These rice krispie treat pumpkins have a cute pumpkin shape and vibrant orange color, making them perfect for Halloween parties. Easy to make, they’re kid-friendly and can be prepared ahead of time, making them a great option for busy schedules. They’re also easy to make gluten-free and vegan.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter or coconut oil – you can also use vegan butter for a vegan version of these treats.
- Vanilla – don’t omit this! You only need a little, but you can really taste a difference when using it versus when you don’t.
- Marshmallows – no subs for these. You can use mini or jumbo marshmallows.
- Crisp rice cereal – (like Rice Krispies). Also no subs for these, but you can use any brand of crisp rice cereal. I’ve listed several gluten-free and vegan brands down below.
- Orange food coloring – if you don’t have orange food coloring, you can mix red and yellow food coloring at a 2:1 ratio. So that means 2 drops red and 1 yellow. That’ll like give you a very intense orange, though.
- Green food coloring – this is needed for the green leaves.
- Mini pretzels – these serve as the pumpkin stem. Make sure to use gluten-free pretzels if you’re gluten-free.
- Powdered sugar – sweetens the buttercream for decorating. Do not try granulated sugar, coconut sugar or anything else.
- Milk – be sure to use plant-based milk if you’re dairy-free or vegan.
Note that these aren’t pumpkin rice krispie treats! Just pumpkin-shaped rice krispie treats.
If you’re after pumpkin flavor, these Pumpkin Bars are super easy and full of pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Same with this Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake!
Food coloring
Natural food coloring works great in these! But don’t be a dummy like me and just toss the powder into the melted marshmallow mixture. It won’t dissolve.
It even says to dissolve it in liquid on the package, but I’ve always ignored it because it seems to work well without dissolving it. But not when added to marshmallow goo!
I’ve tested these pumpkin treats with Supernatural Kitchen Food Colors ($35.68/oz) and Color Kitchen ($31.80/oz).
They’re expensive, but both have worked great in everything so far. And the colors are nice and vibrant.
What you should do is melt the butter or coconut oil, stir in the food coloring, add the marshmallows to the bowl, stir and microwave.
If you need more food coloring, add it to a small bowl. Stir in a tiny drop of vanilla to dissolve the powder into liquid. Stir it into the marshmallow mixture.
If you end up needing to microwave the mixture a few times because the marshmallows start to harden, it’s not a problem. I’ve even had to microwave the mixture with the cereal in it. Several times.
And it was surprisingly never an issue. At least not with One Degree brand crisp rice cereal.
I used 2 packets of Color Kitchen for a really vibrant color. You could probably get away with just 1 packet.
Here’s what the mixture looked like.
If you want to use normal liquid food coloring, you can just add it to the melted marshmallow mixture.
Troubleshooting tips
If you’re having trouble with your krispie treat pumpkins, these tips can help.
- If the mixture is too sticky to handle, let it cool for a few more minutes, or grease your hands more generously.
- If the pumpkins aren’t holding their shape, make sure the marshmallow mixture isn’t too warm when forming them.
- For smoother buttercream leaves, ensure the butter is softened and not too cold when preparing the frosting.
Yield
There was 608 grams of mixture, but this will vary a bit depending on your brand of marshmallows and cereal, and each 1/4 cup of mixture was 30 grams.
That’d yield about 20. But you can definitely make them bigger if you’d like!
How to make in advance
These pumpkins are perfect for making ahead. You can prepare the pumpkin-shaped treats a day or two in advance and store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
For the buttercream, wait until the day of serving to add the green leaf details so they stay fresh.
Here’s a great tutorial on how to make the leaves without a special tip. You just need a disposable piping bag!
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How to store
To keep your rice krispie treat pumpkins fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you’re in a humid climate, it might help to store them in the fridge, though they may lose a bit of their softness.
Variations
These fall rice krispie treats are easy to customize. Here are a few fun ideas to make them unique.
- Add chocolate chips or other candy inside the rice krispie mixture (so, in the middle of the pumpkin) for a surprise filling.
- Use different colors for the pumpkins, like white or purple, for a twist on traditional pumpkins.
- Skip the buttercream and use melted chocolate to pipe the leaves or stems for a quicker decoration.
- Or just the chocolate to make jack-o-lantern faces! That’d be cute.
Gluten-free version
To make these treats gluten-free, use gluten-free crisp rice cereal and gluten-free pretzels for the stems. The other ingredients are naturally gluten-free, but always check labels to be sure.
Here’s a list of gluten-free crisp rice cereals that work well for making treats.
- One Degree Organic Foods Brown Rice Crisps – vegan, certified gluten-free and sprouted for added nutrition, these crisps provide a light, crunchy texture. These are the ones I use! My photographer used regular Rice Krispies.
- Nature’s Path Organic Crispy Rice Cereal – vegan and certified gluten-free. Made with whole grain brown rice, giving treats a wholesome texture.
- Barbara’s Organic Brown Rice Crisps – labeled vegan and gluten-free.
