Want to be the absolute hero of your Thanksgiving dessert table? This Rice Krispie Treat Turkey is the show-stopper that'll have everyone talking (and taking pictures before they devour it).
I'm talking about a massive, stuffable turkey made entirely from everyone's childhood favorite treat. It's basically the best of both worlds – nostalgic, fun, and way easier than you'd think!
Last Thanksgiving, Emily saw one of these at her friend's house and wouldn't stop talking about it for THREE DAYS. So naturally, I had to figure out how to make one. And you know what? It was so much easier than I expected (plus watching everyone's faces when I brought it out was absolutely worth every minute of sticky hands).
If you're looking for more fun Thanksgiving treats, you'll want to check out my mini blueberry muffins that work great for holiday brunches too!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Rice Krispie Treat Turkey
- Ingredients For Your Rice Krispie Treat Turkey
- How To Make Your Rice Krispie Treat Turkey
- Storing Your Rice Krispie Treat Turkey
- Tips For Making The Best Rice Krispie Treat Turkey
- Creative Variations For Your Thanksgiving Rice Krispies Turkey
- Rice Krispie Treat Turkey FAQs
- Recipes You May Like
- Making Thanksgiving Fun With This Rice Krispie Turkey Recipe
- Rice Krispie Treat Turkey
Why You'll Love This Rice Krispie Treat Turkey
- Total showstopper – Seriously, everyone freaks out when they see this thing
- Takes about 25 minutes of actual work (the rest is just waiting)
- No baking required – Just melting, mixing, and molding
- Kids go absolutely crazy for helping shape the drumsticks and wings
- You can stuff it with candy – Because why not make dessert even more fun?
- Make it ahead and just pull it out when you're ready to serve
Ingredients For Your Rice Krispie Treat Turkey
- 6 Tablespoons salted butter
- 8 cups mini marshmallows (don't use the big ones, they don't melt as smoothly)
- 12 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- Non-stick foil (this is KEY – regular foil will stick like crazy)
- A light-weight cup (I used a red solo cup – works perfectly)
- Cooking spray
- White paper
- Clear tape
- Tooth picks
- Reese's Pieces or whatever candy "stuffing" you want (M&Ms work great too!)
How To Make Your Rice Krispie Treat Turkey
Setting Up:
- Cover your lightweight cup completely with foil, making sure the non-stick side faces up. Give it a really good spray with cooking spray.
- Lay out a large piece of foil with the non-stick side up next to your serving platter. Trust me on this – you'll want everything ready to go once you start working with the mixture.
Making The Base:
- Melt your butter in a large pot over medium heat. Don't rush this part – you want it fully melted but not browning.
- Spray your mixing spoon with cooking spray (seriously, do this). Stir in the marshmallows and keep stirring until they're completely melted. The mixture should be smooth and glossy.
- Pull the pan off the heat and add your Rice Krispies. Stir like your life depends on it until everything's well combined. Every piece should have that marshmallow coating.
Building The Turkey Body:
- Pour this mixture onto your prepared non-stick foil. Let it cool for just a minute or two. You want it cool enough to touch but still warm and moldable. Too cool and you're fighting with it!
- Here's where it gets fun – divide the mixture so you have about ⅔ for the body and ⅓ set aside for wings and drumsticks. I eyeball this, but it doesn't have to be perfect.
- Take some of that larger portion and create a base about an inch thick directly on your serving platter.
- Place your foil-covered cup on its side onto the base. Make sure the open part hangs slightly off the edge of the base – this will be where you stuff it with candy later.
- Now build the rest of that ⅔ portion around the cup to create the turkey's body. Keep the mixture thick enough around the cavity (at least an inch or so). Press everything together really well so it doesn't fall apart when it sets.
Creating The Drumsticks And Wings:
- Take that remaining ⅓ of the mixture and divide it into four pieces.
- Mold two drumsticks and two wings from these pieces. Press them together tightly so they hold their shape. For the wings, make the back parts thinner and point them upward slightly since they'll be on either side of the turkey.
- Keep these on a separate pan lined with non-stick foil while they set.
The Waiting Game:
- Cover everything with the non-stick side of foil facing down. Pop it all in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Honestly? Overnight is way better if you can plan ahead.
Final Assembly:
- To make the bone ends for your drumsticks, take strips of white paper and fold them in half lengthwise.
- Cut halfway up along the fold every half inch or so. This creates those little fringes that look like bone ends.
- Wrap these paper pieces around the ends of your drumsticks and secure with clear tape.
- Here comes the tricky part – use toothpicks to attach your drumsticks and wings to the turkey body. You might need to play around with placement depending on how your pieces turned out and where gravity decides to be annoying.
- Fill that turkey cavity with your candy! This is Emily's favorite part.
- Serve immediately or keep it covered with non-stick foil until you're ready to wow everyone.
Storing Your Rice Krispie Treat Turkey
Want to make this ahead? Good news – you totally can!
Once your turkey is fully assembled (before adding the candy stuffing), wrap it tightly with non-stick foil or plastic wrap. It'll stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Don't refrigerate it after the initial setting period because it'll get too hard and lose that perfect chewy texture.
Add the candy stuffing right before you're ready to serve so it looks fresh and colorful.
If you have leftovers (which honestly, you probably won't), wrap pieces individually and they'll keep at room temperature for about 3 days.
Tips For Making The Best Rice Krispie Treat Turkey
Work fast but don't panic. The mixture stays workable longer than you think, especially if you're pressing it together well.
