How to Make Rice Crispy Treats Using Homemade Marshmallows

Today I made rice crispy treats with homemade marshmallows, and I think it's important that I share that experience - here is why.

I looked up how to make rice crispy treats using homemade marshmallows and I found a reddit thread that said DON'T DO IT.

The responses pretty much all said, "it will be soggy, don't do it". The OP ended up trying and ... they ended up soggy.

After that I found two recipes from people sharing how they made them - saying theirs did not turn out soggy (but just an FYI - several commenters who followed their recipes said theirs did).

Why this happens?

According to a search I did -

1. Higher moisture content in homemade marshmallows

2. Lack of stabilizers and preservatives in homemade marshmallows

3. Melting behaviour of homemade ones

Spoiler alert

I read up ways to prevent them from becoming soggy and I did try this, but I clearly should have read up more, because spoiler alert - mine also turned out soggy...

I know you might be thinking "how can she share a blog about making rice crispy treats when hers ended up soggy" and I agree, BUT I do think it is important to share that this happened and a few things I learnt that you could try if you wanted to try it.

I will try making them again and if I have success, I will share that, but I also want to share this experience because it is still helpful. And also, I will share the ingredients, because I don't think those are the issue. I more think the issue is the heating and cooling.

The elements

Rice Crispy treats have 3 elements - rice crispies, marshmallows and melted butter. As someone who is health conscious and made these treats to be a healthy snack I will share my elements.

Rice Crispy

We only eat sprouted rice or rice that has been soaked for a long period of time in an attempt to remove some of the anti-nutrients and improve the digestibility.

Therefore, for this treat I used - One Degree Organic Food's Sprouted Rice Crisps.

The ingredients: Organic sprouted whole grain brown rice, organic coconut sugar, unrefined salt, tocopherols (Vit e).

I generally prefer white rice over brown rice, but this is a good option for this treat.

Butter

Butter can be expensive so while I general like to use grass fed organic butter, for baking I often settle for organic unsalted butter or simply just nonorganic unsalted butter where the only ingredient is cream.

Marshmallows

You may have noticed that my marshmallows are blue - no, don't worry I don't use dye in my food.

For my marshmallows I use a recipe by the Instagram bio-energetic influencer Noelle Kovary. She calls them "Beauty Marshmallows" and the recipe for them is provided in her highlights.

I, however, call these "Skin Marshmallows" because the ingredients are meant to improve skin (hence beauty), and I didn't make them to make my skin look more beautiful. I started making them when my husband's skin condition worsened. You can make them without the additional ingredients in, but I make them specifically because they have these ingredients in.

I am going to provide the details of how I make them - again credit goes to Noelle, but I am providing the details here because I don't know if her highlight will always be available, and it does take some time to find it. I do recommend you have a look if you want the details of why the specific ingredients are included or if you want to see how she makes them.

Homemade Marshmallow Recipe - Skin Marshmallows

Ingredients

For the Marshmallows:

1 cup water

4–5 tablespoons gelatin (adjust for desired firmness) - I use Great lakes Gelatin

1/3–1/2 cup raw honey or syrup (to taste) - I use Organic Maple Syrup from Costco.

1 tablespoon marshmallow root

2 teaspoons pearl powder - I use the one by Liver Honey and I love it for this and other uses (like toothpaste).

2 teaspoons tremella powder

1 teaspoon butterfly pea powder - this is what gives it the blue colour.

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the Marshmallow Root Infusion

1. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil.

2. Add 1 tablespoon of marshmallow root and remove from heat.

3. Let it steep overnight (or at least several hours) to infuse the water with flavor and nutrients. Strain out the marshmallow root before using the liquid.

Step 2: Bloom the Gelatin. Pour the strained marshmallow root water into a small saucepan or heat-safe bowl. Sprinkle 4–5 tablespoons of gelatin over the surface and let it sit for 5–10 minutes to bloom (it’ll look thick and gel-like).

Step 3: Heat and Flavor. Gently heat the bloomed gelatin mixture on the stove over low heat, stirring until fully dissolved (don’t let it boil). Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and remove from heat.

Step 4: Mix the powders. In a mixing bowl, combine 2 teaspoons pearl powder, 2 teaspoons tremella powder, and 1 teaspoon butterfly pea powder. Transfer the warm gelatin mixture to a stand mixer. Add the powder blend and 1/3–1/2 cup of raw honey or syrup. Whip on high speed until the mixture forms soft peaks—think fluffy clouds! (Stop before it gets too stiff; overmixing can make it rubbery.)

Step 5: Set and Chill Rub coconut oil on a glass dish to prevent sticking. Working quickly (it sets fast!), pour the whipped mixture into the prepared dish and smooth the top with a spatula. Pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.

Step 6: Enjoy Once set, lift the marshmallows out, cut into squares, and enjoy! Use them in rice crispy treats or savor them as a standalone snack.

Making the rice crispy treats

I wanted them to be slightly sweet (the marshmallows are not sweet compared to store bought ones) and therefore I added syrup to the melting butter.

I used about 150g of butter. I melted it on a low heat and added syrup to it. The amount of syrup depends on how sweet you want it. I also added a pinch of salt.

Once the butter was melted, I added the marshmallow.

I kept the heat low, because I read that if it is hot, it will make the treat soggy.

While this was melting (stirring it every now and then) - I put some coconut oil on a glass dish and poured a box of the rice crisps into it. Once the marshmallows were mostly melted, I poured them over the rice crisps (I read in the recipe that said they tried many ways to prevent sogginess that it is important to pour the marshmallows over the rice crisps and not the other way). I then saw I wanted more rice and poured over a second box. I mixed it all together with a silicon scraper.

I put it straight into the fridge, but I have since read that maybe letting it cool on the counter helps to prevent soggy-ness?

Initially when I tasted them, they were a bit crispy, but then they turned "not crispy" - which isn't great, but I will say they are still incredibly tasty to me. And since they contain fancy ingredients, we will most definitely be eating them all.

Things that might help prevent them from going soggy

1. I could have let the marshmallows cool more before adding them. They were not hot at all. In fact, barely warm, but I think they can be cooler. I suggest aiming for as cool as you can get them.

2. Letting them set on the counter to set slower.

3. Use less butter.

   
   

Do I have to let the marshmallows set before making this?

Apparently yes. everything I read said you must let them set before using them for rice crispy treats otherwise it's a guaranteed soggy treat. I didn't personally try a variation where I don't let the marshmallows sit but I read several comments from people who did and said they turned out soggy.

Oh, and Noelle Kovary has a recipe for making Rice Crispy Treats. You can find it here on her Instagram. I didn't use this recipe, but I did read it for inspiration.

Sorry I don a success story to share, but I hope this is helpful nonetheless! If yours turn out crispy - please let me know.

Carmen

Hi, I’m Carmen! I’m a South African living in Calgary, Canada, where I’m a full-time mom to my toddler, Elba, and a homemaker. I’m also an Employment Relations Specialist with my own small consulting business. I approach everything intentionally, always learning new skills and hobbies, and seeking ways to create a more wholesome, healthy life for myself and my family. Thanks for visiting my little corner—I’m happy to share it with you!

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