Easy Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

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Stack of easy homemade peanut butter cups cut in half

Nothing satisfies a salty-sweet craving quite like the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. So we set out to make the perfect homemade peanut butter cup. What makes these perfect? We tested the recipe with dark chocolate and semisweet chocolate as well as different sweeteners and found that this combo tasted the most like Reese’s peanut butter cups! 

Just 6 simple ingredients required for this delicious dessert. Let us show you how it’s done!

Coconut sugar, peanut butter, coconut oil, chocolate chips, almond flour, and sea salt

Want to know the secrets to these incredibly delicious homemade peanut butter cups?

  • Almond flour provides just enough texture so the peanut butter isn’t runny
  • Powdered coconut sugar adds natural sweetness without the grittiness of granulated sugar
  • And semi-sweet chocolate yields bold chocolate flavor and the perfect amount of sweetness to complement the salty peanut butter
Mini muffin tins lined with melted chocolate

To make the peanut butter cups, melted chocolate is swirled in mini muffin liners so it coats the bottom and sides. Then it’s chilled to set, topped with the peanut butter filling, and chilled once again before more melted chocolate is added.

For added elegance and a salty finish, we like topping with a pinch of flaky sea salt before the chocolate sets.

Bowl of peanut butter mixed with almond flour, coconut sugar, and sea salt

We hope you LOVE these homemade peanut butter cups! They’re:

Salty-sweet
Chocolaty
Peanut buttery
Incredibly simple
& SERIOUSLY delicious!

They’re the perfect treat for Valentine’s Day and beyond! Store in the freezer to enjoy any time a chocolate and peanut butter cravings strikes (just let them come to room temperature before enjoying)!

Mini muffin tin with paper liners filled with melted chocolate and peanut butter

More Chocolate Peanut Butter Recipes

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Tray of homemade vegan peanut butter cups

Easy Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

The ultimate DIY peanut butter cups! We tested all the chocolates, sweeteners, and peanut butters to share the best method for perfectly salty-sweet peanut butter cups. Just 6 simple ingredients required!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Stack of DIY peanut butter cups
5 from 18 votes
Prep Time 43 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 15 (Peanut butter cups)
Course Dessert
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 1 Week

Ingredients

CHOCOLATE COATING

  • 1 cup dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life brand)
  • 2 tsp coconut oil

PEANUT BUTTER FILLING

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter
  • 1-3 Tbsp almond flour (to thicken // use less with thicker peanut butter and more with runny peanut butter)
  • 2 Tbsp coconut sugar, powdered (blend in a blender to achieve powder*)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt (reduce or omit if using salted peanut butter)

GARNISH optional

  • Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Instructions

  • Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until about half of the chocolate chips are melted (~1 minute). Remove the pan from the heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. You could also do this in the microwave, melting the chocolate in 30-second increments.
  • Line a mini muffin pan with 15 mini muffin liners (paper or silicone). If you don’t have a mini muffin pan, you can place the liners on a plate (preferably with a raised edge). Make sure the muffin pan or plate will fit in your freezer before continuing.
  • Fill the liners with 1 teaspoon of the chocolate mixture. Spread the chocolate in the liners until it's 3/4 of the way up the sides. The best way to do this is to pick up the muffin liner and move the chocolate around in the liner until gravity spreads it evenly. Continue until you have 15 chocolate shells (as the original recipe is written). Reserve remaining melted chocolate for the top layer of the peanut butter cups.
  • Place the muffin pan or plate in the freezer for 5-10 minutes or until the chocolate is firm.
  • While the chocolate is solidifying, make the peanut butter filling. In a small mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, almond flour (starting with the lesser amount), powdered coconut sugar, and salt. Stir until smooth, adding more almond flour (1 Tbsp at a time) until the mixture is no longer runny — it should hold its form slightly when scooped on a spoon (see photo). Add more almond flour as needed.
  • Grab your chilled chocolate shells from the freezer. Place 1 – 1 ½ teaspoons of peanut butter filling into the center of each chocolate shell (a small cookie scoop is helpful here). Tap your muffin tin or plate on the counter a few times to help the peanut butter layer settle and flatten out. Then transfer to the freezer for 10-15 minutes or until firm. If there is any extra filling, it can be reserved for future peanut butter cups or spread onto toast.
  • Remove from the freezer and place ~3/4 tsp of melted chocolate mixture on top of each peanut butter cup (or however much it takes to cover the peanut butter layer and meet the edges of the chocolate sides) and gently shake to completely cover the top. Immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt (such as Maldon // optional).
  • Continue with remaining peanut butter cups until all are topped with chocolate. Then place the pan or plate back in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to set.
  • Remove from the freezer and let the peanut butter cups come to room temperature before enjoying! Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 1 month (if you can resist them that long!).

