DIY Peanut Butter Chips

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Baking sheet filled with a batch of our DIY Peanut Butter Chips recipe

By now you know I have a mild obsession with peanut butter. But this takes it to a whole new level. I’ve found a way to make peanut butter a melt-in-your-mouth baking chip! Three high fives for this much-needed discovery.

Butter knife in a jar of peanut butter

It’s a given, but the magic starts with peanut butter. Then for sweetness and texture we add agave nectar and powdered sugar. And lastly, to thin it out and help it firm up and keep a “chip” shape, melted coconut oil.

Peanut butter, powdered sugar, agave, and coconut oil for making DIY PB Chips
Stirring together ingredients for homemade Peanut Butter Chips

Mixy, mixy mixy time, then pour baby pour.

Pouring a batch of DIY Peanut Butter Chip batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet
Baking sheet with Peanut Butter Chip batter ready to set up

Next? Pop it in the freezer – the longer the better. But impatient minds will be happy to know that I tested it at 30 minutes and, although it was more prone to softening while cutting, it did work! You’re basically just looking for a very firm sheet that can be easily cut and broken into chips.

Baking sheet with freshly sliced pieces of Peanut Butter Chips
Baking sheet filled with DIY Peanut Butter Chips

Now, these chips are not like regular baking chips, which contain preservatives and additives to help them keep their pure shape when baking.

These will soften up a bit more during baking. But the flavor is there 100%. Trust me, I have a cookie recipe featuring these bad boys coming up soon that showcases their peanut buttery glory.

Stacked bowls of DIY PB Chips

Another difference? You’ve gotta keep these in the freezer to help them stay fresh and keep their shape.

“Boo hoo, that’s a bummer,” you say. Well, I say the benefit of this fragile handling and care is that you get vegan, gluten-free baking chips that are made from four simple ingredients and are additive- and preservative-free! That’s a pretty fair trade-off, no?

Bowl stacked high with a batch of gluten-free vegan Peanut Butter Chips

So what can you add these chips to? I’m glad you asked…

Cakes
Cookies
Quick breads
Muffins
Ice creams
Sundaes
Waffles
Pancakes

You name it, these will do the trick! Have fun, friends!

Baking sheet and bowl of DIY PB Chips
Bowl of homemade vegan Peanut Butter Chips for adding to cookies and other treats

DIY Peanut Butter Chips

4-Ingredient DIY Peanut Butter Chips perfect for adding to baked goods or eating straight out of the bag.
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Bowl of Peanut Butter Chips for baking and other uses
4.82 from 16 votes
Prep Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 16 (2-Tbsp servings)
Course Dessert
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? Freeze

Ingredients

  • 1 cup salted, creamy natural peanut butter (I love Trader Joe’s brand)
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)

Instructions

  • Place a sheet of parchment paper on a rectangular baking pan (as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Set aside.
  • To a mixing bowl, add peanut butter, powdered sugar, and agave and stir.
  • Add coconut oil and mix until thoroughly combined. It should be thin and pourable.
  • Pour mixture onto parchment-lined baking sheet and spread with a spatula or spoon until uniformly thin. You don’t want it too thick in any one area, so try your best to make sure it’s even.
  • Pop in the freezer until very firm – at least 30 minutes, but up to overnight or 4-6 hours. The longer it sets, the easier it will be to cut up and break apart.
  • Once firm, use a knife or pizza cutter to break it into chips. Loosen with a spoon or spatula to help break apart once cut.
  • At this point, especially if your kitchen is warm, the chips will start to soften. These chips need to stay in the freezer!
  • Transfer chips to a freezer safe Tupperware container or bag and store in the freezer until ready for use. When adding to a recipe, keep in the freezer until adding to your batter. And if you batter is too warm (if it’s been heated or cooked in some way) it will melt the chips. So be sure to add the chips to a room temp, preferably chilled dough.
  • They will bake as regular baking chips do flavor wise, but because they contain no additives or preservatives to help them keep their shape during baking, they will melt a bit more than store bought. But because these are much more wholesome and natural, I much prefer them to store bought.
  • Will keep in the freezer for 1 month or more. Yields ~2 cups chips.

Notes

*Recipe makes ~2 cups peanut butter chips.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with agave.

