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Easy Candy Recipe– Rice Crispy Peanut Butter Balls

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Rice Crispy Peanut Butter Balls . . . these easy no-bake treats are crunchy, chewy, and downright irresistible! Everyone loves these candies.

Rice Crispy Peanut Butter BallsEasy Rice Krispy Peanut Butter Balls

When I was looking through my archives, I was surprised that I hadn’t posted this easy recipe for crispy peanut butter balls. It is one I got in a home ec class back in middle school. They’ve been a family favorite for decades!

My teacher called them peanut butter yummies, but they are like a rice crispy treat with peanut butter. I’ll take these peanut butter balls over rice crispy treats any day!

No Bake Crispy Peanut Butter candy recipe

Recipe for peanut butter candies with Rice Krispies

This recipe is really easy to throw together, and it’s perfect for summer because you don’t have to turn on the oven. So if your kids are begging for a treat this summer, try these out. Or even better, have the kids make them!

We like them just as they are, but you can also dip them into chocolate.

Gluten free, no-bake peanut butter balls with rice crispies in a white bowl

How to make Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies

Ingredients:

  • corn syrup
  • powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
  • peanut butter (we prefer crunchy peanut butter)
  • vanilla extract
  • crispy rice cereal

These peanut butter balls are SO easy to make, and they require no baking. Bring corn syrup and sugar to a boil, then add peanut butter and vanilla extract. Stir in the Rice Krispies. 

After I stir everything together, I like to use this cookie scoop to arrange them on silicone baking mats or waxed paper lined baking sheets.

After they cool down a bit,I just roll them into one to two inch balls.. Simple, right? And they get gobbled up everywhere I take them!

how to make rice crispy peanut butter candy

FAQ About Rice Crispy Peanut Butter Candies:

Q: How do I store these peanut butter candies?
A: I put them in a ziplock bag or airtight container and store them at room temperature.

Q: How long will they last?
A: My family eats them fast enough that I haven’t put it to the test, but they will definitely last several days, maybe more. We do think they are best eaten fresh or after a day or two, but that is just a matter of preference. They get softer the longer you store them, and we like the crunch.

Q: What can I use in place of the corn syrup?
A: I have had readers use both honey and agave syrup with great results.

Q: Can I make bars instead of peanut butter balls?
A: Of course. Just press the hot mixture into a buttered 9×13″ pan, let them cool slightly, then cut them.

Q: I’m a chocoholic. How can I add chocolate to these peanut butter treats?
A: You can substitute Cocoa Krispies for the regular Rice Krispies. They are also fantastic dipped in melted chocolate.

 

No Bake Rice Crispy Peanut Butter Balls recipe collage

If you love these peanut butter balls, you should try these recipes:

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles
Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Scones

Crispy Peanut Butter Balls

Yield: 3 dozen

Rice Crispy Peanut Butter Balls

Rice Crispy Peanut Butter Balls

Rice Crispy Peanut Butter Balls . . . these easy no-bake treats are crunchy, chewy, and downright irresistible!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Stir together corn syrup and sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
  2. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir till smooth. Stir in cereal.
  3. Drop by spoonfuls on silicone mats or waxed paper. Cool slightly and roll into balls.

Notes

You can also add some chopped peanuts for a little bit of crunch.

Category: Dessert: Candy
Rice Crispy Peanut Butter Balls . . . these easy no-bake treats are crunchy, chewy, and downright irresistible! #peanutbutterballs #crispypeanutbutterballs

 

 

See all my peanut butter recipes HERE.

 


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I made these once and I am wanting to make again, I’m seeing the photo but not seeing the recipe, can you post the recipe again please.
    Thank you Ginger

    Reply

    • I discovered this morning that my site had a glitch last night and all my recipe cards disappeared. Yikes! I’ve fixed it, and you should see the recipe now.

  3. My Aunt Mae made them with Chex cereal (which is gluten free) and I have been making them for probably 30+ years. They are yummy, but now I try not to eat or use corn syrup. You can make great popcorn balls if you make marshmallow treats, but use popcorn instead of rice Krispies.

    Reply

  4. I make these at Christmas every year. To add a taste of chocolate, I cover a Hershey kiss with the mixture and roll it into a ball.

    Reply

  5. This has become a yummy treat in our house. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I used honey instead of the corn syrup. Delicious! ????

    Reply

  6. You should know that Rice Krispies are not gluten free. They contain malt. So you should either change your recipe to include a gluten free cereal or not advertise these as naturally gluten free. It May confuse people and accidentally give some people a bad belly ache.

    Reply

  7. These are very good, I covered mine in chocolate. But I do not know what happened. In the air tight container they were in didn’t keep them fresh or keep them at all, they were hard as rocks and couldn’t be eaten. I had to throw the entire batch in the garbage.

    Reply

    • Sometimes when your cookies, candy or fudge gets a little too hard, you can put them in an airtight container with a piece of bread or a fresh lemon/orange peel or rind. This also works for brown sugar. Whenever my mom needed brown sugar and it was super hard, we just peeled an orange and left it in there a day or so.

  8. I have the same recipe except it uses brown sugar instead of powdered. It forms almost a caramel. I just guess at the amount of cereal – less and there is more caramel at the bottom, less means less caramel. Also I bring the mixture of corn syrup and brown sugar just to a boil, turn the burner off and then stir in the peanut butter. It helps the peanut butter melt easier and gives you a little longer to form the bars, cookies, balls, etc. that you want to make.

