11 Cereal Swaps For Even Tastier Rice Krispies Treats

You can probably recall an array of different sweet snacks from your childhood, including Gushers and Hostess Cup Cakes. Yet nothing may bring back the feelings of your younger years like diving into a crunchy, sweet, and positively delectable Rice Krispies treat. The basic recipe combines melted butter and marshmallows with Rice Krispies cereal to make a handheld bar that's as tasty as it is sticky. Of course, while there's nothing wrong with this original recipe, there's also a ton of opportunity to experiment with new ingredients and flavors in your cereal bars.

Frankly, there's no shortage of options when it comes to swapping out the standard rice cereal in Rice Krispies treats. The breakfast aisle at your grocery store is brimming with different cereal options to choose from. As someone who has made — and also eaten — their fair share of Rice Krispies treats over the years with various cereals, I'm well-aware of the best choices available for this swap. Here are some of my top picks for the best cereal options to substitute for (or use in tandem with) rice cereal for even tastier Rice Krispies treats.

We can all use something sweet in our lives. After all, that's why you'd want to make Rice Krispies treats, right? But instead of reaching for a box of plain and bland rice cereal, grab the fruitier and more fun version instead in Fruity Pebbles. Not only will Fruity Pebbles make the color of your treats absolutely whimsical, but it'll also turn up the sweet flavor — a lot. 

While some other cereals are bland and plain (no offense to Corn Flakes), Fruity Pebbles brings all of the flavor you need in one shot. Therefore, you won't have to experiment with other creative additions for your cereal bar treats to boost the flavor. In fact, doing so may shift the balance to something that's far too cloying.

If you're going to use this fruity cereal for your Rice Krispies treats, I would recommend cutting it in half with regular rice cereal to mitigate that sweetness. After all, you'll still have the sweetness from the marshmallows and the richness from the butter if you do.

Everyone loves chocolate, and everyone loves Rice Krispies treats — so why wouldn't you want to combine the two together to make one tasty, harmonious bar? More than that, Cocoa Krispies have the exact same texture as that of the plain rice cereal, but with a powerful hit of chocolate flavor.

You can always stick to a basic recipe and simply swap out the plain cereal. Or you can give your bars a speckled effect by swapping out half of the plain Krispies with chocolate ones to boost the visual appeal. And if you consider yourself a fiend for all things chocolate, you may want to elevate the flavor of these bars even more by incorporating some additional chocolatey emphasis, as well.

For instance, you can add a layer of melted chocolate on top of the bars after the mixture has been pressed into a pan. This chocolate layer should harden as your cereal treats cool and will eventually be easy to slice into. Another option involves adding a handful or two of chocolate chips to the top of the bars after you've layered them into the pan, which will also provide a little bit of textural diversity in every bite.

The only thing better than a Rice Krispies treat may be a s'more. There's something magical about that combination of chocolate, marshmallow, and graham cracker. Plus, when you really think about it, a Rice Krispies treat already has some of the basic elements of a s'more — you just need the graham cracker. The easiest way to bring some campfire flair to your Rice Krispies treat is to swap the rice cereal with Golden Grahams.

Golden Grahams are brimming with the familiar cinnamon sugar flavor required to transform a batch of Rice Krispies treats into a fireside-ish favorite. To make them, simply stir the cereal into your melted butter and marshmallow mixture and add some chocolate chips. Try to control the chocolate from melting by giving the mixture a couple of stirs, then go right to shaping it; otherwise, you'll end up with unsightly brown streaks. Another excellent pairing for Golden Grahams is browned butter. The warmth of the butter, combined with the sweet flavor and light cinnamon notes, makes the two an unstoppable duo. 

Cinnamon Toast Crunch — how I love thee. This is one of my favorite cereals to make Rice Krispies treats with (or eat in a bowl with milk). Each piece is brimming with cinnamon sugar sweetness, which is easily transmitted into the marshmallows. I do have to admit, though, that there isn't quite enough cinnamon flavor for an entire batch on the cereal itself, so you're better off adding a couple extra teaspoons of cinnamon to impart a subtle warmth to these cereal bars.

The flavor of Cinnamon Toast Crunch is already versatile, but you can always amp it up further by drizzling it with melted white chocolate. Another match made in heaven for these cereal bars is a little drizzle of perfectly-made caramel sauce. You can use the premade stuff in a jar from the store, which is my go-to (since caramel sauce is the type of ingredient I always buy rather than make myself). Drizzle a little caramel on top of the bars once you've shaped them in to the pan, or intersperse the flavor throughout the bar by incorporating it when melting down the mallows.

Froot Loops are sort of like a more exciting version of Fruity Pebbles. Yet even Toucan Sam couldn't have dreamed of how fun (and tasty) this fruity cereal would look in a Rice Krispies treat. I'd even go so far as to argue that Froot Loops are a better option for cereal bars than traditional Rice Krispies because they have a hole in the center, which creates more space for the marshmallow mixture to stick.

