These peanut butter Rice Krispie balls are a chewy, slightly sticky, candy-like treat that comes together in just 20 minutes with only four simple ingredients—regular peanut butter (skip the natural kind!), corn syrup, white sugar, and boxed Rice Krispies cereal. The sugar, syrup, and peanut butter are briefly boiled on the stove to create a smooth base before the Rice Krispies are stirred in. Rolled into about golf ball-sized balls and set right on the counter to cool, they’re an easy dessert that’s full of flavor—no chocolate required!
Y'all, we cannot get enough of this sweet treat in our home! When I wanting to switch it up from our normal stash of no chill chocolate chip cookies, I gravitate towards making these rice krispie peanut butter balls.
No oven is required, can be made from start to finish in 20 minutes, and just 4 simple ingredients - these sticky sweet balls are almost candy like thanks to the method that is used to cook the sugars and peanut butter together. Although this recipe has simple ingredients, the process is specific, so let me walk you through how to do this so it produces perfect results for you every time.
Before you begin!
I want to start this recipe by saying that even though this recipe has minimal ingredients and is "easy" ... she can be finicky. If you have ever made candy before, or a recipe like No Bake Cookies - these recipes that require boiling sugar on the stove for "...x..." amount of time, can have a mind of their own.
What I mean by that is that the weather outside can affect it.
I know. Weird. But true. I grew up helping my mom make candy every holiday season, and sometimes the recipe totally flopped because of the weather outside (mainly a rainy, gross, humid day).
This particular recipe has flopped on me so many times. I use to have it read to boil the mixture for 7 minutes, but after having it fail me multiple times, I needed to really nail down a better way to describe it for y'all so it would turn out for you and be easy to understand.
I just recently retested this recipe last week on a very wet, rainy, and humid day, and they turned out perfect! I have figured out a new way to measure the "doneness" - so let me walk you through it.
‼️ WHAT TO LOOK FOR TO KNOW IT IS FINISHED COOKING ‼️
- #1 indicator this is finished - the mixture will start to become silky smooth and all the grainy texture form the sugar is gone and dissolved/cooked.
- You will know when there may be a couple "plops" or starting to come to a "lowish boil"
- On a "normal weather" day, this will take around 7ish minutes
- On a "rainy, humid" day, this will take around 9.5ish minutes
- If you have cooked it too much, then you will begin to smell a burnt caramel smell
Comparison Pictures
On the day I made this recently, when it was rainy and humid, the picture on the LEFT is at the 7 minute mark. These pictures have no edits to them. You can see that it still has a grainy texture and needs to cook more. The picture on the RIGHT is after 2.5 more minutes of cooking. You can see that it is finished because it is smooth, not grainy. This also doesn't smell burnt - so right as it looks smooth throughout, immediately take it off the heat so not to overcook!
How to Time in Your Home
What I would recommend is to set a time for 10 minutes from the moment you turn on the burner. Around 6 minutes, keep a close eye on it. Keep stirring constantly. You will know when it is done when that silky smooth texture is achieved and it is no longer grainy. Remove immediately to avoid burning and overcooking (because then the recipe will not turn out, and the PB balls will be rock hard when they set up).
In the past I have also greased my hands with some cooking spray and after I have scooped the balls, I will roll them in my hands and pack them tighter (like a snowball). This is an extra step to make them look more "neat and uniform" but I don't always do it - so it can be skipped if you would like. Just make sure you let them cool completely so they will set properly.
Recipe
Chewy Rice Krispie Peanut Butter Balls (no chocolate)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 60 balls
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Rice Krispie Peanut Butter Balls are a chewy, slightly sticky, candy-like treat that comes together in just 20 minutes with only four simple ingredients—regular peanut butter (skip the natural kind!), corn syrup, white sugar, and boxed Rice Krispies cereal. The sugar, syrup, and peanut butter are briefly boiled on the stove to create a smooth base before the Rice Krispies are stirred in. Rolled into about golf ball-sized balls and set right on the counter to cool, they’re an easy dessert that’s full of flavor—no chocolate required!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup White Sugar
- 1 Cup Peanut Butter* - creamy
- 1 Cup Corn Syrup
- 6 Cups Rice Krispies Cereal
Instructions
- To a medium-sized pan, add the sugar, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Place on the stove and turn on medium heat.