Video

Notes

*To make coconut powdered sugar, simply add desired amount of coconut sugar to a high-speed blender and blend on high until a powder is achieved. Just be sure to add a great enough volume for it to blend properly (we used ~1 cup /192g and saved the rest for future baking projects). It can also be used in our Creamy Vegan Milk Chocolate.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with unsalted peanut butter.

Nutrition (1 of 15 servings)

Serving: 1 peanut butter cup Calories: 122 Carbohydrates: 10 g Protein: 2.9 g Fat: 8.7 g Saturated Fat: 3.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.9 g Monounsaturated Fat: 2.4 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 40 mg Potassium: 58 mg Fiber: 1.5 g Sugar: 7.1 g Vitamin A: 0 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 20.6 mg Iron: 0.9 mg

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  1. Marie says

    Delicious recipe! I used oat flour instead of almond flour and it tastes equally delicious! I also used agave syrup instead of coconut sugar and the consistency was perfect.

  2. Melissa Barrett says

    Per the usual Minimalist Baker recipe, these are BOMB!!!! and quick and easy to make. Thank you again and again!
    I used half unsweetened chocolate and half semisweet cause I like my chocolate a little more bitter.

  3. Simone says

    I love all of your recipes 😊
    Have you tried this using a seed butter like sunflower? To make it school friendly?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Simone! We haven’t tried that but it should work perfectly. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

  4. Bente says

    Wow! So freaking delicious!!
    I was searching for a recipe for homemade vegan Reese’s the other day, cause I missed reese’s so much, but I just found so many recipes with stuff like cornsyrup and butter and I can’t have that. Then, the very next day, you posted the peanut buttercups on instagram and I felt like it was my wish come true! Just perfect! Better than I could’ve imagined! Better than any peanut butter cups I’ve tried! Even my boyfriend that hates dark chocolate loved them!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Aw, yay! We’re so glad you both enjoyed them, Bente! Thank you for the lovely review!

  5. Laura says

    Wow, delicious! I was too lazy to blend the coconut sugar and I actually liked the subtle crunch it gave the cups. Thank you for this recipe!

  6. Morgan says

    Wow! These are fantastic! So easy! Made them as a treat for family and friends to celebrate this sweet-tooth long weekend. Thank you so much, love your site.
    P.S. I’m an early childhood educator who loves the simplicity and goodness of your recipes! Very child-friendly, you’re who we turn to when we want to make something special <3

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Aw, yay! We’re so glad to hear it, Morgan. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo

  7. Julie Brown says

    Look no further. My favorite peanut butter cup recipe ever, because:
    They are delicious, nutritious, easy and fast! Once you prep the coconut sugar (blend it to powder), it’s 30 minutes from start to popping a couple in your mouth. My peanut butter only needed 1 Tbsp. of almond flour to make the perfect peanut butter cup.

  8. Trinity says

    Family is obsessed. Of course takes a little patience but worth it! If you’ve got the time and the ingredients, do it!

  9. Kelly says

    I would love to make some of the sweet vegan recipes, but you call for sugar or powdered sugar (neither are vegan), and chocolate.

  10. Sky Riverhawk says

    These are decadent bites of scrumptious! And healthy-ish too;) My teens gobbled them up and I’m making them again tomorrow for a fun weekend treat. Thank you so much for your simple, nutritious GF recipes. Your site is my Celiac family’s “go to website” several times a week.

  11. Samantha says

    My fiancé has had a hankering for some chocolate treats as of late so I decided to whip these up today. Super easy and pantry staple friendly! My peanut butter was on the thicker side so I didn’t require the use of almond flour in the filling. I also omitted the powdered coconut sugar. Overall really pleased with the simplicity of this recipe and will revisit again when that chocolate craving strikes!

  12. Tara says

    Love your recipes, and this one is no exception! The one thing I did differently, though, was the filling (got creative because I needed to make it with what I had on hand). I made my own sweetened condensed coconut milk and mixed it with peanut butter. You can buy sweetened condensed coconut milk already made. I usually don’t because of the sugar used to sweeten it. I just made my own so I could sweeten it with honey. The texture is really nice, and you also don’t have a noticeable coconut flavor. Just thought I would share. Thank you for all your delicious and beautiful recipes!

  13. Amy S says

    this is so delicious! I made it with nuttzo, nut and seed butter. I didn’t put any sugar nor salt but did add coconut oil to the dark chocolate chips. I use less than a cup of chocolate chips because my muffin pan comes only 12 cups.
    I found out the cheap paper liners actually worked really well.
    now I don’t have to pay big buck for the nut cups. you have always come up something that I can make it with healthier ingredients.
    thank you so much!

  14. Camile says

    Do you think oat flour could be substituted for almond flour in this recipe? Thanks! I’m really looking forward to making these!

