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Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

By Deryn Macey

4.72 from 14 votes

on Apr 17, 2019, Updated Jul 24, 2024

These vegan chocolate peanut butter cups are super easy to make with minimal ingredients and taste just like the real thing! You’ll love this simple vegan version of the classic sweet and salty treat.

Features

• dietary features: vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free
• no-bake: easy to make with just 5 simple ingredients, no baking required
• wholesome ingredients: know exactly what went into your healthier homemade dessert

Ingredient Notes

For the Chocolate

• coconut oil – you’ll need this for both the chocolate cups and the filling and it can’t be substituted in this recipe
• maple syrup – used to sweeten both the cups and the filling, I don’t recommend any other sweetener here
• cocoa powder – regular cocoa powder or raw cacao both work great
• peanut butter – any natural peanut butter works, can be subbed with almond butter or for nut-free cups, sunflower seed butter
• nutritional yeast – optional but highly recommended, I know it sounds odd but it’s really what makes this recipe. It adds a salty, nutty flavour and certain texture that makes the cups taste like Reese’s. It’s easy to find in well-stocked grocery stores, health food stores and online.

Step by Step Method

Step 1. Gently mix together the first set of chocolate ingredients: 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, 3 tbsp of maple syrup and 1/4 cup of cocoa powder. It should have a smooth, runny consistency.

Step 2. Spoon the mixture into 12 lined muffin cups (or 24 mini cups) and place the entire tray into the freezer.

Quick Tip: If you don’t have a muffin tin, just use paper or silicone cupcake liners and place them on a plate or tray.

Step 3. While the bottom of the cups are hardening in the freezer, mix together the peanut butter, nutritional yeast, coconut oil and maple syrup for the peanut butter filling.

Step 4. Divide the peanut butter mixture between the cups you created, spreading it around a bit so it’s mostly flat. Pop the whole tray back into the freezer for 20 minutes or so.

Step 4. When your’e ready, mix together the remanning chocolate ingredients as you did in step 1 and spoon the mixture over the cups.

Place back in the freezer until the chocolate has hardened. Once they’re firm, they’re ready to enjoy!

Tips and Notes

• No muffin tin? Silicone or paper liners both work well. If you don’t have a muffin tin, just place them on a plate or tray.
• Peanut-Free and Nut-Free Options: For peanut-free cups, use almond butter instead of peanut butter. For nut-free cups, use sunflower seed butter or Wowbutter instead of peanut butter, or try my tahini cups.
• Storage: Store the finished cups in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Enjoy straight from the freezer.
• Coconut Oil: The coconut oil cannot be substituted in this recipe as it’s what makes the chocolate harden. If you prefer, you can use melted chocolate chips or dark chocolate instead of making your own chocolate. For further details on using melted chocolate, refer to my chocolate caramel cups.

Related Recipes

• Salted Caramel Tahini Cups
• 2-Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Caramel Cups
• Homemade Snickers
• Homemade Twix Bars
• No-Bake Chocolate Caramel Bars
• Homemade Butterfingers with Corn Flakes
• Homemade Mounds Bars Recipe
• Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs
  

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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4.72 from 14 votes

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

By: Deryn Macey

These simple and delicious chocolate peanut butter cups are sure to satisfy any chocolate-lovers craving! They’re sweet and salty and a cinch to make! Store them in the freezer for a quick snack anytime of day.

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 12

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

For the Chocolate

• ▢ 2 x 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• ▢ 2 x 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
• ▢ 2 x 1/4 cup cocoa powder

For the Peanut Butter Filling

• ▢ 1 cup natural peanut butter
• ▢ 2 tbsp coconut oil
• ▢ 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ▢ 1/4 tsp sea salt
• ▢ 1 tbsp + 2 tsp nutritional yeast

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Instructions 

• Gently mix together the first set of melted coconut oil, maple syrup and raw cocoa powder in a bowl. It should be smooth and runny.
• Spoon 1/2-1 tbsp into the bottom of a lined muffin tin. Start with about 1/2 tbsp in each, then divide the rest between the 12 if there is extra. You can make 12 large cups or 24 mini cups (start with 1 tsp per cup if doing mini cups). If you don’t have a muffin tin, you can just use paper or silicone cupcake liners on a plate.
• Place the entire tray in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• Mix together the ingredients for the peanut butter filling in a bowl. Mix well until it’s smooth and the nutritional yeast is mixed in completely.
• Remove the chocolate cups from the freezer and spoon the peanut butter filling into each cup. It should be about 1 heaping tbsp/cup. Spread about so the filling is somewhat flat.
• Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes to firm.
• When you’re ready, mix together the second set of chocolate ingredients. Once the peanut butter cups are ready, spoon the mixed chocolate ingredients over top of each cup. Tilt the tray left-right-back and forth to help evenly spread the chocolate.
• Place back in the freezer for about 10 minutes or until the chocolate is set and enjoy!

Notes

Storage: Store the finished cups in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Enjoy straight from the freezer.

Peanut-Free and Nut-Free Options: For peanut-free cups, use almond butter instead of peanut butter. For nut-free cups, use sunflower seed butter or Wowbutter instead of peanut butter, or try my tahini cups.

Coconut Oil: The coconut oil cannot be substituted in this recipe as it’s what makes the chocolate harden. If you prefer, you can use melted chocolate chips or dark chocolate instead of making your own chocolate. For further details on using melted chocolate, refer to my chocolate caramel cups.

Nutritional Yeast: I know it sounds odd but it’s really what makes this recipe. It adds a salty, nutty flavour and certain texture that makes the cups taste like Reese’s. It’s easy to find in well-stocked grocery stores, health food stores and online. I highly recommend giving it a try! If it’s not something you’re familiar, check out my list of recipes for nutritional yeast you can try with any leftovers.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup, Calories: 269kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 22g, Sodium: 94mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 9g

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Originally published on August 13, 2013. Updated with new photos and text on April 17, 2019.