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Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs are the ultimate Easter treat! With just 6 simple ingredients and the perfect chocolate to peanut butter ratio, this easy, no-bake recipe is so much better than the original!
If you love chocolate and peanut butter together, don't miss my recipes for Homemade Peanut Butter Cups, Peanut Butter Buckeyes, Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies, and Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats.
Kristen's Keys for Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs
For a copycat version of a Reese's Peanut Butter Egg with incredible texture and flavor, pay attention to the following tips.
- Use shelf-stable creamy peanut butter. Natural peanut butter is too loose, which makes the filling difficult to shape and can cause the eggs to fall apart when dipping.
- Fully chill the shaped peanut butter eggs before dipping. A quick freeze (about 20 minutes) or a longer fridge chill (about 1 hour) firms the filling so the eggs keep their shape instead of melting or falling apart in the warm chocolate.
- Coconut oil is helpful, but optional. Adding a bit of coconut oil to the chocolate, helps the chocolate harden quickly and adds a nice glossy finish. Skip if you don't have on hand.
- Let the melted chocolate cool briefly before dipping. Giving the chocolate about 5 minutes to cool prevents it from melting the peanut butter centers and helps create a smoother, thicker coating.
How to Make Copycat Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs
Let me walk you through the process of making homemade peanut butter eggs at home. It is easier than you may think.
Step One: Prepare Peanut Butter Filling
Using a handheld mixer, mix together peanut butter, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and powdered sugar in large mixing bowl until creamy and combined.
Aim for a dough that is slightly crumbly but holds together. The filling should roll into a smooth ball when pressed. If it's too dry add 1 tablespoon of peanut butter at a time. If it's too soft, add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time until the right consistency is reached.
Step Two: Shape Peanut Butter Eggs
Using 1½ tablespoons of the peanut butter mixture, roll the mixture into a ball. Gently flatten the ball, until it is about ½-¾ inch thick and use your fingers to shape into the classic egg shape. One end should be narrower than the other.
Pop the peanut butter eggs into the freezer for 20 minutes or fridge for 60 minutes, or until fully chilled.
Step Three: Melt Chocolate
Place the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate into a medium heat-safe narrow bowl (or large glass measuring cup). Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the chocolate is melted. Once melted, stir in the coconut oil if using. Let cool for 5 minutes before dipping the eggs into the chocolate.
Step Four: Dip Eggs in Chocolate
Place a chilled peanut butter egg on a fork and submerge into the melted chocolate, lift, and tap on the edge of a bowl to remove the excess chocolate, and carefully slide the egg onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Pop the peanut butter eggs into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to let the chocolate set up.
Leftover melted chocolate?
Use it to make chocolate bark or to coat raisins, nut, and/or pretzels!
Step Five: Decorate (Optional)
If desired, use colored cookie icing and sprinkles and decorate--so much more fun than coloring hard-boiled eggs!
Dietary Modifications
Besides the far-superior taste, another advantage of making peanut butter eggs at home is that you can swap out ingredients to make these treats safe for anyone to enjoy.
- Dairy-Free: Use your favorite dairy-free chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life) or dairy-free chocolate bar (my personal favorite is Hu brand) chopped into small pieces.
- Peanut-Free: Yes, you can make peanut butter eggs without the peanut butter! In place of peanut butter, use almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter.
Storage Tips
Because these peanut butter eggs are made without preservatives and stabilizers, they should not be left at room temperature longer than a few hours.
Let the candies set up, then place them into an airtight container, between layers of parchment paper, and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More Desserts Perfect for Easter
Peanut Butter Eggs
Ingredients
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar, scooped and NOT packed
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 16 ounces dark chocolate, **see recipe notes for options
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer on low speed to beat together ½ cup creamy peanut butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon table salt, and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract until well combined. The mixture should be a bit crumbly (it will come together in your hands), but if lumps of powdered sugar remain that can't be dissolved into the peanut butter by mixing longer, add ½ tablespoon more peanut butter at a time until the right consistency is reached. Conversely, if the mixture won't shape easily, add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time until the right consistency is reached.
- Using about 1½ tablespoons of the peanut butter mixture, roll the mixture into a ball. Gently flatten the ball, until it is about ½-¾ inch thick. Then use your fingers to shape into a disk that is shaped like an egg and place it onto the prepared pan.
- Place the peanut butter eggs in the freezer for 20-30 minutes or the refrigerator for 60-90 minutes to fully chill and harden slightly. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP--your peanut butter eggs would fall apart in the chocolate if not fully chilled.
- Once the peanut butter eggs are fully chilled, prepare the chocolate. If not using morsels, wafers, or chips, chop 16 ounces dark chocolate into small bite-sized pieces and place into a narrow heat-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the chocolate is melted. Once melted, stir in 1 tablespoon coconut oil, if using. Let cool for 5 minutes before dipping the eggs into the chocolate.
- Place a fully chilled peanut butter egg onto a fork and submerge the egg into the melted chocolate, immediately lift out, and tap on the edge of a bowl to remove the excess chocolate. Use another fork or butter knife to carefully slide the chocolate coated egg back onto the parchment lined baking sheet. If adding sprinkles (but not frosting), do that now before the chocolate hardens. Repeat the process the remaining eggs.
- Return the eggs to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to let the chocolate set up. At this point, feel free to decorated with frosting.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Awesome for Easter! I just made 2 batches with one bag of dark chocolate chunks. I did add a tablespoon more of peanut butter to make it all come together. In my second batch I doubled the vanilla. My husband likes them and I am happy!! Thank you Kristen, once again. Your recipes are always a success!! Blessings, Jennifer
Love hearing this, Jennifer!
Good Morning Kristen,
I am about to make these peanut butter eggs. I only have grape-seed oil. Should I just use that or omit the oil all together? Thank you so much. I made your Coq au Vin last night, amazing, and the Instapot braised chicken over pasta earlier this week. , just made my hard boiled eggs for deviled eggs tomorrow, and prepped scalloped potatoes too. I really enjoy your site and recipes. Blessings and thank you Jennifer
Hi Jennifer! I am thrilled you are enjoying my recipes so much! As for these PB Eggs, I would omit the oil altogether. Enjoy and happy Easter.
Thank you so much for a quick reply!! I am making them now and they are chilling in the freezer as we speak!! I will let you know how they turn out. I made two different batches adding a little bit more peanut butter to one to help it come together.
Blessings and Happy Easter. Jennifer
I hope you enjoy! As for adding extra peanut butter, that is exactly what you are to do if you find it too crumbly. It may have been your powdered sugar was a bit more packed or the humidity was different in your house.
Do you think the powdered sugar amount could be halved? Will natural peanut butter, just peanuts & salt, work?
Hi there! Natural peanut butter is runnier and will need MORE powdered sugar to hold together. As for halving the powdered sugar, you won't get the same consistency and the peanut butter eggs would be harder to dip in chocolate.
Do you know if PB2 will work?
Hi Maria! You would need to first make peanut butter from the powder and then mix that with the powdered sugar. Without experimentation, I can't tell you if the consistency would hold together, but in theory it should. Using pb2 you would combine 8 tablespoons of water mixed with 6 tablespoons of powder until creamy and smooth. That should yield about 1/2 cup of peanut butter. I would also recommend only adding 3/4 cup powdered sugar to start, increasing as needed as the Pb2 mixture will be less creamy than traditional peanut butter.