No-bake Rice Crispy Peanut Butter Balls - a sweet, crunchy, and chocolate-dipped treat perfect for holiday parties and gift boxes!
These are only 6 ingredients and take MINUTES to whip up. These are a super easy, no fuss holiday treat to make for a crowd (just like chocolate gooey chex mix or funfetti edible sugar cookie dough!) and are one of our favorites to share with friends and family.
Crispy peanut butter balls are a no bake candy made by mixing binders like butter and peanut butter with a stabilizer like powdered sugar and a nice crispy cereal in the middle to give it some texture. It's a little twist on a classic holiday candy that we love!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Taste: Crispy little bites of a sweet, soft peanut butter filling with lovely chocolate around the outside.
- Ease: Beginner, no baking required. Just a microwave or a double boiler to melt the chocolate.
- Time: Takes 5 minutes to mix together and another 5-10 to dip them all!
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Best cereal - Rice Krispies are what makes the nice crunch, but you could also use chopped peanuts if you wish.
- Best Peanut Butter - regular creamy peanut butter works great, natural style peanut butters tend to be a little more oily and change the texture to slightly too soft. If that's all you have you can make it work, you just need to chill the balls before dipping them in chocolate.
- Chocolate - I use milk or dark dipping chocolate most of the time since you don't need to add any additional oil to it. You could also use chocolate chips as long as you're careful not to overheat the chocolate!
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Chocolate - you can use white melting chocolate, butterscotch chips, dark chocolate, etc.
- Cocoa krispies are also a fun addition to these!
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. In a bowl, combine the softened butter and peanut butter. Mix with an electric mixer (or by hand vigorously) until smooth and creamy and there are no butter chunks left. (If there are a few, no worries, they usually work themselves out when the powdered sugar is added in. )
- Step 2. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix well (on low/medium speed if using an electric mixer) for about 1 minute to make sure all of the powdered sugar is mixed in.
- Step 3. Add in the rice crispies last and mix in gently so they don't all crumble to bits.
- Step 4. Scoop into balls using a 2 teaspoon (small) cookie scoop.
- Step 5. Melt chocolate in the microwave for 30 second bursts (twice) and then in 15 second bursts (as needed), stirring between each burst until chocolate is smooth and runny. If it seizes and gets hard you've heated it up to much and will probably need to start over with new chocolate.
- Step 6. Using a fork or a chocolate dipping tool, dip each ball in chocolate, tap it a little on the fork to help excess chocolate drip back into the bowl, and place on a parchment paper lined surface or tray. Sprinkle chopped peanuts or peanut halves on chocolate while soft.
- Step 7. Cool for 10-15 minutes at room temperature until set. Once hardened they are ready to serve, package, or store until serving!
TIP: You can set the tray of chocolates in the fridge to set even more quickly if you're in a hurry! 5 minutes should do the trick.
📌 Troubleshooting
- Too soft / won't set: add more powdered sugar or chill longer; swap to less-runny peanut butter.
- Cereal soggy: mix too early or too much peanut butter, spread on sheet and chill uncovered to re-crisp, or bake briefly at 200°F for 5-8 minutes to crisp up (test first).
- Chocolate cracking or dull: try to avoid rapid temp changes that cause bloom.
❄️ Make Ahead, Store, and Freezing Tips
Room temp: 3-5 days in airtight tin
Fridge: 2-3 weeks (chocolate may bloom if temperature fluctuates)
Freezer: up to 3 months (freeze on sheet, then bag).
🎁 Shipping and Gifting
- Flash-freeze balls.
- Pack with insulating layer & cold packs.
- I would use insulated mailers for greater than 48-hr transit.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Use a gentle stirring/folding motion to stir into peanut butter mixture, be careful not to use too much peanut butter, and store in an airtight container.
Up to 3 months, then pack frozen solid into an insulated box or mailer with gel packs to last 3-5 days in transit.
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📝 Printable Recipe
Rice Crispy Peanut Butter Balls
Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls, 1 small & 1 medium
Ingredients
- 1½ cups peanut butter
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 1¾ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup rice crispy cereal
- 340 grams dipping chocolate
- ⅓ cup chopped peanuts
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the softened butter and peanut butter. Mix with an electric mixer (or by hand vigorously) until smooth and creamy and there are no butter chunks left. See Note 1.1½ cups peanut butter, ¼ cup butter
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix well (on low/medium speed if using an electric mixer) for about 1 minute to make sure all of the powdered sugar is mixed in.1¾ cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add in the rice crispies last and mix in gently so they don't all crumble to bits.1 cup rice crispy cereal
- Scoop into balls using a 2 teaspoon (small) cookie scoop.
- Melt chocolate in the microwave for 30 second bursts (twice) and then in 15 second bursts (as needed), stirring between each burst until chocolate is smooth and runny. See Note 2.340 grams dipping chocolate
- Using a fork or a chocolate dipping tool, dip each ball in chocolate, tap it a little on the fork to help excess chocolate drip back into the bowl, and place on a parchment paper lined surface or tray.
- Sprinkle chopped peanuts or peanut halves on chocolate while soft. Cool for 10-15 minutes or refrigerate for 5 minutes until hardened.⅓ cup chopped peanuts
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Sara says
So fun for the holidays! We love to put them on cookie plates.