Valentine’s rice crispy hearts recipe using just 6 simple ingredients! No-bake and super easy to make, requiring just 20 minutes of effort and chilling. The perfect gluten-free treat for your special someone… or just yourself!
Valentine’s rice crispy hearts recipe – now this is the way to my heart! A sweet, nostalgic treat, coated in white chocolate and topped with sprinkles. What more could you want?
Valentine’s Day baking isn’t quite as popular as Easter baking, but I think it’s about time we made it more of a thing!
Ok, I don’t think a no-bake recipe is going to to do Valentine’s Day BAKING any favours, but it’s a start, right?
And why not start with a nostalgic, lunchbox-staple, the humble rice crispy square, but with 100% more romance?
That’s exactly what you’re looking at right now!
Why make my Valentine’s rice crispy hearts recipe?
- You only need 6 simple ingredients to make these – they couldn’t be easier to whip up.
- They’re no-bake, so no gluten-free flour required and no need to switch your oven on.
- They only take 20 minutes to make, then chill them in the fridge until set.
- No xanthan gum required.
- They don’t taste gluten-free AT ALL – you’ll have to fight to keep the muggles away from these!
So what do they taste like? Firstly, I can tell you that they taste every bit as good as they look!
You’ve got that classic, crunchy rice crispy cake that we all know and love – sweet and sticky. But that’s not all…
Then, they’re half-dipped in pink white chocolate, which not only adds a cute, romantic visual, but also that unmistakable, creamy, sweet flavour.
Top with crunchy gluten-free sprinkles, add Netflix and chill, and that’s Valentine’s day done and dusted for another year!
Here’s everything you’ll need for this recipe, keep scrolling until you see the recipe card for the measurements and method…
Valentine’s rice crispy hearts recipe: What you’ll need
- Marshmallows: You can’t make rice crispy treats without marshmallows! They’re super sticky once melted and help to bind everything together and obviously, give everything a lovely sweet taste.
- Butter: Butter helps to bind the rice crispy cakes together, whilst also adding a subtle, buttery flavour that I can’t live without.
- Gluten-free rice crispies: Kellogg’s rice krispies are NOT gluten-free, so ensure you pick up a gluten-free version from the free from aisle. I’ve linked what I used in the FAQ section below.
- White chocolate: White chocolate works so well with a rice crispy cake flavour-wise and because it’s almost colourless, it doesn’t take much food colouring to transform it into pink white chocolate!
- Pink food colouring: Normally I’d use food colouring paste/gels, but I’ve found that food colouring from the supermarket is more than sufficient here. Easy peasy.
- Gluten-free sprinkles: You might be surprised to find that baking sprinkles aren’t always gluten-free, so check yours first! I’ve linked what I used here in the FAQ section below.
So I thought I’d kick things off with a little frequently asked questions section – if you just want the recipe, then keep scrolling.
But I’ve thrown in some tips here that will be really helpful if this is your first time making this, or you want to adapt it. So here they are!
Valentine’s rice crispy hearts recipe: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this recipe gluten-free?
It is gluten-free, though nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!
Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross contamination.
Also, make sure that all ingredients used don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients. Then make that that they also don’t have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat, rye, barley, oats (which aren’t gf), spelt and khorasan wheat (aka Kamut).
Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten-free products.
Can I make your Valentine’s rice crispy hearts recipe dairy free?
Yes! It just involves a two simple swaps:
- Use Stork hard margarine instead of butter.
- Use dairy-free white chocolate.
That’s it! Ensure your sprinkles are dairy-free too, just in case.
Can I make your Valentine’s rice crispy hearts recipe vegan?
If you follow the advice above to make this recipe dairy-fee, then all you’ve got left to contend with is the marshmallows. Regular marshmallows aren’t normally vegan because they often contain gelatine.
Fortunately you can easily buy gluten-free AND vegan marshmallows online from Amazon.
These are a little expensive, so you can always pop into Marks and Spencer who now do Plant Kitchen vegan marshmallows, I believe!
Is your Valentine’s rice crispy hearts recipe low FODMAP?
If you use lactose-free white chocolate, then that makes this recipe suitable for the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet.
Ensure your marshmallows, sprinkles and food colouring don’t contain any high FODMAP ingredients too.
Which gluten-free sprinkles did you use?
For this recipe, feel free to use any gluten-free sprinkles that you have to hand!
I mixed up a blend of different gluten-free sprinkles that I had in my cupboard (because I have too much time on my hands, clearly) and you definitely don’t need to do the same.
But I thought I’d include what I used just in case you fancied doing the same for some reason!
Which rice crispies are gluten-free?
Believe it or not, rice crispies aren’t always 100% free from gluten because they often contain barley malt extract.
Some of these barley-containing products USED to be certified by Coeliac UK because they contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten, which according to Coeliac UK, that makes them safe for people with Coeliac disease.
However, Coeliac UK recently changed their stance on this and will no longer be recommending them for a gluten-free diet.
