Rice Krispy Peanut Butter Balls

Rice Krispy Peanut Butter Balls are a favorite on holiday cookie trays along with Spritz Cookies and Russian Tea Cakes.  The classic chocolate peanut butter balls are an easy no-bake Christmas cookie that we enjoy making any time of year.

If you’re a fan of chocolate and peanut butter, you’ll love my No-bake Frozen Peanut Butter Pie or my Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge. 

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We Love Rice Krispy Peanut Butter Balls

My family has made peanut butter balls for decades! It wasn’t until I started blogging that I realized how many others make chocolate peanut butter balls and how many variations there are. Many people call them Buckeyes. Whatever you call them, and however you make them… peanut butter balls covered in chocolate are ALWAYS a big hit!

Why You’ll Love  These No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls

• Easy no-bake treat
• Made with only 5 simple ingredients
• Incredibly easy to make
• Great for gifting 

What are Peanut Butter Balls

These no-bake treats are basically peanut butter dipped in chocolatey goodness. This recipe mixes chunky peanut butter, sugar, and Rice Krispies cereal together into small balls that are then dipped in melted chocolate. 

Many people call this sweet treat Buckeye candy because the peanut butter filling is often only partially dipped in the chocolate, leaving the peanut butter showing on the top making them look like nuts from a buckeye tree. No matter what you call them, these peanut butter balls covered in chocolate are always a big hit!

What Is In Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

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One of my favorite things about this recipe is that I only need 5-ingredients! With these simple ingredients, you’ll be whipping up batches for snacks, desserts, and gifts. Here’s what you need:

Sugar– For this recipe, you will need powdered sugar. Powdered sugar dissolves quickly and is essential for no-bake recipes. 
Rice Krispies– They add a nice crunchy texture to the peanut butter balls. 
Peanut butter– I use chunky peanut butter because I like the crunchy texture it adds to this recipe, but you can use creamy peanut butter if you prefer. 
Chocolate– I usually use chocolate candy melts (I prefer the Ghirardelli wafers but Wilton is good too), You can also use chocolate chips, but the candy melts are usually easier to melt.
Shortening– This will help thin down the chocolate a little, making it easier to dip.  If you are using chocolate chips instead of candy melts, you will need a little more shortening.

Tool Used:

Candy Melter: this is not required but if you plan to make peanut butter balls, cake truffles, or any kind of dipped treats an electric candy melter is SO nice to have.  Not only does it melt your chocolate nice and slow, but it keeps the candy warm so you are able to keep dipping without stopping to reheat the chocolate.

How to Make No-bake Peanut Butter Balls

(full printable recipe at the end of this post)

No-bake peanut butter balls are so easy to make, they may become your new go-to treat! The whole house will love them, and they don’t need to know how easy they were to make. 

ONE: Mix peanut butter powdered sugar, and Rice Krispies cereal with a spoon. Then, use clean hands to fully combine. 

TWO: Next, roll the peanut butter mixture into 1.5 inch balls and place in the freezer. 

THREE:  While the peanut butter balls are in the freezer, melt chocolate according to full recipe below.

FOUR: Dip the cold peanut butter balls in the melted chocolate. 

FIVE: Chill the balls, covered, in the refrigerator or freezer.

Serve and Enjoy!

Recipe FAQs

How do I store peanut butter balls?

You can store them in the refrigerator or the freezer. Store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for 1 month. Or, you can place them in a zip-top freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. They are just as tasty right out of the freezer. 

Why Are My Peanut Butter Balls Sticky?

If your peanut butter balls are too sticky to roll, you probably have too much peanut butter.  Try adding a little more powdered sugar. You can also refrigerate the dough and see if it will firm up.

If they are crumbly, you’ve probably used too much powdered sugar.  Try adding a little more peanut butter – start with 1/4 cup and see if that helps.

Pro Tips for Making Peanut Butter Balls

The key to dipping peanut butter balls in melted chocolate is to make sure they are good and cold, even slightly frozen.  Keep them in the freezer while you work on dipping. I usually keep out about 20 to dip, then remove another 20 from the freezer to dip.  

To dip the balls, stick a toothpick in the chilled peanut butter ball, then dip into the melted chocolate, swirling it to cover the ball (or most of the ball). Remove the ball from the chocolate and gently move it up and down to remove excess chocolate, or use a spoon to scrape the bottom. Place the dipped ball on a pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Use another toothpick, fork, or finger to help remove the toothpick inserted in the ball.  If you’d like the peanut butter ball to be completely covered in chocolate, use a spoon to pour just a little more chocolate over the top of the ball. 

NOTE: you can use a fork or candy dipper to dip the balls in the chocolate, but I find the toothpick method to be the easiest.

If you can’t get your peanut butter mixture to form balls, place the mixture in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes so the peanut butter can firm up. 

Use a candy melting pot. I prefer to use a candy melting pot when melting my chocolate. The melting pot heats your chocolate to the perfect temperature for dipping. You can also use a double boiler over the stove as well. 

Top with sprinkles. Before the chocolate hardens, you can top these sweet treats with your favorite sprinkles, they just make the whole treat look decadent.

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