Halloween Peanut Butter Spiders

No-bake peanut butter balls get a spooky makeover with this simple, delicious 5-ingredient peanut butter spiders recipe. A fun addition to a Halloween treats tray or party snack spread!

The Ingredients

Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients, substitutes, and quantities.

Recipe Variations

There are several ways to adjust this vegan Halloween peanut butter spider recipe to any occasion.

• Vanilla extract: Just a little for added warm flavor depth.
• Shredded coconut: Added for extra thickening and texture.
• Dried fruits: Like raisins, dates, or cranberries, broken down in a processor.
• Other nut butter: Use almond butter, cashew butter, or even nut-free sunflower seed butter or tahini. You may need to adjust the amount of sugar & thickening ingredients.

You could also use a separate peanut butter ‘base,’ like my:

• 3-Ingredient peanut butter oatmeal balls
• No-bake chocolate peanut butter balls with Rice Krispies
• Edible peanut butter cookie dough

How to Make Peanut Butter Ball Spiders

Step 3: Next, transfer the peanut butter balls to the freezer for an hour, then remove and carefully press 3-4 halved pretzel sticks on either side of the ball (the spider legs!). Then place vegan chocolate chips for the eyes (see photos for reference). Finally, chill in the refrigerator once more, if preferred, then enjoy!

FAQs

Toni’s Recipe Tips

• Use creamy peanut butter: If it’s too drippy/soft, you’d need to add a thickener to make a dough stiff enough to roll into balls.
• Chill the dough: This makes it easier to roll into balls.
• Heat treat the flour: Unfortunately, the raw flour may contain harmful bacteria, including E. coli. To make it safe to eat, spread it in a thin layer across a large baking tray. Bake at 350F/175C for 7-10 minutes. Leave to cool, then continue with the recipe.
• Enjoy chilled: If possible, serve these out of the fridge. The more they sit at room temperature, the softer and stickier they’ll become. To avoid mess, serve in mini cupcake cases, with napkins nearby.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy these no-bake peanut butter balls with other snacks that you can easily transform into easy Halloween treats to make with simple recipe tweaks, like:

• Peanut butter and chocolate covered banana ‘ghosts’ (use dairy-free white chocolate and make a ghost face with melted vegan chocolate or mini chocolate chips)
• Chocolate covered trail mix peanut butter ball ‘pumpkins’ (roll the balls in orange sprinkles, using a small pretzel stick as the pumpkin stem)
• Halloween peanut butter chocolate bark/ vegan peppermint bark (top the bark with Halloween sprinkles, pretzels, candy, and googly eyes and/or use vegan white chocolate to draw ‘ghosts’)
• Easy biscoff fudge (decorate the top similar to the above vegan chocolate bark)
• 3-Ingredient chocolate coconut ball ‘mummies’ (use dairy-free white chocolate to drizzle and googly eyes)
• Chocolate dipped strawberries (either add googly eyes or use dairy-free white chocolate and paint over ghost faces in dark chocolate)

Storage Instructions

Store any leftover spider peanut butter balls in an airtight container in layers separated by parchment paper. Store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

You can also freeze this spider dessert in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I usually freeze just the plain, no-bake peanut butter balls, leave them to thaw in the fridge overnight, then add the pretzel legs and vegan chocolate chip eyes.

More Vegan Party Snacks

Vegan Appetizers

Mini Spider Pizza [Bagel Bites]

Vegan Desserts

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

Vegan Appetizers

Vegan Charcuterie Board (Grazing Platter)

Vegan Appetizers

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

If you tried this Halloween peanut butter spiders recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!