Marshmallow Caramel Rice Krispies Puffs
Marshmallow Caramel Rice Krispies Puffs are a cheery, soft and gooey, no-bake treat. Fun for the holidays, game day, movie night, or any casual gathering!
Caramel Marshmallow Rice Krispie Balls are a Fun Treat
Some treats are just more fun than others. And these Marshmallow Caramel Rice Krispies Puffs rate pretty darn high on the fun factor scale!
The fun all starts in the kitchen. Dip big puffy marshmallows in caramel and then roll them in crispy rice cereal. It’s a no-bake project with big-time fun results.
This caramel marshmallow recipe is a Christmas tradition for our family. But it’s also great for any casual gathering. Think movie night, game day, or just a happy Friday hooray!
Where This Recipe Comes From
A dear family friend introduced my family to this recipe when I was young.
As a kid, I thought these were one of the most amazing food inventions EVER.
So it comes as no surprise that our daughters request these, too.
And they share them with their friends.
And then their friends want the recipe, to give to their own moms. I’m not sure if their moms appreciate the gesture, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THAT!
This Recipes Calls For Just 5 Ingredients:
- individually wrapped caramels, such as Kraft brand
- sweetened condensed milk
- butter
- large marshmallows
- crispy rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
How to Make These No-Bake Treats
First off, know that you WILL get sticky fingers when making these. There’s just no way around it!
But I’ve gotten the technique down much better over the years. I’m sharing with you my less-sticky-fingers-method!
- Make the caramel: Simply melt together the caramel candies, sweetened condensed milk, and butter until it forms a smooth caramel. I like to use a double boiler method on the stovetop, but you can also use a microwave to gently melt.
- Dip the marshmallows: Drop a large marshmallow into the warmed caramel. Using 2 forks, quickly roll the marshmallows in the caramel to coat them completely. Lift the caramel marshmallow up out of the bowl with a fork, tapping the fork to let excess caramel drip back into the bowl.
- Coat with Rice Krispies: Drop caramel marshmallow into a bowl of Rice Krispies and using 2 forks, roll the marshmallow to completely coat with cereal. Place finished Rice Krispie caramel marshmallow onto a pan lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Let sit until the caramel sets. If desired, place in fridge to speed up the set.
Be sure to try one of these marshmallow Rice Krispie balls while they’re still warm and ultra soft and gooey – they’re delightful!
One last piece of advice.
You HAVE to try a caramel marshmallow frozen. It was my favorite way to eat them when I was a kid. There’s something so completely fun about biting into a big frozen marshmallow!
Like this easy treat? Save it to Pinterest!
More Easy No-Bake Dessert Recipes
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Ritz Cookies – I’ve been enjoying these awesome sandwich cookies since I was a kid!
- Homemade Peanut Butter Cups – Better than store bought!
- Oreo Truffle Balls – Yummmmm!
- Edible Cookie Dough – Because who doesn’t like to eat cookie dough?!
- Ritz Cracker Toffee – So fun and so crazy easy!
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – This recipe requires baking, but I promise you, it’s very easy. One of my most popular recipes!
Marshmallow Caramel Rice Krispies Puffs
Ingredients
- 14 ounces individually wrapped caramels candy unwrapped (I use Kraft or sometimes find them in the grocery store bulk candy section.)
- 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 60 large marshmallows fresh and soft are the best!
- 8 cups crispy rice cereal such as Rice Krispies
Instructions
- Set up a double boiler over medium-low heat and melt the caramels, sweetened condensed milk, and butter until a smooth caramel mixture forms – this is my preferred method. You could also use a medium heat-proof bowl and melt the ingredients in the microwave on a low setting, stirring regularly. Just be careful to not let the mixture scorch.
- Line a large rimmed baking pan with a layer of wax paper. Place a couple cups of rice cereal into a medium-size, low, wide bowl. Set aside.
- Drop a marshmallow into the caramel. Using a fork in each hand to maneuver the marshmallow, quickly turn the marshmallow to completely cover it with caramel. Lift the marshmallow out with one of the forks, and tap the fork handle lightly on the side of the bowl to force excess caramel down through the fork’s tines and back into the bowl. Slide the fork outward from the bowl, dragging the bottom of the tines along the rim of the bowl, letting any other excess caramel drip down the inside of the bowl. Transfer caramel-dipped marshmallow to the bowl of rice cereal. Dedicate a third fork for rolling the caramel-dipped marshmallow around in the cereal. Once marshmallow is coated with a layer of cereal, transfer it to the prepared baking pan. Repeat with remaining marshmallows. Add more rice cereal to the bowl as needed. I like to drop three to four marshmallows in the caramel at a time, and then work quickly to cover each one with caramel and then rice cereal. This makes the process go much faster!
- Once caramel is set, store in an air-tight container with wax paper separating any layers. I like to store these in the refrigerator if I'm anticipating them being completely devoured within a day or two. For longer storage, place container in freezer. The puffs are also fun to eat frozen or just slightly thawed – it's how I liked to eat them when I was a kid!
Notes
Nutrition Information:
This post was previously published in 2012. Photographs and some of the text were updated in 2020.
My Walmart substituted butterscotch chips for the caramel. Has anyone else tried this?
I have been making these for over 40 years! Your instructions are ok, however you could save time and the sticky mess while dipping. I stick a tooth pick into each marshmallow and freeze while I melt caramels and the other ingredients. Let cool slightly, then using tooth pick as a handle dip into caramel then roll in cereal, place on tray and let cool/dry! So much quicker!
I’m a bit picky with food but this looks like it’d be a good food sport. I’ll consider it
These are so fast and easy! Thank you for posting this recipe!!
How do you prevent the cereal from getting soggy? I just made 5 dozen last night and today they are horribly soggy!!!
Hello Angie – the cereal will always be crispest on the day these are made. I always freeze the puffs once they are set, and take them out of the freezer as needed – and they still have a nice amount of crispness – but they simply won’t have the same super crisp texture of when they’re just freshly made.
I’ve made these for years, only my recipe calls them “goof balls”. My kids and grandkids took them to school and the other kids went wide for them.
I LOVE that name!!!!!