• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Crowded Kitchen
MENUMENU
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Sign Up
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact
×

Home » Recipes » Vegan Sweets

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

Published: Sep 2, 2021 by Lexi

494 shares
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Easy, healthy(ish), crowd-pleasing - what can't these homemade vegan peanut butter cups do? They're the perfect weeknight treat! Make a big batch and store in the fridge or freezer for a quick snack when that chocolate craving hits.

side view of a stack of homemade vegan peanut butter cups sliced in half.
Jump to:
  • 🍫 Why We Love This Recipe
  • 🍯 Ingredients
  • 📋 Ingredient Notes
  • 🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
  • 💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
  • 🍽 Related Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe

🍫 Why We Love This Recipe

  • Quick and easy: You only need a few ingredients to make these simple vegan peanut butter cups. Better yet, no special equipment needed – just a mixing bowl and some mini muffin tins.
  • Healthy(ish): As far as desserts go, these vegan peanut butter cups definitely fall on the healthier side. We use dark chocolate instead of milk and maple syrup to slightly sweeten the filling without being overly sweet. With plenty of healthy fats, just one small cup is enough to satisfy even the most intense sweet tooth!
  • Perfect make-ahead dessert: Unlike baked goods and other desserts, these vegan peanut butter cups don't have to be consumed ASAP. You can make a batch and store in the fridge or freezer for up to a few months to enjoy whenever you need that extra something. Also perfect for the holidays!
  • Pantry-friendly: you probably already have all the ingredients you need to whip up a quick batch of these vegan peanut butter cups!
close up overhead view of vegan peanut butter cups on tin tray with some sliced in half and some whole.

🍯 Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you need to make these vegan peanut butter cups:

overhead view of ingredients for vegan peanut butter cups in small prep bowls, including chocolate chips and peanut butter.

📋 Ingredient Notes

  • Dark chocolate: we use dark chocolate between 72-80% for these vegan peanut butter cups. You want something dark enough to provide contrast between the sweet filling, but if you go too dark, they will be bitter. If you don't like dark chocolate, feel free to use a vegan semisweet or even milk chocolate of choice.
  • Peanut butter: we use unsweetened natural peanut butter in this recipe. It's important to note because sweetened/regular peanut butter can have a very different consistency and may alter the recipe. Of course, you can also substitute with another nut butter of choice, like almond, cashew or sunflower seed butter.
  • Maple syrup: you can substitute with another liquid sweetener of choice, like agave.
  • Coconut oil: a small amount of coconut oil keeps the filling softer, which makes it more similar to a store-bought peanut butter cup. We also use a small amount of coconut oil in the melted chocolate to loosen it up, which makes it easier to coat the mini muffin tin liners.
  • Cinnamon: completely optional, but we love the flavor it adds.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

(1) Chop dark chocolate into small shards (or if using chocolate chips, skip this) and place in heat-safe bowl with 1 teaspoon coconut oil. Melt in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each interval, until completely melted.

before and after melting dark chocolate chips with a small amount of coconut oil.

(2) Meanwhile, whisk together peanut butter, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla until smooth.

close up view of peanut butter filling in a mixing bowl with whisk.

(3) Line a mini muffin tin with mini muffin liners. Pour a small amount (~1-1 ½ teaspoon) of chocolate into liner. Using a pastry brush or the back of the spoon, spread the chocolate all the way up the sides of the liner. Repeat for the entire tin. Freeze for 10 minutes, until solidified.

three photos showing brushing dark chocolate up the sides of mini muffin tins.

(4) Transfer peanut butter filling to a piping bag and fill each liner a little more than ¾ of the way full, leaving room at the top for more chocolate. Freeze for 10-15 minutes, until mostly solid.

spooning peanut butter filling into chocolate shell for homemade peanut butter cups.

(5) Top off each peanut butter cup with more chocolate all the way to the edge, fully covering the peanut butter filling. Return to freezer once more until set – about 20 minutes.

spooning a layer of melted chocolate on top of peanut butter filling to make peanut butter cups in mini muffin tin.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

  • Store in fridge or freezer: We don't recommend storing these vegan peanut butter cups at room temperature, as they tend to get a bit messy. Since peanut butter is runny at room temperature, they're best stored in the refrigerator or freezer for long term storage. If storing in the freezer, let them soften for a few minutes at room temperature before enjoying.
  • Pastry brush: a pastry or basting brush is the best tool to easily coat the sides of the muffin liners, which is essential so none of the peanut butter filling seeps through. If you don't have one, try using the back of a spoon or a small rubber spatula.
  • No mini muffin tin? Use a regular muffin tin, but only spread the chocolate about halfway up the liner, otherwise you'll end up with a massive peanut butter cup. (Not that we're against that...on second thought, it sounds pretty good!)
  • Use any nut butter: you don't have to be limited to peanut butter – try almond, cashew or pecan butter. For a nut free version, use sunflower seed butter, or even granola butter (yes, that's a thing!) for a unique spin.
  • PB & J cups: sometimes we'll add in a thin layer of raspberry or strawberry jam to these vegan peanut butter cups for a fun take on a pb&j. I love the contrast of the sweet, tart jam!
side view of a stack of homemade vegan peanut butter cups with some sliced in half and some whole.

