Rice Krispie Treats with a twist – they’re made with marshmallow Peeps and layered for a beautiful, colorful Easter treat! Make these Layered Peeps Treats for all of your spring gatherings!
I know, I know, it’s still snowing in a lot of the country, but Valentine’s Day is over and that means there are Peeps in the stores! I may have literally jumped and clapped when I saw them. I have had a vision for these little layered treats in my head for over a month now and I’ve been dying to finally make them. Have you seen all the colors they have? Check out this huge pack of Peeps in six colors! (affiliate link)
MY LATEST VIDEOSThe lovely pastel layers make them look like you really had to put some effort into them, but I promise you they are super easy. If you’ve ever made Rice Krispie Treats, you can make these.
Any colors will do, and I just saw today that there are new flavors – lime, lemon and orange. Wouldn’t that be fun for a little citrus flavored layered treat?
For each layer you will want to use separate microwaveable bowls. I used my Pyrex 4-cup Glass Measuring Cups because they are the perfect size. You want the dish to be pretty tall because the Peeps expand quite a bit while they’re in the microwave, and they will spill over shorter sides. (affiliate link)
Melt a 3 oz. package of Peeps with a tablespoon of butter for 45 seconds in the microwave. Feel free to pause for a moment of silence. Then stir them up.
Add a cup and a half of Crispy Rice cereal and combine until cereal is completely coated with colorful, sticky Peeps goodness. Then press into a loaf pan lined with foil, then repeat the process with the rest of your colors.
*TIP – I always keep a can of cooking spray nearby when making Marshmallow Treats. I spray the spatula for stirring and my fingers for pressing into the pan.
One of my favorite ways to serve these Layered Peeps Treats is as “pops.” Once the treats are set and completely cooled, take them out of the pan and cut them into about one inch thick slices; a serrated knife works best. Then cut those 8 slices in half. I trimmed the sides so they were even, but that’s completely optional. Add a lollipop or Popsicle stick to each piece and you’ve got 16 adorable Easter treats that are perfect for classroom parties, Easter or spring party favors or gifts for neighbors.
A few tips – Because they’re made with Peeps, these treats definitely have a distinct flavor. We happen to love the flavor of Peeps so we love it. However, a lot of people have asked if you can make these with regular marshmallows and food coloring. While that isn’t my choice, the answer is yes, you can! Just use the basic Rice Krispie Treats recipe (find it on the cereal box) and divide the ingredients by the number of colors you plan to use. Then prepare each color in a separate bowl, adding a few drops of food coloring to each bowl as you go until you’ve reached your desired color. Then layer as seen in the photos above. This method definitely does add an extra step and the colors don’t get nearly as bright, but if you’re not a fan of Peeps (say what???) this will yield similar results.
Layered Peeps Rice Krispie Treats
Rice Krispie Treats with a twist - they're made with marshmallow Peeps and layered for a beautiful, colorful Easter treat!
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 8 -16 pieces
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter or margarine (divided)
- 4 3-ounce packages Marshmallow Peeps (in 4 different colors)
- 6 cups Crispy Rice cereal (divided)
Instructions
- Prepare an 8-9" loaf pan by lining with foil and spraying lightly with cooking spray.
- Divide the Peeps by 10s of the same color - 10 pink, 10 yellow, etc. (use any colors you like).
- In a deep, medium sized microwaveable dish, microwave 10 of the same color peeps with 1 tablespoon of butter on high for 45 seconds. Because microwaves vary, watch closely so the Peeps don't flow over the sides of the bowl. Stir butter and Peeps together until fully melted and incorporated. (*tip - spray a spatula with cooking spray before stirring).
- Stir in 1 1/2 cups of cereal until fully coated. Press firmly into the loaf pan.
- Repeat steps 3-4 with the other Peeps colors.
- Allow to cool completely (1-2 hours) before slicing.
*** Be sure to check out our HOW-TO VIDEO on FACEBOOK! ***
For more Easter Treats, be sure to check these out:
Peeps Easter Gift Idea with Free Printable
For all Easter go HERE, for desserts go HERE and for the Recipe Index go HERE.
Hi! I’m Kristin, the creative mind behind Yellow Bliss Road where you will be inspired by tons of easy to follow recipes, lots of free printables, and a little sprinkling of life thrown in for good measure.
Ahhh, those are super cute! Love it!
I thought this was a cute…made it today. If I make it again, I will use some food colouring. I used the pink, purple, yellow and green peeps. The only colour that really shows up is the pink. The rest are pretty washed out. I like the bright colours in the picture.
The photos do make them look a little brighter, but they do come out pretty bright for me! Glad you liked them!
I love Peeps but never heard of doing this before…but since they are marshmallows…it does make sense! I will give this a try this year at our Easter gathering. If I dont’ tell my (now adult) kids these are made with peeps, they will probably let their kids eat them! they think peeps are nothing but sugar..and in a way they are but they do allow them to eat marshmallows…go figure! visiting from tater tote jello linky!