Nutrition (1 of 16 servings)

Serving: 1 two-Tbsp servings Calories: 147 Carbohydrates: 6.3 g Protein: 3.6 g Fat: 12.7 g Saturated Fat: 5.4 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.1 g Monounsaturated Fat: 4.5 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 68.8 mg Potassium: 90.1 mg Fiber: 0.8 g Sugar: 4.2 g Vitamin A: 0 IU Vitamin C: 0.8 mg Calcium: 10 mg Iron: 0.4 mg

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  1. Karey says

    I made these and used a condiment squeeze bottle to drizzle into silicone crushed ice molds… popped out like a dream – perfectly equal sizes. Bought at home goods for $5. You could just pour the sauce over and squeegee too but that seemed messy. Love this recipe!

  2. Joanna says

    These look great! Looking forward to trying them. I would love to see a recipe for dairy free butterscotch chips and white chocolate chips as well. I have scoured the web but haven’t been able to find anything that looks worth trying. Also, I know you mentioned these wouldn’t hold up in baking, but is there any way to do that without adding the preservatives? It would be so nice to have a chip that doesn’t disappear in the oven. Thanks

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Joanna! Unfortunately for homemade chips we don’t yet have a great method for keeping them intact while baking, something about non-homemade stabilizers seems to be essential for having the right melty texture. We’ll let you know if we discover any breakthroughs!

    • Françoise says

      After making a batch of these awesome pb chips I’m going to make frozen dark chocolate covered bananas, then as a final step sprinkle on or roll them in the pb chips (finely cut) before popping them in the freezer….. OR, I could drizzle the pb mixture on the parchment -lined sheet in very fine tlines, then chop them up after freezing solud to make pb sprinkles for my chocolate-covered bananas! Either way, it will be heaven, I’m sure!

      I could also skip the oil and just make the pb sauce to dip the bananas into before or after the chocolate dipping step… but I think finely cut pb chips or sprinkles would be much prettier!

      Thanks so much for your recipe and inspiration!

  3. Arjun Siva says

    Hi,
    Thanks for this.
    Id like to use these chips just as chunks to add to a granola. So can I avoid the coconut oil?
    Do the coconut oil, agave and sugar add anything to the texture and solidity of these chips? I like the sweetness I get from the peanuts I get locally, so no need for sugar. And I’m not keen on adding more oil to it.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Arjun! Unfortunately this recipe won’t turn out correctly without the sweeteners and coconut oil, as they allow the chips to harden slightly instead of just being soft peanut butter! Let us know how it goes if you try it with modifications.

  4. Charlene says

    Can I make this without the coconut oil so it won’t melt that much inside the oven while baking?. Planning to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Annalise, we haven’t tried that, but we think a neutral oil like sunflower or avocado would work. Let us know how it turns out!

    • Mollie Eggerton says

      I made this just moments ago, I made just 1/4 of the recipe as I used a silicone mini ice cube tray and didn’t want to risk having too much mixture. It filled the tray about 50%. I also used chunky peanut butter as that’s all I had on hand.

      I popped these in the freezer, did the dishes, chopped some fruit and then checked the chips, they popped right out, I didn’t even oil the silicone (major plus there!)

      I wanted to make these to sprinkle on my fruit and yogurt and holy moly they’re great.
      If you’re making these to bake with then I’d probably suggest freezing them for the recommended time so they don’t mush up when you’re mixing them into the batter, but for my purposes they’re set all the way through and right now its cold where I am so they show no signs of melting.

      All in all, I don’t think my freezer will ever not have a box of these stashed away. What a brilliant recipe. Thanks!

  5. Bianka says

    Hi there.
    I made this last night, and this morning I took it out of the freezer. Once it hit room temperature, it went soft, like peanut butter. Yumm, but not the desired effect.
    What did I do wrong, and any ideas how I can fix it?
    Thanks

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Bianka, is it possible the room was warm? Coconut oil will melt at/above 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

  6. Isha says

    Please tell me what I could sub coconut oil that is not palm-something? (!!) I’m so excited to make this and assure you my reasons are medical, not ethical. :)

    (Ethically, I’m not informed enough to hold an opinion on…anything in public, and very much hope to remain that way! :) please…)

    Thank you!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We haven’t tried this recipe with any other oils, but suspect it would work. Try something neutral, such as grape seed or avocado oil. If you do, let us know how they turn out!

