These 4-ingredient vegan peanut butter cups are the perfect dairy-free alternative to Reese's cups! When dark chocolate decadence meets creamy peanut buttery goodness, it becomes the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth! Enjoy as is or top with some sea salt for a sweet and salty combination. They're naturally gluten-free too!
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Coming from someone who hoarded all the Reese's after Halloween, Easter and every candy-centric party or event, trust me when I tell you that these vegan peanut butter cups are even better than my old favorite!
No, it's not because I made them.
Well, maybe that's one reason, but moving on...
They are better because they are made with all-natural ingredients...and they taste amazing too, which doesn't hurt. 😉
They're also perfect for anyone who is vegan or avoiding dairy because they are totally dairy-free! Woo-hoo!
Plus, they're made so you can see every layer...chocolate, peanut butter and more chocolate! You will also love these Dairy Free Peanut Butter Cookies!
I mean, there's no going wrong when you combine peanut butter and chocolate.
Take these chocolate peanut butter overnight oats or these vegan peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for example.
If you're a peanut butter and chocolate kind of person, you can be my BFF you will absolutely love these peanut butter cups!
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Ingredients for vegan Reese's cups
- Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips (such as Enjoy Life brand)
- Creamy Peanut Butter (be sure to use an all-natural peanut butter with no added sugar)
- Organic Powdered Sugar (this helps sweeten the peanut butter and create a fluffy texture)
- Coconut Oil (this is for melting the chocolate chips so that the chocolate is smooth).
- Coarse Sea Salt (this is optional for topping the peanut butter cups)
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make dairy-free peanut butter cups
Fill a standard size muffin/cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners and set aside.
Add the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwavable bowl.
Heat in 30 second intervals in the microwave until melted, stirring in between.
Spoon some of the chocolate mixture into the bottom of each of your 12 cupcakes liners.
Place the cupcake pan in the freezer for about 5 minutes, until the chocolate is set.
Add the peanut butter and powdered sugar to a mixing bowl.
Mix together until combined into a thick paste.
Spoon some of the peanut butter mixture on top of each chocolate layer and press it down with your fingers or the back of a small metal spoon so it completely covers the chocolate.
Put the pan back in the freezer for another 5 minutes.
Spoon the rest of the melted chocolate mixture on top of the peanut butter layer.
Sprinkle the tops with sea salt if using.
Put the pan back in the freezer for a final 15 minutes.
Once set, peel the cupcake liners away to reveal your beautifully layered peanut butter cups.
Tip: If you prefer that the peanut butter layer is completely covered and none of it shows, instead of spreading the peanut butter mixture to the edge of the liner, scoop out a rounded, level tablespoon of the peanut butter mixture and use your hands to flatten so that it's just slightly smaller than the bottom layer of chocolate. Repeat this for all of the cups.
Equipment you'll need
For this recipe, you'll need a standard 12-count muffin/cupcake pan and standard cupcake liners.
In addition, you can measure the chocolate chips by weight with a kitchen scale.
If you don't have a kitchen scale, you can measure the chocolate chips using cups and tablespoons.
How to store vegan peanut butter cups
Once the peanut butter cups have completely set, they can be stored at room temperature.
You can refrigerate them if you prefer, but I suggest leaving them out for a few minutes before eating as the chocolate will get hard.
You can also freeze some for later if you'd like. Allow to defrost at room temperature before eating.
Frequently asked questions
Reese's brand peanut butter cups are not vegan as they are made with milk chocolate and contain dairy. But this recipe is made with dairy-free dark chocolate and is vegan-friendly.
Justin's does have milk chocolate and white chocolate peanut butter cups which are not vegan. However, the brand's dark chocolate peanut butter cups are made without dairy and are vegan-friendly. I definitely recommend this brand as a store-bought option.
Vegan Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients
- 12.7 oz. dairy-free dark chocolate chips (360 grams or 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons if you don't have a kitchen scale)
- 3 tablespoon refined coconut oil
- ⅔ cup unsweetened, creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup organic powdered sugar
- coarse sea salt for topping – optional
Instructions
- Fill a standard size muffin/cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Add the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwavable bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals in the microwave until melted, stirring in between.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of the chocolate mixture into the bottom of each of the 12 cupcakes liners.
- Place the cupcake pan in the freezer for about 5 minutes, until the chocolate is set.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the peanut butter and powdered sugar until combined into a thick paste.
- Spoon approx. 1 tablespoon of the peanut butter mixture on top of each chocolate layer and press it down with your fingers or the back of a small metal spoon so it completely covers the chocolate.
- Put the pan back in the freezer for another 5 minutes.
- Spoon the rest of the melted chocolate mixture on top of the peanut butter layer, about 1 tablespoon in each cup. *Make sure it’s completely spread out to the edges of the cupcake liner.
- Sprinkle the tops with the coarse sea salt, if using.
- Put the pan back in the freezer for a final 15 minutes.
- Once set, peel the cupcake liners away to reveal your beautifully layered peanut butter cups. They can be stored at room temperature.
(Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs and other helpful information for this recipe)
Suggested Equipment/Tools
Notes
Nutrition
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Dee
Could vegan margarine, melted, be used instead of coconut oil, as I’m allergic to it?
Sireesha
Yes, you can substitute vegan butter or margarine as it has a similar consistency to coconut oil. Use a 1:1 ratio. You may want to get a butter that has similar fat content to coconut oil to achieve a similar level of consistency! Let us know how it turns out!
Bree P.
I have made these using your specific recipe about 100x ..These are sooooo Freaking good...I swear you they are better then Reese's.....they are sinfully delicious but a fantastic "treat" (aka small meal lol)when craving something chocolatey and peanut buttery... I've used both the mini and regular size muffin tins and both work great..I've also used homemade Raw cashew butter which is a really good twist as well as homemade raw Peanut butter since the store kind can get pricey....My non vegan friends can't tell the difference they are that good..
Sherri Hall
Thank you so much, Bree! I am sooooo happy you love these so much! I can't say I haven't nearly eaten the whole batch by myself lol. 😉 I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, and I will have to try them with the cashew butter...sounds amazing! Thanks again and have an awesome day! 🙂