Recipe

Vegan Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

By Allison Curley at Wake Forest University

Vegan desserts tend to require a lot of substitutions, but this particular recipe requires none at all. These vegan peanut butter balls feature ingredients that are naturally delicious and naturally vegan.

There is no need to worry about replacement flavor when you have peanut butter and chocolate working together. 

Vegan Peanut Butter Balls

  • Prep Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 40 mins
  • Servings: 30
Ingredients
  • 2 cups peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
  • 3 cups vegan chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup crisco

Allison Curley

Step 1

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl except for the chocolate and crisco.

Allison Curley

Step 2

Roll the peanut butter mixture into small balls using your hands. Freeze them for 10 minutes.

Allison Curley

Step 3

While the balls are freezing, heat the chocolate and crisco in a separate bowl for 1 minute. Heat in increments of 20 seconds and mix the chocolate with a whisk in between. Do this until the chocolate is melted thin.

Allison Curley

Step 4

Take the peanut butter balls out of the freezer and stick a toothpick in each one. Then dip them into the melted chocolate until covered.

Allison Curley

Step 5

Let some of the chocolate drip off and line up the balls on a waxed paper baking sheet. Cool for 2-3 hours.

Allison Curley

These peanut butter balls resemble that of a buckeye candy or Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. However with my addition of powdered sugar and oats to the peanut butter filling, the inside of this candy has more of a hardy icing consistency. This takes that peanut butter flavor to the next level and then coats it in bitter sweet dark chocolate. 

I love the chocolate coating in this recipe because it is thin and not too sweet. It also appears really smooth and glossy with the crisco melted into it. These little bites look so cute and decadent on a platter for a party with easy to serve toothpicks in each one. 

While the process of making them can be tricky, the trick is to freeze the peanut butter part before rolling them in the melted chocolate. Otherwise, it will be really hard to keep that nice round shape together. 

This classic flavor pairing will be a total party favorite that just happens to also be vegan. It is easy to make up to 50 peanut butter balls with this recipe depending on the size you want, which is great for big groups. Simple ingredients and a simple look make these vegan bites ideal.