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This childhood favorite just got a major upgrade! Potato chip rice krispie treats add kettle-cooked potato chips to the classic gooey cereal treat for a sweet, salty, and crunchy indulgence.
Is there a better after-school snack than a big, gooey rice krispie treat?
We’re deep into back-to-school season over here for my oldest, and I love having some special treats for her when she gets home from school during that first couple of weeks. Getting back into the school routine is hard – we might as well enjoy some fun snacks to make it a little easier.
I love, love, LOVE classic rice krispie treats and so do my kids. And we love all kinds of variations on them, from brown butter rice krispie treats to chocolate rice krispie treats.
I recently tried adding potato chips to my go-to classic rice krispie treats recipe and I don’t think I’ll ever look back.
What are potato chip rice krispie treats?
A few weeks ago, Stephie sent me a post on Instagram of Joshua Weissman making rice krispie treats with potato chips in them. I couldn’t believe we hadn’t thought to do that before!
The next day, I ran out to grab the ingredients for these potato chip rice krispie treats and immediately fell in love with them.
This recipe has everything you love about your favorite rice krispie treats with their gooey sweetness, but has an added crunch and salty flavor from kettle-cooked potato chips.
Seriously, if you love the combination of sweet and salty in recipes like salted caramel pretzel cookies, my peanut butter pretzel dessert, or salted caramel pecan blondies, you’ll be a huge fan of these potato chip rice krispie treats.
How to make potato chip rice krispie treats
One of the best things about these potato chip rice krispie treats is that they taste like a bakery-style treat but they are super easy to make.
Ingredients you’ll need
To make these sweet and salty treats, you will need:
- ½ cup salted butter
- 2 (10-ounce) bags mini-marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 1 (8-ounce) bag salted kettle chips, crushed into small pieces
Because the marshmallows are so sweet, I like to use salted butter in my krispie treats to help balance out the flavors.
I like using mini marshmallows in this recipe, but you could also use homemade marshmallows. Just make sure to cut them into pretty small pieces.
A little splash of vanilla is one of the keys to a great rice krispie treat in my opinion. Don’t leave this out!
And the secret to these potato chip rice krispie treats: the potato chips! I like using kettle-cooked chips because they are so crunchy. They really hold onto that crunchiness even after mixing into the gooey marshmallows, making for a great texture in these treats.
Making this recipe
Once you start making this recipe, it’s going to go fast so make sure you prepare your pan first. Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment or foil and grease that with butter or nonstick spray.
Add the butter to a large pot or dutch oven over low heat. While that melts, measure out 2 cups of the marshmallows to set aside.
Once the butter is melted, add the rest of the marshmallows and stir until melted. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Gradually add the rice krispies and the crushed potato chips. It’ll get hard to stir, but keep going until everything is well combined. Fold in the reserved 2 cups of marshmallows until well distributed.
Pour the mixture into your prepared pan. Spritz a spatula or your hands with nonstick spray and gently press the mixture into the pan.
Recipe Tip
Don’t pack these potato chip rice krispie treats into the pan too firmly! You want them to stay nice and gooey after they have cooled and are sliced, so use a gentle hand when pressing them into the pan.
Let the treats cool completely before slicing and enjoying.
Storage
Potato chip rice krispie treats will keep for about a week in an airtight container at room temperature. Because we were careful not to pack the mixture into the pan too tightly, they will stay nice and soft for several days.
FAQs
Technically, yes. Wrap each cooled treat in plastic wrap and store them in a zip-top freezer bag in the freezer for up to a month.
That said, I don’t really recommend freezing them. Freezing and thawing them can make them a bit hard and cause the potato chips to lose some of their crunchy texture, which is what is so great about this recipe!
Yes. If you only have unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt to the butter when you melt it.
The name-brand classic Rice Krispies cereal is made with malt flavor, so they are actually NOT gluten free. If you need to make a gluten-free version of this recipe, look for a certified gluten-free crispy rice cereal.
I also recommend making sure the marshmallows and potato chips you use are also certified gluten free if you are making these for something with a severe gluten allergy or intolerance.
Potato Chip Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter
- 2 packages mini marshmallows 10 ounces each, divided use
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 1 bag salted kettle chips 8 ounces, crushed into small pieces (I used Cape Cod brand)
Instructions
- Line (1) 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil. Grease the pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large pan, melt butter over low heat. Set aside 2 cups of marshmallows. Add the rest of the marshmallows to the pan and stir until completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Gradually add Rice Krispies cereal and kettle chips; stirring until well coated. Fold in the reserved 2 cups of marshmallows until thoroughly incorporated.
- Using a buttered spatula or clean hands to gently press the mixture into the prepared pan. Don’t push too firmly or you’ll lose a bit of the ooey-gooey factor that we’re looking for. Cool completely at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
