Strawberry-Lemon Rice Krispies Treats
Last week, I needed to bring a gluten-free dessert to my daughter’s school. I was trying to decide what to make when I remembered the strawberry-lemon crispy treats we’d enjoyed recently at a neighborhood restaurant. The owner, a family friend, brought some out for our kids, and, to our surprise, the bars were delightfully flecked with bright bits of dried strawberries and lemon zest. Fruity, gooey, and delicious, they tasted just like a childhood summer.
To make this easy twist on a classic, I crushed up freeze-dried strawberries, which are a Trader Joe’s staple in our house, and zested a lemon over the cereal mixture. Since nearly every brand of crispy rice cereal has the recipe printed on the box, this nostalgic dessert is practically a no-recipe recipe. Couldn’t be simpler.
Strawberry-Lemon Rice Krispies Treats
Makes roughly 12 bars
6 tbsp butter
1 16-oz bag mini marshmallows
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
7 cups crispy rice cereal
1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries, crushed
Zest from one lemon
Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with either non-stick spray or butter. You can also line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a bit of an overhang, to make it easier to remove the bars.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add marshmallows and keep stirring until melted. Once the marshmallows are completely and totally gooey, stir in the vanilla extract and remove from heat.
Meanwhile, measure cereal into a large mixing bowl. Crush up freeze-dried strawberries (it’s easiest to do this while they’re still in the package) and add about 1/2 cup to the bowl. Zest the lemon over the cereal mixture and stir. Then pour the marshmallow mixture over the cereal and combine until well coated.
Scoop the cereal mixture into the baking pan and press into an even layer. You can use a spatula but my kids think it’s fun to (gently!) use a potato masher. At this point, I also like to sprinkle a bit more strawberry dust and lemon zest on top, purely for looks!
Cool at room temperature for at least an hour before slicing into bars.
Note: Traditional Kellogg’s Rice Krispies aren’t gluten-free because they’re made with malt, but many store-brand crispy rice cereals are gluten-free. Nature’s Path makes crispy rice cereal that’s also vegan, and you can use vegan butter and marshmallows as well (I like the Trader Joe’s marshmallows).
What’s your go-to Rice Krispies treat add-in? For years, mine was brown butter with sea salt. Got any other twists on childhood classics? I’m all ears!
P.S. Lazy ice cream, and everyone’s favorite strawberry cake.
Comments
57 commentsGenius. Going to make this!!!
How do you crush the freeze-dried strawberries in the bag? Do you use a rolling pin like you would to crush graham crackers?
Yep! I let my kids smush the bag with their hands and then I finish things off with the rolling pin for good measure! xo
I just did this and cannot emphasize enough: DO NOT crush the freeze-dried strawberries while wearing a micropleated shirt.
My hubbie has started making rice krispie treats but with cinnamon toast crunch instead and trust me when I say it is as delicious as it sounds. Keepers, both ;)
Omg my favorite breakfast cereal as a kid. I’d love these!
I’m intrigued but cinnamon toast crunch is much sweeter than rice krispies, so do you dial down the marshmallows? not sure that would work as there might not be enough binding “goo”.
FYI, a celiac friend can’t even tolerate baking spray because some of them include flour in the ingredients.
I appreciate the GF recipe! I’ve been diagnosed with celiac disease less than a year, and it’s so tricky to navigate. I was buying crispy rice cereal last week to make Rice Krispie treats and was shocked to see malt flavoring on the name brand. So grateful store brands are truly gluten free.
a big thank you for adding vegan and gluten-free options for this recipe! it’d be great if this could happen more often at the bottom of recipes posted.
Agree!
Yes! More of this, please!
One envelope of any unsweetened kool aid and you now have flavored rice krispie treats
Canadian friends, where are you finding freeze-dried fruit? I’m on the east coast and will take whatever tips you’ve got!
I would also like to have an answer for this! On the west coast 🙃
Dollarama! Also Bulk Barn – but not in the big bins – usually above the bins, on a shelf, in a pouch / package.
Hi Abby, I get mine at a local baking supplies shop. They don’t ship unfortunately otherwise I’d share the name. But I did a quick Google search and there are multiple online options in Canada.
Dollarama of all places. Near the gummies and snacks.
I find freeze dried fruit at Target.
I don’t think this helps either of you but Farm Boy has a lot of freeze-dried fruit! Also what I find helpful if you’re able to is search it on Instacart and see which shops come up!
I’ve seen freeze dried fruit of all kinds at Dollarama before. I’m on Vancouver Island so I’m not sure if that’s a good suggestion for the east coast though!
Well.ca has them!
I find it at Asian grocery stores and the Superstore.
Oh geez, why didn’t I think of Dollarama!?! Adding to my weekend errand list. Thanks, all!
