Nabisco's Nilla Wafers debuted in 1967 specifically for banana pudding, which is why swapping them into rice crispy treats actually works.
Banana Pudding Rice Crispy Treats
Get ready to elevate your snack game with these scrumptious Banana Pudding Rice Crispy Treats! Combining the classic crunch of rice cereal with the creamy goodness of banana pudding and a hint of vanilla, these delightful bars are a fun twist on a childhood favorite. Whip up this easy treat in no time and enjoy a sweet, nostalgic flavor explosion that will have everyone coming back for seconds!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
12
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This American nursery-dessert mashup owes everything to 1950s Kellogg's marketing departments and 1990s Southern church potlucks, where Nabisco's Nilla Wafers collided with Rice Krispies' housewife-friendly marshmallow treats—banana pudding, a Depression-era Tennessee staple, crashed the party decades later, turning a crunchy snack into a Dixie-fried homage that Kellogg's accountants never saw coming.
Regional Twist
Down in Nashville, bakers swap half the vanilla wafers for crushed Goo Goo Clusters and drizzle bourbon into the melted butter, giving these rice crispy treats a boozy, chocolate-caramel Tennessee twist that'd make Mississippi River steamboat cooks proud.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 12🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 1 - 3.4 oz banana cream (or vanilla) instant pudding mix (28.4-96.4 g)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 2 sticks of butter
- 1/4 milk (60 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(5)
- 1 cup white / vanilla baking chips (240 ml)
- 12 cups rice crispies (2.88 L)
- 1/2 cup melted vanilla baking chips for piping on at the end (120 ml)
- Splash of vanilla extractoptional
- 1 cup crushed vanilla wafers (240 ml)
📦Other(1)
- 2 - 10oz bags of mini marshmallows (56.7-284 g)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
596
Protein
4g
Carbs
92g
Fat
24g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Melt the two sticks of butter in a saucepan over low to medium heat until browned.
- 2
While the butter is melting, mix the pudding mix and milk, stir, and set aside.
- 3
Once the butter is melted and browned, remove from heat and add marshmallows, vanilla extract, and pudding mix.
- 4
Return to low heat and stir until everything is melted and combined.
- 5
Add the crushed vanilla wafers to the rice crispies and gently toss.
- 6
Remove from heat and add the mixture to the rice crispies and crushed wafers, stirring to combine.
- 7
Add the white or vanilla baking chips and stir.
- 8
Place the mixture in a 9x13 baking dish lined with parchment paper (spray with non-stick spray).
- 9
Press down in the pan.
- 10
Melt the remaining vanilla baking chips in the microwave in 30-second intervals until melted, then pipe over the treats.
- 11
Place treats in the fridge for 20 minutes and then serve.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Brown the butter to 350-375°F (dark amber color) before adding marshmallows because milk solids caramelize, creating nutty depth that balances the pudding's sweetness and prevents the treats from tasting one-dimensionally vanilla.technique350-375°F | Dark amber color
- ✓Whisk pudding mix with milk for exactly 2 minutes before adding to butter to fully hydrate the starch granules; adding it to hot butter without pre-hydration causes lumps because the mixture won't disperse evenly in the fat.timing2 minutes pre-hydration
- ✓Add marshmallows to the pan at 200-210°F (just after removing from heat) rather than at boiling temps because marshmallows contain gelatin that breaks down above 212°F, causing deflation and loss of airy texture that binds the treats.technique200-210°F
- ✓Toss rice crispies with crushed wafers BEFORE adding the marshmallow mixture so the wafer pieces coat the cereal; adding wafers after means they sink to the bottom as the mixture cools and sets, creating uneven texture distribution.technique
- ✓Work quickly once marshmallow mixture hits rice crispies—you have approximately 90-120 seconds before the pudding thickens and becomes difficult to fold, so have all dry ingredients pre-measured and ready.timing90-120 seconds working window
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
12
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Nabisco's Nilla Wafers debuted in 1967 specifically for banana pudding, which is why swapping them into rice crispy treats actually works.
