These St Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Treats are a festive twist on the classic! Made with marshmallows, cereal, and drizzled with green and white candy melts for a fun holiday dessert.
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Quick Recipe Overview
WHAT: Crispy cereal treats drizzled with festive green and white candy melts for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
WHY: Simple to make with just six ingredients, ready in 10 minutes, and perfect for parties or class treats.
HOW: Melt butter and marshmallows, mix with cereal, press into pan, then drizzle with melted candy.
Jump to:
- Quick Recipe Overview
- Why I Love Making St Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Treats
- Ingredient Notes
- St Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Treats
- How to Make Rice Krispie Treats
- FAQs for St Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Treats
- My Best Tips for Making St Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Treats
- What to Serve With St Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Treats
- Storage & Reheating Tips
- More St Patrick’s day Recipes to Try
- More Delicious Bar Cookies Recipes to Try
Why I Love Making St Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Treats
These St Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Treats are my favorite way to celebrate the holiday without spending hours in the kitchen. The classic combination of butter, marshmallows, and Rice Krispies cereal creates that perfect chewy texture everyone loves, while the festive candy melt drizzle adds a pop of holiday color that makes them party-ready.
What makes this recipe especially great is how forgiving it is. Kids can help press the mixture into the pan (with damp hands to prevent sticking), and the decorating part is genuinely fun for all ages. The candy melts in Ziploc bags create an easy piping system without any mess.
I appreciate that this recipe uses straightforward ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. Just grab some green and white candy melts to make these treats festive. They’re always the first dessert to disappear at school parties and family gatherings.
🩷 Melissa
Stale marshmallows won’t melt smoothly and create rock-hard squares instead of those chewy treats you’re craving.
Give the bag a quick squeeze test—if they feel firm or dried out, grab a fresh package. It makes all the difference!
This is where patience pays off! If your treats are still warm, the candy melts will run together into a melted mess. Give them time to cool completely, and you’ll get those crisp, beautiful green and white stripes that look bakery-perfect!
Ingredient Notes
Candy Melts: Look for these in the baking aisle near chocolate chips. Wilton brand is widely available. You can substitute white chocolate chips and tint some green with food coloring if needed.
Marshmallows: Standard large marshmallows work best—you’ll need about 50 (one 10-ounce bag). Mini marshmallows can be used but measure by weight (10 ounces) rather than count. Keep a few extra marshmallows on hand in case you need to adjust the consistency.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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St Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 50 marshmallows
- 7 cups Rice Krispies® cereal
- ⅓ cup green candy melts
- ⅓ cup white candy melts
Instructions
- Spray a 9 x13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In an extra large microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth.¼ cup butter, 50 marshmallows
- Add cereal. Mix until well coated.7 cups Rice Krispies® cereal
- With a damp hand, evenly press mixture into prepared pan. Cool completely. Cut into 12 squares.
- Put candy melts in two Ziploc bags, microwave candy melts at 40% power for 1 minute. Knead candy in the bag. Continue to microwave and knead at 30-second intervals until smooth and completely melted.⅓ cup green candy melts, ⅓ cup white candy melts
- Snip off a small corner of the Ziploc bag and drizzle the melted candy on top of the rice krispie squares.
Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Rice Krispie Treats
Step 1: Prepare a 9×13-inch pan by spraying it generously with cooking spray or lining it with parchment paper for easy removal.
Step 2: In an extra large microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. (Alternatively, you can melt the butter and marshmallows in a large pot over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula until fully melted.)
Step 3: Add Rice Krispies cereal to the melted marshmallow mixture and stir quickly until every piece is evenly coated.
Step 4: Press the mixture into your prepared pan using damp hands, applying even pressure to create a uniform layer. Let cool completely.
Step 5: Place green and white candy melts in separate Ziploc bags and microwave at 40% power in 30-second intervals, kneading between each, until smooth.
Step 6: Snip a small corner from each bag and drizzle the melted candy in stripes or swirls over the cooled treats. Let set for 15 minutes before cutting into 12 squares.
FAQs for St Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Treats
Dampen your hands with water before pressing the mixture into the pan. This prevents sticking and helps create an even layer.
