Keto Peanut Butter Cups
Published April 24, 2026
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These keto peanut butter cups are my easy, 4-ingredient take on a Reese’s copycat, with a creamy peanut butter center wrapped in a sugar-free chocolate shell. They come together fast and hit that sweet, chocolatey craving without the carbs.
If you love Reese’s peanut butter cups but don’t love the sugar, this is the recipe I keep coming back to. These are my go-to keto dupe, and they honestly don’t take much time at all to make. I’ll usually make a big batch, stash them in the freezer, and just grab one whenever that chocolate-peanut butter craving hits. They hold up great frozen and taste just as good, maybe even better straight from the freezer.
I actually came up with this recipe for my son because he went through a serious peanut butter cup phase… like, would eat the whole bag if I let him. I didn’t love the idea of all that sugar, so I started testing a homemade version that would still feel like a treat but fit into the way we eat. It took a little tweaking to get that classic balance of a firm chocolate shell with a creamy peanut butter center, but once I nailed it, these became a regular in our house.
What I love most…
- Just a handful of ingredients and minimal prep.
- No complicated steps, no special equipment, just melt, mix, and layer.
- The peanut butter filling is smooth and rich without being overly sweet.
- The sugar-free chocolate coating gives you that snap you expect from a peanut butter cup.
- You can also control the sweetness level, which I prefer since a lot of store-bought versions lean way too sweet.
Explore hundreds of keto recipe videos with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make keto easy.
Ingredients
16 oz sugar-free dark chocolate chips -
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
-
2 tablespoons butter, softened
-
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar-free sweetener
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Line a muffin pan
Line an 18-cup muffin tin (or work in batches using a standard 12-cup pan) with paper cupcake liners.
Melt chocolate
Melt half of the chocolate using a double boiler for more control or the microwave for speed. If using the microwave, add the chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth, about 3–4 rounds.
- 8 oz sugar-free dark chocolate
Chocolate bottom
Spoon the melted chocolate into each liner, just enough to cover the bottom of all 18 cups. If needed, tap the pan firmly on the counter to spread the chocolate into an even layer. Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes, or until set.
Peanut butter center
While that layer chills, beat together the peanut butter, butter, and powdered sweetener with a hand mixer for about 1 minute, until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed. Divide the peanut butter mixture evenly between the 18 cups, then tap the pan on the counter again to smooth it out. Freeze for another 15 minutes until firm.
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar-free sweetener
Final chocolate shell
Melt the remaining chocolate and spoon a small amount over each cup to cover the peanut butter layer. Tap the pan after each addition to level the tops. Return to the freezer for a final 15 minutes, or until fully set.
- 8 oz sugar-free dark chocolate
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of peanut butter can I use?
Use a creamy, no sugar added peanut butter, ideally one where the only ingredients are peanuts and salt. This gives you the best texture and keeps the flavor clean without any added sugars or fillers.
Can I make these dairy-free?
Yes, just use dairy-free sugar-free chocolate and skip any butter if your recipe includes it, or swap in coconut oil.
Pool day last weekend, put these out with everything else. A friend picked one up and spent a second looking around for the Reese's bag. The chocolate shell gets people every time.
Used crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy and it completely changed the center, little bits throughout that give you something to actually chew into. Worth knowing: go lighter on the chocolate bottom layer than feels right, or the shell cracks when you pop them out of the liner.
The crunchy peanut butter thing is going in the notes. And that bottom layer tip is real - I've cracked a few shells going too thick on that first pour.
Wasn't sure 4 ingredients could actually pull this off, but after the first one came out of the freezer I stopped being skeptical. The chocolate shell snaps clean and the peanut butter center is somehow exactly right. Making a double batch next week.
That snap is everything. For the double batch, line both tins at once if you have them so you're not waiting around between rounds.
