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    You are here: Home / Candy / Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

    Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

    Published: July 5, 2023. Last Updated: July 5, 2023 by: Ginny McMeans

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    Peanut butter cups stacked on top of each other with text at the top.
    Peanut butter cups stacked on top of each other with text at top and bottom.

    Peanut butter and rich milk chocolate are one of the most beloved desserts around! But if you're vegan, then it can be hard to find tasty treats that fit your lifestyle. But don't fret - we've got the perfect solution! Delicious homemade vegan peanut butter cups! This recipe has all the classic flavors that everybody loves without using any animal products. So grab some vegan chocolate, peanut butter, and some powdered and get ready to whip up this amazing peanut butter cup recipe!

    Stack of three vegan peanut butter cups with the top one cut open.

    Why You'll Love These Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

    Budget-Friendly- Peanut Butter Cups are relatively inexpensive to make, so you don't have to spend a ton of money on ingredients.

    Quick and Easy- This recipe doesn't require any fancy equipment or hard-to-find ingredients. You can whip up a batch of peanut butter cups in no time!

    Family-Favorite- Peanut butter cups are a classic crowd-pleaser! Everyone in the family will love these vegan treats.

    Delicious - Of course, the best part about this peanut butter cup recipe is that it's downright delicious! The perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter will have you coming back for more.

    Stack of chocolate candies in front and more stacks behind.

    Equipment

    • Muffin Tin or Muffin Pan
    • Paper Liners
    • Medium Bowl
    • Knife
    • Microwave-Safe Bowl
    • Stirring Spoon
    • Cookie Dough Scoop
    • Measuring Cups and Spoons

    Ingredients

    • Regular Creamy Peanut Butter- The classic nut butter. I often use natural peanut butter.
    • Chocolate Chips And Chocolate Bar- I like to use a bar of dark chocolate to counterbalance the semi-sweet chocolate chips. That makes the coating taste more like the original too. You can, of course, use any chocolate flavor that you like in these peanut butter cups.
    • Softened Dairy-Free Butter- Mixes in with the peanut butter and sugar to help it harden.
    • Organic Powdered Sugar- Powdered sugar sweetens the peanut butter layer and makes these homemade candies taste like the real deal.
    • Salt- Gives a little bit of extra oompf to the peanut butter layer. Especially if you're using unsalted peanut butter.

    How To Make Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

    Get out your muffin tin and line each cup with a paper cupcake liner. Pick a color to help celebrate the occasion.

    You can actually make anywhere from 12 to 18 of these candy cups. The difference is in the size of the muffin tins that you use. They make a mini muffin tin and a regular size muffin tin.

    In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup of the creamy peanut butter, softened dairy-free butter, powdered sugar, and salt until smooth. I used a hand mixer.

    Coarsely chop the dairy-free chocolate bar to help it melt evenly with the chocolate chips.

    Mixed peanut butter filling and chopped chocolate bar on a wooden board.

    In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, and the other ½ cup of peanut butter.

    Heat for 1 minute and then stir. Continue heating at 10-20 second increments. stirring after each heating. Stop before the chocolate is completely melted, as it will continue to melt after being removed from the microwave.

    Stir again after it is removed until the chocolate is completely melted.

    Use a cookie dough scoop to add the melted chocolate to the cupcake liners.

    Combining chocolate and peanut butter to melt and then scooping chocolate into candy cups.

    Divide the peanut butter mixture into how many candy cups you'd like to make. Roll them in a loose ball and then smush them down to lay on top of the bottom chocolate layer of the peanut butter cup.

    Candy paper cups filled with chocolate at sweetened peanut butter.

    Add the remaining chocolate mixture to the top.

    Place in the refrigerator to set.

    Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

    Chocolate candy complete and ready to be hardened.

    Popular Substitutions & Additions

    If you're looking to change up the flavor of these vegan peanut butter cups, you can try :

    • Use different nut butter, such as crunchy peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter.
    • Add in other ingredients, such as nuts and seeds, dried fruit bits, or even coconut flakes.
    • To switch up the chocolate layer on these vegan peanut butter cups, you could use melted vegan dark chocolate chip or white chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
    • If you're feeling adventurous, try adding a teaspoon of your favorite spices or extracts to your vegan peanut butter cups, such as ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, or almond extract.
    • Coconut oil can be used in place the vegan butter.
    • Make mini peanut butter cups using a mini muffin pan.

    The possibilities are endless! No matter how you mix it up, each vegan peanut butter cup will be sure to hit the spot and satisfy your cravings.

