These no-bake chocolate peanut butter balls come together with a simple 5-ingredient filling, just like these peanut butter egg candies. For the coating, chop and melt real chocolate, and follow all my success tips to make dipping easy. These candies are as soft as chocolate truffles and as irresistible as peanut butter cups!
I originally published this recipe in 2019 and have since added new photos and a video tutorial, and I have also made a small change to the peanut butter filling. See recipe Notes for original filling recipe.
While there’s no disputing that peanut butter + chocolate is a winning combination, there is a lot of competition vying for the title of Best Chocolate-Peanut Butter Treat. While I love peanut butter blossoms and these no-bake chocolate peanut butter barsโoh, and this decadent dark chocolate peanut butter cake is a favorite special-occasion indulgenceโI think the prize for Best All-Around goes to these simple peanut butter balls.
One reader, Krista, commented: “This recipe has become part of my regular Christmas baking and sometimes in the random moment. Thank you for bringing a new baking tradition to our home. My husband and son love them. โ โ โ โ โ ”
One reader, Lana, commented: “I made these for my son for Valentine’s Day and he (we!) LOVED them! They are to DIE for! I roasted and salted some Spanish peanuts I had, chopped them fine, and then sprinkled them all over the top. Delish! โ โ โ โ โ “
Honestly the Best Peanut Butter Balls
And here’s why:
- Soft + creamy peanut butter filling, similar to the middle layer in this Reese’s peanut butter white chocolate bark
- Smooth + rich chocolate coating
- Easy to make no-bake recipe
- Make-ahead & freeze beautifully
- Recipe doubles easily, and a tin of these makes a wonderful gift
It’s always nice to have an easy no-bake treat to accompany your other Christmas cookies. It’s what I love about Oreo balls, cookie dough truffles, and rum balls, too. And since there’s no flour needed here, peanut butter balls are also a wonderful option when it comes to gluten-free dessert recipes.
Think of these no-bake candies as peanut butter bars in truffle form. My peanut butter bars have a bit more substance from the graham cracker crumbs. These peanut butter balls, on the other hand, have a purely creamy peanut butter filling. (And they’re even more wildly delicious than they sound, I swear.)
Best Ingredients to Use & Why:
- Softened Butter: Start with room-temperature butter. Overly soft or melted butter will sabotage your efforts from the start. Good rule of thumb: let the butter sit out on the counter for 1 hour before beginning the recipe. You can use salted or unsalted butter; if using salted, no need to adjust the added salt in the recipeโI promise these are plenty sweet either way.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: As you can guess, peanut butter is the main ingredient. For the best texture, use processed creamy peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy, the same kind I recommend for peanut butter blossoms and peanut butter frosting. Natural-style peanut butter is wonderful for eating and cooking, but I do not recommend it for this recipe because the filling will be too dry and crumbly.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Confectionersโ sugar binds everything together and adds sweetness. Without this powdery sugar, the peanut butter filling will be too liquid.
- Vanilla Extract: For a little extra flavor, use vanilla extract.
- Salt: Salt offsets the sweetness.
- Chocolate: Just as if you were making chocolate truffles or chocolate peanut butter pretzel bites, use pure baking chocolate. Do not use chocolate chips because they do not melt properly. I list all of my advice about the chocolate coating below.
- 1 Teaspoon Vegetable Oil: Melted chocolate can be a little too thick to smoothly coat the candies, so add a small splash of vegetable oil to help thin it out.
Optional: festive sprinkles, of course!
How to Make Peanut Butter Balls
Let me show you the process, so you know what to expect when it’s your turn to try these treats. First, when you beat the butter and peanut butter together, the mixture will be quite thin (below, left). After you add the remaining filling ingredients, expect a crumbly dough-like mixture (below, right).
I promise the crumbly dough will come together with your hands as you roll.
Scoop and measure 1 scant Tablespoon (about 18g) each. Roll into balls.
Chill the rolled balls for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Freezing them works too, but frozen peanut butter balls are difficult to coat in chocolate because the chocolate will slide off or crack. No shortcuts here, just refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 1 day.
Dip in melted chocolate. If you have any chocolate leftover, drizzle on top. Add sprinkles, if desired, and then let the chocolate set.
These peanut butter balls keep well for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator and even longer in the freezer, but that’s honestly a joke. There’s no possible way they will last!
