• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Howe We Live logo

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
    • By Category
      • Appetizers
      • Breads & Muffins
      • Breakfast/Brunch
      • Christmas
      • Desserts
      • Drinks
      • Main Courses
      • Sides
      • Soups/Salads
    • By Cooking Method
      • Air Fryer
      • Instant Pot
      • Meal Prep
      • One Pan
      • Sheet Pan
      • Slow Cooker
    • By Ingredient
      • Beef
      • Eggs
      • Pasta
      • Pork
      • Poultry
      • Seafood
      • Vegetarian
  • Resources
    • Book Recommendations
    • Cookbook Recommendations
    • Balanced Eating As a Family
    • Kitchen Hacks & Tips
    • Lifestyle
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • All Recipes
  • Resources
  • Shop My Favorites
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Desserts » Browned Butter Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

    Browned Butter Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

    Published: Oct 3, 2022 by Andrea Howe · This post may contain affiliate links.

    5 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Celebrate the season with these delicious pumpkin rice krispie treats made with browned butter. With the nutty flavor of the butter, and the perfect amount of pumpkin pie spice, these tasty treats are perfect for this time of year!

    a tray of pumpkin rice krispie treats drizzled with white and dark chocolate

    If you are into all things pumpkin, you’re going to love these pumpkin spice rice krispie treats. The trick with this recipe is browning the butter first, to give them a bit of a savory feel, and to use pumpkin spice extract for the perfect balance of flavor. Whip up a batch for a Halloween party or for a fun kid-friendly Thanksgiving dessert (although trust me, the adults will love too!). These pair perfectly with my spooky Halloween Charcuterie Board and these Spider Web Sugar Cookies.

    Jump to:
    • Why this easy recipe works
    • Ingredients
    • Step-by-step directions
    • To make a dark or white chocolate drizzle
    • Recipe tips and tricks
    • Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

    Why this easy recipe works

    • Makes the classic rice krispie recipe a bit more sophisticated and special with browned butter and delectable pumpkin spice flavoring. This is not your kiddo’s rice krispie treats and the whole family will love them!
    • Can be made a bit more kid friendly by forming the treats into cute little pumpkins, adding candy corn or coloring them with drops of orange food coloring.
    • Great to make in batches for parties and gatherings.
    • Still just as easy to make as the old fashioned rice krispie treat recipe!
    ingredients to make rice krispie treats on a dark gray wooden board

    Ingredients

    • Rice krispie cereal
    • Marshmallows – either the large ones or mini marshmallows
    • Unsalted Butter – this recipe uses a bit more than the traditional recipe (a whole stick)
    • Pumpkin spice extract – there are several brands that make extract, but I just went with the classic McCormick.
    • Sea salt and pumpkin pie spice to sprinkle on top of each bar, as well as white chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips, melted and drizzled on top.

    Step-by-step directions

    In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir often until butter starts to turn the slightest bit goldeny brown and smells a little nutty. This happens after about 3-5 minutes, and the butter goes from light yellow to golden almost instantly. The butter pictured here is as dark as you want to go – as I was taking the picture it turned a bit darker than I typically would like, but it still tasted great and worked! The point being is that plain butter turns into brown butter pretty fast!

    step by step directions on how to make rice krispie treats in a large saucepan

    Remove from the heat and stir in the marshmallows and about 2 teaspoons of extract if you just want a slight hint of pumpkin flavor. Go up to 4 teaspoons if you want an intense flavor. The residual heat from the pan should melt the marshmallows pretty well (I actually like it when a few larger chunks of marshmallow fluff remains). If you need to though, turn on the heat to low and stir till marshmallows are thoroughly melted.

    rice krispie cereal being stirred into a big pot of melted butter and marshmallows

    Now carefully stir in the cereal with the melted marshmallows and butter mixture, and toss to coat well. Be careful as to not crush the cereal when mixing.

    I like thick treats, so I used a smaller 8 inch square pan (like a brownie pan) to make my treats. But feel free to use a larger pan if you need to make thinner treats to feed more people. Coat whichever pan you are using with cooking spray or butter, or lay down a piece of wax paper, and begin to press the cereal treat mixture into the pan. I personally wait about 1 minute for the rice krispie mixture to cool enough to handle, then quickly set to work before the mix hardens too much.

    Press into an even layer, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and pumpkin pie spice if you so wish. Let set and then cut into even squares and serve.

    pumpkin rice krispie treats drizzled with melted chocolate on a white piece of parchment paper

    To make a dark or white chocolate drizzle

    If melting cholate on the stove top, create a double boiler by placing a bowl over a small pot of water, and heating on medium heat. Add ½ cup of chocolate chips to the bowl and stir till thoroughly melted.

    To melt in the microwave, place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30-45 seconds at a time, stirring in between, till melted through.

