Rice Krispie Pumpkins
Rice Krispie Pumpkins are cute, kid-friendly Halloween rice krispie treats stuffed with candy in the middle.
Happy Halloween!
Ok not quite, but it IS October so I’m getting a head start on tricks and treats.
However, I’m not a big into the scary side.
I don’t like goriness. I don’t like the fright of a masked man chasing me with a chain saw. I don’t like vampires (especially sparkly ones) and even though I grew up in western PA, I don’t like zombies either.
I know, I’m such a party pooper.
BUT I do love the cute side of Halloween.
I love black and orange, pumpkin pie, and black cats.
I love peanut butter pumpkins and Cadbury scream eggs. I have a giant ceramic Halloween cupcake and a cupcake shirt.
So for your Halloween treat today, I decided to lean towards the cute and creative factor with these Rice Krispie Pumpkins stuffed with a hidden surprise inside.
It’s everyone’s favorite rice krispie treat in the shape of a pumpkin. There is some decorating involved, but it’s super easy.
I first saw this recipe for pumpkin rice krispie treats in the newspaper with all of the coupons. My dad likes to give them to me when he is done reading his Sunday paper.
In addition to being pumpkin shaped, you put candy in the middle. It’s not just a pumpkin. It’s a candy stuffed pumpkin!
I chose pumpkin spice kisses to go with the pumpkin theme, but you can use anything “fun-sized” – peanut butter cups, 3 Musketeers, Snickers, Milky Way, anything small.
And these pumpkin rice krispies are not just for Halloween! Make them as Thanksgiving rice krispie treats for a cute edible centerpiece.
Whether you make these rice krispie treat pumpkins for fun, as party favors, or a way to use up leftover Halloween candy, they’re anything but scary.
Ingredients For Rice Krispie Pumpkins
Making Halloween rice krispies are super easy! You only need a few ingredients:
- Butter: Butter both adds flavor and helps bind together the cereal treats.
- Mini marshmallows:I recommend mini marshmallows so they can double up as the stem.
- Rice cereal: Can’t have rice krispie treats without the rice krispies!
- Food coloring: Use liquid food coloring, the kind you add by the drop. You can use gel or paste, but the amount will vary.
- Fun-sized candy: Because you’re wrapping the cereal mixture around the candy, you want to use the smallest size you can find.
- Buttercream frosting: Use my small batch buttercream frosting to decorate.
The original recipe called for green gumdrops as the stems, but I’m not a huge fan. Since I was using mini marshmallows for melting anyway, just save a couple to cover with frosting.
Don’t have time to shape pumpkins? Add orange food coloring to my Small Batch Rice Krispie Treats made in a loaf pan then decorate with green frosting.
How To Make Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
To make rice crispy treat pumpkins:
- Melt butter in a large, wide pot such as a Dutch oven (affiliate link).
- Add marshmallows and orange food coloring. Keep stirring until melted and don’t let them burn.
- Stir in the cereal until everything is coated.
- Shape 1/2 cup cereal mixture into a ball around a piece of candy. Repeat with remaining cereal.
- Cover mini marshmallows with green buttercream then stick into the top of each ball, forming a stem.
- Pipe vines onto each pumpkin with the remaining frosting.
Pumpkin rice krispies are best eaten the day they’re made, but you can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Rice Krispie Pumpkins FAQ
The biggest reason your rice crispy treats got hard is you overcooked the marshmallows. Using low and slow heat, remove your pan from the heat as soon as the marshmallows are 90% melted. By the time you stir in your cereal, they’re fully melted.
Yes, you can make them 1 day ahead of time as they’re best enjoyed within a few days.
The best way to keep them from sticking to your hands is shaping them with a piece of greased parchment paper. Not only will it not stick, you’re less likely to burn your hands.
More Halloween Recipes
Enjoyed these Halloween rice krispie treats? Here are more cute Halloween treats for you to make:
- Halloween Popcorn
- Halloween Truffles
- Candy Corn Cupcakes
- Apple Cider Sangria (aka Halloween Sangria)
Rice Krispie Pumpkins
Rice Krispie Pumpkins are cute, kid-friendly Halloween rice krispie treats stuffed with candy in the middle.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter (add 1/4 teaspoon salt if unsalted)
- 5 ounces mini marshmallows (roughly 3 cups) + 8 mini marshmallows reserved for stems
- 3 cups rice crispy cereal
- Orange and green liquid food coloring
- 8 fun-sized candy pieces such as chocolate kisses, peanut butter cups, Snickers, or Milky Way, unwrapped
- 1 recipe Small Batch Buttercream Frosting
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large wide pot over low heat, melt the butter (add the salt if using).
