Rice Krispie Nests are a super easy no-bake dessert for Easter. Mold homemade rice crispy treats into nest shapes and decorate with mini eggs or candy. Be sure to also check out my 3 ingredient Easter Hot Cross Bun Ice Cream Sandwiches for another easy Easter dessert.
Rice Krispie Nests are such an easy, no-bake, fun Easter dessert that you can make with the kids.
I absolutely love making treats with my kids during the holidays. Easter always brings a variety of chocolate eggs and bright candies.
These rice krispie treat nests are a perfect way to put them on display and taste delicious, too!
This recipe uses a basic rice crispy treat method using crisped rice cereal and marshmallows.
It’s placed into a muffin pan where it’s simply formed into little “nests” that hold chocolate egg candies or mini eggs with a little icing and some sprinkles.
Kids love helping to make this recipe and it’s a great way to help the little ones learn colors and shapes!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
It’s a no-bake recipe which means you won’t need to turn on the oven so you can enjoy the warm Spring weather.
Rice crispy treats are simple to make and only require a few ingredients before molding them into any shape.
You can customize the Easter nests to hold many different types of candies including chocolate eggs or colorful jelly beans.
Make it look more like a real nest by adding some green food coloring to the icing to help resemble grass and add a layer of creamy sweetness, plus it helps the mini egg candies to stick.
It’s the perfect dessert to serve at an Easter brunch because it’s sweet but also light and airy.
A great treat for a birthday party.
Makes a great presentation amongst an Easter feast!
Perfect for an Easter party.
Ingredients & Tools
Rice Krispy Treat Nests:
- Butter - Helps give thin out and melt the marshmallows and adds a buttery flavor to rice crispy treats.
- Marshmallows - This sweet sticky treat helps bind the ingredients together and gives them a shape that’s easy to bite into.
- Rice Krispies - This puffed rice cereal is crunchy and light making it pair perfectly well with marshmallows.
For Decorating:
- Homemade Icing - You’ll need powdered icing sugar and water to make an icing that goes inside the nests. This will help keep the candies from falling out and help you create a beautiful presentation.
- Green Food Coloring - This gives the icing a green coloring that simulates the color of grass.
- Mini Egg Candies - These small robin's egg-shaped chocolate candies are placed inside the nests. Feel free to use your favorite candy or jelly beans.
- Sprinkles - Sprinkles add a colorful touch to the top of these nests that’s perfect for Spring.
Equipment:
- Muffin Tin - A basic muffin pan made for 12 muffins is used in this recipe. The muffin tin is greased and the rice crispy treats are added to create a nest shape.
Step By Step Tutorial
Follow this step-by-step photo tutorial, then scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and method.
Lightly grease the cups of a muffin pan with oil or non-stick cooking oil spray.
Add the butter to a large pan and melt over a medium/low heat.
Add the marshmallow and stir until it’s all melted.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Rice Krispies.
Spoon into the muffin pan and form into a nest shape by making an indentation in the middle. I use a lightly buttered teaspoon to do it.
Allow to cool completely before removing.
To Decorate:
Make a thick icing by mixing the powdered sugar with 2 teaspoons of water (add more water or icing sugar as necessary to make a thick paste) and add a few drops of green food colouring if desired.
Spoon a little icing into the rice krispie nests and place in a few mini eggs. Top with sprinkles and serve!
Tips
Make sure the muffin tin is greased fully.
The well in the nest must be formed when the rice crispy treats are still warm. You can do this with your fingers or by using a lightly oiled or buttered spoon.
The treats must cool completely before removing from the muffin tin. You can cool them faster by placing them in the fridge.
Make sure the marshmallow is fully mixed in with the butter before adding the rice krispies to create an even texture throughout the treats.
Serving Suggestions
Place the rice krispie bird nests on the table in the middle of this Braided Italian Easter Egg Bread.
Serve as dessert after a slice of Carrot Pizza.
Bring to brunch along with a pitcher of Carrot Moscow Mule.
Serve them up at a sweet buffet or party table along with some Pignoli Cookies, Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats, and other Easter desserts.
Fun Fillings
Add your favorite candies to the middle of these Easter rice crispy treat nests such as:
- Jelly Beans
- Cadbury Eggs
- Peep Marshmallows
- M&M’s
- Starburst
- Sour Patch Bunnies
- Skittles
- Tootsie Roll Eggs
- Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs
Special diets
To Make Gluten Free: This recipe is gluten free naturally but make sure to check your cereal, marshmallows and candies to rule out any gluten containing ingredients.
To Make It Vegan: To make this recipe vegan, make sure you are using vegan butter, marshmallows and check if your candies are vegan and dairy free.
Storage
Storing: These Rice Krispie Easter Nest treats will stay fresh in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days before they begin to try out. They are best if consumed within 1-2 days.
Freezing: This recipe is not suitable for freezing.
FAQs
What can I use instead of marshmallows in rice krispy treats? A mix of almond butter and maple syrup or honey can be used as a marshmallow substitute.
What size marshmallows should I use? You can use whichever size you want, just make sure large ones are chopped down to size so they melt evenly.
Can I use marshmallow cream instead? Marshmallow cream is not recommended as it will not create the same texture and will not set properly.
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📖 Recipe
Rice Krispie Easter Nests
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 oz (220g) marshmallows small or chopped large ones
- 4 cups (110g) Rice Krispies cereal
To decorate
- 6 tablespoons powdered icing sugar
- 4 teaspoons water
- Green food colouring optional
- Mini egg candies
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Lightly grease the cups of a muffin pan with oil or oil spray.
- Add the butter to a large pan and melt over a medium/low heat.
- Add the marshmallow and stir until it’s all melted.
- Remove the pan from the heat, pour in the rice krispies and stir until the cereal is completely coated.
- Spoon the mixture into the muffin pan and form into a nest shape by making an indentation in the middle. A lightly buttered or oiled spoon makes it much easier!
- Allow to cool completely in the pan before removing.
- To decorate, make a fairly thick icing by mixing the powdered sugar with 2 teaspoons of water (add more water or icing sugar as necessary to make a thick paste) and add a few drops of green food colouring if desired.
- Spoon a little icing into the rice krispie nests and place in a few mini eggs. Add a few sprinkles.
Notes
- Jelly Beans
- Cadbury Eggs
- Peep Marshmallows
- M&M’s
- Starburst
- Sour Patch Bunnies
- Skittles
- Tootsie Roll Eggs
- Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Aditi
They look so beautiful and taste amazing. Thank you for the excellent recipe
Just made a batch
Dionne
This recipe is so timely! Just what I have been looking for the holidays!
Beth
These are so fun and festive! Can't wait to make these for Easter! So excited to make them with my daughter!
Michelle Boule
These are adorable! My nieces and nephews will love this and will get a kick out of making them
Jenn
How adorable! I'm going to have a blast making these with my kids. Your tips are perfect!
Biana
These birds nests look adorable! Such a festive and fun dessert.