Banana Pudding Rice Crispy Treats
Get ready to elevate your snack game with these scrumptious Banana Pudding Rice Crispy Treats! Combining the classic crunch of rice cereal with the creamy goodness of banana pudding and a hint of vanilla, these delightful bars are a fun twist on a childhood favorite. Whip up this easy treat in no time and enjoy a sweet, nostalgic flavor explosion that will have everyone coming back for seconds!
The Story
This American nursery-dessert mashup owes everything to 1950s Kellogg's marketing departments and 1990s Southern church potlucks, where Nabisco's Nilla Wafers collided with Rice Krispies' housewife-friendly marshmallow treats—banana pudding, a Depression-era Tennessee staple, crashed the party decades later, turning a crunchy snack into a Dixie-fried homage that Kellogg's accountants never saw coming.
Regional Twist
Down in Nashville, bakers swap half the vanilla wafers for crushed Goo Goo Clusters and drizzle bourbon into the melted butter, giving these rice crispy treats a boozy, chocolate-caramel Tennessee twist that'd make Mississippi River steamboat cooks proud.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 12🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 1 - 3.4 oz banana cream (or vanilla) instant pudding mix (28.4-96.4 g)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 2 sticks of butter
- 1/4 milk (60 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(5)
- 1 cup white / vanilla baking chips (240 ml)
- 12 cups rice crispies (2.88 L)
- 1/2 cup melted vanilla baking chips for piping on at the end (120 ml)
- Splash of vanilla extractoptional
- 1 cup crushed vanilla wafers (240 ml)
📦Other(1)
- 2 - 10oz bags of mini marshmallows (56.7-284 g)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
596
Protein
4g
Carbs
92g
Fat
24g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Melt the two sticks of butter in a saucepan over low to medium heat until browned.
- 2
While the butter is melting, mix the pudding mix and milk, stir, and set aside.
- 3
Once the butter is melted and browned, remove from heat and add marshmallows, vanilla extract, and pudding mix.
- 4
Return to low heat and stir until everything is melted and combined.
- 5
Add the crushed vanilla wafers to the rice crispies and gently toss.
- 6
Remove from heat and add the mixture to the rice crispies and crushed wafers, stirring to combine.
- 7
Add the white or vanilla baking chips and stir.
- 8
Place the mixture in a 9x13 baking dish lined with parchment paper (spray with non-stick spray).
- 9
Press down in the pan.
- 10
Melt the remaining vanilla baking chips in the microwave in 30-second intervals until melted, then pipe over the treats.
- 11
Place treats in the fridge for 20 minutes and then serve.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Brown the butter to 350-375°F (dark amber color) before adding marshmallows because milk solids caramelize, creating nutty depth that balances the pudding's sweetness and prevents the treats from tasting one-dimensionally vanilla.technique350-375°F | Dark amber color
- ✓Whisk pudding mix with milk for exactly 2 minutes before adding to butter to fully hydrate the starch granules; adding it to hot butter without pre-hydration causes lumps because the mixture won't disperse evenly in the fat.timing2 minutes pre-hydration
- ✓Add marshmallows to the pan at 200-210°F (just after removing from heat) rather than at boiling temps because marshmallows contain gelatin that breaks down above 212°F, causing deflation and loss of airy texture that binds the treats.technique200-210°F
- ✓Toss rice crispies with crushed wafers BEFORE adding the marshmallow mixture so the wafer pieces coat the cereal; adding wafers after means they sink to the bottom as the mixture cools and sets, creating uneven texture distribution.technique
- ✓Work quickly once marshmallow mixture hits rice crispies—you have approximately 90-120 seconds before the pudding thickens and becomes difficult to fold, so have all dry ingredients pre-measured and ready.timing90-120 seconds working window