    Drizzle chocolate on the bars by either spooning it all over, or placing the melted chocolate in a piping bag.

    cereal bars drizzled with white and dark chocolate

    Recipe tips and tricks

    • Spray a bit of cooking spray on your hands before pressing the rice krispie mix into the pan. This will make things a lot less messy!
    • Fill large pot with a bit of dish soap and warm water and let soak for 10 minutes before washing out.
    • Decorate the cereal bars with colored M&M’s or sprinkle with holiday sprinkles to make them more fun for fall festivities.
    • If creating pumpkin-shaped rice krispie treats, make sure to add orange food coloring to the marshmallow mixture. Then take small amounts of the mix and mold into a pumpkin shape. For fun, place a pretzel stick in the top of the rice krispie treat pumpkins, and serve. Rice krispie pumpkins would be great for Halloween parties or as a thanksgiving treat.
    • Store your pumpkin rice krispie treats in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
    marshmallow cereal bars drizzled with chocolate

    I hope you enjoy this fun treat and give the recipe a go! And if you do try it, please share your thoughts 🙂

    • Spider Web Halloween Sugar Cookies
    • Spooky Halloween Charcuterie Board
    • pumpkin puree in freezer bag and ice cube trays
      Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree (and steamed pumpkin too!)
    • 6 Simple Fall Decor Ideas

    Tried this recipe? Please leave a comment and/or rating, letting me know how you enjoyed it! Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest, and never miss a post by signing up for my weekly newsletter!

    Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

    Celebrate the season with these delicious pumpkin rice krispie treats. With the nutty flavor of browned butter, and the perfect amount of pumpkin pie spice, these tasty treats are perfect for this time of year!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 12 minutes
    Cook Time: 18 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 9 bars
    Author:Andrea

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup butter unsalted
    • 10 ounces marshmallows big or mini
    • 6 cups rice krispie cereal
    • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice extract
    • sea salt & pumpkin pie spice
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir often until butter starts to turn the slightest bit goldeny brown and smells a little nutty. This happens after about 3-5 minutes, and the butter goes from light yellow to golden almost instantly. 
    • Remove from the heat and stir in the marshmallows and about 2 teaspoons of extract if you just want a slight hint of pumpkin flavor. Go up to 4 teaspoons if you want an intense flavor. 
    • Now carefully stir in the cereal with the melted marshmallows and butter mixture, and toss to coat well. Be careful as to not crush the cereal when mixing.
    •  Coat a square 8" brownie pan with cooking spray or butter, or lay down a piece of wax paper, and begin to press the cereal treat mixture into the pan.
    • Press into an even layer, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and pumpkin pie spice if you so wish. Let set and then cut into even squares and serve.

    Notes

    To make a chocolate drizzle, melt about ½ cup of chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30-45 seconds at a time, stirring in between, till melted through.
    Drizzle chocolate on the bars by either spooning it all over, or placing the melted chocolate in a piping bag.
    Store your pumpkin rice krispie treats in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 1557IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 6mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @Howe.We.Live or tag #HoweWeLiveRecipes!
    « Healthy Fall Pasta Salad
    Halloween Chocolate Covered Strawberries »

    About Andrea Howe

    Andrea Howe is the recipe developer and photographer of Howe We Live. She is also a seasoned home cook of over 20 years, for her family of 5. Andrea has spent over 10 years in the food industry, writing for various publications including Babble and Disney. Her work has appeared in Real Simple, Taste of Home, Yahoo, Buzzfeed and ABC News.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Taylor says

      October 10, 2022 at 10:15 pm

      5 stars
      These are so tasty and different from typical rice krispie treats! Really enjoyed them

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Caucasian women sitting on a kitchen counter smiling, holding a glass of white wine

    Welcome to Howe We Live. I’m Andrea, a passionate home cook and mother of 3. I’ve been cooking and writing about healthy eating for almost a decade, and my number one goal here is to help you develop the tools needed to throw together a great meal at home that is both delicious, and healthy-ish. All eaters are welcome here! Read More

    Latest Posts

    • 6 Sweet and Savory Cottage Cheese Toast Ideas
    • Miso Butter Salmon – Quick & Easy!
    • Nourishing Fiesta Salad Recipe
    • Easy Creamy Protein Hummus
    • Creamy Spicy Ranch Dressing
    • Homemade Air Fryer Taquitos

    Top Posts

    • picture of 2 glasses filled with coconut pineapple margarita
      Coconut Pineapple Margarita Recipe
    • white plate with top sirloin steak tips and potatoes served on top, with a fork set to the side
      Beef Sirloin Tip Steak With Garlic Butter Potatoes
    • brown rice and turkey meatballs in a cast iron skillet
      Skillet Turkey Meatballs & Rice
    • A piece of chicken cutlet cooked in air fryer dipped in ranch dressing
      Chicken Cutlets In the Air Fryer

    As Featured In:

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy
    • About

    Newsletter & Contact

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Contact

    Notable Links

    • Recipes by Category
    • Shop Clean Beauty

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 · Howe We Live · Privacy Policy