Healthy Vegan Peanut Butter Cups Recipe

Name: Healthy Vegan Peanut Butter Cups Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 cups chocolate chips; 2 tablespoons coconut butter (, or 1 T coconut oil (see note)); ¼ cup smooth peanut butter; 3-4 tablespoons coconut sugar (, or sub with any other sugar you prefer (see note)); ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; Pinch of salt (, optional and only needed if peanut butter is not salted); 16 mini muffin liners

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This simple vegan peanut butter cups recipe is made with 5 simple whole food ingredients. Healthier than store bought, and taste even better!

Pile of peanut butter cups on a grey plate and one with a bite out of it

This post was originally published on January 30, 2014.

I'm all about eating store bought candy when I feel like it, but my belly is often left feeling yuck. So when I'm craving that peanut butter cup goodness, I like to whip up a batch of these and dig in!

Life is all about balance, and I love that I can 'balance' a few more of these in my mouth. Since they're made from whole food ingredients they're not only tastier, but also creamier and a little bit of a healthier alternative, to some of those store bought peanut butter cups.

Ingredients

Just a handful of simple whole food items is all you need to create these tasty treats! Here's what you need:

Chocolate chips
Coconut butter or oil
Peanut butter
Coconut sugar
Vanilla extract

Different colored bowls filled with ingredients to make peanut butter cups

How To Make Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

It may not be quite as easy as tearing open a bag of store bought candy, but the little extra effort is so worth it! Here's what to do:

Pour half of the melted chocolate chips and coconut butter/oil into a lined muffin tin and freeze for 5 minutes.
Mix the peanut butter, sugar, vanilla and optional salt in a bowl until combined.
Put a scoop of the peanut butter mixture on top of the chocolate.
Melt and pour the remaining chocolate mix over the peanut butter, freeze for 5 minutes.
Remove the liners and enjoy!

Grey plate piled up with mini peanut butter cups

Hand taking a bitten peanut butter cup off of a pile on a plate

Flavor suggestions

I like these vegan peanut butter cups just the way the recipe is written, but there are a few adjustments you can make.

Start with 3 tablespoons of sugar and taste before adding more, the more you add the sweeter they will be.
If you don't have a huge sweet tooth you can also use less sugar or leave it out entirely.
I like to use coconut sugar, but you can use any sugar you prefer.
If you are using unsalted peanut butter, I suggest adding a pinch of salt to taste, but it's optional.
For me, these are all about that classic chocolate peanut butter flavor combo, but if you have another favorite nut butter feel free to substitute it in.

Tips and tricks

For the absolute best peanut butter cups, follow these suggestions:

To keep these plant based, make sure to use dairy free chocolate chips.
I melted the chocolate in the microwave and it took about a minute, but you can also use a double boiler on the stove.
Be careful not to overheat and burn the chocolate. The chips may not look melted but as you mix them they do melt more.
The coconut butter or oil is optional but it helps with smoothing out the chocolate so it’s easier to pour.
You can form the peanut butter mix into balls and freeze for a few minutes before placing in the chocolate to avoid peanut butter showing on the edges when finished for a cleaner presentation.
Store the peanut butter cups in the fridge to stay hard. The longer they stay out the softer they will get.
This recipe uses a mini muffin tin, you can use a standard size one but you'll end up with less individual cups.

Common Questions

Can Vegans eat Reese's Peanut Butter Cups?

Unfortunately no, as they contain dairy products. Luckily though, it's easy enough to make your own homemade vegan peanut butter cups!

How do you store homemade peanut butter cups?

Keep them in the refrigerator in order to keep them firm. The longer they sit out at room temperature the softer they will get.

How do you make peanut butter cups from scratch?

Pour some melted chocolate in a lined muffin tin, add a small scoop of peanut butter mix, then top with more chocolate and freeze to set!

Store Bought Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

If you really don't want to make your own even after seeing just how easy it is, here are some store bought options for you:

More Vegan Chocolate Recipes

Satisfy that chocolate sweet tooth craving with any of these homemade plant based recipes: