Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
on Apr 17, 2019, Updated May 05, 2026
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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.
- For chocolate peanut butter banana cups, add a couple banana slices or spoonful of mashed banana to each cup with the peanut butter.
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
Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients
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
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
Nutrition
Originally published on August 13, 2013. Updated with new photos and text on April 17, 2019.
Easy to make and delicious…. no more store bought peanut butter cups for me. Thank you for the great recipe.
This recipe upset me so much! I am usually a good cook/baker, I still have no clue what I did wrong, but this was a disaster. The chocolate seized up completely (for no reason I could figure out) the first two times I made it (sooo much wasted ingredients, I was SO UPSET about that). It finally worked the third time, or I would have given up (wish I had). I made the peanut butter mix (so many more wasted ingredients!!) and then tried to make the second batch of chocolate, thinking I knew how now. Nope….two more wasted batches, and now I am out of coconut oil and almost out of cocoa powder (both of which I needed for other things) and it’s Easter weekend and I can’t get more in time. I have half finished peanut butter cups, which I am supposed to be bringing to Easter for my vegan uncle. Beyond upset. 🙁
I’m very sorry to hear that, Liz. I can’t imagine what when wrong for you because I’ve made this a dozen times with no problems, as have many readers. If everything was measured correctly and the directions followed, the recipe should work like a charm. I’m really sorry to hear it didn’t work for you and the ingredients were wasted. I know how frustrating that can be.
These look yummy! If you substitute same quantatites of cocoa powder for cacao powder to be healthier, would that work? ????
Yes, that would work.
I forgot to leave a comment on how AWESOME and easy this recipe is!!! I used mini muffin liners to make smaller PB cups. Probably could have cut the filling recipe in half. I topped the top chocolate layer with sprinkles to add a little color and fun 🙂 Thank you for the great recipe!!
Fun! They’d be so cute with sprinkles. I love this recipe too, one of my favourites!
Holy Moly! Just made these for a Friendsgiving dinner party. They are amazing! Super simple, delicious – but not for the faint of heart. Only die hard chocolate fiends need apply. There was more than one mumbly mouthful “what, these are vegan??” (which makes me wonder what the heck is in regular peanut butter cups??) Thanks for the great recipe!
wow, love your blog! Can’t wait to make this delish recipe!!
I just came across this recipe and want to make it for Easter! Would almond butter be an okay sub for PB? Even with the nutritional yeast? Thanks in advance!
Yep, that should work fine!
These look so yummy Deryn! The first time I ever saw nutritional yeast in peanut butter cups was on Averie Cooks many years ago, which I thought was so unique! I had always wanted to try hers! I just recently posted some homemade peanut butter cups myself and somehow just came across these and had to check out your recipe! One can never have too many peanut butter cup recipes, right?! LOL!
I was skeptical about the nutritional yeast but now freely admit that it took all my willpower not to go at the peanut butter filling with a spoon! In my pre-vegan days peanut butter cups were my guilty pleasure and now it looks as though they will be again. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing though…
I would be skeptical too but it’s the best, isn’t it!! Glad you enjoyed them 🙂
I just started following you on Facebook and saw the post for this recipe. I am super excited to make this! I already have all of the ingredients. I will let you know how they turn out!