Is it cheaper to make or buy Rice Crispy Treats?
Rice Krispie Treats are said to be invented in 1939 by the Kellog Company, but it wasn’t until 1995 that Kellogg started selling premade treats. So, prior to 1995, if you wanted a treat you had to make them at home.
Funny story: My husband and I are both in our 40s, and he clearly remembers his mom making Rice Krispie Treats for special occasions. He distinctly remembers bringing the treats to school in 1980 and so many kids had never had them before.
He came to the conclusion that his mom must have invented them! Of course, that isn’t true, but it is a funny memory from his childhood.
Nowadays if you want a Rice Krispie treat all you have to do is run to the store and pick up a box. Unfortunately, that convenience comes at a price. Let’s compare the costs of store bought and homemade Rice Krispie treats to find out which way comes out cheaper!
How much do Rice Krispie treats cost?
As with most items, it typically costs less per Rice Krispie treat if you buy a bigger package. Let’s break down the cost per treat of the most popular sizes that you can buy Rice Krispies Treats.
| Size | Cost/ Store | Price per treat |
| 60 count | $14.49 at Costco | 24.1 cents each |
| 40 count | $11.98 at Walmart | 29.9 cents each |
| 25 count | $9.58 at Sam’s Club | 38.3 cents each |
| 16 count | $4.69 at Target | 29.3 cents each |
| 8 count | $1.99 at Meijer (on sale) | 24.8 cents each |
| 8 count | Annie’s organic crispy snack bars $4.75 at Publix | 59.3 cents each |
| 8 count | Millville Crispy Rice Treats $2.75 at Aldi | 34.3 cents each |
| Average cost per treat: 34.2 cents each |
I have included the most popular sizes of original Rise Krispie Treats. This is not the specialty flavors or the mini sizes. I have also included an organic option and the off brand available at Aldi.
This is a perfect reminder about Wise Buying! You really need to look at the cost per serving or unit when you are buying anything. The biggest size is not always the cheapest option.
If you didn’t have a Costco membership, the best price is actually the smallest package of 8 because it is on sale at Meijer. The next best option is the 16ct at Target. The 40 and 25 count packages were the highest.
This cost breakdown also shows that the store brand at Aldi’s was not cheaper than the name brand when it comes to price per treat.
For more tips on wise buying, check out “Wise Buying- Everything you need to know.”
How much are homemade Rice Krispies?
We are going to cost out the original Rice Krispies Treat recipe directly from Kellogg’s. In theory this would be the closest way to make homemade treats that taste like the kind that is premade by Kellogg’s.
| Name Brand Ingredients | Cost |
| 3 tbsp butter | $0.38 |
| 1 package of 10oz Jet Puffed marshmallows | $1.48 |
| 6 cups Kellogg’s Rice Krispie Cereal | $1.41 |
| Total Cost for 12 servings: $3.27 | Cost per Serving: $0.27 |
I have priced this out at my local Walmart because in general they have the lowest everyday prices on groceries.
Now keep in mind that we are buying name brand ingredients for this recipe and our price per treat comes out to $0.27 each.
By using name brand ingredients to make Rice Krispie Treats was not cheaper than buying the 60ct at Costco or the 8ct at Meijer.
How to Make Rice Krispie Treats cheaper?
To truly test the cost of Rice Krispie treats, we now need to price out the recipe using store brand or generic brands. This will obviously lower the cost, but by how much?
| Store Brand Ingredients | Cost |
| 3 tbsp butter | $0.38 |
| 1 package of 10oz Great Value Marshmallows | $1.00 |
| 6 cups Great Value Rice Crispers Cereal | $0.92 |
| Total Cost for 12 servings: $2.30 | Cost per Serving: $0.19 |
By making the Rice Krispie Treats using store brand ingredients, we were able to get the price per treat down to $0.19 each!
From first-hand experience, I can tell you that there is no taste difference between the name brand and the store brand of marshmallows and rice cereal.
Are homemade Rice Crispies Treats better than store bought?
Last year for Halloween, my then 4-year-old son was over the moon excited that he got mini Rice Krispie Treats in his bucket. He could not wait to get home to open and eat them.
He took one bite and told me the treat tasted funny. Of course, my first thought was something was wrong with the treat and started freaking out.
The Rice Krispie Treat was fine, but he just didn’t recognize the taste. They didn’t taste like the ones that we made at home.
The premade kind tastes very stiff like cardboard and is almost too sweet for my liking. I love the taste of freshly made treats at home because they have a nice crunch but aren’t rock hard.
I also feel like the kind at home taste slightly sweet but not overpowering like the prepackaged kind.
Another benefit of making Rice Krispie treats at home is you can make your own variations and add-ons! We have made them with Peeps, flavored marshmallows, added sprinkles, used chocolate chips, and we even make them with other cereals too!
In our house, we actually prefer the homemade version of Rice Krispie Treats hands down to the premade store-bought version!
