These shockingly easy peanut butter balls require just 5 ingredients in the filling. Follow all my success tips for dipping into chocolate and use the video tutorial as your guide. These candies are as soft as chocolate truffles and as irresistible as peanut butter cups!
I’ve been making these peanut butter balls for years. I actually have two variations– I published peanut butter M&Ms truffles a few years ago and buckeyes in Sally’s Candy Addiction. Buckeyes are a common treat in Ohio. They’re like peanut butter balls but only partially dipped in chocolate so they resemble nuts from a buckeye tree. My friend lives in Cleveland and introduced me to them 15 years ago. The BEST!
Today we’re completely enrobing the soft and creamy peanut butter filling inside rich chocolate. Obviously the combination of peanut butter and chocolate is enough to convince you and obviously this is exactly what you need to make next. It’s always nice to have an easy no bake treat (that literally everyone will hoard) to share with your other Christmas cookies!
Honestly the Best Peanut Butter Balls (Truffles!)
And here’s why:
- Soft + creamy
- Easy with no baking involved
- Pure peanut butter cup flavor
- Only 6 simple ingredients
- Freeze beautifully
Go ahead and double this recipe. It’s scary how quickly 32 PB balls disappear. Ahh!
Peanut Butter Balls Video Tutorial
Ingredients in Peanut Butter Balls
- Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter. No need to adjust the added salt in the recipe– I promise these won’t be too salty even if you use salted butter.
- Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is the main ingredient. For best texture, use processed creamy peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy– what I recommend for peanut butter blossoms and peanut butter cup tart, too. I do not recommend natural style peanut butter for this recipe because the filling will be too dry and crumbly. You can use natural style peanut butter in these peanut butter cookies though, if you have a jar that needs using!
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds luxurious flavor. Of course!
- Salt: Salt offsets the sweetness.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Confectioners’ (powdered) sugar binds everything together and adds sweetness. Without this powdery sugar, the peanut butter filling would be liquid.
- Chocolate: Use pure baking chocolate or chocolate melting wafers. (I love the Ghirardelli brand melting wafers!) Do not use chocolate chips because they do not melt properly– great for chocolate chip cookies, but not so great when we need smooth, melted chocolate like in this recipe. Pure chocolate is sold in 4 ounce bars in the baking aisle. I usually use semi-sweet, but milk chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, or even white chocolate work too. You can use all of these same chocolate options when coating Oreo balls or cookie dough truffles, too.
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.)
How to Make Peanut Butter Balls
- Beat the filling ingredients together. The filling will be crumbly and look dry, but I promise it will come together with your hands as you roll the balls.
- Roll into balls. Use a Tablespoon scoop to measure 1 scant Tablespoon each. Roll into balls with your hands.
- 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 chocolate. All my success tips below!
- Let chocolate set. Refrigerate the dipped truffles for 30 minutes or until chocolate has completely set.
These peanut butter balls keep well for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, but that’s honestly a joke. There’s no possible way they will last that long! To freeze the peanut butter balls, let the chocolate set, then arrange in a freezer-friendly container in layers between parchment paper. Freeze the candies for up to 3 months.
Dipping Peanut Butter Balls in Chocolate
If you follow my recommendation and use pure baking chocolate or chocolate melting wafers, dipping peanut butter balls in chocolate is a breeze. Whenever I dip chocolate truffles, Oreo balls, or peanut butter balls, I always use this spiral dipping tool. Place the peanut butter ball in the chocolate and lift it out with the dipping tool. Quickly flip it upside down on the lined baking sheet. You can see how I do this in the video above.
If you don’t have a dipping tool, use the same method we use to dip peanut butter eggs. Simply use a fork to lift the dipped ball out of the chocolate and use a toothpick (or another fork) to slide the ball off the fork onto the lined baking sheet.
Chocolate Dipping Troubleshooting
- Chocolate is too thick: 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil thins out the chocolate so it’s 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.
- Chocolate isn’t smooth: It’s too thick. You want thinned out chocolate. See above.
- Chocolate is hardening before I’m finished: 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 don’t have a double boiler, spoon the chocolate into a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water. This keeps the chocolate slightly warm. Don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Peanut butter filling is sticking: If the peanut butter filling is sticking to the dipping tool or fork, it’s actually too cold. Let the peanut butter balls sit for a few minutes at room temperature. The chocolate could also be too hot. Let it sit for a few minutes to slightly cool down, 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.
