Celebrate the 4th of July in style with these red, white, and blue Rice Krispie treats. They include the familiar buttery marshmallow cereal center you know and love, with a sweet red, white, and blue topping.

Today I’m sharing a fun spin on a classic that everyone loves. Rice Krispie treats are so simple to whip up. I imagine a lot of folks got their start in the kitchen by making these! All you need is butter, marshmallows, vanilla extract, and lots of Rice Krispie cereal to make these treats.

But then we make them a little bit more festive for your Independence Day celebration with the addition of blue candy melts and red and white sprinkles. They are a great way to allow the little ones to help in the celebration preparations too.

They’re something so familiar and comforting about the delicious combination of melted gooey marshmallows and crispy rice cereal, right? There’s a reason these soft and chewy Rice Krispie treats are some people’s favorite sweet treats.

The great thing about this recipe (besides the fact it’s super easy) is that you can adapt it to suit your next occasion. Like how about red candy melts with green sprinkles for the holidays?

Keep scrolling for lots more 4th of July desserts too!

Recipe Ingredients

Marshmallows
Butter (I recommend unsalted butter over salted butter)
Rice Krispies cereal
Vanilla extract
Blue candy melts
Lollipop sticks
Red and white sprinkles

How to Make Red, White, and Blue Rice Krispie Treats

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper and set aside.

Microwave marshmallows and butter in 30-second intervals until completely melted. Add cereal and vanilla extract and fold. Once combined, pour into a buttered-coated baking dish and pat it flat firmly and evenly with a spatula. Allow the cereal mixture to set for at least 1 hour.

Cut treats into rectangles about 3 inches wide.

In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave your candy melts for about 30 seconds.

Gently dip the end of each lollipop stick into the melted candy melts and then insert into one end of each treat.

Dip 1-inch of each cereal treat into the melted candy and lay flat on the lined baking sheet. Top off with red and white sprinkles. Let set until coating hardens completely. Enjoy!

Storage

Store leftover Rice Krispie treats in an airtight container either at room temperature or in the fridge (depending on where you live and if the candy topping will melt) for up to 4 days. Any longer and the cereal will become stale.

Recipe Notes

Another fun way to make red, white, and blue Rice Krispie treats is to dye the rice cereal with food coloring. If you want to do this, you can follow the steps and ingredients but make three batches (one plain, one red, and one blue). Halve the ingredients if you prefer. Add a drop of gel food coloring to the melted butter and marshmallows before adding the rice cereal and then continue as directed.
Instead of sprinkles (or as well as sprinkles), add red and blue M&Ms to your patriotic Rice Krispie treats. You can also fold either of these into the batter if you like.
Another option is to use a combination of blue candy melts, red candy melts, and white candy melts (or white chocolate). Instead of just dipping in the end of each Rice Krispie treat, you can also drizzle the three colors across each treat instead.
For a different festive touch, use a star cookie cutter to make star-shaped treats.
Keep an eye out for Kellogg’s Rice Krispies with Red and Blue Krispies, which you could also use in this recipe.
Substitute the large marshmallows for mini marshmallows. Just whatever marshmallows you choose, make sure they’re fresh!
For coconut flavor, you can also substitute the unsalted butter for coconut oil.