Spray everything. Your hands, your spoon, the foil, the cup – when in doubt, spray it. This stuff is sticky!
Don't skip the overnight rest. Yes, 30 minutes works, but overnight makes everything way more stable and easier to handle.
Press firmly when molding. Loose Rice Krispie treats will fall apart. You want everything packed together nicely.
Get creative with the candy stuffing. I've used candy corn, M&Ms, jellybeans, and even chocolate chips. Whatever makes you happy!
The cup trick is genius. It creates a perfect cavity without you having to carve anything out later.
One of my readers Rose gave me this amazing tip: dust your turkey gently with a mixture of cinnamon, sugar, and melted butter for a glaze. It gives it this gorgeous toasted look and a subtle flavor that's absolutely perfect. Thanks Rose!
Creative Variations For Your Thanksgiving Rice Krispies Turkey
Chocolate Turkey: Use cocoa-flavored Rice Krispies or add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to your mixture.
Peanut Butter Version: Swap 2 tablespoons of butter for peanut butter. So good!
Gluten-Free: Use certified gluten-free rice cereal and check your marshmallow brand.
Colorful Wings: Mix in some food coloring before molding the wings for a more decorative look.
Mini Turkeys: Instead of one big turkey, make several smaller ones using the same technique with smaller cups.
Rice Krispie Treat Turkey FAQs
Yes! Make it up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate covered with non-stick foil. Add the candy stuffing just before serving.
Try M&Ms, candy corn, jellybeans, chocolate chips, or any small colorful candy that fits the Thanksgiving theme.
Spray your hands generously with cooking spray before shaping. You can also let the mixture cool slightly (but not completely) before working with it.
Wrap tightly in non-stick foil or plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigeration can make it too hard.
Recipes You May Like
Looking for more fun Thanksgiving treats? Try these:
- Pumpkin Custard Pie – The classic Thanksgiving dessert everyone expects
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies – Perfect for smaller holiday gatherings
- Pumpkin Roll Cake – Another showstopper dessert that's totally worth the effort
Making Thanksgiving Fun With This Rice Krispie Turkey Recipe
Here's the thing about this Rice Krispie Treat Turkey – it's not just a dessert. It's a conversation starter, a photo opportunity, and honestly? It's just plain fun.
The first time I made this, I was worried it would be too complicated or fall apart. But once I got the hang of working with the mixture and using that cup trick for the cavity, everything clicked. Emily helped me shape the drumsticks (which turned out a little wonky, but who cares?) and we had the best time doing it together.
This Thanksgiving Rice Krispie treat brings out the kid in everyone. I've seen grown adults get genuinely excited about pulling candy out of a Rice Krispie turkey. It's that kind of recipe!
So go ahead and be the hero at your Thanksgiving dinner this year. Make this turkey-shaped Rice Krispie treat, stuff it with your favorite candy, and watch everyone's faces light up when you bring it to the table.
Don't forget to snap a picture before everyone devours it and save this recipe to Pinterest so you can make it every year!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Rice Krispie Treat Turkey
Equipment
- Light-weight cup (red solo cup)
- Serving platter
- Mixing Spoon
- Large pan
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons salted butter
- 8 cups mini marshmallows
- 12 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- Non-stick foil
- Cooking spray
- White paper
- Clear tape
- Tooth picks
- Reese's Pieces or candy stuffing whatever stuffing you want
Instructions
- Cover the cup with foil and make sure the non-stick side is up on that as well. Spray it well with cooking spray.
- Lay out a large piece of foil with the non-stick side up next to the serving platter.
- Melt your butter over medium heat.
- Spray a mixing spoon with cooking spray and stir in the marshmallows until they've melted. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Add your Rice Krispies and stir until well combined.
- Pour this mixture onto the piece of non-stick foil and allow it to cool for a moment or two (you don't want it to cool completely, just slightly so that you don't burn yourself).
- Working fast, divide the Rice Krispie Treat mixture so that there's ⅔ of it to make the body and set ⅓ of it to the side to make the wings and drumsticks.
- Starting with the ⅔ portion of the Rice Krispie Treat mixture, take a small amount of it and create a base about an inch thick on the serving platter.
- Place the cup on it's side onto the base so that open part of the cup is slightly off of the base where the turkey's opening will be so the majority of the cup is laying on the base.
- Build the rest of Rice Krispie Treat mixture around the cup to create the turkey's carcass with the cup in it's cavity (once this is set you'll be able to pull the cup out and stuff it with candy). Make sure the mixture around the cavity isn't too thin. Be sure to press the mixture in well so that it's not too loose when it dries.
- Next, take the other ⅓ of the Rice Krispie Treat mixture and divide it into four parts.
- Use each part to mold two drumsticks and two wings and set them aside and make sure you press them into shape tightly. (I kept these on the a separate pan lined with non-stick foil- keep in mind that you'll want to shape the wings so that the thinner back parts of them go up in different directions since they will be on either side of the Turkey).
- Cover everything with the nonstick side of the foil and allow it to rest and set for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator (overnight is preferable).
- To make the bone end of the drumsticks, take strips of white paper, and fold them in half length-wise.
- Cut half way up along the fold every half inch or so and wrap it around the ends of drumsticks and secure with a piece of clear tape.
- Use toothpicks to carefully secure your drums and wings to the turkey (this can be a bit tricky and you'll need to rig it up the right certain spots depending on your drumsticks and gravity).
- Stuff the turkey with candy.
- Serve immediately or cover with non-stick foil until you're ready to serve.
