These easy Pumpkin Shaped Rice Krispie Treats are so much fun! Shape orange marshmallow cereal treats into mini pumpkin shapes and decorate with pretzel stems and fondant leaves.
These pumpkin rice krispie treats are not pumpkin-flavored, but they are certainly pumpkin-shaped!
I love how Rice Krispie treats can be molded into different shapes, and to make pumpkin shaped rice krispie treats, all you need to do is roll it into balls.
We’ll tint the treats mixture with orange food coloring, and add just a few semi-realistic details, like a stem, leaves, and vines. They’re so cute, and taste just like you favorite classic treats.
If you love making fun treats for fall and Halloween, check out my Ghost Marshmallow Popcorn Balls, Monster Halloween Snack Mix, and Halloween Witch Finger Cookies too!
Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats Recipe Highlights
- Quick and Easy – Making pumpkin shaped rice krispie treats is exactly like making a regular pan of rice krispie treats so they only take about 10 minutes to mix up. It only takes a few extra minutes to make the fondant leaves.
- Fun for Fall – Rice Krispies shaped like pumpkins will be the perfect addition to your Halloween party spread, or to take to a fall football party. Kids and adults will be impressed with how adorable these treats are!
Ingredients in Rice Krispie Pumpkins
Here’s what you need to make these Halloween krispie treats:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Rice Krispies: This is the best cereal for making marshmallow treats. You’ll need less than a full box to make this recipe. Store brand crispy rice cereal will work just fine too.
- Marshmallows: A 10-ounce bag of miniature marshmallows is the exact right amount! I suggest using mini marshmallows rather than regular-size ones, as they melt more quickly and smoothly.
- Butter: Unsalted butter adds rich flavor.
- Food Coloring: To make pumpkin treats, use orange gel food coloring. You can find this in the baking aisle of your local supermarket.
- Fondant: Look for this at Walmart, craft stores, or wherever cake decorating supplies are sold. You don’t need much, so you can look for a small package of ready-to-use fondant.
- Pretzels: I like the twisted look of Snyder’s honey wheat pretzel twists, but any small pretzel sticks will work here.
How To Make Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
Tip!
Don’t overthink it! The pumpkin decorations are supposed to be fun! There are details in the recipe card for exactly how to form the leaves and stems, but you can do it however you like.
Rice Krispie Treat Recipe Tips
- Avoid overheating the marshmallows. Keep your heat on low to medium while melting the marshmallows. High heat can lead to hard treats that are difficult to bite into.
- Grease your hands. A light amount of cooking spray or neutral oil on your hands will make the rice cereal mixture easier to handle and prevent sticking.
- Instead of making fondant leaves, you can use frosting in a piping bag to create the green details on the pumpkins. You can also skip the greenery and just add the pretzel stems!
- Use gluten-free pretzel sticks to make this a gluten-free treat! You can also make stems out of candy such as mini Tootsie Rolls, Mini Rolos or Reeses Cups, green Twizzlers, or brown frosting.
- Gel food coloring is the best type to use to get a vibrant orange color. Add drops of food coloring one at a time until you get the exact shade that you like. if you don’t have orange, use a little bit of red and yellow food coloring instead!
- For even more fun, use black frosting to make jack-o-lantern faces on the sides of the pumpkins!
- Double the recipe. If you want to make enough to share with the whole class, feel free to scale this recipe up. Make sure that your pot is big enough to hold all of the marshmallows and cereal, or make the pumpkins in batches.
Storing Tips
You can store these pumpkin rice krispie treats for up to 3 days at room temperature, so long as they’re in an airtight container.
If left uncovered they can dry out and become hard.
Best Pumpkin Desserts
I know that these treats aren’t pumpkin-flavored, but I’m guessing that you might be interested in doing some baking with pumpkin at some point very soon. No need to go looking for them, I have tons of pumpkin recipes and Thanksgiving desserts right here for you to try!
- Pumpkin Slab Pie for a Crowd
- Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
- Starbucks Pumpkin Scones
- Easy Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe FAQs
Can I make these rice krispie treats pumpkin flavored?
I haven’t tried it, but you could try adding some pumpkin pie spice to the treats mixture to give these a warm, pumpkin flavor! I don’t suggest adding canned pumpkin to rice krispie treats though, as it’s too watery, and will keep the treats from setting.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Get prepared for the spooky season and make these treats up to three days in advance. They can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container.
What else can I do with this recipe?
Feel free to use this pumpkin rice krispie treats recipe to make other shapes! Use red food coloring to make rice krispie apples, or tint the treats green and make square-shaped Frankenstein rice krispie treats. Your imagination is the only thing that can stop you!
Why are my rice krispies treats hard?
Hard treats are usually caused by overheating the marshmallow mixture. It’s important to cook it on low to medium heat and to remove the mixture from the heat as soon as the marshmallows are melted.
More Fun Fall Recipes
All Fall Recipes →
Pumpkin Shaped Rice Krispie Treats are perfect for the season, and so easy and fun to make! Pin this recipe, and share it with your friends!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
Equipment
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (52 g) unsalted butter melted
- 10 ounces (283 g) mini marshmallows
- Orange food coloring gel
- 5 cups rice krispie cereal
- 5 pretzel rod twists cut in half
- Green fondant or green frosting
Instructions
- Prepare your work surface with a large piece of parchment or wax paper.
- Melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large saucepan on medium-low heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add (1) 10-ounce bag of mini marshmallows. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the marshmallows are melted. Do not allow it to burn.
- Now that the marshmallow mixture is melted add the orange food coloring gel a few drops at a time until the desired brightness is achieved. Stir to combine evenly.
- Finally, fold in 5 cups of rice krispies. Ensure all the cereal is coated with the orange marshmallow mixture. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Lightly grease your hands with cooking spray and form the rice krispie mixture into 10 equal balls. Place them on the prepared parchment paper surface.
- To make the leaves, take a piece of green fondant and roll it out until it’s about ¼ thick.
- Using a small sharp knife, cut out the leaf shape and then score it with lines to create a design on the leaf. Pinch the leaf at the end to create a more realistic look.
- To make the vines, cut a strip of green fondant and roll it between your hands to create a small rope.
- Wrap the rope around a drinking straw to create the curly vine. Repeat until you make 10 leaves and vines. Set aside.
- To assemble the pumpkin treats, poke a hole in the top of each pumpkin. Place the end of your “vine” in the hole.
- Take ½ pretzel rod twist and press it into the center of the pumpkin for our stem. Now press your leaf to the top of the treat to secure it. Repeat until all vines, leaves, and stems are assembled.
Notes:
- Avoid overheating the marshmallows. Keep your heat on low to medium while melting the marshmallows. High heat can lead to hard treats that are difficult to bite into.
- Grease your hands. A light amount of cooking spray or neutral oil on your hands will make the rice cereal mixture easier to handle and prevent sticking.
- Instead of making fondant leaves, you can use frosting in a piping bag to create the green details on the pumpkins. You can also skip the greenery and just add the pretzel stems!
- Use gluten-free pretzel sticks to make this a gluten-free treat! You can also make stems out of Tootsie Rolls, Mini Rolos or Reeses Cups, green Twizzlers, or brown frosting.
- Gel food coloring is the best type to use to get a vibrant orange color. You can add more or less to get the exact shade that you like.
- For even more fun, use black frosting to make jack-o-lantern faces on the sides of the pumpkins!
- Double the recipe. If you want to make enough to share with the whole class, feel free to scale this recipe up. Make sure that your pot is big enough to hold all of the marshmallows and cereal, or make the pumpkins in batches.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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