Print
Peanut Butter Balls (Truffles)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 32 truffles
- 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 and video tutorial above, as well as the recipe notes below before beginning.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (250g) creamy peanut butter (not natural style)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- three 4-ounce semi-sweet chocolate bars (339g), coarsely chopped*
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- optional: sprinkles
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 in a large bowl until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla extract, salt, and confectioners’ sugar and beat on low for 2 minutes until everything is combined. The mixture is supposed to be a little soft, yet very crumbly. (Don’t worry, the warmth of your hands will bring it together.)
- Roll peanut butter dough into 1-inch balls (about 1 scant Tablespoon 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 32-35 balls total.
- Cover and 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 5 minutes to slightly cool before dipping.
- 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 above for how I do this.) If you have leftover chocolate, reheat it and drizzle on top of the truffles. Top with sprinkles, if desired.
- Refrigerate 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.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can start this recipe 1 day ahead of time. The shaped peanut butter balls can be chilled in the refrigerator for up to 1 day prior to coating. The coated peanut butter balls can be frozen. Freeze the coated candies for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Peanut Butter: This recipe was updated in 2022 to include more peanut butter for better flavor (from 3/4 cup to 1 cup). While it’s great for cooking and eating, natural style peanut butter isn’t ideal for peanut butter balls. The filling will be too dry and crumbly. I do not recommend crunchy style peanut butter for that same reason. It’s too thick and the filling will be too crumbly.
- Chocolate: For the best looking and tasting peanut butter balls, use 4 ounce “baking chocolate” bars found in the baking aisle. I prefer Bakers or Ghirardelli brands. You need about 3 four ounce bars for this recipe, 12 ounces total. You can use semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, or white chocolate. Candy melts, chocolate dipping wafers (such as Ghirardelli brand) or almond bark work too. Do not use chocolate chips, as they contain stabilizers preventing them from melting into the correct consistency for coating.
- Coating/Melting Chocolate: See all my troubleshooting tips in the post.
- 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.
Keywords: chocolate, peanut butter cup, candy, no bake dessert
Hi Sally,
It’s my husband’s birthday on Thursday and we’re on lockdown so can’t celebrate!! He loves peanut butter cups so I want to make him some.
Would you suggest this for the filling or the filling from your peanut butter bars?
Thanks
Hi Debbie, Did you see this Peanut Butter Cup Tart recipe that was just posted this week? There are directions in that post for making it into mini tarts! You could definitely use this truffle filling or the tart filling to fill your own chocolate cups too.
Hi Sally,
My daughter is in her 25th week of pregnancy and has been told to control her intake of sugar. She fancies making peanut butter truffles but not with 2-3 cups of icing sugar. Could an artificial sweetener be used instead? My wife used to make them, including crushed corn flakes, but we have lost her recipe.
I am contacting you from n.e. Scotland and my daughter is in Athens.
Regards
Hi Alan, We haven’t tested this recipe with a sugar substitute, but how about trying these Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Energy Bites? The oats may be similar to your old recipe with the crushed corn flakes. Let us know if you try them!
Hi Sally!
Do you think I could substitute Sunbutter for the peanut butter? I’m not sure what modifications I would need to make…
Patti
Absolutely. Use the same amount.
These were really fun and easy to make!
I love this recipe and am saving it for future uses.
They’re really, REALLY good!
No matter what chocolate and peanut butter you use, it will be great.
★★★★★
amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you for this recipe! I made these truffles with some modifications (because of the ingredients I have right now) and also added some salted caramel to the filling and they came out really creamy! I agree with your comment about them tasting like a Reese’s, but better 🙂 thank you!
★★★★★
Love it!
Just made these & my family loved the truffles!
They’re perfect!
Thanks Sally!
★★★★★
I made these today and the whole family loved them!
★★★★★
Good consistency. But, entirely too sweet and lacking in peanut flavor. If I make again, will experiment with increasing butter to 10tbsp, increasing peanut butter to 1c, and decreasing powdered sugar to 2c.
★★★
Do you think these would work with plant based butter stick? I have one dairy-free kid and would love to make these work for him!
I can’t see why not!
Hi Sally! I was just wondering… could you use any type of chocolate with these truffle balls? What would you recommend?
★★★★★
Hi Sophie, Use pure baking chocolate or chocolate melting wafers. (I love the Ghirardelli brand melting wafers!) Do not use chocolate chips because they do not melt properly.
Hi Sally,
I use the less expensive choc wafers, I have never added oil to them, do I have to in this recipe?