5 Success Tips for Dipping in Chocolate
I have made a lot of coated candies, and even have an entire cookbook dedicated to candy-making. In my experience, I have learned some *key* success tips for coating various candies. See below, apply these tips, and the process should be a breeze.
- Use real chocolate. For the BEST looking and tasting candies, start with real chocolate. Use the 4-ounce “baking chocolate” bars you can find in the baking aisle of the grocery store. I prefer Baker’s or Ghirardelli brands. You need to chop up three 4-ounce (113g) bars for this recipe, or 12 ounces (339g) total. Melting wafers also work, and for those, I recommend Ghirardelli brand. You can use milk, semi-sweet, dark, or even white chocolate. Be warned that using all white chocolate will produce a VERY sweet candy. Instead, I recommend dark/bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolates. Do not use chocolate chips. Save them for your chocolate chip cookies!
- Melt the chocolate properly. You can use a double boiler, but I usually just use the microwave. Place the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl or glass liquid measuring cup. Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each. Chocolate is temperamental, so always melt with care. I do not recommend tempering the chocolate for this recipe. Tempered chocolate isn’t refrigerated, and due to the butter in the filling, these candies should be refrigerated.
- Let the chocolate cool down for a few minutes. Otherwise it will melt the cold filling.
- Use a dipping tool to help. I use this spiral dipping tool for dipping chocolate truffles and Oreo balls, and it works just as well here. Place a peanut butter ball in the melted chocolate, and lift it back out again with the dipping tool. Quickly flip it upside down onto a lined baking sheet. If you don’t have a dipping tool, simply use a fork to lift the dipped ball out of the chocolate and use a toothpick (or another fork) to slide the ball onto the lined baking sheet.
- Allow the chocolate to set. Top the still-wet chocolate with sprinkles, if using, and if you have leftover chocolate, feel free to drizzle it on topโyou can use a spoon or squeeze bottle for that. Place the baking sheet with the chocolate-covered peanut butter balls in the refrigerator to set the chocolate.
If your butter was too soft or if the peanut butter you’re using is too thin, the filling can get a little soft and sticky as you’re rolling. The refrigerator can fix thatโstop what you’re doing and chill the bowl of filling for 15 minutes in the refrigerator before trying again to roll into balls.
If the filling gets a little crumbly, keeping molding it and mashing it between your hands. The warmth of your hands can help bring it back together.
1 teaspoon of vegetable oil thins out the chocolate so itโs the best consistency for dipping. If you find your chocolate is still too thick, add a little more vegetable oil. Coconut oil works too, but I recommend vegetable oil for best results.
It’s too thick. You want thinned-out melted chocolate. See above.
This is an easy fix! First, make sure you are working quickly. Second, keep the chocolate fluid by re-heating in the microwave for 10 seconds or use a double boiler. If you donโt have a double boiler, spoon the chocolate into a heatproof glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water. This keeps the chocolate slightly warm. Donโt let the water touch the bottom of the bowl.
The chocolate is too hot. Let it sit for a few minutes to slightly cool down.
If the peanut butter balls are softening and losing their shape as you’re dipping, put them back in the refrigerator (on the lined baking sheet) for 5โ10 minutes and then try again.
Wait until you taste them straight out of the refrigerator. Have you ever had a cold Reese’s peanut butter cup? It’s like that, but better.
More Peanut Butter + Chocolate Recipes
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Scotcheroos
- Peanut Butter Cup Tart
- No-Bake Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft & Thick Monster Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter Fudge Puddles
Peanut Butter Balls (Truffles)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 32-35 balls
- Category: Desserts
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Using only a few simple ingredients, these peanut butter balls come together in a snap. Follow the recipe closely and review the chocolate dipping success tips, as well as the recipe notes below before beginning.
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cupย (250g) creamyย peanut butterย (not natural style)
- 2 and 1/2 cups (300g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces (threeย 4-ounce bars) semi-sweet chocolate barsย (339g), coarsely chopped*
- 1 teaspoonย vegetable oil (see Note)
- optional: sprinklesย for topping
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat until combined, about 1 minute. If you notice any small chunks of butter, don’t worryโthe mixture will smooth out. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and beat on low speed for 2 minutes until everything is combined. The mixture will be a little soft and crumbly.