So here’s a list of all the rice crispies which are still safe for us to eat, that are free from barley entirely.
- Nestle GoFree Rice Pops (I used these for this recipe)
- Tesco Free From Rice Snaps
- Asda Free From Rice Snaps Cereal
- Sainsburys Free From Rice Pops
Can I make this without the marshmallows?
Sadly not as the marshmallows are what binds the rice crispy cake together and gives it a lovely, sticky finish and sweet flavour.
Plus, for example, unlike using honey as a binder for example, mashmallows will bind the rice crispies together without having to bake them.
Can I use a food processor or stand mixer to make this?
Both are total overkill for this recipe, especially since a food processor would blend the rice crispies instead of mixing them!
I’d definitely advise making this purely by hand to avoid crushing the rice crispies are they’re being mixed. So get a good silicone spatula or wooden spoon and get mixing!
Do I need any special equipment to make your Valentine’s rice crispy hearts recipe?
As I mentioned, you should definitely make this recipe by hand, so you certainly don’t need any crazy appliances or anything like that.
What you will need however is a 9x12in rectangular baking tin – here’s the one I use. It seems to be quite expensive on Amazon at the mo (I didn’t pay that much for it), so if you can source one from the supermarket, that’s probably a far more affordable idea!
You’ll also need heart-shaped biscuit cutters – I used these from Amazon.
Do I need weighing scales to make your Valentine’s rice crispy hearts?
In short… yes, yes and yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any my recipes without them.
A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities and for me, baking is all about consistency and precision. I want you to make this recipe and for it to turn out EXACTLY like mine did.
I’d recommending using digital cooking scales like these so you know you’re getting an accurate measurement and replicating my recipe as accurately as poss.
How can I tell when my Valentine’s rice crispy hearts are ready to cut?
Until the marshmallow and butter have had time to set in the fridge, the bars will be loose and sticky.
Once they’ve had long enough in the fridge, they should be solid and sturdy, ready to be cut using your biscuit cutters. If you get them out too early, simply pop them back into the fridge for a little longer.
How long can I keep my Valentine’s rice crispy hearts for?
I’ve kept them for about 4-5 days in an air-tight container with no problems. If you need to keep them any longer than that, I’d highly recommend freezing them (see advice below for doing that).
Can I freeze my Valentine’s rice crispy hearts?
Of course! I’ve frozen them for up to 2-3 months no problem. Slice them up before freezing – that way you can simply defrost as many as you like, as and when you need them.
Plus, they’ll thaw a lot quicker. When you want to eat one, each heart should take around 3 hours to defrost at room temperature. You’d never know they were frozen!
Valentine’s rice crispy hearts recipe: Method
Oh and here’s a printable version of my Valentine’s rice crispy hearts recipe. Please remember to give it 5 stars if you tried it and enjoyed it as it helps people know it’s worth trying too! ⭐️
Valentine's Rice Crispy Hearts Recipe (gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 200 g marshmallows
- 45 g butter use dairy-free hard margarine if necessary
- 180 g gluten-free rice crispies see FAQ section above for recommended safe products
- 200 g white chocolate dairy-free if necessary
- pink food colouring or any another colour if you'd prefer
- gluten-free sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare a 9x12 inch baking tin or roasting tin with non-stick baking paper - allow enough overhang to help lift out the rice crispy slab later.
- Place your marshmallows and butter into a large saucepan and allow to melt on a low heat. Keep stirring so it doesn't stick to the bottom of your pan.
- Once smooth and very sticky, remove from the heat and add your rice crispies to the pan. Mix them so all the crispies are coated. If your saucepan is too small to cope with this, transfer into a large bowl and mix.
- Next, spoon your mixture into your tin. Press it down as tightly as you can - it's very sticky but I find it becomes less and less sticky the more you push it in. I often use a potato masher to finish pressing it in and making sure it's level.
- Place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes - 1 hour (leaving it in there longer isn't a problem either!)
- Lift your rice crispy slab out of the tin using the baking paper overhang and transfer to a flat work surface. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to firmly push through the slab as many times as you can, creating lots of heart shapes. I got 4 larger hearts, 4 medium and a few small ones too, using different sized heart cutters. Don't get rid of the off cuts as obviously, they are just delicious rice crispy treats to enjoy!
- In a medium-sized heatproof bowl, melt your white chocolate in the microwave (in short bursts, stirring in between) or in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water on the hob (don't allow the water to touch the bowl). Once melted, mix in some pink food colouring until you achieve a pale pink colour.
- Dip each heart half in the pink white chocolate and then place onto a cooling rack set over a sheet of baking paper. Whilst the (pink) white chocolate is still wet, scatter over your sprinkles. Allow to set at room temperature or in the fridge, then enjoy. Happy Valentine's day!
Nutrition
Any questions about the recipe? Please do let me know by following me on Instagram and leaving me a comment on a recent photo!
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
Oh and don’t forget to pin this for later!