I just made these as well and the batter was also very creamy and difficult to roll. After mixing batter, I put it in the refrigerator immediately for about a half hour because I knew then it would be hard to roll into balls (due to the smoothness). After a messy rolling into balls and getting them into the fridge, I tasted the remaining batter as I cleaned up and it was way too sweet and not enough salt! Will definitely cut back on the sugar and increase salt, if I make them again.
★★★
These were just beyond perfect. I used Baker’s semi-sweet and Jif.
A great way to control your dessert intake because they keep so well in the fridge and you can just have one.
★★★★★
Delicious! My gf friends loved them! Thanks Sally!
★★★★★
I’m excited to learn that these freeze well! Looking forward to making them (maybe with almond butter, too) and then putting them away for when I need a sweet bite 🙂
Delicious, but I had so much chocolate left over, even after drizzling with the extra (I think it was about 2/3 of a cup). I feel like just two 4-oz bars of chocolate would have been plenty, but I wonder if there’s a good reason for melting so much that I’m just not seeing? I hated wasting all that extra 🙁
Hi Kathy! Did you get the same amount of truffles? I usually have only a few drizzles leftover, after generously coating each. Was your chocolate layer extra thin? You can definitely use only 2 4 ounce bars next time if needed.
These truffles are amazing! I did roll the balls in pecans and refrigerated them for 1 day…I used a glass bowl over simmering water to keep the chocolate warm and used a Mellon baller to roll and remove them from the chocolate ad it was a breeze! Thanks Sally…I love your recipes! ❤️
★★★★★
Hi Sally,
Will the addition of oil in the chocolate still allow the chocolate to set?
Thank you!!
Yes, the small one teaspoon of oil will still allow the chocolate to set!
These came out perfect. I am bringing them to a gathering tomorrow, if we don’t eat them tonight. Lovely recipe—thank you.
★★★★★
just made these- they are perfect! I may splurge on a dipping tool sometime, but two forks worked. only made a little mess. I have some decorative mini muffin papers, so I’m going to put each one in a wrapper. when I make my trays, it keeps things neater.
My balls are definitely not rolling out as smoothly as yours in the photo above. I know they will still be delish, but wondering if there is a trick? I followed recipe exactly. Can’t wait to try one!
Hi Lauren! Keep rolling. Roll roll roll. The warmth of your hands will smooth them out. Make sure you’re not over-measuring the powdered sugar either.
I just did Nutella! I’d already started before realizing I’m out of PB and had just enough Nutella. They’re delicious!
These peanut butter balls are the greatest thing since sliced bread. They are so good.
★★★★★
I made these today. To die for! My chocolate was a bit thick I think now looking back. Pooled at the base. I didn’t have the fancy dipping tool but will get it for next time I make these. I used two forks and while messy it worked fine. I double the recipe otherwise followed exactly. Thanks Sally.
Hi Sally, can this recipe be doubled? Thanks!
Sure can!
Hi Sally, I have a recipe that I’ve made almost my entire life, also called Peanut Butter Balls. Mine have graham cracker crumbs and coconut, along with all the ingredients you’ve listed, although in mine, you melt the butter. Mine is so old, you melt the chocolate with 1/2 a paraffin bar. My mom was the Den Mother for my brother’s Cub Scouts, that’s when we first made them. Long time ago. Try it, I think you’ll like it! Not the paraffin, you can leave that out….haaha In this recipe there’s 1/2 lb. Graham crackers and 1 lb powdered sugar, 1 can of Angel Flake coconut…etc…I have, for years now, dumped some of this, some of that, add a little melted butter, mix with my hands, give a taste…mmmm~
★★★★★
Could these be made into Nutella Truffles? One of my siblings has a severe peanut allergy. Thanks ♡
I haven’t tested it but you can try! You may need to chill the dough before rolling.
Do you think the filling would turn out well with vegan butter? Or any butter substitute? Thanks!
Vegan butter should work.
These look great! Would you recommend using the chocolate bars from Trader Joe’s for dipping? Thanks!
Their “Pound Plus” bars are excellent for melting and dipping, yes!
This recipe sounds amazing. Could I add Rice Krispies to the recipe for added crunch?
I can’t see why not! I would slightly reduce the confectioners’ sugar. Otherwise, the filling will be too dry.
Sally you’re killing me here with all these delicious treats! Sooo many scrumptious choices Christmas . Can I use almond butter for this instead?
Hi Abby! As long as it’s a creamy almond butter and you stir it up extra well before using– it should work!