Don’t quite understand the recipe. Is it 4 pkgs of 10 peeps?
Never mind! its in the body of the recipe! Just being blond!! Love this. Will try it. Thank you!
These were great! We used pink yellow purple and green peeps. the green peep was pink inside which made a grayish purplish color like the purple in the above picture. not much color variety. next time we will try the blue instead of the green.
Are you sure you didn’t buy the new watermelon peeps? That might explain the inside being pink.
Hi Taylor, No these were the regular Peeps. The insides were white.
So pretty and adorable!
What would the receipe be if I wanted to make an 8 x 8 pan of these?
Just double the recipe.
Hey there, I’m in Australia and I have never heard of peeps?! What can I use instead of peeps? 😀
Hi Margaret, You could use regular marshmallows instead. 🙂
…and add a few drops of food coloring to the regular marshmallows so you still get the layered colors!
our colors didn’t turn out like that >:( 🙁
I’m sorry to hear that. Did you use the same colors I used?
will make these as soon as I can find small blindfolds so they can not look at me as I melt their little bodies.lololol. will be a great treat for the kids!
Hi I want to make these for my son’s Easter Party at his preschool. Can u tell me how many ur recipe makes using that size pan. It’s a class of 20. Do u think I need to do 2 pans? Thanks;)
Hi Tricia, using the loaf pan, it made about 16 of the “pops” size. I would double the recipe and use two loaf pans if you want this look. Good luck!
how and when do you put the stibks in to make them pops? Thanks
Hi Karyn, after you cut them into the size you want, you’ll just push the lollipop stick in to make the pop.
I read an article online that someones peep rice krispies were hard and almost unedible the next day. Was yours still good the next day? I wanted to make these a day in advance for saturday. Thanks.
I kept mine in a ziploc bag. They were perfect for a couple of days but then felt a little soggy after that.
Did you store them in a ziplock bag after your wrapped each Pop individually? I was going to make tonight for my daughters class tomorrow.
I don’t think I did. Just handing them out the next day they should be fine.
That’s what happened to mine! 😩 I made them for my church bakesale. They looked so good but came out hard and dry. I actually witnessed someone take a bite then walk over to the trash can and throw it away. I was mortified! Maybe the recipe needs more butter?
Hi! Do you just push the stick in after cutting into “pops”?
Ann
Yup! Super easy 🙂
Where did you get the sticks and the little baggies?
Hi Stef, you can get the treat bags and lollipop sticks at any party or craft store.
The recipe is a bit confusing.
Do you use 4 peeps of the same color with 1 T butter. Then when melted stir in
1.5 cups rice Krispies? Then repeat with different colors?
Thanks.
Sorry it’s confusing, I updated the recipe and hopefully it makes more sense. It’s 4-3 oz. packages of 10 Peeps each in 4 different colors.
I am just a bit confused. Is it 4 peeps or 3 oz? My peeps packages are 3oz but have 10 peeps in each package.
Sorry it’s confusing, I updated the recipe and hopefully it makes more sense. It’s 4-3 oz. packages of 10 Peeps each in 4 different colors.
These came out wonderfully! I used two bowls and just rinsed them out after each batch in hot HOT water. I did the whole grease/spray the spoon trick and also used wax paper to help flatten/spread out each layer. I did add more food coloring to the green, but the other colors came out well as long as I mixed the marshmallow/butter really well before adding the rice krispies. I put some extra peep bunnies on top as decoration. I used an 8×8 square pan instead of a loaf and was able to fill it to the top.
Peep Measurement Tip: If you use peep bunnies, they are sold in 4.5 oz (16 bunnies) packages. I just used 3 out of 4 rows to give myself 3oz. of marshmallow like you would the peep chicks in the directions above.
Thank you for this comment Laura as I was *literally* just thinking how much that would equate to for the bunny peeps. I seem to have some of each. About to try this tonight!
Just saw them make these on Rachel Ray! Yours are way cuter!
Wow, that’s pretty cool that they made it that far! Would have been nice to have been given credit – thanks for the head’s up though!
These turned out really cute and the recipe was easy to follow. They don’t taste very good, though. 🙁 I was kind of disappointed because they look so good but I don’t think anyone will actually want to eat them.
Sorry you didn’t like them, the Peeps are definitely a different taste than regular marshmallow.
I just made these, easy and cute. I used blue raspberry for the bottom, lemonade for the middle and orange creme for the top. Thanks for a great idea!!
So glad they worked out for you – enjoy!
I made these this past Easter and they were a great hit! Per some previous coments I ended up adding a couple of drops of neon food coloring to each peep layer and it really made the colors pop! Alternatively you could male this recipe with regular marshmallows and food coloring but everyone LOVED that they were made from peeps! I would make these again.
Thanks for your comment! So glad everyone enjoyed them!!
