These keto peanut butter cups feature a sugar free chocolate shell and a rich, creamy peanut butter center. They’re delicious and easy, so whip up a batch today!
Eat them plain or use them as garnish on keto peanut butter pie. Sweet and delicious.
Peanut butter is my Achilles heel. It’s my weakness, my downfall, my greatest temptation. And peanut butter cups have long been one of my favorite candies.
Thank heavens for these keto peanut butter cups so I can indulge without risk. I’ve been making these sugar free treats for about as long as I’ve been low carb. And they’ve saved me many a time when I needed a sweet bite to keep me on track.
My kids love them too and since they’re so easy to make. Along with my keto peanut butter fudge, we have them around almost constantly.
Why make your own keto peanut butter cups?
I created this recipe back in 2012 because I had no other option. At that time, you couldn’t buy good quality sugar free peanut butter cups like Lily’s or ChocZero. And I do believe I may have been the first person to make them.
But now that there are several good storebought options, why bother making your own? I have two reasons for you: cost and availability.
The pre-packaged cups cost about $1 per cup. My recipe makes 16 to 18 cups and comes out to less than 60 cents per cup!
Additionally, not everyone has access to Lily’s or ChocZero, whereas almost all of us can get our hands on some sugar free chocolate, peanut butter, and a little sweetener.
And I am one of those weirdos who takes pleasure in making things from scratch. If you are too, then I highly recommend having some fun with this.
How to make keto peanut butter cups
You will need:
- Candy molds – I recommend these ones because they are the exact same size as the storebought keto peanut butter cups.
- Sugar free chocolate
- Cocoa butter or coconut oil
- Peanut butter
- Butter
- Powdered or liquid sweetener
- Vanilla extract
Method
- Melt the chocolate. As always, I recommend doing this double boiler style to avoid seizing. Adding a little cocoa butter or coconut oil also helps thin the chocolate coating.
- Coat the candy molds. You want to use a little over half the chocolate to coat the bottom and sides of each cup.
- Freeze the molds. You want that first later of chocolate to firm up properly.
- Make the peanut butter filling. Simply melt some peanut butter and butter together, stir in some sweetener, and fill each cup almost to the top.
- Freeze the molds again to firm up the filling.
- Top with the remaining chocolate. Then freeze or refrigerate until firm.
Frequently Asked Questions
You bet! Any nut or seed butter will work here, including my Homemade Keto Nutella.
The filling for these keto peanut butter cups can be made with any sweetener, but it’s important to use powdered or liquid sweeteners to avoid grittiness.
That’s an easy switch. Be sure to use keto dark chocolate and swap the butter for coconut oil or palm shortening.
Yes but I want to caution you that the white chocolate doesn’t always melt that well and can seize very easily. Watch it carefully and stir constantly.
Yes you can. If you are using standard muffin cups, they will be larger and you will likely get only 12 cups. Only coat the sides with chocolate about 1/4 of the way up.
You can do that too but I recommend placing them into a muffin tin so that they hold their shape.
I have a solution for that! I used to make these keto peanut butter cups with a chocolate shell made from scratch. I have provided those directions in the recipe notes.
Storage instructions
I recommend storing these keto peanut butter cups in the fridge in a covered container, but letting them come to room temperature before serving.
Have some fun baking with keto peanut butter cups
Obviously, you can just eat them as is, but it’s fun to add them to other keto recipes too. Why not try:
- Keto Peanut Butter Cup Poke Cake
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Pizza
- Keto Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Brownies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Fudge
Keto Peanut Butter Cups Recipe
Ingredients
Chocolate Coating:
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) sugar free dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 ounce (14.17 g) cocoa butter, (or 2 tsp coconut oil)
Peanut Butter Filling:
- 1/2 cup (129 g) peanut butter
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and cocoa butter together, stirring until smooth.
- Use the back of a small spoon to spread a little over half of the chocolate mixture on the bottom and up the sides of the candy molds. Freeze 10 minutes.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the peanut butter and butter together on high in 30 second increments, stirring until smoth. Whisk in the powdered sweetener and vanilla extract.
