Rice Bubble Slice is the New Zealand version of Rice Krispie Treats without marshmallow. Made with honey, it is quick and easy to make and tastes super nostalgic.
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Rice Bubble Slice - New Zealand Rice Krispie Treats
Hi hi! Finally sharing the recipe for this Rice Bubble Slice! I shot this last year before we moved home and have needed to get it up as rice bubble slice is the ultimate kid's nostalgia for anyone who grew up in Australia or New Zealand, along with chocolate crackles. I have a bunch of New Zealand recipes on my site - it is so fun to introduce those who aren't familiar to the things that I grew up eating!
What is Rice Bubble Slice?
Rice bubble slice is a version of Rice Krispie Treats, but instead of using marshmallow and butter, it is made with honey. Here's what is in it:
- Rice Bubbles. This is what we call Rice Krispies - the puffed rice cereal.
- Butter. I use unsalted butter, if you have salted butter then just leave the salt in the recipe out.
- Honey. This is what helps form the caramel part of the rice bubble slice. If you haven't tried rice bubble slice with honey instead of rice krispies made with marshmallow, now is the time - it is so good. I have made this with both a creamed style honey and a liquid honey and both work great.
- Sugar. This makes up the caramel portion too. Either caster sugar or regular granulated sugar works great.
- Vanilla. This wasn't included in the ones I had as a kid, but adding a tiny bit of vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract to your rice bubble slice makes them taste so good!
- Salt. Always needed to balance out the sweetness of the honey and the sugar. Leave it out if you have used salted butter.
How to make Rice Bubble Slice
Rice bubble slice is super quick and comes together in less than ten minutes.
- Measure out your rice bubbles. Having everything ready to go before you start helps a lot - you want to have your rice bubbles measured out and your pan prepared and lined and ready to go.
- Make the honey caramel. Combine all the ingredients for the caramel except the vanilla in a heavy bottomed pan, and place over medium high heat. Once it has come to a boil, cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula.
- Add the rice bubbles. Remove the caramel from the stove, add the salt and vanilla, then pour the hot caramel into the bowl with the rice bubbles and stir until well combined.
- Transfer into the pan. Once the rice bubbles are evenly coated in the mixture, transfer into your prepared pan and smooth down well. I like to use an offset spatula but you could also use a piece of parchment paper to press it down evenly.
- Leave to set. The rice bubble slice needs some time to cool - you can either leave it to cool at room temperature or place it in the fridge to speed things up.
- Cut and store. Cut the rice bubble slice into pieces using a hot knife, then store in an airtight container at room temperature.
How to line a square pan
I use a square nonstick pan to make my rice bubble slice. For recipes that are a little sticky or you want to remove all in one go I prefer to use the sling method, where you take two pieces of parchment and use them to line the pan, leaving some overhang.
This means that when the time comes to remove whatever is in your pan, you can use the overhang as handles to take it out cleanly. I like to clamp mine down with some metal binder clips to keep everything tidy.
Rice Bubble Slice Troubleshooting
My rice bubble slice is too hard.
This will be because you over cooked the caramel part of the recipe, bringing it to too high of a temperature, so the rice bubble slice is crunchy. Try cooking it for less time. I aim for about 2 minutes once it has come to a boil.
My rice bubble slice is too soft.
Again this is the reverse of the problem - the mixture didn't cook enough. It will still be totally edible, just try cooking the mix a little longer!
FAQ for Rice Bubble Slice
Can Rice Bubble Slice be made Gluten Free?
Rice bubbles do often have gluten in them - so make sure that you use a gluten free rice bubble, or you can also make this with puffed rice.
What tools and equipment do you use?
You can see a full list of all the tools I use here
Which pan did you use?
I made my rice bubble slice in a non stick 8" (20cm) square pan. This made a nice thick rice bubble slice - you can make it in a thinner pan if you like.
Can I make rice bubble slice with brown butter?
I tried and it didn't go well - it was super greasy and not that nice, so browning the butter is not worth the extra step here.
What is the difference between Rice Krispies and Rice Bubbles?
It's the same thing just a different name.
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes - you can scale it as you like. My pan size calculator will be helpful for working out how to scale the recipe.