  7. adrian says

    I make a chocolate potato chip bark and I like to drizzle melted peanut butter chips over them which in turn hardens nicely and enables cutting the bark and eating it not a messy experience.
    However, I am looking for an home made p/b chip that will firm up after I drizzle it on the bark.
    Will your recipe accomplish this?
    I don’t like commercially made products, so your response will be helpful.
    I tried to make a drizzle myself and it wouldn’t harden up. Ended up being a messy experience.
    Thanks for any suggestions you might have.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      So this one definitely won’t hold up because there aren’t any additives.

  8. Filiberto Mikos says

    What’s up to all, as I am actually keen of reading this website’s post tobe updated on a regular basis. It consists of niceinformation.

  9. Tammy Deruiter-Castle says

    These look amazing! Do you think I can make them in silicone chip molds instead? I’ve really missed peanut butter chips in my cookies since I became vegan! All that is available where I live is Reeses brand and they have milk in them. Thanks!

  10. Ry McMinn says

    Just made these!!!
    I used cannabis infused oil and melted some vegan chocolate chips and added them too!!!
    My EDS pain thanks you, and my BF with Lupus agrees, delicious adaptation!!!! Thank you!!♡♡♡
    (Also just got my 75yo Mom your cookbook, she loves her newfound plant based-ness!!??)

    • Rebecca says

      I made this but I used honey instead of agave. Is this why it’s still runny? It hardened in the freezer but it was already melting as I was trying to chop it

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hmm, we wouldn’t think so, but it’s possible? Or was the room really warm? Coconut oil will melt above 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

  11. Ally says

    So, I want to make the cocoa butter version of these that you refer to as baked…can you give me the details of how long and what temp to bake them at please!

  12. Udi says

    Hi. I want to try this but I wonder if there’s a way to ensure firmer chips that wouldn’t melt in room temperature, more like baking chocolate chips?
    Maybe replacing the coconut oil with cocoa butter?

  13. Tracy says

    Hey there! I have made these before and oh my goddess they are incredible! I had the thought that I could potentially make them (sans powdered sugar) and use them as frozen dog treats for the summer! Do you think they would hold up without the sugar?
    Thanks so much!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Tracy! I’m not sure – but check the other comments for sugar substitutions. Hope this helps!

  14. SHERRI webber says

    Just found these…great idea. Do you think I could use stevia instead of the powdered sugar? Do I need the honey/agave syrup in order for it to set up properly? Maybe I could make a syrup out of a date ‘jam’ I could make instead?

  15. olive says

    hi, was wondering what would happen if they were left at room temp? would they melt completely? i just wanna know what to expect/how to modify :p
    thank!

  16. German Velez says

    Do regular peanut butter chips have flour? Would using amaranth flour make them more solid. It’s gluten free.

  17. Colleen says

    I just put these in the freezer! I added some cinnamon to the recipe, can’t wait to use these in a cookie recipe!!!

  18. Jackie says

    It’s 10:10 at night and I am contemplating getting out if bed to make these just so I can eat them frozen:)

  19. Stephanie @ A Magpie in the Sky says

    This is so exciting, as another commenter mentioned we don’t get PB chips in the UK. I saw in another comment that crunchy PB worked. I’m thinking I need to try this with hazelnut / almond butter for something extra special ;)

  20. Kasia says

    Omg, I looooove it! :)
    Want to make it this weekend though I was wondering with my friend if honey will be ok with it.. I mean I know you can substitute agave nectar with it but still I’m courious about the difference. Maybe I should make two parts with different nectars? :D

  21. Melissa says

    If anyone is a crunchy peanut butter lover like me, I am happy to say that crunchy peanut butter works amazingly well with this recipe! Delicious and love the texture! My chips are finishing up freezing at the moment, and I can’t wait to snack on them soon. Thanks, Dana!

  22. Deborah says

    Can I substitute the powdered sugar for coconut blossom sugar. I don’t want to use refined sugars any more after my No Sugar Challenge this month.

  23. Heather says

    These look so delicious!! I can’t wait to try to make them myself :) Thanks for the awesome idea!

  24. Kate T. says

    These are so easy and taste fantastic! I added a teaspoon of vanilla paste which I really enjoyed (I think only paste would work though… not extract). We didn’t even use these in baking… just ate them straight from the freezer ;-)

  25. suzi says

    how creative can we get here? FUN!! these would be perfect for tucking into homemade healthy chocolates in the center of the mold, a little surprise! YUM! i can also see a couple squares on top of sliced bananas on hot pancakes… thanks for the inspiration!!

