Vegan Peanut Butter Cups Recipe - Build Your Bite (2024)

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These Vegan Peanut Butter Cups are made with simple ingredients and taste better than Reese’s. Easy and delicious vegan dessert!

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups Recipe - Build Your Bite (1)

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!

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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
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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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
Vegan Peanut Butter Cups Recipe - Build Your Bite (10)

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups Recipe - Build Your Bite (11)

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

Build Your Bite

These vegan peanut butter cups taste better than Reese’s and are so easy to make!

4.67 from 71 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Additional Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 256 kcal

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Layer

  • 10 oz semi sweet dairy free chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons 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 (the 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

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 5gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 169mgPotassium: 106mgFiber: 2gSugar: 17gCalcium: 46mgIron: 2mg

Tried this recipe? Tag me on instagram @buildyourbite and hashtag #buildyourbite!Let us know how it was!

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups Recipe - Build Your Bite (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in Reese's plant based peanut butter cups? ›

Ingredients: sugar, peanuts, cocoa butter, chocolate, oat flour, rice flour, dextrose, contains 2% or less of: sea salt, soy lecithin, natural flavor, rosemary extract.

Are Reese's peanut butter cups getting the vegan treatment? ›

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are getting the vegan treatment. The Hershey Co. said Tuesday that Reese's Plant-Based Peanut Butter Cups, which go on sale this month, will be its first vegan chocolates sold nationally.

Are peanut butter cups vegan? ›

Because they're covered in milk chocolate, the original Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are not vegan. However, a new dairy-free, oat-based version of the recipe, called Reese's Plant Based, was released in 2023 (more on that below!).

What candy is 100% vegan? ›

But don't let that stop your sweet tooth. A little candy, as a treat, every now and then is fine. If you're limiting your sugar intake, look for the brands SmartSweets (vegan-friendly) or Zolli Candy (100 percent vegan).

What is plant-based peanut butter made of? ›

Most peanut butter is vegan

Most types of peanut butter are made using just a few simple ingredients, including peanuts, oil, and salt. Some types may also contain other additives and ingredients like molasses, sugar, or agave syrup — all of which are considered vegan.

Why is Jif peanut butter not vegan? ›

Is Jif® peanut butter vegan? Some of our products do contain ingredients from animal origin, such as our Jif® Natural with Honey, so our products are not considered vegan at this time.

Are Sour Patch Kids vegan? ›

Luckily, almost all Sour Patch Kids candies are vegan-friendly. Sour Patch Kids also offers non-vegan cookies, yogurt, and ice cream (as well as vegan-friendly energy drink mixes)—but here, we focus on their sweet and sour classic candies.

What is the Reese's peanut butter Cup lawsuit? ›

A Florida woman, Cynthia Kelly, made a $2 purchase that resulted in a $5 million suit. Kelly claims that Reese's misrepresented its products when the presentation of the candy on the packaging did not match the actual candy inside the wrapper.

What nut butter is vegan? ›

Cashew butter has a thinner texture and fattier flavor compared to other nut butters, making it a popular addition to vegan desserts, like this salted vanilla bean cashew butter fudge.

What common candy is vegan? ›

Fortunately, loads of candies are vegan, so we can indulge our cravings (mostly) guilt-free. Most dark chocolate is vegan, as are popular sweet treats such as Smarties (known as Rockets in Canada), Oreos, Airheads, Jujubes, and Swedish Fish (some Swedish Fish contain beeswax, so be sure to check the label).

Are M&M's vegan? ›

Are any M&Ms Vegan? Unfortunately upon further inspection, no m&m's are vegan. Not even some of the flavoured ones like peanut m&m or the crispy m&m. While the obvious reason might be the inclusion of dairy products in the milk chocolate with the main ingredient being milk products - skim milk, there are other reasons.

What is this white stuff in my peanut butter? ›

Occasionally, you may find an oily substance at the top of your jar of natural peanut butter. This is the oil separating from the natural peanut butter.

Why do holiday Reese's taste better? ›

The traditional cups also have large ridges around the edges. In contrast, the pumpkins, eggs, and Christmas stockings have a smooth surface—meaning the traditional cups have a larger volume of chocolate. If you prefer peanut butter to chocolate, it makes sense that you think the special shapes taste the best.

Why do Reese's eggs taste different? ›

The Bottom Line. Even though all Reese's shapes are made the exact same way with the exact same recipe, the temperature at which the chocolates hang out in during shipping could play a factor into how fresh each shape tastes.

Is Reese's plant-based dairy free? ›

Nearly 100 years later, the Reese's Plant-Based is the first time that the company has given the iconic treat the dairy-free treatment. “Our purpose is to create more moments of goodness for consumers,” a spokesperson for The Hershey Company tells VegNews.

What are the ingredients in American garden peanut butter? ›

Peanuts, sugar, hydrogenated vegetable oil (rapeseed, cottonseed and soybean oils), and salt.

Why are Reese's Pieces not vegan? ›

There are more than 100 Reese's products, and there are even a variety of Reese's Pieces products. Unfortunately, all Reese's Pieces contain milk ingredients, so none of them are vegan.

Are Reese's peanut butter cups gluten free? ›

All varieties of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are gluten-free except seasonal shaped items (i.e. Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs). NOTE: Double check to make sure your Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are made by Hershey before buying them.

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