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

    Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

    Published: February 13, 2021. Last Updated: April 6, 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.

    Are you a fan of peanut butter cups? Who isn't, right? The combination of creamy peanut butter and rich chocolate is 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 and some peanut butter, and get ready to whip up this amazing 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 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
    • Paper Liners
    • Medium Bowl
    • Knife
    • Microwave-Safe Bowl
    • Stirring Spoon
    • Cookie Dough Scoop
    • Measuring Cups and Spoons

    Ingredients

    • Peanut Butter- The classic nut butter. I often use natural peanut butter.
    • Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Bar- Semi-sweet or dark chocolate will work. Your choice. Just make sure they are vegan, like the Enjoy Life brand.
    • Softened Dairy-Free Butter- Mixes in with the peanut butter and sugar to help it harden.
    • Organic 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. There are mini muffin sizes and regular muffin sizes.

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

    Coarsely chop the 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. This will also protect you from possibly accidentally burning it.

    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 dough 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 layer of chocolate.

    Candy paper cups filled with chocolate at sweetened peanut butter.

    Add the remaining chocolate on 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 peanut butter cups, you can try :

    • Use different nut butters, such as almond or cashew butter.
    • Add in other ingredients, such as nuts and seeds, dried fruit bits, or even coconut flakes.
    • To switch up the coating on these cups, you could use melted vegan dark or white chocolate instead of semi-sweet.
    • If you're feeling adventurous, try adding a teaspoon of your favorite spices or extracts, such as ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, or almond extract.

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

    Popular Substitutions & Additions

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

    • Use different nut butters, such as almond or cashew butter.
    • Add in other ingredients, such as nuts and seeds, dried fruit bits, or even coconut flakes.
    • To switch up the coating on these cups you could use melted vegan dark or white chocolate instead of semi-sweet.
    • If you're feeling adventurous try adding a teaspoon of your favorite spices or extracts such as ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, or almond extract.

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

    Vegan Peanut Butter Cups FAQ's

    Do you need to refrigerate copycat peanut butter cups?

    After they have hardened in the refrigerator, you can take them out and leave them with no problem.

    Can these 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 to harden.

    Can I use just chocolate chips?

    Yes, you can, but a mixture of semi-sweet and dark chocolate 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?

    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.

    More Vegan Chocolate Recipies

    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.

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

    📋 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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