    Reply

  9. I had a recipe similar to this, also from a home ec class, called Noel Chews.
    It called for Oats instead of Rice Krispies, and I always spread them in a pan and then cut into squares.My father-in-law loved them.

    Reply

  13. I love cookies made with Rice Krispies , have never used peanut butter. I want to use Marshmallows instead of the corn syrup. Any idea how many cups to use?

    Reply

    • I don’t recommend substituting marshmallows for the corn syrup. Since they are solid at room temperature, they will throw the recipe off and your peanut butter balls will be hard to bite into after they cool.

    • They can definitely be made a few days ahead, but they don’t need to be frozen, just stored in an airtight container. I haven’t tried freezing them, but my guess is that it would make them a bit soggy.

  15. I have made peanut butter rice krispies the same way but use marshmallows instead of syrup. Or even marshmallow fluff. I always add more peanut butter my kids and I love peanut butter

    Reply

    • You can just store them at room temperature in an airtight container. They are best eaten the first day or two, but they will last for a few days, probably longer.

  18. A co worker sent me this recipe to pin. I made them today. They are so delicious and very easy to make! I’m usually on the fence with peanut butter recipes but these were soft and the flavor was amazing. I made them for the co worker because she can’t have chocolate. This is a keeper! Thanks Kara!

    Reply

  19. I made some “throw-together” krispie treat balls and gave some to my grandson(33 years ild) . He remembered me making something like it when he was in the third grade and calked me from his job. So, to find a recipe that coukd made in bulk, I checked out the internet. I found yours that are probably the same thing I made back then. I used honey instead of karo, but the results are the same. He was so happy.

    Reply

  21. I made them for the first time today and they are super yummy when they are first done but then they went hard. How do you keep them soft?

    Reply

  22. Substitute granulated sugar for the powdered sugar and then pour over fresh popped air popped popcorn and this is a sweet treat I grew up on. I will have to try these with the cereal.

    Reply

  23. I made these for the first time this past Christmas. I made several batches and all of them were great. This recipe is perfect. I do not understand how.anyone could have a problem with this ‘recipe at all….unless the corn syrup and posted sugar were boilef too long. I made them plain and dipped in white and milk chocolate..then added Christmas sprinkles…none were left from either batch I made…they are habit forming!!!!

    Reply

  26. Going to try these for our church Valentine’s day dinner. I wouldn’t think some red food coloring would alter the recipe, would you Kara? Thanks a bunch.

    Reply

  28. I made these but with Cocoa Krispies. They remind me of the Little Debbie Star Crunches. They are a huge hit with my family.

    Reply

  29. These are delicious. I love peanut butter anything so these will be a staple around here. I do like to dip them in chocolate and I love to use different colour chocolate wafers. Some rolled in chopped nuts and all the different colours make an awesome presentation & to top it all off, they taste amazing. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  30. BEST EVER!!! I only boiled for 1 min. Because I read the comments before a made them. So perfect. My old high school use to make peanut butter rice crispy treats and this is the same!!! THANK YOU

    Reply

  31. Ours is a disaster. Dry and crumbly. I can’t see how this went wrong. Turning it into regular rice Krispir treats with the dry sandy cereal and peanut butter mix.

    Reply

    • So sorry they didn’t turn out for you. 🙁 We’ve made them dozens of times and I’ve never had that happen. All I can think of is that the sugar mixture cooked too long.

    • You boiled way too long! Even under a minute works. O’Henry bars are the same. Only add 2 chips for frosting like topping. Delicious!

  33. How long do you boil the corn syrup and sugar together for? Or is it that you juat bring it up to a boil and then remove from heat?

    Reply

    • No, it’s powdered sugar just like I typed. It makes three dozen. I don’t like to double it unless I have someone to help me scoop the mixture onto waxed paper. Otherwise the mixture starts setting up before I can get it all out of the pan.

    • Sorry you had trouble with them Brett. My guess is that you cooked the corn syrup and sugar a little too long. That would definitely make them more sticky. They should just be soft and chewy.

    • Can you please tell me the best way to store these and how long are they good for. I’m trying to get a head start on my Christmas goodies. Thank you

    • I just store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They are good for a few days. After 3-4 days they start to get a little soft, but they still taste fine.

  38. Okay, great but have a idea for the holidays. Make candy balls but much smaller, then dip in melted chocolate and roll in finely chopped peanuts. No need to make tedious truffles. They would be gone in a flash!

    Reply

  39. OMG! I have been looking for this recipe for decades! I also got this recipe from my home ec teacher in 1974, must have been part of their basic curriculum. Used to make it all the time and lost the recipe while moving. My five brothers and sisters used to finish off a whole batch in one day. Thank you for posting this.

    Reply

    • I am so glad that you finally found the recipe! I also have five siblings, and when I made it for them they would finish off an entire batch in a day as well. Now my kids love it just as much. 🙂

    • Yes the corn flake ones are great. However, I use regular granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar. That’s what my recipe called for

  50. Looks Yummy!! I’ve had something similar but missing a few ingredients. Definitely going to have to try these 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply

  51. oh my goodness – YUM!! This will be on my summer TO DO list for sure! Thank you for sharing! 🙂

    Reply

  52. I’ve tried a recipe similar to this. I, too, had forgotten how easy and good it was. I’ve never used powdered sugar, though. I think I need to give it a try ASAP.

    Reply

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