- Roll peanut butter dough into 1-inch balls (about 1 scant Tablespoon or 18g of dough each) and place on the baking sheet. Keep working and rolling the dough in your hands until the peanut butter balls come together. You should have about 32โ35 balls total. The mixture can be a little crumbly, but the warmth of your hands will bring it together. If you find the peanut butter mixture becoming too soft to handle, chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can powder your hands with confectionersโ sugar, which helps prevent the filling from sticking to your hands.
- Chill the shaped peanut butter balls in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. During the last few minutes of the chilling time, begin melting the chocolate and oil together. You can melt it in a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave: place the chocolate and oil in a medium heat-proof bowl. I recommend using a liquid measuring cup because its depth makes dipping really easy. Melt in 20-second increments in the microwave, stirring after each increment, until completely melted and smooth. Let the warm chocolate sit for 6โ8 minutes to cool slightly before dipping, otherwise it will melt the shaped peanut butter balls.
- Coat with chocolate: Remove peanut butter balls from the refrigerator. Working with 1 at a time, submerge into the chocolate, then carefully lift out using a fork or the spiral candy dipping tool. Tap the fork/tool gently on the side of the bowl/measuring cup to rid excess chocolate. If you used a fork, use a toothpick or a 2nd fork to help you slide the ball off of the fork and onto the baking sheet. If you used the dipping tool, just invert the ball onto the baking sheet. (See video tutorial for how I do this.) I reheat any leftover chocolate and use a spoon or squeeze bottle to drizzle on top of the coated balls. If desired, lightly sprinkle each with sprinkles while chocolate is still wet.
- Refrigerate coated peanut butter balls for 30 minutes or until chocolate has completely set before serving.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The filling can get a little soft, so they taste best right out of the refrigerator. We love them right out of the freezer, too!
Notes
- Make Aheadย &ย Freezing Instructions:ย You can start this recipe 1 day ahead of time. The shaped filling can be chilled in the refrigerator for up to 1 day prior to coating. The coated peanut butter candies can be frozen. Freeze the coated candies for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop or Digital Scale |ย Double Boiler or Liquid Measuring Cup ย | Candy Dipping Tool | Squeeze Bottle
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in this recipe, though I’ve made them plenty of times before with salted butter. No need to adjust the salt in the filling, though feel free to taste the filling before adding the salt and only add a pinch if desired. Because the filling and coating are so sweet, I never adjust the salt if using salted butter.
- Can I Use Crunchy Peanut Butter? Creamy/smooth is best because crunchy yields a very crumbly filling that’s difficult to mold. If crunchy is all you have, you can make it work in a pinchโjust be warned the filling mixture will be super crumbly and you’ll really have to work it with your hands to mold into balls.
- Chocolate: For the best looking and tasting candies, use 4-ounce “baking chocolate” bars found in the baking aisle. I prefer Baker’s or Ghirardelli brands. You need three 4-ounce bars for this recipe, 12 ounces total. You can use milk, semi-sweet, or bittersweet chocolates. You could also use chocolate melting wafers, such as Ghirardelli brand. Candy melts or almond bark work too, but they donโt taste like real chocolate. Do not use chocolate chips because they contain stabilizers preventing them from melting into the correct consistency for coating.
- Coating/Melting Chocolate: See all my troubleshooting tips above in the post.
- Oil: Vegetable oil helps thin out the chocolate so it easily coats the candies. If you’re using chocolate melting wafers, you do not need to add oil. Coconut oil works, but the chocolate isn’t quite as thin. I’ve found vegetable oil is the best choice. Do not use butter.
- Do Not Temper: I do not recommend tempering the chocolate for this recipe. Tempered chocolate should not be refrigerated and due to the fresh ingredients in the filling, these candies must be refrigerated.
- Update in 2023: I slightly updated the filling in 2023. The recipe used to call for 8 Tablespoons butter (113g) and 3 cups confectioners’ sugar (360g). I reduced both slightly to the amounts you see above, for less sweetness, and more peanut butter flavor. The filling now matches my popular peanut butter eggs.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I have made these so many times and we love them- I even bought the spiral dipping tool and using a glass measuring cup to dip the chocolate in is GENIUS . I was wondering if I could hand mix some mini chocolate chips in with the peanut butter filling before shaping the balls? Thank you.
Definitely, Martha! So glad you enjoy these peanut butter balls.
I made these and my chocolate cracked .
Can u tell me what happened ?
Hi Lin, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. What kind of chocolate were you using, and did you add oil to it?
Can i use palm oil instead of vegetable oil
Hi Uduak, we haven’t tried palm oil here, but that should work.
