15-Minute Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats with Coconut (Easy!)

Looking for a quick and easy dessert recipe? These chocolate Rice Krispie treats are deliciously gooey and packed with cocoa flavor – with added texture and flavor from shredded coconut!

There’s no baking required, either. All you have to do is heat ingredients in a saucepan, stir them together, and press them into a pan to cool. You’re just minutes away from crispy, chocolatey bliss.

Coconut Rice Krispie Treats with Cocoa Powder

Rice Krispie treats are a classic dessert for a reason. They have a fabulous combination of crispy and ooey gooey texture (yes, that’s the technical term 😉 ).

Not only that, but they’re easy to make, and super versatile. You can add pretty much anything sweet into the mix, and it’ll probably end up being delicious.

In this case, I wanted to make a chocolate version, but with a twist: coconut! Chocolate and coconut may not seem like a typical flavor duo, but they’re actually quite scrumptious together.

Case in point: Almond Joys. Also, if you’ve ever had those chocolate donuts with ganache icing that are sprinkled with shredded coconut, then you know what I’m talking about. So dang tasty!

These Rice Krispie treats are perfect for satisfying that chocolate craving without too much effort. That’s definitely something I can get behind. 🙂

Coconut lovers: be sure to try these other easy desserts with shredded coconut!

Recipe Ingredients

To make these chocolate cereal treats, you’ll need:

• Rice Krispies: This recipe calls for plain Rice Krispies cereal. Make sure you use a new box – or at least one that isn’t stale – for the crispiest texture! If you only have Cocoa Krispies (i.e. the chocolate Rice Krispie cereal), those should work too, but I would probably decrease the amount of cocoa powder in this recipe by half.
• marshmallows: I recommend using mini marshmallows here, as they melt quicker due to their size. But full-size marshmallows will also work. It’s best to use a brand new bag of marshmallows. Once a bag of marshmallows is opened, the texture deteriorates pretty quickly and the marshmallows get tough and lose their fluffiness.
• butter: This helps the marshmallows melt evenly and keeps the mixture from getting too thick and sticky to work with.
• cocoa powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder adds a deep chocolatey flavor to these bars.
• shredded coconut: I recommend unsweetened coconut, but if you only have sweetened, that will work too.
• chocolate chips: In this recipe, these are only used to add a melted chocolate drizzle over the bars. I used dark chocolate, but semisweet or milk chocolate should work, too. (You can add chocolate chips to the Rice Krispie/marshmallow mixture too, if you want to make these treats even more chocolatey.)

For another tasty cereal bar recipe, check out these peanut butter cheerio bars!

How to Make Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Step 1: Prepare your pan

Line an 8x8in or 9x9in square baking dish with parchment paper. Leave a little overhang to make pulling the bars out easier. (If you don’t have parchment paper, grease the pan with cooking spray.)

Step 2: Melt the marshmallows

In a large pot or saucepan, melt the butter on low heat. Then, pour in the marshmallows and cook, stirring, until melted.

Step 3: Mix in other ingredients

Add the cocoa powder and a pinch of salt and stir thoroughly to combine. Then, add the Rice Krispies cereal and the shredded coconut to the mixture. Stir well and remove from heat.

Step 4: Press into pan

Pour the mixture into your prepared pan, and press down with a spatula to flatten it. Make sure the mixture reaches the edges and corners.

Step 5: Let cool, add toppings, and slice

Allow to cool for 20 minutes, then remove from the pan using the parchment paper. If you can’t wait, just dig right in with a fork (or your hands) – no judgement here!

Slice into bars with a large, sharp knife. Leaving the bars together in the shape of the pan, top with a melted chocolate drizzle and additional shredded coconut (if desired). (It’s less messy to add the toppings after you slice the bars).

Helpful Tips for Making Rice Krispie Treats

A few tips for making these:

• Be sure to grease or spray (with cooking spray) any cooking utensil you use (spatulas, spoons, etc.) so the marshmallow mixture won’t stick as much.
• Don’t overcook your marshmallows, as that can affect their texture.
• Don’t compress the mixture too firmly in the pan. This can make the bars too hard.
• To make slicing the bars easier, run your knife under hot water for a few seconds (and dry it off), before slicing.

Storage Tips

Rice Krispie treats have the best gooey texture on the day they’re made, but they will last 2 days on the counter in an airtight container.

What size pan should I use?

Any size or shape pan should work, as long as it isn’t too large. The larger the pan, the thinner the bars will turn out. I used an 8x8in square pan.

If you want to use a 9x13in pan, just make a double batch.

Chocolate Rice Krispie Treat Topping Ideas

Chocolate Rice Krispie treats can be topped with just about anything! When it comes to larger toppings, you may want to press them into the mixture before it cools. With smaller toppings, you can sprinkle them over the melted chocolate drizzle so they’ll stick on top.

Here are some topping ideas to get you started:

• crushed Oreos, Nutter Butters, Biscoff cookies, or graham crackers
• chopped nuts (peanuts, pecans, toasted hazelnuts, etc.)
• dried strawberries or raspberries
• M&Ms or peanut butter cups
• chocolate chips
• pretzels

These fun treats are packed with texture and flavor, and perfect for chocolate and coconut lovers alike!

If you make these chocolate Rice Krispie treats, I’d love if you shared your thoughts with a rating and comment below.

More easy chocolate desserts:

• Chocolate Avocado Truffles with Pecans
• Nutella Tarts with Greek Yogurt
• Chocolate Nutella Strawberry Bites
• Chocolate Avocado Bars (No Bake)
• Dark Chocolate Coconut Pomegranate Bites
• S’mores Truffles
• Chocolate Nutella Fudge