These Vegan Peanut Butter Cups are made with simple ingredients and taste better than Reese’s. Easy and delicious vegan dessert!
These vegan peanut butter cups are one of my favorite no bake desserts.
They are naturally gluten free, dairy free, and come together in minutes!
Growing up, my absolute favorite candy was Reese’s cups.
Forget skittles and starbursts, I was always all about that chocolate + peanut butter!
These chocolate peanut butter cups are so simple to make.
They are similar to my healthy no bake peanut butter truffles, but in reese’s cup form.
If you gave me a choice between Reese’s cups and these homemade ones, I would pick the homemade ones every time!
The flavor just cannot even compare.
Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Ingredients
- creamy peanut butter
- coconut oil
- semi sweet vegan chocolate chips
- pure maple syrup
- coconut palm sugar
- vanilla extract
- salt
How to make vegan peanut butter cups
No fancy ingredients or equipment required to make these no bake cups.
All you need is a muffin tin with liners, and a few simple ingredients!
melting the chocolate layer
Step 1: melt your chocolate chips and coconut oil.
You can do this using the stove or the microwave, just watch carefully to make sure the chocolate does not burn.
Step 2: Stir in the salt and vanilla, then measure out a layer into each muffin tin.
Step 3: Freeze the first layer of chocolate for about 10 minutes, or until solid.
Once you pop them in the freezer, that gives you the perfect amount of time to make the peanut butter filling while the chocolate shell hardens.
making the peanut butter filling
Step 4: Whisk together peanut butter, maple syrup, salt, and coconut palm sugar until combined.
Grab a spoon and get ready for adding the next part of your homemade Reese’s cups.
Step 5: Distribute the peanut butter filling evenly into the 12 muffin cups, then distribute the remaining chocolate over the tops.
So easy and really fun to make!
Kids would love helping to make these too.
These look impressive, but are really simple and not time consuming at all.
These last approximately a day in my house if I’m lucky!
You might want to make a double batch if you want any leftover!
The peanut butter filling is so delicious I could eat it off of a spoon!
One thing to note is that this recipe uses all natural peanut butter.
I prefer to buy it this way as it is no added sugar.
If you are looking for a peanut butter that is all natural, just look to be sure the only ingredients on the label are peanuts and salt.
The longer you freeze these, the creamier the peanut butter filling becomes.
It all depends on how soft you like them!
The chocolate shell gets nice and hard, so you might want to store these in the fridge once set, or remove from the freezer for a minute or two before eating.
Or stir them into ice cream with some chocolate syrup for reese’s ice cream!
I personally like mine from the freezer!
I originally published this recipe years ago and every time I make them they are devoured.
They are perfect every time!
If I had my choice, I would have 100 of these in my freezer for every day chocolate emergencies.
I have tried several peanut butter cups that are store bought, and none can even compare to these.
If you love chocolate + peanut butter, you will LOVE these.
They are also fantastic cut up into pieces and served over vanilla ice cream (speaking from experience!)
More vegan desserts
- Vegan Peanut Butter Fudge
- Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Best Vegan Apple Crisp
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Blueberry Peach Crisp
- Homemade Magic Shell
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Vegan Peanut Butter Cups
These vegan peanut butter cups taste better than Reese's and are so easy to make!
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Layer
- 10 oz bag of semi sweet dairy free chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Peanut Butter Filling
- ¾ cup all natural peanut butter, chilled in the fridge (only ingredients should be peanuts and salt)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
Instructions
- Start by melting the chocolate layer. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to a saucepan and heat on low heat, until melted
- Add 10 oz bag of chocolate chips, stirring on low heat, until melted (can take 5 minutes) *be sure not to burn chocolate and only melt on low* Alternatively you can microwave in small increments and stir until melted, but be careful not to burn the chocolate.
- Once chocolate is melted, add in ¼ teaspoon sea salt and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract and stir to combine
- Once the chocolate mixture is stirred and melted, line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper muffin liners
- Pour 2 teaspoons of chocolate mixture in the bottom of each muffin liner. Once you are done filling each liner, tap the pan down a few times to get the chocolate to sit flat.
- Place muffin tin in freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until chocolate is set
- While chocolate is hardening, make the peanut butter mixture
- Add ¾ cup of chilled peanut butter (see note above) to a bowl *note - peanut butter should be thick not drippy)
- Add maple syrup, sea salt, and coconut palm sugar and stir with a fork until well combined
- Remove muffin tin from freezer and place distribute the peanut butter mixture on top of each layer of chocolate, flattening it down in the center
- Drizzle remaining chocolate mixture over the tops of each muffin cup, making sure to cover the peanut butter completely
- Freeze for 15 minutes, or until chocolate is set
- Store peanut butter cups in the freezer or fridge. I like to keep mine in a ziploc bag in the freezer
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 251Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 169mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 19gProtein: 5g
Rachel
Tuesday 11th of April 2023
Made these for Easter. So tasty! Easy to put together too. I didn't have "100% natural" peanut butter but went with it anyway and was so good. I keep them in the freezer and just pull them out for a minute or two before eating.
Joy Shull
Friday 5th of May 2023
So glad you enjoyed them, they are one of my favorite desserts!
Sara
Tuesday 28th of December 2021
I made these a few months ago and my daughter loved them so much she requested them for her birthday.... but in the form of a cake! Any tips or suggestions on making one big cup rather than mini ones? Do you think it would fill up a round cake pan or would you suggest doubling it?
Joy Shull
Saturday 22nd of January 2022
I have never tried it so that would be something you would need to experiment with. Let me know if you try it!
BethRL
Sunday 22nd of November 2020
I want to make these to ship from Ma to SoCal. In November/ Dec. Thibk they will keep? Any recommendations?
CJ
Friday 22nd of May 2020
I don't have any and since I only need 2 tbsp coconut oil what can I use as a substitute please?
These look so yummy I can't wait to make them tomorrow. Thank you for your time and talent.
cat
Saturday 11th of July 2020
I used canola oil when I made these and they were delicious!!
Jennifer MacDonald
Wednesday 27th of November 2019
These are a big hit with both my family and my team at work. Every year I learn a little bit more about food allergies or preferences and am always trying to be inclusive and accommodate employees on my team. Being able to make vegan items and gluten free treats that are easy and delicious is a win for me as well. These are super easy and absolutely delicious. I try to make them in smaller muffin tins so that the batch goes further. Of course, everyone eats twice as many.
Joy Shull
Wednesday 27th of November 2019
I love hearing stories like yours. Thank you for being so thoughtful of others!