Published: · Last Modified: by Caren · This post may contain affiliate links
You guys, these healthy homemade peanut butter cups are going to rock your world! They’re so light, tasty and not overly sweet and guess what? They’re made with chocolate protein and (almost) no added sugar, so they’re super healthy and low carb. Enjoy!
There’s few recipes that I’m so excited about that I actually make a play-by-play on Instagram stories, but I did for this recipe. Go check it out if you prefer to watch than read, but the whole recipe is listed below.
Why you’ll love these healthy homemade peanut butter cups
- Because they’re actually healthy! No, seriously - there’s almost no sugar, with the exception of a small amount of sugar in the PB2. The chocolate is sweetened with Stevia and it’s also vegan, so feel free to adjust the protein powder to make this plant-based, too.
- They’re also super simple to make. No baking required and the actually preparation time is only about 15 minutes (not including the freezer time).
- They’re low carb. You can check out the macros in the recipe card.
Substitutions and Alternative flavors
I made this batch double chocolate peanut butter, meaning, I used chocolate flavored PB2 for the filling, but you could also use the regular kind for more of a traditional peanut butter flavor.
Alternatively, you could make this pumpkin flavored by using Pumpkin Spice Shakeology or just adding pumpkin spice seasoning to a vanilla protein powder.
I recommend playing with the flavors based on your preferred protein powder flavor. Use what you have! Oh, I bet red velvet would be great, too!
Do you have to use protein powder?
Nope, alternatively, you can just use more PB2, almond flour or just straight up nut butter. I like using protein powder because it adds more flavor and keeps the calories and carbs low.
How to store these healthy little peanut butter cups?
Even though you need the freezer to prepare them, I recommend storing them in the fridge so they’re not rock hard when you want to have one. Storing them in the fridge will help them keep their shape but still give them a great texture for biting into them right away.
What Chocolate Chips to Use?
I recommend a dark chocolate as you probably want to keep the sugars and calories low. I love Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips for this exact reason - they’re sweetened with stevia, so the calories are lower, but the taste is uncompromising. They’re a little pricier than other chocolates, but it’s so worth it.
Don’t have Lily’s dark chocolate on hand? Any semi-sweet chocolate will do, but it will impact the calories per serving mentioned below.
Alternatives to Coconut Cream?
I use coconut cream in this recipe because I think it has the best consistency. I always recommend having a few cans of this stuff in your pantry for this very occasion, but if you don’t, you can use almond milk or regular milk or cream. Whatever you have on hand to make the melted chocolate a little runnier so it pours better.
Want more healthy protein treats? I've got plenty!
- Low Carb Protein mug cake
- Low Carb Protein Donut Recipe
- Gluten Free Protein Cookies
- Chocolate protein pudding (plant-based)
Healthy Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Yield: 12
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
A super healthy, but equally as decadent alternative to store-bought Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. They're (almost) sugar-free!
Ingredients
For the chocolate coating
- 1/2 c lilies brand chocolate chips
- 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- Sea salt
- Extra stevia (if it’s not sweet enough for you, I thought it was plenty sweet)
For the filling
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 2.5 tbsp PB2 (chocolate or regular)
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (or Shakeology)
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 - 2 tbsps of coconut cream (just enough to make the dough moist enough to stick together)
Instructions
- Line a muffin tin with muffin liners. 12 mini or 6 full sized.
- Melt the chocolate & coconut oil in a small bowl the microwave for 3 mins
- Add 1 tbsp coconut cream and a pinch of salt to the mixture. Mix well.
- Once the mixture is smooth, poor a little drop in each muffin liner. Just enough to cover the bottom.
- Put the liners in the freezer to set for about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the almond butter and coconut oil to a medium-sized bowl and mix well.
- Add the PB2, a pinch of salt and protein powder and keep mixing
- Now add a tablespoon of coconut cream to the mixture to moisten it. It should stick together now, but add a bit more if you need to.
- Make 6 medium or 12 small balls of even portions
- Take the cups out of the freezer once set and squish the little balls of filling into each of the cups. Do not press them so they touch the sides!
- Now go back to your bowl of melted chocolate. It will probably need to be melted again.
- Once melted, note if it’s runny enough to pour on top of your nut butter mixture. If it’s not, add another tablespoon of coconut cream.
- Mix well and pour the remaining chocolate over the ball mixture.
- Once topped, garnish with a bit of sea salt and put the muffin tray back in the freezer. For 20 minutes.
- Now they’re ready to enjoy, but they are best stored in the freezer so they maintain their shape
Notes
Do you have to use protein powder?
Nope, alternatively, you can just use more PB2, almond flour or just straight up nut butter. I like using protein powder because it adds more flavor and keeps the calories and carbs low.
Is Shakeology better than protein powder?
Not necessarily in terms of taste, but it does have more nutritional value. That said, the macros for this recipe is using protein powder, not Shakeology.
How to store these healthy little peanut butter cups?
Even though you need the freezer to prepare them, I recommend storing them in the fridge so they’re not rock hard when you want to have one. Storing them in the fridge will help them keep their shape but still give them a great texture for bitting into them right away.
What Chocolate Chips to Use?
I recommend a semi-sweet chocolate as you probably want to keep the sugars and calories low. I love Lily’s Chocolate for this exact reason - they’re sweetened with stevia, so the calories are lower, but the taste is uncompromising. They’re a little pricier than other chocolates, but it’s so worth it.
Don’t have Lily’s chocolate on hand? Any semi-sweet chocolate will do, but it will impact the calories per serving mentioned below.
Alternatives to Coconut Cream?
I use coconut cream in this recipe because I think it has the best consistency. I always recommend having a few cans of this stuff in your pantry for this very occasion, but if you don’t, you can use almond milk or regular milk or cream. Whatever you have on hand to make the melted chocolate a little runnier so it pours better.
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Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1 cup
Amount Per ServingCalories 84Total Fat 5.6gCarbohydrates 9.3gNet Carbohydrates 5.9gFiber 3.4gProtein 2.8g