Yes, add 3-4 drops of green food coloring to the melted butter-marshmallow mixture before adding the cereal for evenly colored treats.
Yes, cooking spray or butter prevents the treats from sticking and makes cutting much easier. You can also line the pan with parchment paper.
My Best Tips for Making St Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Treats
☞Perfect Squares: For the cleanest cuts, lift the entire slab of treats out of the pan before slicing. Make sure they’re completely cooled and that the pan has been greased well with non-stick spray—this makes removal easy. A long serrated knife works best for cutting clean squares without squishing or tearing the treats.
☞Measure for Uniform Bars: Use a ruler to measure and mark the squares before cutting for perfectly uniform bars. This ensures each piece is the same size and creates a professional-looking presentation.
☞Don’t Overheat the Marshmallows: Stop stirring as soon as they’re completely melted. Overheating makes the treats tough and difficult to chew.
☞Melt Candy Melts at Low Power: Microwave candy melts at 40% power to prevent scorching. Full power can burn the candy and create a grainy texture that won’t drizzle smoothly.
What to Serve With St Patrick’s Day Rice Krispie Treats
Pair these festive treats with mint hot chocolate or green milkshakes for a complete St. Patrick’s Day dessert spread. They’re perfect alongside Irish coffee for adults or lime sherbet punch for kids.
Serve on a dessert table with chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and cupcakes with green frosting. They also complement savory party foods like corned beef sliders, Irish soda bread, and potato soup.
For breakfast celebrations, set them out with green pancakes, shamrock-shaped donuts, and fresh fruit salad with green grapes and kiwi.
Storage & Reheating Tips
Room Temperature
Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Layer parchment paper between stacked treats to prevent sticking.
Refrigerator Storage
Keep for up to 5 days in a covered container, though they may become slightly firmer. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving for best texture.
Freezer Storage
Wrap individual squares in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag for up to 6 weeks. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Make Ahead
Prepare the treats up to 2 days in advance and store in an airtight container. Add candy melt drizzle on the day you plan to serve for the freshest appearance.
More St Patrick’s day Recipes to Try
More Delicious Bar Cookies Recipes to Try
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram.
Jennifer Payne
perfect!
Imelda
What size of marshmallows? Ziplock bag sealed while they are melting?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Imela – you want the standard size marshmallows http://amzn.to/2myyQj5. I like to leave a small corner of the bag open to allow steam to escape.
MM
How funny that I just made Rice Krispie squares today, and then I click on your site, and lo and behold you’ve made some really purty ones! Mine just aren’t that fancy! Great tips that you shared with making the squares even though, and I will keep your tip about melting the chips in the bag for easy cleanup – that’s a great tip! Have a blessed day!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Mum you know I was just looking at a box of rice bubbles and wondering why on earth I bought them. It was to make rice krispies for a cake! These are more likely however 😛 xxx
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
I wouldn’t buy storebought rice krispie treats either. I like homemade stuff and I love how you’ve fancies them up for St. Patrick’s Day!
Kelly
Perfectly festive! Now I’m craving Rice Krispie Treats 😉
Betty
My kids always loved Rice Krispie treats- the homemade ones are always better. I love the way you’ve dressed them up for St. Patrick’s Day! 🙂
Annamaria @ Bakewell Junction
Barbara,
Your rice krispie treats look lovely. I’ve never made or had rice krispie treats – weird, I know but youhave inspired me to give these a try.
Annamaria
Jess @ Sweet Menu
Love these gorgeous rice krispie treats Barbara! And congratulations on your new cookbook – that is so exciting! I just love the cover and the title!
Nicole
I’ll never pass up a good rice krispie treat!!!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
A perfect treat for St Patrick’s day!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
Will have to make these with my kids! Hope you are well xoxoxoxo
Carol
Rice Krispies Treats are a favorite in this house-and yours look so pretty! 🙂
Melissa @ My Recent Favorite books
Oh my! These look so delicious! =)
Perfect for St. Patricks Day!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles
I always add extra marshmallows, too. Why not?! Love this festive St. Patty’s day treat. Thanks for the link love, too. Have a great weekend!
Rosa
So pretty and delicious! A great St. Patrick’s treat.
Cheers,
Rosa