4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cups (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

These 4-ingredient homemade peanut butter cups come together so easily, make the perfect sweet treat, and the peanut butter-chocolate combination makes any day feel decadent. Perfect for celebrating during Halloween, the holidays, or anytime that you need to satisfy your sweet tooth! Gluten-free and vegan too, so everyone can indulge!

Peanut Butter + Chocolate = Perfect Combo

I don’t know about you, but pairing peanut butter and chocolate together always seems to be the solution to so many things.

If you’ve had a long day and need a bit of cheering up, the combination of both flavors almost always makes anything better -between the sweetness of chocolate and the natural saltiness of peanut butter- any day can definitely benefit from a bit of PB & choc magic.

Make Your Own Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

When I was younger, I loved eating Reese’s peanut butter cups (if you don’t know what these are, they’re basically molded milk chocolate cups filled with peanut butter cream). In my opinion, it was just the right amount of sweet and salty in one single bite, sort of like a Sneakers bar, but in bite-size form.

While I still enjoy them once in a long while, I am also way more conscious and aware that store-bought candy often comes with artificial colorings, additives and preservatives (all of whose names I often cannot pronounce), I figured I’d make my own version – that is both gluten-free and vegan so my husband Juan (who is Celiac and lactose-intolerant) can enjoy them too.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

These homemade peanut butter cups only require just 4 ingredients, and are so crazy simple to make, you probably won’t ever need to buy the store-bought candy again!

Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:

• Chocolate Chips: I used semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips, but if you aren’t lactose-intolerant, feel free to use normal chocolate chips instead.

• Coconut Oil: I personally prefer using refined coconut oil when cooking or baking because it has a more neutral taste compared to extra virgin coconut oil (which has a very strong coconut flavor), but go ahead and use whichever you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to swap out the coconut oil for equal amounts of butter or ghee.

• Peanut Butter: I prefer using unsalted natural peanut butter that doesn’t have any additives or preservatives (learn how to make your own peanut butter in just 10 minutes!), but feel free to use whichever peanut butter you have on hand.

• Powdered Sugar: I used normal powdered sugar, but if you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I recommend that you use Lakanto Powdered Sweetener (a 1:1 powdered sugar substitute that has zero glycemic index).

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Line the Muffin Tin

Start off by lining a standard muffin mold with paper liners or silicon liners.

2. Melt the Chocolate Mixture

Combine the chocolate chips and melted coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30-second intervals, mixing to combine after each interval, until the chocolate is smooth and glossy. (It took me 3 intervals of 30 seconds each – so 1 min 30 seconds in total).

3. Prepare the Chocolate Base

Pour 1 to 2 teaspoons of melted chocolate in each muffin liner to cover the bottom of each liner (you will use approximately half the amount of melted chocolate). Let the chocolate layer set in the freezer for 10 minutes until firm.

4. Make the Peanut Butter Mixture

When the chocolate layer is almost done, combine the peanut butter and coconut oil in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat the mixture for 20 seconds in the microwave and mix well before adding powdered sugar and mixing until sugar is completely dissolved and you get a pourable mixture.

5. Peanut Butter Layer

Once the chocolate base has set, pour 2-3 teaspoons of peanut butter mixture over each chocolate base. Place back into the freezer to set for another 10 minutes. 

6. Final Chocolate Layer

If the chocolate mixture from before has solidified, simply heat it up in the microwave for 30-seconds intervals until smooth and glossy again. Pour 1 – 2 teaspoons of melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer in each muffin liner and freeze completely for at least 1 hour before eating. 

Expert Tips/Tricks

Peanut Butter Alternatives: If you are allergic to peanut butter, or simply prefer to use a nut butter, feel free to use almond butter, cashew butter or even sunflower seed butters in equal quantities.

Keep The PB Cups Chilled: Since these chocolate PB cups are made with coconut oil, they must be kept in the refrigerator or the freezer, or they will melt easily. If you are keeping them in the freezer, simply take them out 5 to 10 minutes before eating/serving as they may be quite hard at first.

Mini Cups: To make mini version of these, simply use mini muffin paper liners. You should be able to get double the amount of the standard size (i.e. 24 mini cups instead of 12 standard cups).

Recipes FAQs:

Peanut Butter Recipes You’ll Also Love:

• 10-Minute Creamy Peanut Butter (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Peanut Sesame Zucchini Noodles (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Rainbow Vegetable Rolls & Spicy Peanut Sauce (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Other Dessert Recipes You’ll Enjoy:

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