The creamiest, smoothest, peanut butteriest fudge ever. Only 4 ingredients and no candy thermometer or stove are required.
Warning! Warning! You are about to enter dangerous fudge territory.
Let me preface this recipe by saying a few things: if you’re a peanut butter fan like me, you should not be trusted around this fudge. One taste and all self control will be lost. All healthy eating plans will flush down the drain. If you were planning to skip dessert today, then I’m sorry.
Not really.
Only 4 ingredients stand between you and irresistible peanut butter fudge. It couldn’t get any easier. (Except for these Oreo balls of course!)
Since there is no flour needed for fudge, you can make this for anyone following a gluten free diet. For even more inspiration, here are 40 gluten free dessert recipes that everyone always loves. This Reese’s peanut butter white chocolate bark is also a peanut butter and gluten free favorite!
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Peanut Butter Fudge
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes
- Yield: 48 squares
- Category: Candy
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Creamy and smooth peanut butter fudge made with only a few ingredients. It’s dangerously good! No candy thermometer, no stove, just a few simple steps to make this decadent fudge.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250g) creamy peanut butter*
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 230g) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 cups (460g) sifted confectioners’ sugar*
- optional: 1/4 teaspoon salt
- optional: 3/4 cup add-ins, such as chocolate chips, peanuts, or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished fudge out.
- Melt the peanut butter and butter together in a large bowl. I prefer to slice the butter to make melting easier. Stop the microwave and stir the mixture every minute until completely melted and smooth. Remove from the microwave and stir in the vanilla using a large silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Add the salt if you prefer a salty/sweet fudge. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and stir until completely combined. The mixture is very, very thick and resembles cookie dough. If using any add-ins, fold them into the fudge while it is still warm.
- Press the fudge into prepared baking pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spatula or spoon. The top will be somewhat oily. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and chill for at least 4 hours or until firm. Cut into pieces.
- Store fudge in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Fudge may be frozen for up to 2 months. To thaw, simply transfer to the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Square Baking Pan or 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon
- Peanut Butter: Just like when we make other candy like peanut butter eggs, I recommend using store bought creamy peanut butter, not homemade. If using natural, make sure the peanut butter is not oily at all. Crunchy peanut butter is OK.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Sift confectioners’ sugar before measuring. Weights may vary depending on brand, make sure you measure exactly 4 cups. I used Domino.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made this last night for a cookie swap today at the office. I didn’t use salt, and for mix-ins I used crushed Butterfingers (the bag from the baking section) and added more crumbled butterfinger on top, then drizzled some chocolate bark on for good measure. Holy Cow. What a fantastic recipe. Thanks so much! This is a keeper!
OH MY!! Thank you so much for this recipe!!!! (I think). LOL ! This recipe is SO easy to make and Oh so easy to to eat!! I did not change any part of the recipe. But if my family and I keep eating this, we will have to make changes to our Clothes…. LOL!!
Again, Wonderful recipe!! Will be making this during holidays for {ME} I mean, gifts. Have a wonderful and blessed Day!!
My fudge didn’t work out. I measured all the ingredients and put in everything but the salt and mix-ins. It turned out all crumbly and what didn’t crumble was hard. It tasted like peanut butter with too much sugar. I’m assuming it’s not supposed to be like this… What do you think was the reason it didn’t work out? Thanks!
What type of peanut butter did you use? I always use Jif or Skippy. Commercial non-natural brands like that (anything non-natural, really) work best.
This is delicious fudge I make it and so easy . The only thing I do it put a little extra peanut butter to give it more peanut butter taste only about 4 or5 tablespoons more. Thanks for the recipe have request to make it over and over again.
Hi Sally. I’m planning to make this for the weekend and I can’t wait to try it! Can I ask you, the peanut butter you use, does it contain whole peanuts in the mix or is it just a smooth paste?
I use smooth, creamy peanut butter for my PB fudge.
I’ve been making (and wow-ing crowds with) the s’mores fudge in your cookbook for months now. Last night I decided I felt like making a chocolate peanut butter fudge, so I came to the blog to see if you have one on here, and found your PB fudge recipe. So I halved this recipe and made it the bottom layer of my fudge, then made a batch of the s’mores fudge without the add-ins and used most of it to pour on top. (Used a 11×7 pan to get more yield.) It. Was. Delicious! Creamy. Salty-sweet combo. What a delight.
I can’t wait for your candy cookbook to come out. (I really want that blasted Oreo fudge you’ve been teasing me with in your pictures!) Knowing your love of all things chocolate and peanut butter, something tells me you might just have a choco-PB fudge in there.
Oh, and guess what I did with the rest of the chocolate fudge? I used two baby loaf pans and in one, I made a riff on a German chocolate cake by adding shredded coconut and some of your salted caramel sauce I had left over from the other day (yes, I know there’s no caramel in German chocolate cake but it’s gooey and that was what I was going for. Haha), and in the other I pushed quartered mini-Reeses cups down into for a lazy-man’s version of choco-PB fudge. Both also divine.
Thanks for such great go-to base recipes that are easy to make and fun to adapt!
You are a fudge GENIUS I tell ya. Wow, Natalie! I love hearing about your recipe adaptions! Both little fudge “experiments” sound out of control delicious. And you know me too well. There most certainly is a choco PB fudge in the book!!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I just made this fudge for our family Thanksgiving but I don’t think it’s going to last until then. It’s going to take some serious discipline. I followed your instructions exactly. I used Jif Creamy Natural Peanut Butter. I measured out 4 cups of UNSIFTED confectioner’s sugar and then proceeded to sift and measure again. I am something of a fudge snob so I’m delighted that this turned out so well. The perfect salt/sweet ratio. Good peanut butter flavor but not overpowering. Creamy yet crumbly at the same time. It is perfection. Now, how about a cocoa version? I cannot wait for my family to try it.
