Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls With Rice Krispies

These vegan, no-bake, 4-Ingredient chocolate peanut butter balls with rice Krispies (AKA peanut butter bon bons) are crunchy, creamy, and slightly chewy! Even better, they are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and can be prepared keto for a moreish snack or dessert!

4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies

If you’ve spent much time here, you may have noticed we LOVE peanut butter. It’s budget-friendly, packed with protein, and pretty darn tasty too! So, along with options like peanut butter cracker sandwiches, and chewy granola bars, it’s time to share these wonderfully moreish peanut butter bon bons (aka chocolate peanut butter balls with rice Krispies)!

These vegan peanut butter truffles can be referred to by several names (including peanut butter truffles, peanut butter bon bons, chocolate peanut butter balls, or even Buckeye balls when coating only ¾ way with chocolate). No matter which name you use, though, these are the perfect mashup between traditional peanut butter balls and peanut butter rice crispy treats. Combining a creamy peanut butter filling with crunchy puffed rice cereal and a decadent vegan chocolate coating (with NO butter and optionally sugar-free, too!).

The results are an indulgent bite-sized snack perfect for eating as an afternoon pick-me-up when the sugar cravings strike, for adding to lunch boxes, or serving at gatherings like parties, potlucks, and picnics (these crowd-pleasing no-bake peanut butter balls disappear in practically minutes!)

Best of all, this recipe is fuss-free, requires minimal hands-on prep, and is practically foolproof (a great chance to get the kids in the kitchen!). All you need to do is mix, roll, chill, dip, and then try not to inhale them all in one sitting! Did we mention, these vegan chocolate peanut butter bonbons also store well in the fridge and freezer and make for a wonderfully impressive yet inexpensive edible Christmas gift, too?!

Plus, if you want to enjoy even more delicious peanut butter treats, you might enjoy these chocolate-covered trail mix peanut butter balls, chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars, or no-bake peanut butter cups!

The Chocolate Peanut Butter Ball Ingredients

The 4-ingredient peanut butter balls require only, you guessed it, four simple and inexpensive pantry staples!

• Peanut butter: We recommend using creamy butter; smooth or chunky for these vegan peanut butter truffles. Avoid natural peanut butter where oils have separated and are sitting at the top of the jar.
• Puffed rice cereal: Rice Krispies aren’t actually vegan! However, there are many brands of puffed rice cereal that you can use for these vegan peanut butter balls (including most of the generic unbranded versions of Rice Krispies). You can also use chocolate-flavored crispy rice cereal or potentially puffed quinoa. Though we haven’t tried the latter, and it will be pricier.
• Powdered sugar: You can use regular powdered sugar or a sugar-free option like powdered erythritol. If you want to avoid extra sweetness entirely, you could experiment with thickening the peanut butter mixture with either oat flour or coconut flour (or a combination of the two).
• Chocolate: we used dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips. However, any high-quality (with cocoa butter rather than palm oil/other fats/oils) dairy-free chocolate (vegan milk, semi-sweet, bitter-sweet) should work. Use keto-approved (sugar-free) chocolate if preferred.

If you struggle with the chocolate melting to the correct dipping consistency (which shouldn’t be an issue when using high-quality chocolate), you could add a tablespoon or so of coconut oil or vegetable shortening to help make it more smooth. Here’s a guide to How to Melt Chocolate that you might find handy also!

Optional add-ins & Recipe Variations

• Vanilla extract: Use natural vanilla extract for the best flavor. Just a few drops will enhance the flavor of these peanut butter bon bons.
• Sea salt: If the peanut butter you use is unsalted, you may want to add a pinch to enhance the flavors. You can also sprinkle each vegan chocolate peanut butter truffle with a bit of flaky sea salt. They’ll look beautiful, have a little crunch, and taste great!
• Graham crackers: Instead of using puffed rice cereal, you could create peanut butter balls with graham crackers.
• Peanut butter protein balls: Instead of the powdered sugar or flours mentioned above, you could thicken the peanut butter mixture with your favorite plain or vanilla protein powder. The chocolate peanut butter protein balls make for an excellent pre or post-workout snack!
• Omit the chocolate: If you’d prefer your crunchy peanut butter balls to be chocolate-free, no problem!
• Crunchy Buckeye balls: Use a toothpick and make sure to only dip the chocolate Buckeyes 3/4 of the way into the chocolate.
• Optional toppings: There are several toppings you could choose to sprinkle over or roll the vegan peanut butter truffles into. These include shredded coconut, chopped nuts, freeze-dried Berry powder or pieces, cookie crumbs, etc. You could also use a vegan white chocolate or dark chocolate drizzle.

How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls?

• You can dip the chocolate peanut butter balls with either a small fork or a toothpick. Insert the toothpicks into the peanut butter bon bons before placing them in the fridge to harden; that way, they won’t slip off as you’re dipping. If you want to make chocolate buckeye balls, only dip the peanut butter balls ¾ way into the chocolate.

How to Store?

Store these vegan chocolate peanut butter balls with rice Krispies in an airtight container or zip lock bag in the refrigerator for up to one week. You could also keep them in the freezer for up to three months.

When you want to enjoy a chocolate peanut butter ball, allow it to thaw on the counter for just 10-15 minutes.

FAQs

• Why are my peanut butter balls sticky? This is usually because you haven’t added enough thickener (powdered sugar/flour). We recommend starting with one tablespoon and increasing by the teaspoon until you reach the desired consistency.
• Do peanut butter balls need to be refrigerated? We prefer to keep them in the refrigerator for the best texture and consistency. We recommend only keeping the chocolate peanut butter balls with Rice Krispies at room temperature if you plan to eat them within one to two days as they’ll soften as they sit.
• Do you need to add vegan butter to peanut butter balls? This recipe is butter-free, and we love it that way. The lower liquid content means we need to rely on less powdered sugar to achieve the correct consistency. If you want to experiment with vegan butter (for richer bonbons), we recommend adding three tablespoons to the mixture and increasing your thickener accordingly.
• Can I use other nut butter? Absolutely, try this peanut butter truffles recipe with almond butter, cashew butter, or even make a nut-free version with sunflower seed butter.

Top Recipe Tips and Notes

• Adjust the amount of thickener added: The amount needed will vary based on the type of peanut butter you use and the thickener (powdered sugar vs. flour vs. protein powder).
• To avoid a crumbly dough: Add the powdered sugar (or thickener of your choice) with the peanut butter incrementally. If you accidentally add too much, add a teaspoon at a time of your favorite dairy-free milk until it forms a dough.
• Don’t skip the chilling step: Otherwise, you’ll find that dipping the peanut butter bon bons is a mess as they’ll melt into the hot vegan chocolate.
• To keep the dairy-free chocolate melted for dipping: We recommend using the double boiler method and keeping it over low heat even once the vegan chocolate has melted. That will keep it from hardening while you’re dipping all your no-bake peanut butter balls.
• If the mixture is too soft: It may help to place the bowl in the refrigerator or freezer for 15 to 20 minutes and then roll the crunchy peanut butter balls again. Work quickly, as they’ll soften the longer they sit at room temperature.
• To gift the no-bake peanut butter balls: You could place a few within a cellophane candy bag, biscuit tin, or even mug, tied nicely with a pretty bow. It’s best to use tempered vegan chocolate if you plan to have them at room temperature for extended periods.

More Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Recipes:

• Peanut butter oatmeal breakfast cups
• Peanut butter sandwich cookies
• Chocolate peanut butter bark
• Peanut butter granola
• Peanut butter banana bars

Photos by Alfonso Revilla