You only need 5 ingredients to make these sugar-free peanut butter cups! I call them keto Reeses cups, because they are a low carb copycat version of the popular chocolate candy: a creamy peanut butter filling encased in crisp dark chocolate.
You all know about my love of the chocolate peanut butter combo. I have numerous recipes the combine the two, from these peanut butter chocolate bars to chocolate peanut butter fudge.
I first came across Reeses peanut butter cups in the 80's when I was an exchange student in Walterboro, South Carolina, for a year. The memories!
Alas, they are packed with sugar. So, instead of waiting for Reese's to come up with a proper sugar-free version (theirs uses maltitol, which raises blood sugar levels), I decided to make my own.
My keto peanut butter cup recipe uses only 5 ingredients that you probably have in your cupboard right now.
They are a great bite sized afternoon treat and taste just as good as the original.
I also like them as a smaller dessert that does not leave you stuffed after a meal.
🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Authentic flavor
- Creamy texture
- Naturally dairy-free
- Sugar free and keto-friendly
- Easy recipe - just 5 ingredients
- Only 2.6g net carbs
Ingredients
Here are our main ingredients: chocolate, peanut butter, coconut oil and salt. The sweetener is optional!
Chocolate: I recommend that you use either sugar-free chocolate chips such as Lily's or dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 90%. I like Lindt because it's extra creamy. (Amazon aff links) You can also use my recipe for homemade low carb chocolate!
Coconut oil: to make the chocolate a little softer. You can swap it out with butter if you prefer.
Peanut butter: I like Whole Earth . It is a little firmer than other brands, which works well here.
Salt: This is a wonderful flavour enhancer. Of course, if your peanut butter is already salty, you don't need to add more.
Sweetener: I used a powdered erythritol / monk fruit blend. Any sweetener will work, from erythritol to xylitol to allulose. Just make sure it's powdered so you don't get crunchy bits.
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step 1: Melt the chocolate. Then, wait until the chocolate has cooled and thickened a little. This makes it easier to work with.
- Water bath method: Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a heat proof bowl and melt over a pan filled with a little water. Stir a couple of times. Remove the bowl from the pan and allow to cool a little.
- Microwave method: Heat the chocolate and coconut oil on high for 1 minute. Check and stir. Then heat another 30 seconds. Stir until the chocolate is fully melted.
Note - It is important that you stop microwaving BEFORE all chocolate is melted. When chocolate gets too hot it can seize and separate.Ā
Step 2: Line cups with chocolate base.
- Get yourself mini cupcake silicone molds or paper moulds. Add 1 teaspoon of chocolate to each cup and use the back of a teaspoon to coat the sides. Or, swirl the melted chocolate up the sides.
- Place in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Add the filling.
- Mix the peanut butter with the sweetener and the salt, if using.
- Add 1 teaspoon of peanut butter mixture on top of the frozen chocolate base, or just enough to sit in the centre of the cup.
- Flatten with the top of the spoon.
Step 4: Cover with chocolate.
- Top with the rest of the melted chocolate and place back in the freezer to set.
- If the melted chocolate has set too much during waiting, simply re-heat it a little to make it spoonable or pourable.
- Top with sea salt flakes if you wish!
FAQ
There's always someone who shouts that peanut butter is "not keto". I disagree. True, peanut is a legume, which we normally avoid on keto. But peanuts are higher in fat than other beans, and low in carbs. Nutritionally speaking, they are very similar to almonds. Peanuts are also gluten free.
Watch out though - not all peanut butter brands are keto friendly because some add sugar to their product. Always read the label! Alternatively,Ā you can also make your own peanut butter.
I picked a peanut butter brand that is naturally firm. If your peanut butter is more on the runny side, you have two choices.
Choice 1: Dig into the bottom of the pot where the peanut butter is normally firmer.
Choice 2: Add Ā½ tablespoon melted coconut oil (or butter) to the peanut butter mix. This will help firm it up. However, you'll have to add an extra step and freeze the peanut butter layer for 10 minutes because initially it will be liquid.
Once it's cooled, add the top chocolate layer and freeze again.
Yes. You can use another nut butter such as almond butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut free alternative.
Yes. Use my keto milk chocolate or sugar free white chocolate instead!
Storage
Store keto reeses cups in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Or, store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Related recipes
Here are more keto fat bomb recipes to try:
- Keto Cheesecake Fat Bombs2 Hours 10 Minutes
- Chocolate Fat Bomb Recipe (Keto)30 Minutes
- Cacao Nut Butter Fat Bombs25 Minutes
- Keto Cookie Dough5 Minutes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Keto Reeses peanut butter cups
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Equipment
- mini cupcake silicone moulds (1.8 inch diameter at the bottom) or mini paper cupcake liners
Ingredients
- ā cup / 4 oz / 110g sugar free chocolate chips or 90% dark chocolate
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Ā¼ cup / 65g peanut butter smooth
- 1 tsp - 1 tbsp powdered sweetener optional
- Ā¼ - ā teaspoon salt only if not in the peanut butter
Instructions
- Line a muffin tin with paper liners or use silicone cupcake moulds.
- Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a heat proof bowl and melt over a pan filled with a little water. Stir a couple of times. Remove the bowl from the pan and allow to cool a little. (Alternatively, heat in the microwave.**)
- Mix the peanut butter with the sweetener (if using) and salt. Use firmer peanut butter from the bottom of the pot.
- Add about 1 teaspoon of chocolate to each cup and use the back of a teaspoon to coat the sides. Place in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.
- Add 1 teaspoon of peanut butter, or just enough to sit in the centre of the cup. Flatten with the top of the spoon.
- Cover with the rest of the chocolate. Place back in the freezer for about 10 minutes, or until fully set. Store in the fridge.
Harlie
Can I use just a little bit of pure maple syrup instead? I tried the keto powdered sugar and it tasted like chemicals. Thanks.
Katrin NĆ¼rnberger
Of course. The recipe also works with maple syrup.
Tom San Filippo
Nicely done Katrin! I've been making these for a couple years and I've come up with a couple tricks you might like. Reese's have a very dry peanut butter filling so we get natural peanut butter, where the oil has separated, pour off the oil and use for something else. Then we make our peanut mixture and pack it into the silicone cupcake molds and freeze them overnight. When the chocolate mix is ready, pop out the peanut discs from the molds, pour a lil choc mix to cover bottom of the mold then pop disc on top and cover with more chocolate, re-freeze. Dehydrated peanut powder is also a good way to firm up the peanut butter if you can't find separated PB. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Margaret
This is just insanely delicious and so simple. Great recipe.
Katrin NĆ¼rnberger
It depends on where you are based. If you're in the UK, you could use 90% Lindt chocolate, or 100% Montezuma's and add a little powdered sweetener.
Lia M
Love this recipe! I make it all the time.
Carolyn Stoker
Can I substitute cacao butter for the coconut oil? Would this also work for firming up peanut butter?
Katrin NĆ¼rnberger
Hi Carolyn, I used the coconut oil to make the chocolate a little softer to bite into. It is not strictly necessary. So, you could leave it out altogether if you prefer. Using cacao butter in its place would just make the chocolate set even harder. Cacao butter would definitely firm up the peanut butter though. Another way to do this would be to add a little coconut flour or peanut flour.