5-Ingredient Healthier Peanut Butter Cups
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Published Oct 25, 2019, Updated Oct 06, 2023
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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!
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.
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.
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 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.
Some Other Peanut Butter Chocolate Treats to Try
- Healthy No Bake Cookies
- Healthy Peanut Butter Balls
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls
- Healthier Butterfingers
Want More Simple Desserts?
- 4-Ingredient Samoas
- Snickers Stuffed Dates
- Healthy Twix Bars
- Healthy Almond Joy Bars
- Trail Mix Coconut Butter Cups
- Healthy Cookie Dough Bites
- Chocolate Frosted Baked Donuts (Entenmann’s Copycat)
- Date Mounds Bars
Be sure to check out all of the dessert recipes on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cups
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I didn’t mix the PB with the cocunt oil or the honey and just dripped it on and after I took it out, the PB didn’t freeze.
That makes sense, Maggie. The coconut oil and honey help the peanut butter firm up when chilled. If you try them again, mixing everything together should give you that nice, solid texture. Let me know if you give it another shot. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Make these almost weekly! Such a yummy, healthier sweet treat! Hits my sweet tooth by just having one or two!
YUM! These are a family favorite for us, too, Rachel. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your review & start rating, I appreciate it!
I made these and they are delicious! They are quick and easy to whip up. Thank you so much for sharing. This is the third recipe of yours that I’ve made, and you’ve not let me down yet!
WOO! I am so glad you are loving these, Melanie. They are one of my faves to keep on hand. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, it means so much to me!
I made these yesterday and they are really delicious! Very rich, so I managed to only eat one, but I enjoyed it very much. I might gonna try to make one with milk chocolate next time.
Awesome! I am so glad you enjoyed these, Julie. Thanks for sharing your feedback and review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
love this idea of making them at home my question is can I use mct oil ?
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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!