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With just 5 ingredients, learn how to make No Bake Peanut Butter Balls that will fly off the platter or make a stellar food gift idea. This easy homemade candy recipe is a winner at any holiday party (or on any day you want to taste like a holiday!).
I love a 5-ingredient, no bake treat at the holidays. As a classically-trained chef with some serious candy-making under my belt, I was excited to tweak this old-fashioned recipe until it was absolutely perfect.
The secret to these delicious peanut butter balls is the graham cracker crumbs in the filling. They add a much-needed texture that is pleasant to bite into without a hint of grittiness. I also love to use semi-sweet chocolate chips which balances perfectly with the peanut butter filling, but you’re welcome to substitute milk chocolate if you prefer that.
Add these scrumptious peanut butter balls to your next cookie plate or package them up to give as a homemade food gift. If you live in a cold climate, you should definitely do that one trick where you store holiday candy on your patio or in the garage. I love that about the Midwest!
Table of Contents
Easy Peanut Butter Balls Ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Graham crackers: If classic graham crackers aren’t available in your area, feel free to use the same amount of crushed digestive biscuits, or any slightly sweet, non-shortbread style cookie or tea biscuit. Or try 1 cup of crushed Rice Krispies cereal or 1 cup of rolled oats; you can’t go wrong with any of the above.
- Peanut butter: Homemade or store-bought, creamy or chunky; it’s up to you. Almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or your top peanut butter substitute should also work as long as it’s not too drippy.
- Semi-sweet baking chocolate: For dipping. You can also use chocolate flavored melting wafers if desired.
- Powdered Sugar
- Butter
How to make Peanut Butter Balls
- In a large bowl, add graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter. Stir until uniformly combined and smooth.
- Shape into teaspoon-sized balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Chill at least 30 minutes.
- Set chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water (double-boiler method) or melt in the microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments (stirring well after each increment). Using two spoons, dip peanut butter balls into melted chocolate and transfer to prepared baking sheet.
- Chill at least 30 minutes to set chocolate. Store covered in the refrigerator (or in your cold garage).
Peanut Butter Ball Recipe Tips and Variations
- Yield: My No Bake Peanut Butter Ball recipe makes 30 bite-sized (okay, probably more like two-bite) servings. This dessert is a breeze to make and multiplies easily, so I suggest whipping up a double batch.
- Storage: Transfer extra No Bake Peanut Butter Balls to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two weeks.
- Freezer: Freeze dipped or undipped Peanut Butter Balls in a freezer-safe zip-top bag for up to three months.
- No Bake Peanut Butter Ball mix-ins: Boost flavor or texture by adding shredded coconut, chopped dried fruit, sprinkles/jimmies, or mini chocolate chips.
Peanut Butter Ball Recipe FAQs
The best way to melt chocolate is either using a double boiler on the stove or in the microwave. Before you start, make sure your bowl and utensils (and anything else that touches the chocolate) is very, very dry. Even just a little water could make the melted chocolate seize up.
Melting chocolate in the microwave: Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30-second intervals at 50% power, stirring between each, until smooth and melted.
Melting chocolate on the stove: Place chocolate in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over (but not in) a saucepan of simmering water; cook, stirring occasionally, until melted, 2 to 3 minutes.
Your peanut butter balls could be dry because you didn’t grind your graham cracker crumbs finely enough to properly blend with the butter and sugar mixture. Also, if you use natural peanut butter instead of the highly-processed, full-sugar kind, your might wind up with dry peanut butter balls due to a lower amount of oil in the nut butter. Finally, if you added too much powdered sugar and not enough butter, your ratio might be off leading to dry PB balls.
You need something to bind the peanut butter mixture, but it doesn’t have to be butter. You can substitute coconut oil, honey, maple syrup, or vegan butter. If you substitute a sweetener such as honey or maple syrup, you will need to reduce or omit the added sugar in your recipe.
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Peanut Butter Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup crushed graham crackers ( 1 sleeve or 9 crackers, see note 1)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (see note 2)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup butter softened (½ stick)
- 8 ounces semisweet baking chocolate (see note 3)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter. Stir until uniformly combined and smooth.