Eric Kim’s sesame rice krispy treat recipe is SO GOOD and I have to eat the whole pan, no sharing.
Came to say this!!
Started making my Rice krispie treats this way so I don’t have the sticky pan… https://youtube.com/shorts/0KsIsN4wE9Q?si=0BLs3Qd26_wmv_mJ Putting your cereal, butter, vanilla and marshmallows in and bake then mix! Perfect each time. Leave some marshmallows sticking up out of the cereal and they brown. It is so easy and so good and one pan.
Bonnie! Thank you! Recently I wanted to make rice crispy treats but stopped because of the clean up. Life changing!
Add crushed up Oreo cookies. You won’t be mad about it.
Yum!! Great suggestion!
As a celiac I’m always so confused who GF treats made in non-GF kitchens are actually for! Parents, don’t bother making something special for a celiac classmate / friend – its politely and secretly being tossed lol
Agree — I bring a pre-packaged item for allergen kids so they can read a label and know it’s safe. Even if it’s totally different than what everyone else is having, it’s still a treat and somebody thought of them.
For celiacs- totally, gluten stays on everything if you’re not in a GF kitchen or house!! Cutting boards, flour floating in the air, flour/crumbs stuck on a grocery cart, on baking pans even though it’s been washed (with a sponge used on crumbs…) gluten is everywhere!!
Omg, thank you! I never knew this!
As someone with a gluten sensitivity (not diagnosed Celiac…. yet….), they work for me! I always stress that I have a sensitivity not an allergy or Celiac though, and when people ask my advice on their other gluten-free friends, I am really clear about that because I know celiacs are extremely careful!
I was thinking the same thing! I have a child with food allergies, and we’ve tossed more homemade treats than I can count.
I was surprised to see this as a school treat. My daughter’s school only allows store bought packaged foods to be brought in for birthdays, class parties, etc. It’s kind of a bummer and more expensive but I get that it’s more allergy safe.
I have allergies and there are 2 people I’ll eat treats from. One is a coworker who literally went out and bought a new pan and bowl and spoon and measuring cups (I love her dearly) and follows my cooking directions and has me review and approve every recipe and every ingredient…and I still feel a bit nervous. The other is my mom. Not my best friend of 10 years. Not my brother. Not any other coworkers. Pre packaged snacks are the way to go. We love the effort. We see your love. We are probably not going to eat it.
Wow, I had no idea gluten was so persistent! Today I learned.
Hold up… Canadians: aren’t Kellogg’s Rice Krispies gluten free in here?
I believe they are in the US too, but not all versions are! And I believe Cheerios brand plain cheerios are gf, but many many versions of that cereal isn’t either.
They’re not celiac-safe. Celiac Canada guidance is that due to high risk of cross-contamination, cereals of any kind should only be consumed if they have a gluten-free claim (ie, says gluten-free right on the package). Labelling laws are different in the US, so I’m not certain what the guidance is there!
No, they have the barley malt extract in them which contains gluten
Aldi crispy rice is also celiac-safe/gluten free.
I am always frustrated that Rice Krispy Treats aren’t usually gluten free (I mean comeon…!) and I didn’t know the Signature brand of rice cereal was GF. Great tip! Thank you!
I had assumed TJ’s marshmallows weren’t vegan, and I’m delighted to have that detail!
Here in the Midwest, though, the Trader Joe’s marshmallows are a seasonal item, so I have to stock up during summer until they come back in season the following spring. They will stay softer much longer in glass Ball jar with metal lid than the plastic bag or jar with plastic lid.
I took rice krispie treats to a fancy cookie exchange this year and they were a HIT– an consistently underrated treat, imo!
Yes, I took brown butter ones (I think a NYT version??) to a cookie exchange one year and was pleasantly surprised how many compliments my pretty low-key treat got.
cleaning the pot and spoon after making rice krispy treats is my nemesis but this perfect spring recipe looks too good to pass up. Can’t wait to make them this weekend.
I used to find that challenging too – but then realized I could leave the pot and spoon soaking for a little while with hot water, which dissolves all the stuck-on melted marshmallow!
Allie, totally agree! Makes it so much easier to make rice krispy treats on a whim. Hot water works with caramel too. If I’m too impatient to let it soak, I will briefly boil the water filled pan – cleans everything out so fast! It works so well that I’d take cleaning up sugary things over everything else.
I am excited to try this recipe! My elevated rice krispy treats call for soy sauce added to the marshmallow and butter mixture. Sprinkle furikake on the top of the bars while still warm. The salty and sweet combo is so good!
Interesting – it might be fun to merge this variation with Eric Kim’s sesame rice krispy treats…
My go-to is using fruity pebbles in place of rice krispies. It’s all good, though!
omgggg sounds amazing
Can’t wait to give this a try!