- Remove the chocolate cups from freezer and fill almost to the top with the peanut butter mixture, leaving enough space to cover with remaining chocolate. Return to freezer for another 10 minutes or so.
- Rewarm the remaining chocolate gently over low heat and stir until smooth. Spread over the peanut butter filling to the sides of each cup. Chill until set, 20 minutes.
Notes
-
¼ cup butter
-
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
-
1/4 cup powdered Swerve
-
2 tbsp cocoa powder
-
1/2 tsp vanilla extractIn a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, unsweetened chocolate and sweetener together, stirring until smooth. Stir in the cocoa powder and vanilla.Let cool 5 to 10 minutes, until somewhat thickened, the proceed as directed.
Nutrition
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These are cute looking treats. Can I use same amount of sugar in place of erythritol?
Absolutely.
I made these this evening, and all I can say is…. OMG!
I didn’t have the smaller-size paper cups, so I used regular muffin papers and placed them in a muffin tin. I made eight peanut butter cups this way and figured that they each have 4.8 grams of effective carbohydrate. The peanut butter I have is a bit drier than it should be, so I added a tablespoon of water to it and then pressed the peanut butter into the chilled chocolate cups with my fingertips. That was fine, but a bit more water would have made the peanut butter a bit smoother. Usually, though, the plain unsalted, unsweetened peanut butter should be great without added moisture. Mine may not have been stirred adequately when I used it to make a peanut butter loaf recently.
Anyway… I will definitely be keeping these on hand. They’re a very satisfying way to satisfy a craving.
Thanks, Carolyn!
Oh, wow, I think you’ve made many, many happy people with this delicious recipe! Peanut butter straight out of the jar doesn’t tempt me in the least, but I could probably eat many handfuls of your gorgeous pb cups!!! They look perfect!
Hi,
I was reading the instruction and it said to add vanilla in the chocolate coating but it did not say how much. I noticed under the peanut butter filling so is it the same amount?
So sorry, I hate when I to that. It’s all too easy to do when writing recipes. I’ve added the vanilla into the chocolate coating recipe. Thanks for letting me know!
Thanks Carolyn, it turned out great in my peanut butter cup mold. Need to smooth the top alittle more. My husband likes it but my daughter does not like the taste of the unsweetened chocolate.
These look absolutely fabulous!! 🙂
Gorgeous!!!!! Are the stevia drops necessary or can I just increase the erythritol because I’m sensitive to Stevia? Just wondering, will try these when I’m done with my Whole 30!
Yes, you can increase the erythritol…maybe another tablespoon would do it.
Any idea how many calories per serving (1 cup I assume?)
Ooh I’ve always wanted to make homemade peanut butter cups. Yum!
These look so tasty, my son would love them!
What a fun re-creation of a childhood favorite treat!
Great minds think alike! I just posted my recipe for Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups on my site today. Chocolate and nut butters are simply a match made in heaven 🙂
Have you ever used Somersweet? It’s the sugar substitute sold by Suzanne Somers on her website. I used to use it, but have not tried her new formula. It is a bit cheaper than Swerve. Worth a try. These PB Cups look amazing, definitely need to make them! I’m always looking for good low sugar Chocolate PB treats!
Ooh sounds so good! Your pb cups look amazing! Love that you added vanilla too!
Oh, me too, Carolyn, PB is a weakness for me. I adore these too. How fun! I bet I would eat every last one.
Wow – love this creative confection!
Yum! Great idea to add vanilla to the peanut butter filling!
So these are basically diet food, right? I can totally diet on peanut butter cups for everrrr!
Yes, it’s called the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Diet. I am right there with you!
Oh my goodness, Carolyn. There’s not a thing I don’t love about these…I think I’d need to make a double batch at least!
Another stellar recipe! I miss peanut butter!!!
Whaddya mean, you miss peanut butter! Are you no longer eating it???
Definitely one of my favorites! I make my coating with coconut oil. That makes it healthy, right? LOL
It’s all healthy, as long as there’s no sugar 😉