was definitely better when they weren’t pressed down so much. Thanks for a great recipe! I’ll make this again and again.
Brown butter in 5 minutes? Seriously? 🙂
Ok, but it adds a great touch to the traditional RKS that I made from your other recipe…. I can only imaging great things from this version! Thanks
Doug
I just made these today for the third time, and they seriously are a favorite! Plus I feel like they are a safe treat to take when you don’t know the people you will be serving them to very well. Both times I’ve made them before (which were also for group functions), they received so many compliments. I’m already looking forward to eating them tonight! Here’s to hoping we have some left over…
I tryed these cooling now
This is an awesome recipe. I’ve made it twice now and will remake it again and again. However, I made a few changes this time that made the process much faster and easier.
First, I melted the butter and browned it in a small skillet over medium heat – just stirring often. Got to the browning stage much faster than before.
Then, I poured the browned butter into a BIG glass bowl, dumped in TWO 12 oz. bags of marshmallows, and popped it in the microwave. About a minute on high and the marshmallows were perfect to stir up with the butter.
Added the salt and vanilla as it said above and beat it all together until well blended.
THEN, I put the krispies and the crushed oreos in another BIG bowl first, and poured the melted marshmallow stuff over the top. Stirred it all together and poured it in the prepared pan. Probably 15 minutes from start to finish.
It took me over 2 HOURS last time to accomplish this same thing. Browning butter in a big pan on medium low or low heat took FOREVER. And, pouring the ceeal/cookies in on top of the melted marshmallows instantly cooled the top layer of marshmallow so that it was almost impossible to stir it all up. I ended up in the pan with my bare hands pulling marshmallow stuff up and over the cereal/cookie mixture. Worked much better this time pouring the melted marshmallow over the TOP of the cereal.
That all being said, I totally love this recipe and will probably never make rice krispie treats the same way again. These stay soft and delicious, and after a day of two, popping a bar in the microwave for just 10 seconds restores that warm, chewy, buttery goodness to them.
This recipe id definitely a keeper.
Thank you for the tips. It worked perfectly!
Hi Joan, I’m going to attempt this recipe and want to thank you soooo much for your incredibly detailed and helpful instructions. I will be sure to follow your method as I’m looking to do this as efficiently as I can. Thank you so much for taking the time to share with the rest of us – so greatly appreciate your time and thoughtfulness. Happy Baking!
I had 3/4 of a box of candy cane Joe Joe’s that nobody was eating so I used them in this. We weren’t fans of the cookies on their own but in this they were super yummy!!! The possibilities are endless with all the flavors of Oreos! Thanks for saving a sad box of cookies form the garbage
Nice! Glad the not-so-good-on-their-own cookies worked in these treats!
I’ve never thought about adding oreos! I make “different” rice krispie treats by using cocoa krispies and add white chocolate chips and a pinch of salt to balance it out. I always get compliments and a lot of “oh wow! I never thought to even do that!” (Fruity Pebbles also work, especially with kids.) I might have to try this for our Christmas cookie swap at work.
I have made this recipe no less than a dozen times. It is a crowd pleaser! I always double it. I often make it exactly as written…the brown butter is amazing….but we are really enjoying it with a few handfuls of mini marshmallows mixed in with the krispies / cookies and i smidge extra vanilla. This ones a keeper. Thanks Mel.
My grandchildren loved this recipe! Grandma hit a home run! Thank you. Another one of your recipes that was amazing.
Thanks so much, Vicki – what a fun grandma you are!
Just made these and haven’t cut them yet.
I probably used a bit too much salt with a 1/16 teaspoon. Added a few extra jumbo marshmallows to compensate. I also smashed the Oreos by slamming down the palm of my hand on each Oreo and then separating the pieces. Worked better than chopping.
Buttered hands didn’t work as well as buttered silicone spatula to press the rice crispies down. I got a lot stuck to my hands. But I can say I like the extra crunch the Oreos bring to the recipe.
Have you ever halved this recipe? Anything to be concerned about if I do? What size pan would you recommend?
I haven’t, but it should work out just fine. I’d probably use an 8X8-inch pan.
Hi Mel! I tried these in the 8×8 pan you recommended. They were delicious! Soft, chewy, with a little extra sumthin sumthin from the brown butter. Thanks!
These are the yummiest ever. I don’t enjoy making them, (too sticky!) but worth it!!! I want one every day for the rest of my life.
Haha. Amen to everything you said!
Made these today. Froze most of them but baked some for dinner. Delicious and a big hit! Thanks for the great recipe and detailed, easy to follow instructions. Love having a freezer stash of meals to look forward to!
Sorry…. my previous comment belonged on the freezer burrito recipe! Getting too excited over finding all of these great looking recipes. 🙂
Can’t wait to try these out for the boys! 🙂
My husbands favorite treat of all time is brownies. After eating these he said, “I think I found something I like as much as brownies!” Thanks for a fun recipe. It was a hit!!
Whoa, that’s high praise!!
I feel like these are asking to be half dipped in chocolate.
I feel like you are right.
This is the greatest food ever
Thanks, Walk. Ahem, how are you having time to check my blog while at school?? 🙂
Haha, I love the motherly comment. At least he gave the recipe 5 stars…?
Haha. Right. When he got home from school, I was like “Walker, was that you that left the comment on my blog?” and he was like “of course! How many other Walkers do you know” and I was like “good point.” Ha. I actually didn’t even know my kids checked my blog. Now I’m going to have to be careful what I say about them! 🙂
Haha. Oh, and I made a double batch of these for a baptism, and I agree with Walker. Greatest food ever!
Yay! Glad they were a hit!
Mel…. I love Rice Krispie squares…. especially if they are super gooey….. Have you ever added a can of sweetened condensed milk after marshmallows are melted….. they stay fresh and soft for days… ( if they last that long)…. just another little trick….. I’m going to try this recipe… I love Oreos…. thank you
I haven’t! Now I’m intrigued!
I am intrigued by anything the involved sweetened condensed milk!
I told someone about this comment and they just sent me a text saying “YES to the SC milk! They were excellent!!”
Guess I will be trying this when I make them this weekend.
This has been my daughters’ dessert of choice for her friend birthday party for years (easier than the ice cream cake for her family celebration is a win right?). Try them! You won’t regret it.
What a fun spin on traditional Rice Krispie treats! I’ve made the toasted coconut caramel and the kicked up ones several times, so I’m sure these will be made in my kitchen before the weekend. This makes me think there are lots of goodies we can add to Rice Krispie treats, especially for Halloween treats. Thanks!
I think you are right, Teresa – this is probably just the beginning of delicious possibilities!
These look like a great treat to make for my Cub Scout Raingutter Regatta. Do you know how many servings this makes?
It really depends on how big or small you cut them, but I’d say probably 12-15.
These are cooling on my countertop and I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait for my kids to get home before I cut into them!
You definitely win some kind of award for making a recipe so quickly after I post it!!
They are so good! Thankful I looked at your website before heading to the store this morning!
Yay! So happy you made them so fast and loved them!