- Shape into teaspoon-sized balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Chill at least 30 minutes.
- Set chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water (double-boiler method) or melt in the microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments (stirring well after each increment). Using two spoons, dip peanut butter balls into melted chocolate and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Chill at least 30 minutes to set chocolate.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Graham crackers: If classic graham crackers aren’t available in your area, feel free to use the same amount of crushed digestive biscuits, or any slightly sweet, non-shortbread style cookie or tea biscuit. Or try 1 cup of crushed Rice Krispies cereal or 1 cup of rolled oats; you can’t go wrong with any of the above.
- Peanut butter: Homemade or store-bought, creamy or chunky; it’s up to you. Almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or your top peanut butter substitute should also work as long as it’s not too drippy.
- Semi-sweet baking chocolate: For dipping. You can also use chocolate flavored melting wafers if desired.
- Yield: My No Bake Peanut Butter Ball recipe makes 30 bite-sized (okay, probably more like two-bite) servings. This dessert is a breeze to make and multiplies easily, so I suggest whipping up a double batch.
- Storage: Transfer extra No Bake Peanut Butter Balls to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two weeks.
- Freezer: Freeze dipped or undipped Peanut Butter Balls in a freezer-safe zip-top bag for up to three months.
Made them over the holidays they were a complete hit I dipped them in s’mores chocolate ,cookies and cream chocolate and dark chocolate thought I was making one batch but ended up making 4 batches cause every time I made them they magically disappeared lol. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe it was truly a hit! Hope you had an amazing holiday!
You can buy chocolate wafers for candy making and melt in the microwave. These dip well and form quickly.
Hi Dawn, YES! With chocolate wafers it’s nearly impossible to screw things up. And they actually taste really great! Good idea. Thank you so much!
Awesome thank you ☺️ Can’t wait to make them !
Hi there 2 questions can you use salted butter instead and also I wanted to give them as gifts so can they just stay in an airtight container and not in the fridge ?
Thanks so much
Hi Sabrina! YES to salted butter, that’s what I always use and I will change the recipe to reflect that. My mother would never in a million years use unsalted butter so that’s just a typo. They can definitely stay in an airtight container but not in a warm place. If you happen to live in a cool climate, feel free to stick them in your garage or outside or something like that! But otherwise they will be fine if they don’t get warm. I hope this is helpful!
My 16 year old boy made these for the 2nd yr in a row and everyone loves them. They tell him to make them all yr round. Also he puts them outside since we live in WI
Hi Bill! Hooray for 16-year-old boys in the kitchen making treats! You’ve done something right over there. I appreciate that you took the time to leave a comment, take care and have a great holiday!
My sister in law made these and omg I love them I could have eaten the hole tray she made it am in love with these
My oldest sister makes these every year mmmm goooood
Hi! These looks yummy and easy. Am I able to make them now and freeze for Christmas? Thanks!
Hi Meghan, YES! Definitely. Just pop them in the freezer. My mom always puts them outside on the screened-in patio in Wisconsin during the winter. Exact same effect, ha ha! Thanks. 🙂
Can you use granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar?
I would love to make this recipe! I wonder though.. I always buy the freshly ground peanut butter from the store. It has no other ingredients, including sweeteners. Would the amount of sugar in this recipe still make it taste the way it should or should I add more? Thanks!
Hi Sarah! Sorry for the late reply. I would say you should be fine using the freshly-ground peanut butter, and the best way to see if you need more sugar is to taste it as you make it. You’ll know. I think people have different tastes for sweetness, you know? The final bars as written are quite sweet. If you normally eat peanut butter without sugar, maybe you don’t eat as much sugar and wouldn’t like them as is, anyway. Do you know what I mean? So I would say try with the sugar I have listed but just taste a little bit and see what you think. You will know what tastes the best to you! Thanks for the question and I’ll put it on my list to test this with unsweetened peanut butter and see how it turns out. Take care.
I make thes every year and have for manyears,however its easier to use toothpicks to dip , I use choc bark and I have never added butter to the pb mixture
I love make peanut butter balls.