🍽 Related Recipes

  • Stack of homemade vegan snickers bars covered in chocolate.
    Homemade Snickers Bars (Vegan)
  • overhead view of vegan chocolate caramel pecan turtles on parchment paper.
    Chocolate Pecan Caramel Turtles
  • Healthy Vegan Almond Joy Bars
  • Homemade Twix Bars (Vegan and Gluten Free)
overhead view of vegan peanut butter cups on tin tray with some sliced in half and some whole.

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

Print

📖 Recipe

clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
overhead view of vegan peanut butter cups on tin tray with some sliced in half and some whole.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups


  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 12-14 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Easy, healthy(ish), crowd-pleasing - what can't these homemade vegan peanut butter cups do? They're the perfect weeknight treat! Make a big batch and store in the fridge or freezer for a quick snack when that chocolate craving hits. 


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 14 ounces dark chocolate, melted with 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter (unsweetened)
  • 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 1 ½ tablespoon maple syrup
  • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Chop dark chocolate into small shards (or if using chocolate chips, skip this) and place in heat-safe bowl with 1 teaspoon coconut oil. Melt in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each interval, until completely melted. 
  2. Meanwhile, whisk together peanut butter, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla until smooth.
  3. Line a mini muffin tin with mini muffin liners. Pour a small amount (~1-1 ½ teaspoon) of chocolate into liner. Using a pastry brush or the back of the spoon, spread the chocolate all the way up the sides of the liner. Repeat for the entire tin. Freeze for 10 minutes, until solidified. 
  4. Transfer peanut butter filling to a piping bag and fill each liner a little more than ¾ of the way full, leaving room at the top for more chocolate. Freeze for 10-15 minutes, until mostly solid. 
  5. Top off each peanut butter cup with more chocolate all the way to the edge, fully covering the peanut butter filling. Return to freezer once more until set – about 20 minutes.

Notes

Store in fridge or freezer: We don't recommend storing these vegan peanut butter cups at room temperature, as they tend to get a bit messy. Since peanut butter is runny at room temperature, they're best stored in the refrigerator or freezer for long term storage. If storing in the freezer, let them soften for a few minutes at room temperature before enjoying.

Pastry brush: a pastry or basting brush is the best tool to easily coat the sides of the muffin liners, which is essential so none of the peanut butter filling seeps through. If you don't have one, try using the back of a spoon or a small rubber spatula.

No mini muffin tin? Use a regular muffin tin, but only spread the chocolate about halfway up the liner, otherwise you'll end up with a massive peanut butter cup. 

Maple syrup: you can substitute with another liquid sweetener of choice, like agave.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: No Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Cup
  • Calories: 308
  • Sugar: 13.7 g
  • Sodium: 81.7 mg
  • Fat: 23.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 20.6 g
  • Fiber: 3.3 g
  • Protein: 5.8 g

Keywords: vegan peanut butter cups

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #crowdedkitchen

More Vegan and Gluten Free Sweets Recipes

  • Close up of the interior of the chocolate bliss balls on a silver tray.
    Chocolate Bliss Balls
  • Finished slice of lemon cake with raspberries and lemon slice on top.
    Vegan Lemon Cake
  • Overhead view of vegan butter cookies on a green platter with christmas ornaments.
    Vegan Butter Cookies
  • Overhead of the finished vegan spritz cookies on a baking rack.
    Vegan Spritz Cookies

Reader Interactions

Let us know what you think! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Lexi and Beth toasting with wine.

Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

More about us →

Featured in:

Featured in Buzzfeed, yahoo, Men's Journal, Huffpost, MSN, Food & Wine, Country Living, yummly, and Parade.

Spring recipes

  • The Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar
  • Super Green Vegetable Soup
  • Vegan Pasta Bake
  • Overhead view of spaghetti squash soup in a bowl.
    Spaghetti Squash Soup
  • overhead view of vegan mediterranean sheet pan dinner with tofu, chickpeas, vegetables and tahini yogurt drizzle.
    Mediterranean Sheet Pan Dinner
  • overhead view of vegan creamy beet pasta in large pot.
    Creamy Beet Pasta

Most popular recipes

  • How to make Infused Liquors (5 Ways)
  • close up overhead view of vegan bean soup in a bowl on white linen surface.
    Three-Bean Vegetable Soup
  • close up view of a passion fruit martini in a glass with dark backdrop.
    Passion Fruit Martini
  • overhead view of vegan mac and cheese in pot
    The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
  • Two tequila mule cocktails in copper mugs with lime and mint garnish on antique blue table.
    Tequila Mule
  • side view of limoncello spritz cocktail garnished with fresh mint.
    Limoncello Spritz

See more-->

Footer

Back to top ↑

About

  • Learn About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • See our Portfolio

Newsletter

  • Sign up for weekly emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Work With Us
  • As Seen In

Copyright © 2022 Crowded Kitchen