Rice Crispy Peanut Butter Balls . . . these easy no-bake treats are crunchy, chewy, and downright irresistible!
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!
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.
These peanut butter balls are SO easy to make, and they require no baking. After I stir everything together in my large, I like to use this cookie scoop to arrange them on silicone baking mats or waxed paper.
After they cool down a bit, I just roll them into balls. Simple, right? And they get gobbled up everywhere I take them!
Frequently Asked Questions About Peanut Butter Balls:
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.
Crispy Peanut Butter Balls
Rice Crispy Peanut Butter Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter (I like chunky the best)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Instructions
- Stir together corn syrup and sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir till smooth. Stir in cereal.
- 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.
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
See all my peanut butter recipes HERE.
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.
Thanks for the tasty tips Linda!
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.
I love that idea, thanks for sharing!
This has become a yummy treat in our house. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I used honey instead of the corn syrup. Delicious! 😋
Glad to hear that it turned out for you with the honey!
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.
Where did it say that it was gluten free?
Rice Krispies also have a brown rice gluten free option, I am gluten free and eat them all the time.
Interesting. I use a store brand, and they don’t contain malt, so they are gluten free. It definitely pays to read labels!
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.
My guess is that you just overcooked them a little. Dang. 🙁
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.
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.
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.
Sounds like a tasty variation!
I don’t see anyplace where I print this recipe it sounds like something I would like to make.
Thanks
Not sure what happened, but the recipe card disappeared. I’ve fixed it now. The print button is on the card under the photo. 🙂
Can I use Nutella in place of PB?
I’m not sure, they might end up way too sweet. But you could always give it a try.
I’ve made these for years, but with corn flakes instead of rice krispies!! They are delicious!
That would be a tasty way to switch things up a little! Thanks for the tip!
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?
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.
Can these be made ahead and frozen as well to keep for later?
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.
Spread on buttered sheet pan. Melt choco chips and pour over. Let cool, cut in squares. Yummy.
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
I NEED TO KNOW HOW TO STORE THEM AND FOR HOW LONG I CAN DO IT PLEASEEEEEE
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.
YUM!!!!! Easy to make!
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!
I am so glad they were such a hit Penny!
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.
If you use honey instead of corn syrup, would you use the same amount?
Yes, you would use the same amount.
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?
Mine stay soft in an airtight container. My guess is that maybe you cooked them a little too long, or your heat was a little high.
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.
That sounds delicious! Thanks for the suggestion Bonny!
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!!!!
Love the idea of adding sprinkles for a festive touch!
If I use agave instead of corn syrup do I still have to boil?
Yes, I would still boil it to melt the sugar.
Any idea of the nutritional facts on these?
No, sorry, I have no idea.
@Andrea : Use this website to get all the nutrition facts of this (or any) recipe. For this recipe, it’s around 275 calories/portion. Try it : https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Thanks David!
I made it and it was delicious but instead of scoping it in to balls I press into a 13×9 pan and cut it into bars.
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.
You might need quite a bit since they are brown, but I would think you’d be fine using the gel type since it is more concentrated.
Looks delicious…I will give these a try!
They really are yummy. Hope you enjoy them!
I made these but with Cocoa Krispies. They remind me of the Little Debbie Star Crunches. They are a huge hit with my family.
Oh I bet that was super yummy! I’ll have to give it a try sometime. Thanks for the suggestion!
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.
Dipping them in different colors of chocolate is such a fun idea!
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
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.
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!
Use Fritos instead of rice crispies! We call them Frito Yummies and they are the perfect balance of salty and sweet
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?
2 minutes. The recipe I have says three but it makes them very hard.
You just barely bring them to a rolling boil, then remove from the heat. I don’t like to let the mixture boil any longer than that, or they stick to your teeth.
Yes, just bring it to a boil and then remove it from the heat. If you cook it longer they turn out too hard and sticky.
Yes
Are you meaning granular sugar and not powered sugar? Can you double this recipe? How much does this yeild? Thanks
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.
I use granular sugar. But I also do not roll them into balls I make cookies
These look awsome! What is the best way to store them? I want to add them to a cookie platter for a gift.
I just store them at room temperature in an airtight container.
Did I do something wrong? These things rip fillings out…
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.
Anyone have a good substitution for the corn syrup??!!
I’ve never tried it, but I bet that honey would work as a substitute.
Maybe regulate syrup or honey. The maple syrup would give it a different flavor, but it may taste ok. I would divide the recipe into 1/4’s and try first before ruining a whole batch.
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!
I’m all for adding chocolate! Sounds like a perfect holiday treat.
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.
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. 🙂
Have you any idea how much agave to replace for sugar. Thanks.
Sorry Sharyn, I don’t know. I use agave in my bowl of morning oatmeal, but I’ve never used it as a substitute for sugar in a recipe.
Is there a way to replace corn syrup for something healthier?
How about using Agave? It’s low glycemic and so much better for you. It’s worth a try!
A very delicious candy for the holiday season.
These were so yummy and super easy to make!
So glad to hear that Vicki!
Mmm, these turned out so good!! I made mine with chocolate rice krispies and they are very tasty. Thanks!
That would be a tasty variation, I’ll have to try it sometime!
How can I make this without the sugar for a diabetic, or is that not possible?
these are super good with chow mein noodles instead of rice crispies.
I know someone who makes something called Haystacks using chow mein noodles
I got this recipe years ago, but I use corn flakes instead of rice crispies. Super yummy!!
Yes the corn flake ones are great. However, I use regular granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar. That’s what my recipe called for
You know I love you for doing a cereal treat recipe!
It’s tough being without a computer! I’m glad you survived 🙂 These treats look super yummy.
Looks Yummy!! I’ve had something similar but missing a few ingredients. Definitely going to have to try these 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
oh my goodness – YUM!! This will be on my summer TO DO list for sure! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
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.
So glad you’re back…I’m also glad you combined your two sites…saves me a click or two! 🙂
Glad to save you some time. Hopefully you’re using it for something fun like quilting. 😉
Looks yummy!