Can I add peanut butter / marshmallow / other ingredients
I haven't tried sorry - you are welcome to but I don't know how it will go.
How do you store rice krispie treats?
I store mine in an airtight container at room temperature. They are best eaten in the first 1-2 days that you make them.
For more New Zealand Recipes, check out:
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Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Recipe For Honey Rice Bubble Slice
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Rice Bubble Slice
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Category: Bars and Slices
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: New Zealand
Description
Rice Bubble Slice is the New Zealand version of Rice Krispie Treats without marshmallow. Made with honey, it is quick and easy to make and tastes super nostalgic.
Ingredients
- 150g rice bubbles or rice krispie cereal
- 180g granulated sugar
- 180g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge is fine
- 60g honey
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste, optional
- Pinch of salt (leave out if using salted butter)
Instructions
- Grease and line an 8" (20cm) square pan with parchment paper, leaving the parchment extending over the sides of the pan to form a sling. Secure with binder clips if desired.
- Place the rice bubbles into a large bowl.
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, and honey.
- Place over medium heat and heat, stirring often with a spatula, until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a boil.
- Reduce the heat slightly and continue to cook the mixture for 2 and a half minutes, stirring with a rubber spatula.
- Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and salt and mix to combine, then pour the caramel mixture over the rice bubbles.
- Stir well until the rice bubbles are evenly coated.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and smooth down with a spatula. If you would like to get it extra flat you can take a piece of parchment paper and use it to flatten down the top surface.
- Leave the rice bubble slice to set either at room temperature or in the fridge. When it is close to being cool (after about 30 to 45 minutes), slice into pieces using a sharp knife.
- Store either in the fridge or at room temperature in an airtight container. Rice bubble slice will keep for a few days but it is best eaten in the first 1-2 days.
Keywords: Rice bubble slice, rice bubble cake, new zealand
Comments
Delicious!!
★★★★★
My new favorite 🙂
★★★★★
Can I add melted chocolate on top?
I haven't tried but I don't see why not!
Very good. I just made it today. I like that it has honey instead of marshmallows.
★★★★★
Wanted a change from our brown butter marshmallow treats so tried this. Made a miso honey caramel which turned out amazing! So delicious and easy!
★★★★★
Ooooh yum! That sounds so good!
These are so easy to make and 1000 times better than marshmallow-based ones. Caramel, crispy goodness. Thank you, Erin!
★★★★★
Easiest treat of my life. Yummmm!
★★★★★
This is the taste of every Kiwi kids childhood !! Loved making this for my boys. That honey and butter is so good.
★★★★★
Brings back memories.
Thanks for the recipe.
Did you know that if you vary the ratio of sugar to honey, keeping the total combined weight the same, you can adjust the crunchiness of these.
I.e. 120g sugar:120g honey will give a chewier bar.
But don't go too far down the scale or they won't hold together.
★★★★★
Hi! Yess you can also cook the sugar syrup for longer if you want them crunchier! These ones are already super chewy!
Made this today. Yummo. So quick and easy. It is a typhoon outside so refused to go out and buy white sugar so made it with brown sugar. Winner!
★★★★★
I made this and the flavor was great! I really like that it doesn’t use marshmallows. I had a problem with the bars falling apart though. Could that be solved by pressing on the pan more? Do you have any other suggestions? Thanks!
Hi! Were they crumbly or soft falling apart? If they were crumbly, you may have cooked the caramel part a little too long! If they were too soft it could be not cooked enough 🙂
Soft and falling apart. Like I picked up a piece and it would fall apart a bit.
Is there any visual cue that I can look for to tell if I’ve cooked it long enough? Thanks!
I usually go by timing! I can re make them at some point and temp my mixture 🙂
These took me back to my childhood. So good!
★★★★★
I made this tonight along with the ginger caramel slice. Soooo good. Highly recommend making a double or triple batch.
Ingredients were all in grams so easy to follow while on the scales + easy to follow instructions.
Mine fell apart which was disappointing. Tasted delicious though. Not sure what I did wrong.
Cloudykitchen is usually my fail safe recipe !
★★★★
Oh no! If you overcook the mixture a little bit it can get a bit too caramel like which means it sets a bit crumbly!