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Made with puffed rice cereal, gooey marshmallow, green gel food coloring, and rainbow sprinkles, these shamrock rice krispie treats make the best easy dessert for St. Patrick’s Day!
Why Make Shamrock Rice Krispie Treats?
A bright and colorful addition to any Saint Patrick’s Day party, these green shamrock rice krispie treats only require a handful of (reasonably affordable!) ingredients to make, and provide a nice alternative to traditional shamrock-shaped sugar cookies, or other common St. Patrick’s Day desserts like Irish cream pudding.
These treats contain no nuts or eggs (and are easily made gluten-free if you choose a gluten-free puffed rice cereal—unfortunately, the brand-name version does not qualify) so they’re a good option for a classroom treat. They’re also easy to make, so kids can help with the cutting and decorating. Just be sure an adult handles the hot marshmallow part of the recipe.
Plus, who doesn’t love a rice krispie treat? I’ve developed this recipe specifically as an easy dessert for Saint Patrick’s Day, but really, rice krispie treats are delicious any time of the year. Buttery, crispy, gooey, and sweet, all in a single bite? Perfection.
Choosing your Shamrock Cutter
To cut out my shamrock treats, I used this 2 1/2-inch shamrock cutter by Ann Clark. They also sell a 3 1/4-inch version, which would work, too, but won’t yield quite as many shamrock rice krispie treats. I don’t suggest going much bigger or smaller than the 2 1/2-3-inch range.
For another fun St. Patty’s Day food, you could also follow this recipe but use a tophat cutter to make leprechaun treats. If going this route, I’d opt for melted dark chocolate and pipe it in a straight line (to represent the band on a tophat) and finish with a dot of edible gold leaf for the hat’s decorative gold “buckle.”
Tinting and Flavoring Shamrock Rice Krispie Treats
To achieve a vibrant green color, I chose my trusty Chefmaster gel food coloring. For this batch of Saint Patrick’s Day rice krispie treats, I used their Leaf Green; Neon Brite Green or Mint Green would also work nicely. Whichever color you choose, be sure to add it small doses (a drop or two at a time), or use a knife to add the gel to avoid adding too much.
I’d definitely stick with gel food coloring, rather than the water-based colors from the grocery store. Gels contain more concentrated color, so you’ll only need a couple of drops to create bright green green rice krispie treats.
Shamrock Rice Krispie Treats Tips & Tricks
When using your hands to press the marshmallow cereal mixture onto the silicone mat, it’s helpful to keep a bowl of water nearby and dip your fingertips periodically to prevent them from sticking. You can also use a well-oiled spatula, but I found it easier to achieve a uniform thickness when using my hands rather than a tool.
When cutting the green rice krispie treats, you will have some bits and pieces of the rice krispie mixture left over. Feel free to save these for snacking! Do not try to press the mixture back together to make more treats. Unfortunately, this does not work (I tried!)
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
I suggest making these shamrock rice krispie treats on the day you plan to eat or serve them—they definitely taste the best on day one. (I tested this recipe on the 8th of the month, and by end of day on the 10th my treats were already pretty crunchy and stale.) And while a stale cookie can sometimes be redeemed with a dunk in a mug of coffee, a hard rice krispie treat is not very enjoyable!
Store leftover rice krispie treats in an airtight container at room temperature, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment to prevent the shamrocks from sticking together. Line the bottom of the container with parchment as well.
Decorating the Shamrock Treats
I decorated my shamrock rice krispie treats with rainbow sprinkles, because they remind me of the traditional “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” motif you often see around Saint Patrick’s Day. However, you can switch things up and use rainbow nonpareils, shamrock sprinkles, green and white sprinkles, green sanding sugar, or Saint Patrick’s Day sprinkles instead.
I also added a dusting edible glitter for a bit of sparkle, but it’s totally optional! You could also use foil stars or hearts, or even add a few flakes of edible gold leaf.
If you want, feel free to tint your white chocolate, or substitute green candy melts. Green shamrocks with green chocolate and green sanding sugar could be really fun! Or, use milk or dark chocolate for drizzling instead.
Other Saint Patrick’s Day desserts you might enjoy:
Peppermint Cake Balls
Irish Cream Pudding
Lucky Charms Bark
Peppermint Marshmallows
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Shamrock Rice Krispie Treats
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 16 - 18 2 1/2-inch shamrocks 1x
Description
A shamrock rice krispie treats recipe made with gooey marshmallow, puffed rice cereal, green gel coloring, and plenty of rainbow sprinkles. These lucky green rice krispie treats are the best easy dessert for St Patrick’s Day!
Ingredients
90 grams unsalted butter (6 tablespoons)
300 grams marshmallows (about 3 1/2 cups large (not mini) marshmallows)
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Green gel food coloring (I used Chefmaster’s Leaf Green)
140 grams puffed rice cereal (about 4 1/2 cups)
Nonstick spray, for greasing spatula and cutter
To Decorate:
50 grams chopped white chocolate or chocolate chips (about 1/4 cup), melted
Rainbow sprinkles
Edible glitter (optional)
Instructions
Line a 12 x 14-inch tray with a silicone baking mat.
Add the butter to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan or stock pot. Melt the butter.
Add the marshmallows, and continue stirring until completely melted.
Remove from heat. Stir in the sea salt and green gel food coloring.
Stir in the puffed rice cereal, and continue stirring until the mixture is well combined, with no dry cereal remaining.
Pour mixture onto prepared tray.
With damp fingers, press down the mixture until it is evenly distributed and about 3/4-inch thick.
Set aside and allow to cool at room temperature, at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, line a large tray, or two smaller trays, with silicone baking mats.
With a well-greased 2 1/2 – 3-inch shamrock cookie cutter, cut the slab into shamrock shapes. (Save the scraps for snacking!)
Transfer shamrock rice krispie treats to prepared tray(s).
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate in the microwave in short intervals, stirring periodically to prevent burning.
Transfer to a piping bag. Pipe white chocolate in zigzags over the shamrock rice krispie treats.
Sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles.
Dust with edible glitter.
Serve immediately.
Place leftover treats in an airtight container, layered between sheets of parchment. Store at room temperature for up to three days.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Category: Brownies and Traybakes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Desserts