Hi! Would 4oz of 60%cacao bittersweet chocolate & 8oz of 72%cacao dark chocolate combined taste good or would it be best to use the 12 oz of semi sweet chocolate that I also have on hand? Thank you for your help!
Hi Terry, that’s fine if you enjoy dark chocolate! You might even try a combination of the dark chocolate and semi-sweet.
Could you explain not natural peanut butter? Is this sugar free, or free of other additives.
Hi M J Miller, you’ll want to use a smooth (not crunchy) processed peanut butter like Skippy or Jiffโone that contains sugar. You do not want a natural peanut butter, which contains peanuts as the only ingredient. It will be too dry for these peanut butter balls. Hope this helps!
Many thanks, I will try the skippy peanut butter! I made the key lime pie truffles and they were excellent.
Are these GF, and could I make pops out of them?
Hi Ali, yes, these are gluten free. We haven’t tried them as pops, but we fear the filling may be a bit too soft to hold up in that way.
These peanut butter balls were delicious and easy to make. Everyone said they were the best they had ever had.
Just found this sight. Love the way you explain and simplify how to do it
Hello! Would there be a significant difference if I use semisweet chips instead of bars to make the coating for the peanut butter balls?
Hi Kati, we don’t recommend using chocolate chips because they contain stabilizers preventing them from melting into the correct consistency for coating. For the best looking and tasting candies, use 4-ounce โbaking chocolateโ bars found in the baking aisle you could also use chocolate melting wafers, such as Ghirardelli brand.
If I want to make more of a peanut butter meltaway (not the kind where chocolates and peanut butter are melted together), should I just decrease the sugar to make a softer filling? I plan to use silicone molds and paint the chocolate in the mold before adding the filling. Thanks!
I messaged you yesterday (maybe it was the day before) in regards to DROP STYLE CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIES. I made another batch and they taste good but are still puffy. I spoon the flour and level it properly โฆ. Is there a way I can send you a picture?
Hi Chris! How did you contact us before? We’re happy to help troubleshoot. Usually when cookies don’t spread, it’s an issue of too much flour in the dough. Do you have a kitchen scale by chance? That’s the most accurate way to measure. If you would like to troubleshoot further, feel free to email us at sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com
Can the peanut butter filling be chilled the day before shaping and coating with chocolate? I like to make all my doughs/fillings ahead of time to keep the flow in my kitchen.
Hi Ann! Yes, chill the shaped peanut butter balls in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
I freeze my peanut butter balls undipped in a Tupperware container, then I dip them as needed, I have friends who I give these as birthday gifts, so this way I always have some waiting, I usually double or triple the recipe.
I’m obsessed with these peanut butter balls! The recipe was perfect and I followed it exactly. I easily made them dairy free as well for family members with vegan butter and dark chocolate.
Could you add rice krispies?
Hi Janet, we canโt see why not! We would slightly reduce the confectionersโ sugar. Otherwise, the filling will be too dry.
I have bakers white chocolate. Do you think this would work instead of the semi sweet?
Absolutely–enjoy!
We have a peanut allergy. Do you think this recipe could work with almond butter?
Hi Aleli, As long as itโs a creamy and you stir it up extra well before using โ almond butter should work!
What did i do wrong? The chocolate is SO thin and despite allowing excess chocolate to drip off, i still ended up with pools of chocolate at the bottom of base.
Overall, delicious, but disappointed with the appearance of the final product. What did i do so wrong? ๐
Hi Jess, happy to help troubleshoot. What kind of chocolate did you use?
This is so good, though I can’t have too many cause they’re so sweet. If theres a good substitute for the icing sugar then I’d be in heaven
Hi Anna, the confectioners’ sugar is key here, so we don’t recommend any swaps. Glad you enjoyed them!
Hi! I was able to dip the truffles into the chocolate but as theyโre sitting in the fridge thereโs some oil that is seeping out. What can I do to fix this next time?
Hi Stef, are the balls totally coated? That should prevent any leaking.
Hi! I have a made a lower sugar version. I use ~3 tbsp powdered sugar and then bulk it out with PB2 peanut butter powder and almond meal. I don’t have measurements for those but it’s roughly 1 part PB powder to 2 parts almond meal. I also increase the salt to almost 1 teaspoon. Just add your ingredients a little at a time until you’ve gotten the right consistency and flavor. It’s an extremely forgiving recipe to play with. Hope this helps!