- 365 by Whole Foods Market, Organic Brown Rice Crisps Cereal – vegan and certified gluten-free.
For the pretzels, I like Snyder’s of Hanover gluten-free pretzel rods. But I’ve also used mini gluten-free pretzels and broken them apart, which will give you a slightly curved stem.
Vegan version
Did you know that Rice Krispies aren’t vegan, either? Original Rice Krispies are not vegan, as they contain vitamin D3, which is typically derived from animal sources like lanolin (from sheep’s wool). Additionally, some varieties (which you don’t want to use in this recipe) of Rice Krispies contain gelatin, especially in the marshmallow-flavored versions.
Check out the above list for vegan options.
Most dry pretzels are generally vegan, as they typically consist of basic ingredients like flour, water, salt, and yeast. But it’s important to check the ingredient list for any potential animal-derived additives.
Butter or milk powder is sometimes used for flavor or texture. And honey is occasionally used as a sweetener in some pretzels.
The Snyder’s pretzel rods I mentioned above are also vegan.
For the buttercream, use vegan butter and plant-based milk. And use coconut oil or vegan butter for the krispie treats. I almost always use refined coconut oil for this recipe (I try to avoid eating a lot of dairy), but the flavor is better with butter.
Regular marshmallows definitely aren’t vegan, so here’s a list of vegan marshmallow brands.
- Dandies Vegan Marshmallows – labeled vegan and gluten-free, these marshmallows melt smoothly, making them perfect for treats.
- Trader Joe’s Vegan Marshmallows – there’s a lot of talk about these being Dandies marshmallows, but in Trader Joe’s packaging. They even write on their website, “We get these melty Mallows from a company that’s dedicated to making Marshmallows using vegan ingredients and without artificial flavors or preservatives. Unlike most mass-market marshmallows, ours are gluten free, vegan, and made without gelatin.”
- Yummallo Vegan Marshmallows – labeled vegan and gluten-free, and free from artificial colors, these marshmallows have a classic taste and work well in treats. I’m not sure if this company is still around, though. They were active 4 months ago on social media, and their website is still running, but I can’t actually find anywhere that carries these. They say out of stock on Wal-mart’s site.
If you happen to be in Germany, I’ve made these rice krispie treats loads of times with Koro marshmallows and the ones from a Germany company called Süss und Clever. They work just as well as regular marshmallows – in this recipe.
They didn’t work at all for my Spiderweb Cake, but that’s okay because I had about 10 bags of the One Degree crisp rice cereal that I brought back with me from the US. We very much enjoyed our marshmallows in the form of these krispie treats. :)
Whether you’re looking for unique fall desserts or simple Halloween rice krispie treats, these pumpkin-shaped snacks are sure to be a hit. I hope you’ll enjoy them! If you try them out, I’d love to hear your thoughts below in the comments. Thanks!
Rice Krispie Treat Pumpkins
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 20
See notes for the allergy-friendly subs!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, coconut oil or vegan butter
- 3 cups (5 ounces / 141 grams) marshmallows
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 4 cups (108 grams) Rice Krispies or gluten-free crisp rice cereal
- orange food coloring1
- mini pretzels
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter or vegan butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons milk of choice
- pinch of salt
- green food coloring
For the pumpkins:
For decoration:
Directions
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter, marshmallows, vanilla and salt.
- Microwave on high for 20 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving in 20-second intervals, stirring after each, until the mixture is fully melted and smooth. I only need about 40 seconds total.
- Stir in orange food coloring until you achieve the desired pumpkin color.
- Remove from microwave and stir in the Rice Krispies, mixing until well combined.
- Let the mixture cool slightly so it’s easier to handle but still warm. Grease your hands with butter, coconut oil or nonstick spray and form small pumpkin-shaped balls (about 1/4 cup or 30 grams in size). While the pumpkins are still soft, press a broken pretzel rod into the top center of each one to create the stem.
- Store undecorated pumpkins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you're in a humid climate, it might help to store them in the fridge, though they may lose a bit of their softness.
- Add the buttercream the day of serving. In a small bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing until smooth. Add milk as needed, starting off with 1/2 teaspoon. You might need up to 1 1/2 teaspoons of milk total. Stir in green food coloring.
- Use a piping bag with a small round tip to pipe a small leaf next to the pretzel stem on each pumpkin.
- Store in an air tight container until ready to serve.
Notes
- If you don't have orange food coloring, you can use yellow and red to make orange, using a 2:1 ratio. Your pumpkins will come out quite orangey! If using natural food coloring powder, then dissolve it in the melted butter/oil before adding the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. If you need to add more, dissolve the powder in a tiny bit of vanilla and add that to the marshmallow mixture.
- For vegan: use vegan butter or coconut oil in the treats, vegan crisp rice cereal, vegan marshmallows, and vegan butter and milk for the buttercream. Make sure your pretzels are vegan. See post for lists of vegan brands.
- For gluten-free: use gluten-free crisp rice cereal and pretzels. See post for brand recommendations.
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