These Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats are the perfect Halloween snacks for a party. This Halloween snack is a great way to bring some fun and festivity to any event.
Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
This Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats recipe puts a fun twist on an old classic. Molding them into jack-o-lanterns is also a great Halloween activity for kids.
Get them in the kitchen and let them decorate cooled Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats! I used frosting, but you can create a whole pumpkin decorating bar.
Lucky for us, Rice Krispie treats are classic and easy to make. The varieties of embellishments are endless, but one of my favorites is to add peanut butter!
I used peanut butter because I wanted to cover up any residual taste from the red food coloring and because it enhanced the pumpkin color.
You can also make Caramel Rice Krispie Treats and decorate the same way. Or just go classic with no extra flavors. For more options, think of adding 1 teaspoon of any extract you like to a batch of plain Rice Krispie Treats. Vanilla, Pumpkin Spice, Almond and Hazelnut are my favorites.
Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats are a great kids project, giving them creative license to decorate to their heart’s content.
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
A gooey marshmallow mixture and basic rice krispie treat recipe taken up a notch with peanut butter and decorations- what’s not to love!
- Fun treat – These easy treats are perfect for both Halloween parties, fall festivities or Thanksgiving dessert.
- No bake – This is the perfect sweet treat to get the kids involved in the kitchen! No oven required.
- Simple ingredients – You only need a handful of super easy to find ingredients to make these rice krispie treat pumpkins.
Ingredients
You can find these simple ingredients at any local grocery store!
- Rice Krispies – You can certainly use the name brand, but the generic brand will work just fine too.
- Unsalted butter – I have found that salted butter can be a little too salty, especially with the peanut butter.
- Mini marshmallows – If you only have regular marshmallows, check out my marshmallow conversion chart!
- Creamy peanut butter – Creamy peanut butter melts smoother, but if you like an extra crunch, you can try using crunchy peanut butter.
- Food coloring – You will either need red food coloring and yellow food coloring to make the orange color, or use orange food coloring if you have it.
- Tootsie Roll Midges – This is what er use to make the stems for this easy recipe.
- Frosting for decorating – I used black to make jackolantern faces, but you could also use green to make leaves and stems for Thanksgiving treats.
How to Make Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
You are going to love how easy it is to make these pumpkin rice krispies treats!
- Melt butter, peanut butter and marshmallows. In a medium sauce pan melt butter and peanut butter over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add marshmallows and food coloring. Continue to stir until marshmallows are melted and sticky like glue.
- Stir in crispy rice cereal. Remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispie cereal. Blend well.
- Roll into shape of a pumpkin. Although I highly recommend wearing powder-free latex gloves, you can also use wax paper to mold the warm mixture into round balls.
- Add stem. Push a tootsie roll into the top for the stem. The heat from the pumpkin will create a malleable material so the tootsie roll can be gently bent. Ridges in the tootsie roll create a natural and woody effect.
- Cool and decorate. Allow pumpkins to cool completely, then decorate with frosting.
Variations
There are plenty of ways you can make these pumpkin rice krispies your own.
- Flavor – You could totally add some flavor to these cute little pumpkins. Pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract or even cinnamon would be a good idea to add.
- Stem – Instead of mini tootsie roll stems, try using something like a small pretzel stick or a green m&m in the top of each pumpkin.
- Fillings – Try filling the pumpkin shapes with fun treats like sprinkles or Halloween candies.
- Decorations – You could make the little faces with all kind of treats. Here are some suggestions:
- Spooky Halloween Sprinkles
- Red Hot Cinnamon Imperials
- Candy Gummy Worms (like the worm is coming out of the pumpkin)
- Tootsie Rolls (as pictured for a stem)
- Skittles, for a rainbow fun carved pumpkin
- Licorice rope
- Specialty Halloween Candies
Storage and Freezing
Make ahead: I would suggest making these ahead of time just so they can cool a little. The frosting will melt off if you try to decorate them too warm.
Storage: Store these pumpkin rice krispie treats at room temperature in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for about three days.
Freezing: I haven’t tried it myself, but I am going out on a limb to say these probably aren’t the best freezer friendly Halloween desserts.
More Easy Halloween Desserts
And these Halloween Party Foods!
Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treat Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups Rice Krispies
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 ounces mini marshmallows
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 12 drops red food coloring , may vary depending type
- 4 drops yellow food coloring , may vary depending type
- 12 Tootsie Roll Midgees
- Desired Frosting Colors for Decorating
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan melt the butter and peanut butter over medium heat for 3 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the marshmallows and food coloring. Continue to stir until marshmallows are melted and sticky like glue. A wooden spoon is important here because the mixture will stick less to this surface and not get hot.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the Rice Krispie cereal until fully coated.
- Although I highly recommend wearing powder-free latex gloves, you can also use wax paper to mold the warm mixture into round balls.
- Push a tootsie roll into the top for the stem. The heat from the pumpkin will create a malleable material so the tootsie roll can be gently bent. Ridges in the tootsie roll create a natural and woody effect.
- Allow pumpkins to cool completely, then decorate with frosting.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
I made these as squares instead of the pumpkins, but I loved the peanut butter flavors. Will be making them again for Halloween.
May I use salted butter?
Sure can!
These were fantastic fun for my kids. I gave them trays of colored sugar and icing tubes and let them go to town decorating. Perfect for a rainy day activity. And they were delicious, so added bonus! I didn’t have tootsie rolls, so I just used extra frosting on the tops for stems.
These were so good. I never thought to add flavor to rice krispie treats. Trying the caramel next.
How many does THis Recipe make??
It makes 12.
This is so cute, I will definitely be making it
These are just too stink in cute!