Okay I have to tell someone about the coconut oil trick. I stirred a teaspoon into each 8 oz of Lily's dark chocolate while melting and the whole thing went completely smooth and actually pourable, which made getting an even layer in the liners so much easier. The shell sets up glossy and has this satisfying snap when you bite through it instead of cracking or bending weird. I also added a pinch of flaky salt right before the final chocolate layer set, and that contrast against the sweetened peanut butter filling is kind of hard to stop thinking about. I'd been making these for a few weeks without either tweak and this batch honestly feels like a different recipe. Starting every future batch with both from the jump.
The coconut oil pour is way easier to control for that even first layer. Flaky salt right before the top sets - I've been doing it so long I forgot it wasn't in the original notes.
I've made these so many times I stopped counting around batch eight. Last time I stirred a teaspoon of coconut oil into the melted chocolate and the shells came out way smoother, this glossy snap when they set that made them look like something from an actual candy shop. The peanut butter center is what keeps me coming back though, that combination of softened butter and powdered sweetener gets the texture exactly right, thick and fudgy not oily. I've started pressing a pinch of flaky sea salt into the top before the final chocolate layer and it's not optional for me anymore. Double batch this past weekend, single batch the weekend before that. These are just part of my Sunday now and I'm not even a little sorry about it.
The sea salt flip from optional to required is real. Can't go back once your brain registers it as part of the thing. Batch eight is also when you stop counting.
Every keto peanut butter cup I'd made before tasted like chalk. The filling here actually has that dense, salty-sweet thing, and with Lily's dark chips the chocolate snaps clean. Closest thing to the real Reese's ratio I've found.
One thing that completely changed how mine turned out: let the melted chocolate cool a minute or two before spooning it over the peanut butter layer. First time I made these, I went straight from the double boiler and the filling basically dissolved into the chocolate, peanut butter swirling everywhere. Second batch I waited, and they came out looking like actual store-bought cups. That cooldown is not optional.
I make these every Sunday, usually a double batch because they're gone by Thursday and I'm annoyed I didn't make more. The 18-cup tin is perfect for portion control - I grab two and call it done - and I keep them stacked in a silicone bag in the freezer so they don't stick. Better straight from frozen than room temp. The peanut butter center gets this almost fudgy density that you lose when they soften up. I've tried a few different sugar-free chocolate chips and keep landing on Lily's for the shell - it sets cleaner and doesn't bloom in the freezer. Powdered sweetener in the filling, not granular. Tried granular once and it never fully dissolved, just a little sandy texture all the way through. Been doing this for maybe six weeks now and it's the one thing that's actually kept me from grabbing real Reese's at checkout.
Granular never dissolves right no matter how long you mix, still gritty at the end. Powdered only. The frozen texture is exactly right, room temp gets too soft.
My son found these in the fridge and assumed I had stopped at the store. I had to show him the empty muffin tin before he believed me. Still figuring out the timing on the chocolate layers, but the peanut butter center is so easy to pull together.
Ha, the empty muffin tin is solid proof. For the layers, I freeze each one for about 5 minutes before adding the next. Not fully hard, just set enough that the peanut butter doesn't sink through.
Reese's were my whole Halloween growing up. Didn't think I'd get that back on keto. Used Lily's dark chocolate and the peanut butter center is creamy enough that my brain just filed this under 'real thing.'
Lily's dark is exactly what I use for these. And 'filed it under real thing' is the whole goal with this recipe.
Tried probably six different keto peanut butter cup recipes and none of them got the filling right. The butter here loosens the peanut butter center to something actually close to a Reese's instead of a dense paste. Using Lily's for the shell doesn't hurt either.
Yeah the butter is the thing that nobody else does. Most recipes just dump straight peanut butter in and you get that dry, dense paste. Lily's dark is what I use too.
My daughter compared these side by side with actual Reese's cups and said the chocolate shell on mine tasted 'more real,' which is a four-star review in my book.
Four stars from a kid doing a side-by-side with the original. That's a win. The chocolate ratio is the thing I kept tweaking to get right.