  15. Tarah Friedland says

    I have made these twice now. They are beyond awesome and remind me and my family of Reese’s…but better. I made modifications to the filling and used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free flour instead of almond flour, and Lakanto Monkfruit instead of coconut sugar. For the chocolate shell, I subbed a sunflower and coconut (liquid) blend of oil vs straight coconut. The chocolate was tender and soft just like the real-deal Reese’s but still held together very well. The first batch I made was with monkfruit, 2nd was with organic cane sugar. I must say….the monkfruit produced a more genuine Reese’s flavor and consistency than did the cane sugar. Will definitely be making again and again. Thanks for the recipe!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad they turned out well. Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Tarah! xo

  16. Hailee says

    These were so delicious! Followed the recipe but when it came to do the second round of chocolate on top I found myself needing to make more- overall, they are worth making and are infinitely better than any store bought chocolate peanut butter cup out there.

  17. Lesley says

    Is it possible to make these in a regular-sized muffin tin? If so, what would the amounts of chocolate and pb mixture be per muffin cup? Thanks!

      • Paris says

        I had meant from scratch, BUT I have found a recipe on your recipe on your site (the cocoa butter one) so I’ll combine that recipe with this one. I’ll do it that way!

        Thank you, Dana. BTW I made your walnut taco meat, then combined it with your quinoa taco meat I’ve had frozen. It was pure #heaven. Saving some for the weekend then freezing the rest.

        Bless!

  18. Sandra D says

    I’m not vegan, or have to use gluten-free, so I did use vegetable oil (and mistakenly used tablespoons – I didn’t have my glasses on). I did use the almond flour since I had it, and used icing sugar (1 tablespoon). The peanut butter was just peanuts.

    5 y.o. grandson declared them DELICIOUS! So did Grandpa, though he said they were sweet; I wonder if I could omit the sugar altogether? Has anyone tried that?

    I don’t eat peanut butter, so can’t judge on my own. If you ever make a Crispy Crunch bar, I’d eat it :)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Sandra! Thanks so much for sharing. You can omit the sugar if you’d like! Just add more almond flour if it’s looking too runny. And thanks for the request!

  19. Esmeralda Cassion says

    I never tried to do it like that , Your’s look very elegant . I will definitely try that for me and my family as we are peanut butter lover household .

  20. Lara says

    Thank you for this recipe- I’m very excited to try it as my other half loves peanut butter cups!
    I was wondering what I could substitute for the coconut oil? I’m guessing it’s to make the chocolate more pliable and I’m not sure if that’s because the chocolate is dairy free or if you would do it with all kinds of chocolate. We’re vegetarian not vegan so could use chocolate with dairy.
    Thank you,
    Lara

  21. Piper says

    I love your recipes but your site is practically unusable on a phone. I try to jump to the recipe and it bounces all over the place. Then an interstitial ad pops up and I can’t get rid of it so I have to go back and click on the recipe again. Ughhhhhhhh.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Piper so sorry to hear you had a bad experience! The video ad that plays on mobile corresponds to the recipe you’re on. But if you don’t want to view it you can easily “x” out of it. In any case thanks for sharing. We’re always trying to weigh user experience with keeping our content free and we appreciate the feedback!

  22. Catherine M says

    These are AMAZING, so so delicious. I like them crunchy straight from the freezer. I used Jif natural PB because that’s all I had and omitted the salt and sugar on the inside. I just added about 2 Tbs gluten-free flour (because I was out of almond flour). I made them in my muffin tin without cup liners, and they came right out with no oil or anything. So rich and yummy!

  23. RJ says

    Made these as directed except didn’t blend the coconut sugar into powder (was not necessary). They are SO good, better than store bought. The flaky sea salt on top makes them extra tasty and “fancy”. Also fun and easy to make, my kids enjoyed helping out. Thanks for this recipe, we will be making these again.

  24. Sherilyn says

    Can these be made without the additional oil? I know they won’t have that gloss that oil gives the chocolate but I need them to not have additional processed oil in them.

  25. Tanya Litwiller says

    Is the sweetener necessary for it to hold together? I am trying to avoid sweeteners and sugars if possible. Thanks!

  26. Jennifer Sheley says

    This popped up on my feed today and I’m dying to make it! I don’t have almonds or almond flour, is there something you’d recommend to replace the almond flour with?

  27. Andrea says

    I neeed to try this!!!! Just wondering if the coconut sugar makes them taste like coconut? (I really don’t like coconut) and also I don’t have blender at the moment. Can I sub for stevia or something else?

  28. Suzanne says

    Hi! I’m wondering what you think of making these nut free… maybe a sunflower butter filling with a little oat flour instead of almond. Any other ideas that may taste better and be nut-free? Thanks!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Sunflower butter would be delicious! I’d recommend coconut flour, or oat flour should be fine, too.

  29. Johanna says

    Ideas welcomed for substituting the almond meal. I’m allergic but I’d love to make peanut butter cups.
    Thanks in advance! 🤗