After a few years of rotating through Captain Crunch marshmallow treats and Rice Krispie treats every weekend, Cinnamon Toast Crunch marshmallow treats are the version that disappears first in my house. The cereal’s cinnamon-sugar coating melts into the warm marshmallow base, turning each bar into something that tastes almost like a cinnamon roll. No baking, no fancy ingredients, 10 minutes of active work.
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If you love a good no-bake cereal treat, you’ll also want to try my Captain Crunch marshmallow treats and Fruity Pebbles marshmallow treats, same butter-and-marshmallow base, three completely different flavor lanes. We rotate through all three in my house.
Why these beat plain Rice Krispie treats
- Plain Rice Krispies treats smell like marshmallows. Cinnamon Toast Crunch ones fill your kitchen with warm cinnamon-sugar the second the cereal hits the marshmallow base, closer to a tray of cinnamon rolls than a pan of cereal bars.
- The flavor. Plain Rice Krispies are neutral. Cinnamon Toast Crunch carries its own cinnamon, sugar, and a hint of vanilla baked into every cereal piece, so the bar doesn’t need cinnamon added to taste cinnamon-y. The cereal does the work.
- The texture. Cinnamon Toast Crunch is sturdier than puffed rice. The bars hold their shape better and have a more substantial bite. They feel less like an after-school snack and more like a dessert bar.
What’s in Cinnamon Toast Crunch marshmallow treats
- Unsalted butter – I always use unsalted so I can control the salt level. Land O’Lakes or Kerrygold both work great.
- Mini Marshmallows – Mini marshmallows melt faster and more evenly than standard-size marshmallows. The extra cup is the chewy trick; see the dedicated section below. I like using the mini for the extra cup, too, so you can see the marshmallows throughout the treats. If you don’t want to buy an extra bag just for the cup, skip it! Jet-Puffed is my default; store brand works equally well.
- Vanilla Extract – Real vanilla, not imitation. The cereal already carries a faint vanilla note, and real vanilla extract amplifies it; imitation flattens it.
- Kosher Salt – Our secret ingredient is a half teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Salt in a sweet treat might sound surprising, but it’s a game-changer. It enhances the sweetness, balances the flavors, and makes the cinnamon notes stand out even more. If you have table salt, use half the amount.
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal – Original works perfectly. After 12 years working in grocery, I’ll always tell you to grab the Family Size box when you can, it’s almost always a better per-ounce buy than the standard, and one box gets you a full batch, some left over for breakfast.
Pro Mom Hack: If you’re shopping the Cinnamon Toast Crunch aisle, the “Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust” topping (small canister near the cereal) is excellent sprinkled lightly over the bars for an extra cinnamon-sugar finish.
How to make Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bars – Step-by-Step instructions
Total time: 10 minutes active + 30 minutes to cool and set.
1. Grease an 8×8 or 9×9-inch baking pan with butter or line it with parchment paper to prevent the treats from sticking. I take a sheet of parchment, cut the corners, place the paper in the pan, and spray it with oil. And I use these black clips to keep the sides down. These come in handy for other baking projects as well.
2. In a 5.5-quart Dutch oven (or any heavy-bottomed large saucepan), melt the butter over medium-low heat. No need to rush it, let it fully melt before adding the marshmallows.
3. Add one full 10-ounce bag of mini marshmallows to the melted butter. Stir constantly until smooth and just melted, not bubbling or browned. Pull off the heat the second they’re combined. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt off the heat. The marshmallow base will look glossy and feel like soft frosting.
4. Add all 6 cups of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal at once. Stir gently, don’t overwork, just until every piece of cereal is coated.
5. Pour in one cup of marshmallows and fold them gently into the mix. Transfer the mixture to the dish and gently press it down using a spatula or your hands. You may want to spray your hands and spatula with cooking spray so they don’t stick! Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before cutting.
The extra-marshmallow trick (the chewy secret)
Don’t melt all the marshmallows. That’s the trick that turns okay cereal treats into bars with soft, chewy marshmallow pockets in every bite.
Reserve one cup of mini marshmallows from the bag. After you’ve folded the cereal into the melted marshmallow base, fold the reserved cup in last. The residual heat softens them, but doesn’t fully dissolve them. When the bars cool, you’ve got soft, marshmallowy pockets distributed throughout each square rather than a single, uniformly chewy texture.
Substitutions and Variations
- With mini chocolate chips: Stir ½ cup of mini chocolate chips into the cereal mixture along with the extra marshmallows. The residual heat softens them into chocolate-cinnamon swirls without fully melting them, almost a churro-flavored bar. (Same trick as the chocolate chip Rice Krispie treats variation.)
- White chocolate drizzle: Melt ¼ cup white chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon coconut oil, then drizzle over the cooled, cut bars. It keeps the cinnamon-sugar flavor at the forefront while adding a creamy second layer.
- Sprinkles: ¼ cup rainbow or seasonal sprinkles folded in with the extra marshmallows turns these into birthday-party bars. Best for kids’ events; the colors stay vivid in the cooled mixture.
- Cinnamon-sugar topping: Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon-sugar (or Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnadust) over the pressed bars before they cool. Doubles down on the cereal flavor.
- Holiday and seasonal versions: For seasonal twists on the same technique, see my Halloween Rice Krispie treats (four spooky designs), Easy Christmas Rice Krispie treats with M&Ms, or Peeps Rice Krispie treats for spring.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Storage and make-ahead notes
Room temperature (recommended): Store cut bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They’re best at days 1-3, when the marshmallow pockets are at their softest.
Refrigerator: Don’t refrigerate. Cold dries out the marshmallow base faster than room-temperature storage and makes the bars stiff. If your kitchen runs above 80°F in summer, store in a cool pantry or sealed container; refrigeration is a last resort.
Freezing: Cut bars freeze well for up to 1 month, wrapped individually in plastic and stored in a zip-top freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before eating; texture is nearly identical to fresh.
Make-ahead for parties or bake sales: Make the morning of, cool, then cut and store airtight at room temperature. Don’t make more than 24 hours ahead, they peak between hours 2 and 24 of cooling.
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Recipe
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Marshmallow Treats
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 ounce bag mini marshmallows plus 1 cup mini marshmallows, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon (2g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight
- 6 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
Instructions
- Line a 8×8 or 9×9 with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment. I always use a very light mist of nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Once melted, add the 10-ounce bag of marshmallows. Stir the mixture until the marshmallows are just melted. Stir in the salt and vanilla to combine.4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 10 ounce bag mini marshmallows , 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon (2g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight
- Remove the pan from the heat, add the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, and mix until evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture. Stir in an additional one cup of marshmallows.6 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
- Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan and, using a wooden spoon or spatula that has been coated in non-stick cooking spray, press the mixture into a packed, even layer. Do not pack it down with force. Lightly press down until it is secure in the pan.
- Allow treats to set for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Lift the treats as a whole out of the pan using the edges of the parchment paper. Cut into squares.
- Cover and store leftover treats at room temperature for up to 3 days. To store, place in an airtight container, with sheets of parchment or wax paper between layers.
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