Puffed Rice Pumpkins: the sweet recipe for a funny Halloween treat

Puffed Rice treats (also known as Rice Krispy treats) are a real treat no matter what time of year you eat them. But why not make them specially themed according to Halloween? These spooky Puffed Rice Pumpkins will be the perfect treat on your table this season.

They look like mini pumpkins and makes an easy and fun dessert you can serve at Halloween parties—or even as a baking project for kids. They’re crunchy and sweet, just what you’d expect from a Rice Krispy treat.

You only need a few pantry staples: puffed rice, butter, marshmallows, peanut butter, and of course, food coloring. In this recipe, we used a combination of red and orange food coloring to get just the right color for the pumpkins. Make these today, you’ll love the quirky pumpkin treats!

Expert Tips

Instead of pumpkin faces for Halloween, you can also make pumpkins for a fall-themed party. Use pretzel sticks as a stem, and add green fondant leaves. If you cannot find pretzel sticks, you can also use mini Twix or black licorice.

Make sure to use gel food coloring. This will give the right color you need to create the pumpkin shade.

Any size marshmallows will work for this recipe as they will be melted down anyway.

The mixture is very sticky, so you should work with oiled hands (or use melted butter). Alternatively, you can wear latex gloves (or any other medical gloves) and spray them with cooking spray.

As the mixture cools down, it might become too stiff to work with. If that happens, reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds—so make sure you work in a glass bowl or any other microwave-safe bowl.

Add a sprinkling of pumpkin spice to make this fit right into the fall theme.

Use red gel food coloring to make this recipe into mini apples.

You can also use chocolate chips for the pumpkin face. You can use any other candy for decoration.

To make Puffed Rice Pumpkin Cake pops, make mini pumpkins and add them to a stick.

How To Store Puffed Rice Pumpkins

Store the Puffed Rice Pumpkins between layers of parchment paper at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Rice Treats aren’t always the best when frozen, but it can be done! Place the Puffed Rice Pumpkins between layers of parchment paper (or wax paper), then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely before you eat them.

How To Make Puffed Rice Pumpkins

Melt peanut butter and dairy butter together, then add marshmallows.

Stir until the mixture is smooth.

Add red and orange gel food coloring to achieve desired pumpkin color.

Add the marshmallow mixture to the puffed rice. Use silicone or a wooden spoon (to prevent it from sticking) and stir the mixture.

Using oiled hands make small pumpkin shapes.

Add a piece of chocolate on top as the stem of the pumpkin.

Fill a piping bag with melted chocolate and decorate the pumpkins with the chocolate to create a face.

Notes

This is a great recipe to make with the kids! They can get hands-on in the kitchen.