I made these the other day and they turned out wonderful!!! This is going to be a regular Easter tradition for myself and my kiddos. My neighbors asked for more.LOL They taste waaaaay better than regular rice crispy treats…makes me wonder if I can freeze peeps and thaw them out over the summer to make more later. 😉 THANKS!
Ohhhh! That’s a great idea! I don’t know that marshmallows freeze well, but Peeps definitely keep for quite a while. I’d bet you could store them in a cupboard for a few months, if they last that long. 😉
I just found a snowman peep that I bought for a friend for Christmas of course! I gave it to him and he said it still tastedgreat. So I would just store them someplace coolish so they don’t melt and I think they would be fine!
Added food coloring and look great.
My only addition would be to spray bowls in which you are microwaving and any utensils with Pam or something before using them, The clean up was not so much fun.
Thanks for the idea. Great for those leftover 1/2 price peeps you find at the store!
I love these! I must be honest and say I can’t stand peeps! LOL. I will use marshmallows and food coloring. Just the thing to send my daughter in the Navy.
How cute and easy are these? My 8 year old wants to make something this weekend. I’ll be sure to show her this since she can do this all by herself!
I love this festive version of a good old favourite! I’ve included it in my Easter blog post 🙂
http://lifefling.ca/10-sweet-easter-treats
I made this using yellow, pink, green, and blue peeps. I used a pyrex bowl and rinsed it out each time. Came out perfectly. The only problem is my daughters (18 year olds) could not help themselves and tried it out within the first hour. They pronounced them delicious.
These are so adorable, and I love those little bunny flags! What a perfect Easter twist on a classic treat, thanks so much for sharing!
These looked so good but they were very sweet. Also the next day they were not so good.
Made these today for our Girl Scout troop’s Easter Tea Party. I used green, purple, blue & pink Peeps. They turned out great & they were a huge hit! I doubled the recipe, then used a 13 x 9 pan & it worked out very well. Thanks for the idea!
I saw this on Facebook. I made it for church care group snack tonight. I wanted brownie size and shape, so I only did 2 colors per pan and used non stick foil still sprayed with oil. It’s so fun and easy but sets up fast – be ready to throw the Rice Krispies in fast. I will make these every year.
I just made these today and they turned out great. Thanks for the recipe! Spraying the utensils and bowl sure make it so much easier to deal with the marshmallow goo. By the way, I have frozen regular marshmallows for years. It keeps them fresh. When they thaw out, they are as soft as what they were originally. I always seem to have marshmallows left over and they turn into a gooey yucky mess or get hard as rocks in the cabinet. I don’t know why you couldn’t freeze peeps, also. I think I’ll try that this year.
Cute idea! I found that 11 of each color gives a better color and covering for the Krispies. The first two colors I did in 10 and they didn’t turn out as nicely as when I used 11 of the peeps.
These are super cute. Too bad Peeps are so gross that they ruined the rice krispie too. I will use a little food coloring instead next time.
If you think Peeps are gross, probably best not to use them in a recipe where they’re one of only 3 ingredients. 😉
Just made these, and they turned out super cute! We used blue, pink, and then mixed a few pink in with the blue to get purple; colors were vibrant without any extra coloring. Be forewarn: these ARE sweeter than normal rice krispy bars!
Your recipe has been featured here > http://sweetmeetsbakeshop.com/2016/04/08/fully-loaded-rice-krispie-treats-recipe-history/
Happy Friday and keep on desserting!
These were listed as gluten free, however Rice Krispies have malt in them, making them not gluten free. Does anyone know of a rice cereal that is gf?
Sorry about that! This recipe was posted over two years ago and Rice Krispies actually were gluten-free then. I just looked it up and they apparently changed the recipe slightly and they are no longer GF. I’ll check around! In the meantime, have you tried Sprouts or Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s?
Wanted to try these for Easter
Hello, how are you? I had feature your delicious recipe in my blog (www.myhousetucasa.com/en) , I hope you don’t mind. Have a nice day!
THANk you so much for the Layered Peeps Rice Krispie Treats recipe!!Going to share your link!!! Made them for teachers and I was happy how they turned out! THANK U THANK U so much!!!
Do you give recipe out.
I think they turned out just fine! Made them today with my grandchildren. Colors might have been a bit darker if I didn’t let them each take just 1 Peep before we melted them! It’s a perfect Easter treat!
Kristin, love these peeps. I think I will make them for my Kidz Church for Easter as the pops with your cute tags. Thank you so much! Have a Blessed Easter.
I made the Peeps Krispy treats today and love them! Thank you so much for this great idea!
The treats were so pretty. Loved them! However, they came out a bit soggy not krispie like the original recipe with marshmallows. Why do you that I occurred?
hi I made them tonight , I let them cool for over 2 hours. they are falling apart, very soggy, no crunch at all, what did I do wrong?! I was hoping to give them out at my daughter’s bday party tomorrow. I used ” l can’t believe it’s not butter”, could that be it? thanks
Definitely real butter is necessary. The margarine would be oil based and would result in the sogginess.