Froot Loops are also relatively soft compared to crisp rice cereal, so they give a little more of a molten bite than classic Rice Krispies (or some of the other suggestions on this list). Of course, like with the other cereal swap suggestions, you should avoid adding too many extra sweet elements to the mix, since the Fruit Loops have enough sugar on their own. In fact, if you're looking to cut this cereal with another product, it's a great opportunity to use up any leftover boxes of Cheerios.

Lucky Charms are a delicious breakfast cereal and one that you shouldn't sleep on — especially if you're a fiend for marshmallows. So why not max out your marshmallow quota by using this cereal in your next Rice Krispies treat recipe? These cereal bars won't just have the soft, molten feeling of the melted marshmallows, but also the sharp, dry bite of the dehydrated ones found in the cereal mix itself.

Now, it's important to note here: The marshmallow pieces in the cereal won't mingle in with your fresh mallows — and the crunchiness and sponginess may be an acquired contrast for some. Furthermore, I'd rank this cereal choice in the middle of the sweetness scale. It doesn't have the same cloyingness as a fruit-flavored option, but it does have a subtle pop from the mallows. If you'd like a little more sweetness, you can always add a layer of white chocolate on top (or opt for another option on this list).

Cap'n Crunch is a great cereal choice if you like a bar that's snappy and textured, rather than one that's fairly spongy and molten. The cereal pieces themselves are sweeter than Corn Flakes, but they don't have the same level of crispness to them. However, I think the result still tends to be crunchier than classic Rice Krispies because this cereal doesn't absorb moisture as readily. Additionally, Cap'n Crunch cereal has tons of variations depending on what kind of flavor you're looking for.

If you like a subtle sweetness and fruity flavor from the cereal, you may want to invest in the one with Crunch Berries in it. The flavor (when interspersed with the plain pieces) is more moderate than Froot Loops or Fruity Pebbles, even if there's still a hint of sweetness and a pop of color to look forward to. You can also get the Oops! All Berries cereal to go a sweeter and more fun route; just be sure not to overdo it with any other sweet additions with this option.

Chex is like the plain Jane of the cereal world. While it comes in a multitude of different varieties (including corn, wheat, and rice), it doesn't tend to be the queen (or king) of all things flavor. But when you dress up this cereal with melted marshmallows, you open up a world of possibilities for imparting additional flavors. Chex also has a strong structural integrity and snappy bite that will add texture to your cereal bars.

If you're looking for a take on Iowa's Scotcheroo bars, combine the Chex pieces with peanut butter, sugar, vanilla, and honey in place of the mallows. Then, once the bars are cooled, they can be covered in a layer of decadent melted chocolate. This unique take on a cereal bar is well-suited for Chex because the honey and sugar will help the bars stick together, while the cereal itself offers the perfect crunch to an otherwise sticky recipe.

Corn Flakes won't give you the most Rice Krispies-adjacent shape, but they do give you a ton of room to experiment (like in a batch of wintery Christmas wreath cookies). The crunch of the cereal is immaculate and makes for a truly excellent base for flavored marshmallows, including seasonal peppermint ones.

One important thing to note about using Corn Flakes as the cereal swap in Rice Krispies treats is that the shape isn't always conducive to making the bars. The Corn Flakes look like, well, flakes — and they don't have the same surface area ratio as the smaller Rice Krispies cereal pieces. The secret is to crumble down this cereal so it has a texture more akin to Rice Krispies. If you want to elevate the texture even more, you may want to try toasting the cereal like Alton Brown does, so that it has a bit of a firmer and more distinct corn-y bite.

Given the "peanut butter chocolate flaaavvvaaaa" offered by Reese's Puffs (and we can all close the nostalgia chapter on that song after this slide), it's time we consider them a contender in the race for delicious — and potentially superior — cereal swaps for Rice Krispies treats. Anyone who's ever eaten this breakfast cereal knows it's not a direct analogue to the classic Reese's candy that it's inspired by, but I still have to give Reese's Puffs some credit. The bites are crunchy and hinting with peanut butter flavor, which offers the perfect accompaniment to decadently sweet marshmallows.

If you want to turn up the dial even more on this upgraded Rice Krispies recipe, consider drizzling the finished bars with peanut butter and chocolate. Each bite will be filled with the perfect harmony of the dynamic duo — which is something that's positively irresistible to eaters of any age. With this swap, you'll surely be singing, "Eat 'em up! Eat 'em up! Eat 'em up! Eat 'em up!"

Cheerios are a cereal I feel is sorely overlooked (though that may just be me, considering it's my favorite variety). It's not just the Honey Nut version that's a solid option for eating out of a bowl, straight from the box, or as a replacement cereal in Rice Krispies treats. Regular Cheerios can be a great addition to the marshmallow-based treat, too, because they have a balancing flavor.

Plain Cheerios aren't overtly sweet, so they offer a great avenue for adding other ingredients into your cereal bars, while experimenting with flavor additions like freeze-dried fruit, nut butter, and candies. Granted, the sheer number of different Cheerios products also offers opportunities to explore different combinations in your cereal bars, as well. Grab a box of apple cinnamon Cheerios and a container of apple pie spice, then get to work on your recipe. Or for a fun shape and a chocolatey flavor, opt for a box of chocolate Cheerios instead of the classic plain option.