Potato Chip Rice Krispies Treats Are a Very Good Thing

I forget how much I love Rice Krispies treats until I take a bite. The sweetness of the melted marshmallow with the savory taste of toasted butter can’t be beat. But when I heard that some people were making them with crushed potato chips rather than rice cereal, my ears perked up.

Since potato chips are my favorite snack, I knew I had to try this. I decided to try using Cook’s Country’s Crispy Rice Cereal Treats recipe (start a free trial to check it out!), and substitute the chips in. I first reached out to Cook’s Country Test Cook Amanda Luchtel for advice on how to tackle this.

Amanda advised using Ruffles chips, due to their thicker, rigid structure. Since the original recipe calls for 10 cups of rice cereal, she suggested that I first try subbing with 7 cups of cereal and 3 cups of chips. This was to incorporate the saltiness of the chips without comprising the texture of the bar, as the tightly packed rice cereal is integral for achieving that dense texture that comes with them. Amanda then suggested I crush the chips in a zipper-lock bag with a rolling pin to maintain small, semi-even pieces.

I followed the recipe and the rest of the ingredient list to the T. In the end, this 70/30 combo produced a bar with almost the same structure as a regular Rice Krispies treat. Perfectly dense, each bite had a little salty morsel, like the anti-chocolate chip. The sweetness of the marshmallow with the pops of saltiness was divine. But as a potato chip fanatic, I wanted more of them. So, I upped the ante a bit.

I wanted to see if I could use this recipe to achieve what I had been hearing about: a bar made solely of potato chips. After crushing about two bags of Ruffles to get the 10 cups I needed, I added my chip mountain to the melted marshmallows. After mixing, it all looked pretty crumbly and I was worried that it wouldn’t form into a solid bar after cooling.

When the hour was up, I cut the bar and was surprised to see that it was solid, and not completely falling apart. After holding it up in the air for a minute to get a photo, it did start to droop slightly.

When I finally had a bite, I was shocked at how good it was. The salt from the chips wasn't overwhelming at all. The marshmallow balanced it out, with the saltiness merely being a present, but supporting, role. My main complaint? These treats were greasy, though they didn’t taste it, and leave an oily residue on your fingers if you even poke one, so have the napkins ready before diving in.

My suggestion: Next time you make Rice Krispies treats, sub out roughly a third of cereal with crushed potato chips. You’ll thank me later.

Looking for some more rice cereal treat variations? Start a free trial to access those, and all our home kitchen–tested, foolproof recipes.

• Crispy Rice Cereal Treats
• Candy Bar Crispy Rice Cereal Treats
• Nutella and Hazelnut Crispy Rice Cereal Treats
• Bacon and Salted Caramel Crispy Rice Cereal Treats
• Peanut Butter and Honey Crispy Rice Cereal Treats