Hi Sally do you think these could be made into truffles ? Like your chocolate fudge truffles made with condensed milk?…. Thanks 🙂
Hi Anna! I do not have a truffle recipe like that on my blog at this time. And I’ve never tried making this into peanut butte truffles before. Sorry I’m no help here!
Just whipped up your gorgeous fudge and can’t wait to try it later! Thanks for adding metric units, this makes following the recipe much easier.
Greetings from Germany!
fudge came out perfect! First time making fudge, always have been a bit leary on trying to make it because of crumble issues that I have seen with family and friends making fudge. But honestly whenever I come across your recipes on Pinterest I usually give them a try because I always have the best of luck with them! Thank you for this recipe!
Hey Sally! I’m late to the game on this post…but I have a question. Do I need to measure the 4 cups of confectioners sugar before or after it’s sifted? I’m not using a scale, just a regular measuring cup, the volume differs depending on the sifting. Thanks!!
Sift it, then measure 4 cups. Enjoy!
This was wonderful! A great treat to bring to parties. Thank you so much for all of the work you put into your blog, it may or may not be the only website I use for baking ideas. (:
May I use this recipe as a base for other Fudge Recipes–If so, which ones, please? Thank you so much.
You may definitely use this peanut butter fudge as a base for adding other add-ins. Enjoy!
Hey Sally! I’ve made this many times and it’s been perfect every time! My fiends have been asking for a chocolate fudge, butterscotch fudge, and white chocolate fudge. So I’ve been wondering could I sub chocolate chips for the peanut butter? Thanks!
That would be just fine, Noelle. I’ve never tried it but I can’t imagine it NOT being fabulous. Enjoy!
Hi Sally can I add cocoa powder instead of peanut butter to make it chocolate fudge and how would I measure that!
Cocoa powder and peanut butter are two completely different ingredients – dry vs wet and unfortunately, you cannot sub one for the other. My favorite chocolate fudge recipe is available in my cookbook. However, a quick internet search could help you find one!
Peanut butter fudge is one of my all time favorite fudges! I’m so happy I found this recipe! Thank you so much I can’t wait to make it tomorrow!
So delish! I admit, I was hesitant to stray from my mom’s famous fudge, but I was in a pinch for time and made this – it’s wonderful!!!!!!! Thanks, Sally! As always, another great recipe! 🙂
Merry Christmas!
I’m super excited I’m making this tomorrow and was curious if the fudge will still be pretty thick if I use a 9×9!?
No, it won’t. A 9×9 pan is very slightly larger and will make thinner fudge squares.
OMG! I love peanut butter fudge and until now I had to rely on others to make it for me! I found this recipe and saw the ingredients and realized I had all the ingredients in my pantry! I got up from the computer and made this in 10 minutes! the hardest part was cutting the butter!! It is cooling in the frig now but I had to try it and it is soooo good! I can’t wait to eat a piece! Thank you soooo much!
Sally, I’ve been making this fudge for years (my grandma used to make it too, must be the Joy of Cooking cookbook). I googled it today because I can never remember the ratio of peanut butter to butter, and came across your site. I added the vanilla for the first time ever, and found the foil lining to really help. thank you!
Joy of Cooking cookbook – priceless! Love it so much. So happy that you found this recipe again and love it! Yep, foil is a huge help and makes things easier.
This is definitely an OMG recipe. I told myself (because I read your fine print about these being addictive) that I wasn’t going to eat a whole pan of these, because I am totally capable of doing so. Well, I had to square up the edges to keep them uniform and pretty! The more I worked on squaring them up, the smaller the pieces became. I’m trying to save others the pain. 🙂 Major home run here, Sally.
I am an absolute lover of your site, and you have absolutely outdone yourself! Just wanted to give you my praise and thanks for always posting AMAZING recipes!!!!!
Made a double batch today, used white chocolate chips for one pan and pieces of my left-over mini Mr. Goodbars from Halloween! My girls loved them, and so did my team at work who have been working so much overtime for me! I will definitely be making this often!
I made these for my dad for his birthday and they came out perfectly! My mom said fudge was hard to make, but this recipe really made it not only easy but delicious! He loves them.
Yum, wow, great are a few words floating around my kitchen after diving into this fudge. I didn’t let on how easy this super wonderful fudge was to make. I added milk chocolate chips. Thanks for sharing, this is a new family favourite.
You were right. Easy recipe, makes a good amount to share, got great compliments on it. Definitely will make this one again.
Just made a batch of this fudge last night. Looks great and smells wonderful. I am sharing with 3 parties and I hope they like it as much as I liked the sounds of it. Might be another batch of this soon! I added some Trader Joe’s mini peanut butter cups to mine. Sounds like a good mix. I can’t wait to hear how they like it. Thanks for a great (and easy!) recipe.
Love the Peanut Butter Fudge Sally! My husband and I both are big peanut butter fans. This will make nice & easy gifts for the Christmas holiday.
Hi. How did you get the fudge so thick. I’d like to make it but it seems it would be flat after pressing it into a pan.
Thanks!
Hi Kimberly! I used an 8×8 inch pan. And there is a lot of fudge to press into it, which is why the fudge is thick and requires 4 hours of chilling.
Fudge is usually too sweet for me, but this seems incredibly adaptable! I’ve never attempted fudge for that reason, but you make it seem so easy! Thanks!
Easiest fudge EVER! You should give it a go, Loretta. You’d be surprised how simple it is. But yes, it’s quite sweet.