- Start a timer for 7 minutes. During those 7 minutes, stir often. Around 5 minutes, everything should be melted together, the sugar dissolved, and tiny bubbles will start to pop up.
- Once the 7 minutes is up and you can see bubbles in the middle of your pan, remove from the heat and add in the Rice Krispies.
- Stir until well combined and the peanut butter mixture coats over all the Rice Krispies.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop out balls onto wax or parchment paper.
- Once you have scooped all the balls, either spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray or wear disposable kitchen gloves. Form the balls you just scooped into tighter round balls with your hands - they will be about the size of a golf ball. You will have some time to do this while the peanut butter balls are still warm. Pack the balls like you would a snowball, and then let them cool on the counter.
- Once they have cooled and set, enjoy!
Notes
- Do not use natural peanut butter for this recipe.
Troubleshooting If Need Be
If you come across these problems, here is what I have found when testing these precisely in the kitchen to be true.
- If your balls are really hard when they set = You have cooked the peanut butter mixture too long.
- If your balls never set up/soft/don't hold their shape = you have not cooked the peanut butter mixture enough. They could also turn out with a grainy texture, too.
- Prep Time: 13 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Category: Dessert - No Bake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ball
- Calories: 66
- Sugar: 8.4 g
- Sodium: 37.2 mg
- Fat: 2.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.1 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 1.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Mary says
You intermingle 5 minutes and 7 minutes in the description before the recipe. When you answered someone’s question about timing you said set the timer to 5 minutes. But the recipe says 7 minutes. Do you look for “plops” at the 5 minute mark? But no longer than 7? If you could clarify. Thanks!
Heather Bilyeu says
Hi Mary, thanks for clarifying. It will cook on the stove for 7 minutes total. Around the 5 minute mark is when you will start to see it bubble and everything come together, but it will take 7 minutes in total to cook. I just wanted to try and be as descriptive as possible about the cooking process - it's an easy recipe but sometimes these "candy like" recipe can be really easy to mess up and under/overcook. I hope that helps clear up any confusion - thanks again for asking and I hope you enjoy them!
Sandi Kudron says
Help my peanut butter Rice Krispie balls turned out hard. Do you have ideas of what I can do to soften them up or will I just be stuck with hard balls??
Heather Bilyeu says
Oh I am so sorry Sandi! It's very easy to do and I am done it before. You just cooked the corn syrup mixture a little too long - you want to make sure to only cook for exactly 7 minutes once you place the pot on the heat. Unfortunately, there is no way to save them if they come out hard like that and best to just remake the recipe. I am sorry - I hope this helps for next time!
Crystal Hart says
One of my favorite treats from child hood! I see in a previous comment that you clarified that the mixture cooks for 7 minutes, but please go back and update your post to clear up the confusion. There are places where it does imply that you need to remove the mixture from the heat at 5 minutes.
Heather Bilyeu says
Hi Crystal - I am so glad you liked this and it was a childhood treat! I updated the recipe card but I will definitely make the post more clear!
Susan Miller says
How long can I store the rice, crispy peanut butter balls, and how to store them?
Heather Bilyeu says
These will keep for about 3 days. Keep them in an airtight zip-top bag to keep their freshness.
Helene says
Hi Heather, they are excellent! Can I freeze them?
Heather Bilyeu says
Yes! Just place it in an airtight ziptop bag and remove all the air. Can freeze for 3 months or so. Just be sure to take them out and bring them to room temperature completely before eating because they will be rock hard and I don't want anyone breaking a tooth!
Katie says
Great recipe! Just wondering if I can use raw cane sugar instead of sugar. Would that alter the time on the stove or taste a big difference?
Heather Bilyeu says
While I have never tested this with raw cane sugar, I do not think it would work as a subsitution for regular white sugar. It does not dissolve the same as white sugar and that is a critical element and step in the recipe. I hope that helps!