- Once melted, add the marshmallows and stir with a wooden spoon until 90% melted*. Don't overcook or you'll end up with hard treats.
- Turn off the heat and stir in orange food coloring and cereal until everything is coated.
- Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop out the cereal mixture and shape around one piece of candy into a ball. If it's sticking to your hands, use a greased piece of parchment paper for handling. Repeat with remaining cereal.
- Add green food coloring to the buttercream then fold in the mini marshmallows until coated. Attach to the top of each pumpkin. Transfer the rest of the buttercream into a piping bag and pipe vines.
Treats are best eaten the day they're made, but you can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- *It's very important you melt the marshmallows on low heat and pull when they're almost fully melted. The longer you cook the sugar, the harder the marshmallows get. Overcooked marshmallows = hard treats!
- If your treats do get a bit hard, you can microwave them before eating.
- Don't want to shape pumpkins? Add orange food coloring to my Small Batch Rice Krispie Treats then frost with green buttercream.
- Enjoyed this recipe? Check out my Halloween Popcorn and Halloween Truffles.
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First published October 28, 2012
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchase.
Your pumpkins look great! They are whimsical, kind of like this treat!
Oh the possibilities of the candy to use in these stuffed crispy treats. Love the idea.
And I don’t have any piping skills at all. Your vines look great to me. I have a feeling mine would be sad, very sad.
Umm these are adorable and I love the little surprise inside!!
The idea of this recipe is yummy and so versatile! Your vines look great Carla! Have a great day
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These came out so good…I have a bag of those Halloween kisses in my kitchen too. Hmmmm….
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These are cute! I wish I’d seen these earlier so that I could have taken some to work!
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I love how you made the stems with marshmallows! And it’s funny that you were talking about not being a cupcake decorator, because this is the kind of creativity it takes to make adorable cupcakes. who knows, maybe someday when you open a bakery, you’ll have the market on homemade cupcakes that are adorably decorated too!
Thanks again for staying and for sharing these with me! Mars misses you already! xo
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ooh gosh I could not have these in the house because I would try to eat all of them! They look perfect!
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So artistic and creative ! Love the orange look. You took rice krispies to another level ! beautiful !!!!!
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OH man, another great recipe for little ones *sigh* I wish I had some. I will have to pin them for later use :)
Those look perfect!! Another great recipe!!
So cute, and so yummy! I just love Rice Krispie Treats…I know I’d have to go back for seconds :)
They look so great! What a brilliant idea for Halloween!
These sound fantastic! I love the added surprise of the pumpkin spice kisses inside as well – a little extra deliciousness for sure!
What a cute little treat. Its like rice krispy treats with a surprise inside!
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Clever and whimsical as always! Wish I had your creativity!
I am not into scary stuff either. I actually opted for fall decorations in my house, instead of Halloween stuff. These are adorable, and I think the marshmallow makes a perfect stem – way better than gumdrops.
How fun are these pumpkins?! They look fantastic :)
These are too stinking cute! And I just love that surprise filling!
I also prefer the cuter side of Halloween and these are adorable!
I think this is such a clever idea, stuffed rice crispy treats! Why haven’t I thought about this before?
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What a great idea! Happy Halloween :)
These are adorable. And I’m a huge krispie treats fan…totally takes me back! Another one for the ever-growing to-make list…
That looks really cute! I love how you create the vine. Looks so real.
These are precious! I love that they have a surprise treat inside, and your piping job looks beautiful.
I love rice krispie treats in any shape! Have you seen all the flavored marshmallows now? I have the caramel flavor in my pantry to make a batch on a chilly afternoon soon! Your pumpkins are adorable!
I love your pumpkins!! I’m from Western PA, and don’t like zombies either :-)
I love the bonus of candy inside, Carla! So neat!
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OMG, I LOVE these! What a great idea! Love it!!
Great recipe looks delicious and beautiful.
This is such a great idea and your photos are awesome!
These are just too darn cute!
who doesn’t love an extra treat in the middle of thier rice crispy treats? Your pumpkins are adorable. I’m not much of a Halloween fan either so you are not alone.
These are so fun! The crispy pumpkin is great enough, but adding the candy in the middle makes it even more special. Very cool!
How cute are these! And I love the surprise inside!
Sneaks in…slides one across the table…tiptoes out quietly.