5-Ingredient Healthier Peanut Butter Cups

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Make healthier peanut butter cups using just 5 simple ingredients — dark chocolate chips, peanut butter, coconut oil, honey and sea salt.

Hi, my name is Brittany and I’m obsessed with the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. I’m honestly shocked every time I meet someone who doesn’t feel the same about the chocolate and peanut butter. If you are one of those people, you can skip right past this recipe! This is for the fans!

Stack of homemade peanut butter cups in parchment paper.

Reese’s peanut butter cups have been my favorite candy for as long as I can remember. Isaac loves them too so I decided to take a stab at making homemade peanut butter cups that are a tad healthier. Why it’s taken me this long to try making my own peanut butter cups? I’m not sure. Turns out it’s the easiest thing ever and only requires just five simple ingredients: chocolate chips, coconut oil, peanut butter, honey and sea salt. 

Stack of homemade peanut butter cups with layers of chocolate and peanut butter filling.

Ingredients in Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

  • chocolate chips – I like dark chocolate chips, but traditional milk chocolate chips would be great as well. For cups that are lower in sugar and calories, use Lily’s Sweet chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark chocolate). They’re sweetened with stevia and if you use these chips, the cups will only have 6 grams of sugar per serving. For a vegan version, use dairy-free chocolate chips. I like the Enjoy Life brand.
  • coconut oil – melting the chocolate with coconut oil helps the chocolate harden and act more like a shell.
  • peanut butter – I prefer natural peanut butter but you can use any nut or seed butter you like! I’ve tried different flavors of peanut butter and they are delicious with fun flavors! I want to try these with my pumpkin almond butter or cinnamon vanilla peanut butter too.
  • honey or maple syrup – this sweetens the peanut butter layer and makes these homemade peanut butter cups taste like the real deal. I really like the taste of them with honey but for a vegan version you can use maple syrup or agave.
  • sea salt – this ingredient is optional, but if your peanut butter isn’t salted, I highly recommend adding a pinch of sea salt to the peanut butter mixture or sprinkling flaked sea salt on top of the cups.
Hand holding three homemade peanut butter cups with layers of chocolate and peanut butter.

How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Start by lining a muffin tin with 10-12 paper or silicone liners. Cover the bottom of each liner with melted chocolate. Place the tray in the freezer so the chocolate can set.

Make the peanut butter layer by heating peanut butter, honey and coconut oil together. Pour over chocolate and place back in the freezer to set.

Spoon drizzling the top layer of chocolate onto a homemade peanut butter cup in a muffin tin with liners.

Spoon the remaining chocolate over each cup, making sure the peanut butter layer is completely covered. Place back in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour to set completely and enjoy! My mouth is watering just typing out this recipe.

One tip: Be sure to keep your peanut butter cups in the fridge or freezer for storing. They melt easily because of the coconut oil.

Homemade peanut butter cup taken out of its muffin paper liner.

Some Other Peanut Butter Chocolate Treats to Try

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4.35 from 164 votes

5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cups

Make your own peanut butter cups using just 5 simple ingredients — dark chocolate chips, peanut butter, coconut oil, honey and sea salt. 
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 47 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients  

Chocolate Layer

  • 1 cup chocolate chips, use dairy-free for vegan cups*
  • 1 Tablespoon melted coconut oil

Peanut Butter Layer

  • ½ cup natural peanut butter
  • ¼ cup honey, use maple syrup for vegan cups
  • 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • pinch of sea salt, if peanut butter isn’t salted

Instructions 

  • Line a muffin tin with paper or silicone liners. The recipe should make about 10-12 pb cups depending on how thick you make your layers.
  • Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil for 1 minute in the microwave, stir and continue heating on 30 second intervals, until chocolate chips have melted and chocolate is smooth.
  • Using a spoon pour enough chocolate (about 1-2 teaspoons) to cover the bottom of the liner into each liner. Place tray into the freezer for about 5-10 minutes for the chocolate to set.
  • In another bowl, add peanut butter, honey, coconut oil and sea salt (if using). Microwave for about 15 – 20 seconds or until mixture is slightly melted and pourable. Stir to combine.
  • Remove cups from the freezer and pour peanut butter mixture evenly over each cup. Place back in the freezer to set for about 5 minutes.
  • Pour remaining chocolate over each cup, using just enough to completely cover the peanut butter layer. At this point you can also sprinkle flaked sea salt on top of the chocolate if you want!
  • Place tin back in the freezer for about 30 minutes to an hour to set completely. Remove from freezer and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
  • Store leftovers in the fridge. They should last at least 5-7 days. For longer storage, store cups in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Video

Notes

  • For cups that are lower in sugar (and calories), use Lily’s Sweet chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark chocolate. They’re sweetened with stevia. If you use these chips, the cups will only have 6 grams of sugar per serving.
  • For vegan peanut butter cups, just be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life) and use maple syrup or agave instead of honey.
  • Because these peanut butter cups are made with coconut oil, they must be stored in the fridge or freezer and kept cold or they will melt. If you keep them in the freezer, take them out 5-10 minutes before serving because they’ll be pretty hard.

Nutrition

Serving: 1PB cup | Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 49mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: peanut butter cups
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
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Recipe Rating




119 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I am a huge peanut butter cup fan and these hit the spot. I especially love them with the bitter sweet chocolate. I used natural crunchy peanut butter that I need to use up. So easy too!

    1. Ah yum!! I completely agree with you, Cory, and I am glad to hear that you are loving this recipe. Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!

  2. 5 stars
    Yum! These are delicious and so easy to make. My husband said they are the best thing I’ve made in a while. Pretty sure they won’t be lasting 5-7 days haha. Thank you for another great recipe.

    1. AHH this is seriously the best! These are always a hit in my house too and never last the 5-7 days LOL! Thanks for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, I truly appreciate it!

  3. 5 stars
    First, thank you so much for offering all of your amazing recipes. I’ve been hooked on your recipes since I discovered you a month ago, and I use at least one recipe a week.
    These are delicious! I love them. I actually made them for my husband who is a huge Reeces fan. Unfortunately, I forgot he hates the taste of coconut. Do you have a suggestion on what could be used as an alternative to the coconut oil? Thanks!

    1. Hi Geneva – I am so glad you found my blog and have been loving my recipes. I am not sure what could be used in place of coconut oil because it also acts as a hardening agent. You could try to make these without it but I haven’t tried it so I am not sure how it would work. Let me know if you give either of these a try. Also, did you use refined or unrefined coconut oil? Refined is what I would recommend for a less coconut flavor. Hope this helps!

  4. 5 stars
    So happy to know what is in my PB cups. These are super indulgent (9 WW points each!) but worth the treat, just limit to one a day. I am going to try with maple syrup next time because the honey taste was overpowering. The last 3-4 cups weren’t as pretty because the chocolate was running thin lol but these are great!

    1. YAY! I am so glad you found this recipe, Diana and are loving these PB cups. Thanks so much for sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me!

    1. Hi! I haven’t tested this recipe with MCT oil so I am not sure how it would work or if it would harden the chocolate correctly. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out.

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