    Can You Freeze These Vegan Peanut Butter Cups?

    Yes! These vegan peanut butter cups can be frozen for up to 6 months. To store them, layer the cups in a single layer on a tray and place them in the freezer for about 2-3 hours until they are completely frozen. Transfer them into an airtight container or freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. When ready to enjoy, take a cup out of the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

    Vegan Peanut Butter Cups FAQs

    Do you need to refrigerate these copycat Reese's peanut butter cups?

    After the chocolate coating has hardened in the refrigerator, you can take the peanut butter cups out and leave them at room temperature with no problem.

    Can these vegan peanut butter cups be made into balls?

    Yes, that is really easy. Roll the peanut butter filling into balls and then dip it into the melted chocolate. Place them on a cooling rack for the chocolate coating to harden.

    Can I use just vegan milk chocolate chips?

    Yes, you can use any non-dairy chocolate chips, but a mixture of semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate chips would be more authentic in flavor. But, having said that, they will still be so so very good.

    What kind of chocolate bar should be used in this peanut butter cup recipe?

    I like to use a bar of dark chocolate to counterbalance the semi-sweet chocolate chips. That makes the coating taste more like the original too. You can, of course, use any chocolate flavor that you like in candy bars.

    Peanut butter cups stacked on top of each other with the top one cut in half.

    More Vegan Dessert Recipes

    You can't get any more special than Mint Cookie Truffles. You could even use Girl Scout thin mint cookies in this recipe.

    Vegan Buckeye Candy tastes just like the original classic candy.

    Change out the color of the sprinkles to make these easy Chocolate Crockpot Candy any time of the year.

    Vegan Cookie Dough Truffles are so pretty and taste like they were bought at the finest candy shop.

    📋 Recipe

    Stack of three peanut butter cups with the top one cut open.

    Vegan Peanut Butter Cups Recipe

    Ginny McMeans
    The same classic flavors, now vegan! Dairy-free chocolate, peanut butter, and just a few minutes, is all it takes to make a tasty treat to suite your lifestyle!
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Save Saved
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Chilling Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Candy
    Cuisine Gluten Free, Vegan
    Servings 18 Candies
    Calories 257 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup creamy peanut butter - divided ½ cup each
    • 1 ½ tablespoons dairy-free butter
    • ½ cup organic powdered sugar
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 12 ounces chocolate chips
    • 6 ounces chocolate bar - coarsely chopped for melting

    Instructions
     

    • Add cupcake liners to a muffin tin and set aside. You can make anywhere from 12 to 18 peanut butter cups.
    • In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup peanut butter only, dairy-free butter, powdered sugar. and sal. Beat until smooth.
    • In a microwave-safe bowl, add chocolate chips, chocolate bar pieces, and the remaining peanut butter.
    • Heat for 1 minute, then stir. Continue heating for 10-20 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating and stopping just before the chocolate is completely melted.
    • Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
    • Using a cookie dough scoop, add chocolate into paper liners.
    • Top each with about 1 teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture.
    • Add remaining chocolate on top.
    • Place in refrigerator to set.

    Video

    Notes

    Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1CandyCalories: 257kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 5gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 153mgPotassium: 161mgFiber: 2gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 46IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Lisalia

      March 14, 2021 at 6:46 pm

      5 stars
      WOW just like my favorite store bought treat! These were so easy to make. Thnaks for a delicious and quick treat!

    2. Betsy

      March 14, 2021 at 8:23 pm

      5 stars
      LOVE that these are vegan! Having dairy free recipes at the ready is super important to me as I like to prepare foods for my vegan friends that meet their dietary restrictions AND are super delicious! I can happily report that these meet BOTH those criteria! Yay!

    3. Beth

      March 14, 2021 at 8:43 pm

      5 stars
      This looks so delicious and yummy! I can’t wait to give this a try! My husband and daughter are going to love this!

    4. Debbie

      June 06, 2021 at 9:15 am

      5 stars
      Wow, these look amazing and I'll be whipping up a batch today! One question, why do you use 2 different types of chocolate?

    5. Ginny McMeans

      June 06, 2021 at 1:57 pm

      You can use one type of chocolate Debbie. I found that the candy bars aren't as sweet as the chocolate chips and the taste is closer to real Peanut Butter Cups. Believe me though that it's good with one type as I have done that. 🙂

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    For years I dabbled in cooking vegan food, but since I became a mom it has become more important for me than ever. What I’m after is a great collection of healthy and not time-consuming vegan recipes that make the whole family look forward to meals together.

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