  26. Kate says

    Yum!
    I just bought a HUGE jar of peanut butter because it was on sale.
    Going to the kitchen now to whip up a batch of these beauties!
    So excited :)

  27. Rochelle says

    I would love to try this but I’m trying to replace all of my recipes with natural sweeteners so any ideas on replacing the powdered sugar? Could I use coconut sugar and pulse it in the food processor?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Rochelle, can you consume raw sugar? If so, process raw or turbinado sugar into powdered sugar to a similar effect. Otherwise, you could try using all agave or maple syrup (or honey if not vegan) and seeing if it stiffens up w/out the powdered sugar. I’ve also heard that honey (again if you’re not vegan) can help nut butters stiffen. Hope that helps!

  28. Helen @ Scrummy Lane says

    What a fabulous idea! I very much doubt we can buy anything like a peanut butter chip over here in Europe (certainly not very easily), so this is a great recipe to have bookmarked. So … bookmarked!

  29. Jenny @ BAKE says

    I’m not sure these would make it to the baking stage for me, I would be constantly making trips to the freezer to snack on them! they look so delicious!

  30. Amy says

    Ummm…could I just add these to my mouth?!
    Deliciousness incarnate. We can’t buy even the preservative filled peanut butter chips over here in Australia, so I am so glad that I can make my own – and make them healthier too! Now, I’m off to daydream about all the things I can bake these into.

  31. Rachael says

    This makes me SO happy. Peanut butter chips trump chocolate chips any day in my book, but I don’t buy them because of all the crazy stupid ingredients. Making these in bulk this weekend!

  32. Katie @ 24 Carrot Life says

    Brilliant! I wonder if I could tweak this recipe to make cinnamon chips. I love them in scones but they have really yucky ingredients.

  33. Lynn says

    Ahhh This is such a good idea. I will make these and mix them up with my vegan brownies for all of my vegans. Just discovered a great vegan chocolate sorbet at a shop. These would be great on that. Yummm

  34. Jessica (bakecetera) says

    YES! what an AWESOME recipe. i can’t wait to try this out!!! and if you’re ever in the mood to tinker… i wouldn’t mind seeing a healthy and homemade version of a butterscotch chip! ; )

  35. Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen says

    Wowwwzersss are you kidding me? Homemade PB vegan chips!? I am in heaven! They have yet to get peanut butter chips (or really good peanut butter) stocked on the shelves here in Belgium and this might just be the answer to all my peanut butter prayers (ahah!). Looking forward to that cookie recipe using these PB chips!

  36. Jolene says

    I have a major crush on you right now. :)

    Do you have any suggestions on a peanut butter topping though? I’ve been wanting to make my own, but can’t seem to get it right. My mom loves to put extra peanut butter topping on her ice cream (no, she’s not vegan!). I’ve used it to drizzle on cakes and brownies too.

    I didn’t know if just adding agave or honey would sweeten it enough and thin it out to make a thick sauce.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Jolene, if you make this fresh it is pourable and will firm up on contact with a frozen treat (like magic shell). But another option would be just sweetening peanut butter with agave or honey or powdered sugar and then thinning it out with almond milk until pourable. Hope that helps!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      AJ, see the above comment, but I suggested to another commenter that another neutral oil such as grapeseed or canola would work best. I wouldn’t recommend butter.

      • Janice says

        From everything I’ve been reading/researching, Grapeseed & Canola oils are really bad/unhealthy!! plus, they don’t harden up like Coconut oil??

  37. cayla says

    I thought agave was a bad food for healthy-ness? I really don’t know, have only read in several places that its a no-no.

    • Jolene says

      I know that agave (as a sweetener) doesn’t spike your blood sugar the way other sweetners do. Agave comes from cacti (including the one used for making tequila). There seems to be some concern about its high fructose content. As for me, I still consider it far more natural than other processed sweeteners, but you have to buy the good stuff, because some is overly processed. (Raw honey is supposed to be better due to the lack of processing as well. Filtering takes out the good stuff in it, and some of what it filters out works to balance out the sugars.)

      1 tsp contains nearly 5 grams of sugar, so if you have an issue with insulin, etc it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check with a nutritionist.

