This easy recipe for chocolate covered peanut butter balls is a family favorite. Step-by-step photos help you learn how to make peanut butter balls. This easy no-bake candy is perfect for the holidays, birthday parties, basically any occasion!

buckeyes in a small bowl with one half eaten on top

Growing up one of my favorite things to do was to walk to 7-Eleven and grab a 7Up and Reeses Peanut Butter cups, my friend Kambria and I used to beg our parents to let us go as often as we could. You'd think since I've had a love affair with peanut butter cups for so long that these peanut butter balls would have appeared on my website years ago.

I don't know why they haven't since they are soo easy to make and soooo delicious. Everyone loves them. And the best part is they are quick to make and serve a crowd, the same reason I love Almond Roca and Chewy Caramels! Below I will show you how to make peanut butter balls.

Let's get to the recipe.

What are the ingredients?

I prefer to use half cream cheese and half butter but a lot of recipes call for only butter. It's totally up to you but I love the combination of the two.

Creamy Peanut Butter
Unsalted Butter softened to room temperature
Cream Cheese softened to room temperature
Confectioners/ Powdered Sugar
Good Quality Chocolate, finely chopped. I like to use a mixture of dark chocolate and milk chocolate but use whatever you prefer.
Vegetable Oil

Don't miss my buckeye brownies recipe too!

How do you make peanut butter balls?

In a large bowl with an electric handheld mixer or an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment beat the peanut butter, cream cheese, and unsalted butter together.

peanut butter, butter, and cream cheese mixed together in a metal bowl

Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down to ensure everything is evenly combined.

Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and gently mix (if you mix too fast you will create a powdered sugar storm and a huge mess!).

confectioners mixed into peanut butter butter mixture

The mixture will look crumbly, you don't want to add to much sugar because you want to be able to press the peanut butter clumps together. If it is too sticky add 1 tablespoon more powdered sugar at a time.

peanut butter ball recipe in a metal mixing bowl

Line a baking sheet with a Silpat liner or wax paper and use a small cookie scoop ( I use this Cookie Scoop 0.5 Tablespoon) to make evenly sized peanut butter balls. Place each ball on the sheet, ensuring no balls are touching each other. Place the tray in the fridge for 20 minutes or the freezer for 10 minutes.

sheet tray with peanut butter balls next to a small cookie scoop

In a bain-marie, double boiler, or in the microwave melt the chocolate and oil together. Make sure to not overheat the chocolate, when in doubt take it off of the heat and let the residual heat melt the rest of the chocolate. When chocolate burns there is no going back.

chocolate callets with oil in a large glass bowl

How do you dip the balls

Pour the chocolate into a deep bowl, this helps for easier dipping the balls in the chocolate coating. I use this candy dipping set and use the circular one its perfect for dipping and dumping the peanut butter ball onto the sheet to dry.

chocolate dipped peanut butter balls drizzled with more chocolate

Place the ball into the chocolate and use the round dipper to push it around to make sure its fully covered then scoop the ball up and tap any excess chocolate off, then flip the ball onto the wax paper/ Silpat. Repeat with all balls and use a spoon to drizzle the remaining chocolate on top for a pretty design. Let the balls set in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Check out my Oreo Truffles too!

How long do they last?

Store the balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

up close of half eaten chocolate covered peanut butter ball

Can you freeze peanut butter balls?

You can freeze the balls by storing them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

And for the ultimate decadent peanut butter dessert don't forget my peanut butter cheesecake recipe!

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★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

Recipe Card

Peanut Butter Balls

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4.2 from 5 reviews

Print Recipe

Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 56 Peanut Butter Balls 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

8oz (1 Cup) Creamy Peanut Butter
2oz (4 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature
2oz (4 Tablespoons) Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
240 grams (2 Cups) Confectioners/ Powdered Sugar
10oz Good Quality Chocolate, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

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Instructions

In a large bowl with an electric handheld mixer or an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment beat the peanut butter, cream cheese, and unsalted butter together. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down to ensure everything is evenly combined.
Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and gently mix (if you mix too fast you will create a powdered sugar storm and a huge mess!). The mixture will look crumbly, you don't want to add to much sugar because you want to be able to press the peanut buter clumps togther. If it is too sticky add 1 tablespoon more powdered sugar at at time.
Line a baking sheet with a silpat liner or wax paper and use a small cookie scoop ( I use this Cookie Scoop 0.5 Tablespoon) to make evenly sized peanut butter balls. Place each ball on the sheet, ensuring no balls are touching each other. Place tray in the fridge for 20 minutes or the freezer for 10 minutes.
In a bain-marie, double boiler, or in the microwave melt the chocolate and oil together. Make sure to not over heat the chocolate, when in doubt take it off of the heat and let the residual heat melt the rest of the chocolate. When chocolate burns there is no going back.
Pour the chocolate into a deep bowl, this helps for easier dipping. I use this candy dipping set and use the circular one its perfect for dipping and dumping the peanut butter ball onto the sheet to dry. Place the ball into the chocolte and use the round dipper to push it around to make sure its fully coverered then scoop the ball up and tap any excess chocolate off, then flip the ball onto the wax paper/ Silpat. Repeat with all balls and use a spoon to drizle the remaining chocolate on top for a pretty design. Let the balls set in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.