What’s your favorite cereal? Are you a fan of Reese’s Puffs? Lucky Charms? Or are you obsessed with Cap’n Crunch like me? I love Cap’n Crunch so much I even used to buy the generic King Vitamin (#iykyk) through my 20s. Sadly King Vitamin was discontinued – but honestly Cap’n Crunch is so much better anyway!

Making Cap’n Crunch Marshmallow Treats is such a fun way to enjoy this cereal. They are a cool alternative to normal Rice Crispy Treats and they are an easy, no bake dessert that is crunchy, gooey and full of that Cap’n Crunch flavor.

I used standard Cap’n Crunch but you could use Crunch Berries, Peanut Butter Crunch or any flavor of your choice. So let’s make them!

Kitchen Supplies to Make Cap’n Crunch Marshmallow Treats:

To make these treats you will want a 13×9 inch pan, a sheet of wax paper, a stock pot for the stove, a large mixing bowl, a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula, and a sharp knife.

Pro Tip: The wax paper is optional, but it’s a great tool for pressing your Cap’n Crunch Marshmallow Treats into an even and flat shape and removing too much air from the middle of the treats.

add butter to a pan for cap'n crunch marshmallow treats

melt butter to make marshmallow crispy treats

Ingredients to Make Cap’n Crunch Marshmallow Treats:

The ingredients you will need to make these are Cap’n Crunch Cereal, Mini Marshmallows, Vanilla Extract, and Butter. Plus you will need non stick spray.

You can use any kind of butter you like and you could even use Brown Butter if you want to get fancy.

Quick Tips for Making Cap’n Crunch Marshmallow Treats:

When making these treats, you need to melt the butter first. Don’t melt the marshmallows and butter together. Melting the butter first will help prevent the marshmallows from sticking to the pan.

When adding the melted marshmallows to the cereal there are 2 ways you can do this. The best way is to pour the marshmallows over the cereal in a room temperature bowl. But if you do it this way, you have to work quickly to get the cereal and marshmallows evenly mixed before the marshmallow begins to get sticky and set. That process happens fast.

As an alternative, you can pour the cereal into the warm stock pot where you have your liquid marshmallows. But if you do, warming the cereal will make it lose it’s crunch and the cereal won’t be as dry and crispy tasting.

Mix longer than what seems reasonable. It’s easy to overlook dry spots and easy to end up with marshmallow clumps. The more even the marshmallow coating the more delicious the treats will be!

Use a bowl that’s much too big for all the cereal. When you stir the cereal and marshmallows so much will get displaced. So you will make this recipe so much easier to make if you used a bowl that is only filled about 1/2 or even less with cereal.

Always use a hint of vanilla extract. It truly enhances the flavors of the marshmallow and cereal. If you want to make totally luxurious crispy treats, also add a dash of butter extract! Yum.

You can also add the tiniest sprinkle of sea salt to the top. Trust me, it’s delicious.

Do I Need Mini Marshmallows?

I think about the size of marshmallows so much more than a normal person. 😂 Any time you see Marshmallow Cereal Treat Recipes, you will see the creator using mini marshmallows. It’s only because they melt faster.

You can absolutely use larger marshmallows – the kind that you use for S’Mores. Just know that they will take longer to melt. And while we are on the subject, always melt marshmallows low and slow. Don’t turn the heat up – just take your time.

Why Non-Stick Spray is Going to Be Your Best Friend:

Marshmallow sticks to everything and sets so fast. Be sure to thoroughly coat your 13×9 inch pan before you add your treats. And most importantly coat your mixing spoon with non-stick spray before stirring the marshmallows and cereal together. If you need to reuse your mixing spoon, keep coating it with non-stick spray each time.

Again, I always use wax paper to press the treats down into the pan removing the air and evening out the top of the treats. If you want to try this method too, be sure to coat the wax paper with non-stick spray as well.

Just coat everything! You won’t regret it.

How to Cut Cap’n Crunch Marshmallow Treats:

To cut your treats, they have to be fully and completely set. After your mix and pour your treats into the 13×9 inch pan, leave them alone for at least 2-4 hours.

Then use a large sharp knife and just as you sprayed your mixing spoon and 13×9 inch pan with non-stick spray, also coat your knife with non stick spray between each cut.

How to Store Cap’n Crunch Marshmallow Treats:

Any Marshmallow Cereal Treats keep longer than a lot of other desserts. They also travel well too! They are perfect for potlucks, kids sports games, and get togethers. Store them in an air tight container for up to 4-7 days or until they lose their crisp. If you are lucky or in an arid climate, they could last longer.

If you want to be extra fancy, place a layer of wax paper in between layers of treats to keep them from sticking.