  38. Eileen says

    Wow, I would never have thought to try to make my own peanut butter chips! And yet I definitely have some serious love for peanut butter in baking. Must try!

  39. Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says

    Genius. Now what do you think about just making these and having them on hand for…snacking? :)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Pam, I haven’t tried this recipe with any other oils, but I suspect it would work. Try something neutral, such as grape seed or canola. If you do, let me know how they turn out!

  40. Alicia Brown says

    Honestly, I thought the purpose was to snack on them. But using them for baking is good, too. :)

  41. Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen says

    These look like they would just melt in your mouth! I hate how regular peanut butter chips have so many weird ingredients. I can’t wait to give these a try!

  42. Heather says

    They are in the freezer! So quick & easy to whip up – love it! I used chunky versus creamy, since that’s what I have on hand & maple syrup. Found you via Pinterest!

  43. Katy says

    I played around with some peanut butter chips once and they were just a melty melty mess. Yours looks phenomenal and I imagine they taste great on waffles! Can’t wait to see your cookie recipe using the chips. Pinned.

  44. Stephanie says

    I have no qualms whatsoever about keeping these in the freezer if I know for certain they are homemade without any of the yucky preservatives and additives you might find elsewhere. And gorgeous! I love the rugged, misshapen-ness of the peanut butter chips. It has much more character that way, even though they are going to melt anyway in whatever you bake them with. Unless…you just eat them plain or on top of cereal or ice cream or froyo or… :)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Exactly. I love that they look homemade. Atop ice cream or froyo, these would be a dream boat. Enjoy!

  45. Kathryn says

    Oh, this is clever!! I’ve made my own chocolate chips for cookies before but never peanut butter chips. Making these asap.

  46. Carole @ carolebeefoodandphoto says

    It’s become more and more clear that I need to buy a food processor!! I SO look forward to your recipes and this one is AWESOME!!! What a delicious treat to add to chocolate chip cookies or a chocolate avocado smoothie… YUMM!!!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks Carole! A food processor really is invaluable. Invest a little in a good one and it will go a long way!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      You could grind turbinado into powdered sugar in a spice mill :D So easy, takes like 5 seconds, and then it’s more natural/less-refined.

  47. Natalia says

    it’s decided, you’re my peanut butter friend!!! THANK YOU!!!! Not only I can’t find any peanut butter chips in this part of the world, but now I can make them more delicious and chemical free!!!!

  48. Lisa | Je suis alimentageuse says

    I just want to watch that pouring GIF over and over and over.
    Looks awesome, and I’ll definitely try this very soon.
    Omnomnom.

  49. Rochelle @ Oh So Sweet Baker says

    I am sooooo making this. We dont get PB chips here in the uk so it will most definitely save me spending alot of money on these.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      You’re not missing out on much! The PB chips in the states are always lackluster. Hope you enjoy these, Rochelle!

  50. Kate @Almond Butter Binge says

    This is definitely one of those recipes I didn’t know I desperately needed until I saw it here :) Thank you, as always!

  51. Katie @ The Surly Housewife says

    This just made my day! I love pb chips but I don’t care of the flavor of the store bought brand. I will totally be trying these. Thanks!!

    • Kella says

      The store bought is also hydrogenated. My stoe doesn’tcarr the organic ones anyore. So thans for the recpe.

  52. Lily @ Life, Love, and Cupcakes says

    Wow, this is brilliant!!! I can think of SO many things that these would be amazing in, I can’t wait to make them!!

  53. Angela @ happy fit mama says

    I’d make these with the intention of putting in a recipe but really I’d just eat ’em all up by themselves. Yum!

  54. Averie @ Averie Cooks says

    It’s like PB Fudge in a way…but better! The coconut oil, mmm! I have more than a mild obsession with PB :) Pinned!

  55. Maryea {happy healthy mama} says

    Yes! Totally worth the trade off. I’m afraid I’d just eat these up by the handful though. ;-)

  56. Lily (A Rhubarb Rhapsody) says

    I swear, you have just made my day. I’m a peanut butter addict and I see so many recipes using peanut butter chips but alas, they’re nowhere to be found ’round these parts. To be perfectly honest I’m pretty sure once I make these I will just be continually visiting the freezer to snack on them.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      It’s true! Every time I open my freezer I’m a little tempted to nibble. But because they’re so natural and relatively healthy, I don’t feel so bad! Hope you enjoy these, Lily.