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Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Balls – An indulgent chocolate shell surrounds crispy Rice Krispies mixed with creamy peanut butter, butter, and powder sugar to make these no-bake chocolate covered PB treats!
Rice Krispies Peanut Butter Balls
Do you love rice krispie treats? And peanut butter cups? Well, then you need to get into the kitchen and start making these no-bake chocolate covered Rice Krispie peanut butter balls. It’s a candy and a Rice Krispies treat all in one!
These no-bake Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Balls are easy to make, delicious, and perfect for any occasion. They’re a little salty, a little sweet, and the perfect balance with the crispy rice cereal and dark chocolate.
What’s better than a little sweet treat after dinner or as an afternoon pick-me-up?
If you like to give homemade candy for the holidays, you can’t go wrong with these no-bake goodies (also try: peanut brittle, homemade hard candy, and crockpot peanut clusters).
Just look for the recipe below to find out how you can whip up your own batch of Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Peanut Butter Balls!
If you need more chocolate + peanut butter, also try my no bake Peanut Butter Bars.
Equipment You’ll Need To Make Your PB Krispie Balls
You’ll only need a few simple things to make these no-bake PB balls!
- Large Mixing Bowl – my favorite set with the grippy bottoms
- Hand Mixer
- Cookie Scoop – I highly recommend having a variety of cookie scoop sizes for whatever you’re working on
- Baking Sheet – use one with a lip so the balls aren’t all over your kitchen floor
- Parchment or Wax Paper – for easy cleanup
Ingredients For Your Chocolate Dipped Rice Krispie Balls
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- Peanut Butter – Smooth or crunchy peanut butter.
- Butter – I like to use salted butter for a little balance to the sweet, but unsalted works.
- Powdered Sugar – Also sometimes called confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar.
- Crispy Rice Cereal – I use Rice Krispies but store brand will work as well.
- Chocolate Melting Wafers – I like the Ghirardelli brand chocolate melting wafers. They melt really nicely. Chocolate chips can also be used, if that’s what you have on hand.
- Coconut Oil – Optional, but adding a bit of coconut oil to the chocolate while you’re melting it helps to keep it smooth.
How To Make No-Bake Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Balls
- STEP ONE: First, in a large mixing bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter together with a hand mixer until smooth. Then, gradually mix in the powdered sugar until fully incorporated. Stir in the rice krispies.
- STEP TWO: Next, prep a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper and start scooping the mixture out with an approximately 1 tablespoon cookie scoop. Repeat until you’re out of mixture. Move the tray of balls to the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- STEP THREE: Then, when the chill time is almost up, prep the chocolate but adding the wafers (or chips) to a microwave safe bowl with the coconut oil and heating for 30 seconds. Stir, then repeat until smooth.
- STEP FOUR: Finally, dip the chilled balls into the melted chocolate until fully coated, letting excess chocolate run off before placing back on the parchment/wax paper. Repeat until done.
- STEP FIVE: I like to move the pb balls to the fridge to fully set but you can dig in immediately if you want to!
Tips & Notes On Making Your Chocolate Covered PB Balls
- Chilling the balls before dipping them is essential or they’ll be too warm and difficult to work with.
- Once the balls have chilled, you can use the palms of your hands to smooth out the balls and improve the round shape. But this is optional, they taste just as good a bit lumpy.
- I use a fork for dipping the balls. Using a toothpick works as well.
- You can use smooth or crunchy peanut butter to switch it up.
- The coconut oil helps thin the chocolate so it melts smoothly. It is optional. Vegetable oil can also be used.
- Store peanut butter balls covered in the fridge for up to two weeks.
- Peanut butter balls can also be frozen – place them on a baking sheet, covered, in the freezer until frozen solid (overnight), then move them to a freezer bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months and they’re pretty good straight from the freezer!
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Balls FAQs
Does it matter what type of chocolate I use for this recipe?
Nope! You can use white, milk, or dark chocolate (or a combo of all three!) to make these no-bake treats. I used dark chocolate for this recipe because it is my favorite. You can use chocolate chips or even candy melts.
Keep in mind that real white chocolate is hard to melt and takes time and patience. It can easily burn if not watched.
Can I substitute my favorite type of nut butter?
Sure! Use any kind of nut butter you like. Almond, cashew, and even sunflower butter will work in this recipe (even though my kid has rejected them lol)
The only thing to remember is that the nut butter needs to be creamy enough for your rice Krispie balls – if it’s too thick or dry, it won’t roll into a ball well. If it’s too runny, it will make your Rice Krispies soggy. Just make sure to stir your nut butter extremely well before using it.
What type of Rice Krispies should I use?
I use Kellogg’s Rice Krispies in this recipe. I have not tried substituting a different brand of rice cereal before, but I’m sure the store brands will work just fine.
What if the chocolate is too thick for dipping? Can I thin out my chocolate?
You sure can! To thin out your chocolate you’ll want to use melted coconut oil. It is ideal as it solidifies back to a “hard” state when cold.
If you notice an off taste, burnt or acrid smell, you may have burned your chocolate and nothing you do will save it. Just toss it and start over.
Do Rice Krispie balls need to be refrigerated?
No, they don’t need to be refrigerated, but I prefer them cold. They’re excellent straight from the fridge! They’ll keep at room temperature, or covered in the fridge, for up to two weeks.
Can I freeze them?
Yes! If you’re planning to keep them longer than two weeks, pop them into a freezer bag and into the freezer. They’ll keep for up to three months. Move them to the fridge or counter to thaw when you’re ready to enjoy them.
Can I make these chocolate covered Rice Krispie peanut balls ahead of time?
You can definitely prepare your PB balls in advance! You should have everything ready to go for this recipe before you start, so it goes quickly.
Make sure to store your finished no-bake goodies in an airtight container, so they don’t get dry.
Need more homemade candy recipes? Try these:
Homemade Rock Candy
Cinnamon Sugar Candied Almonds
Candied Cashews
Candied Pecans
Peanut Butter Balls (“buckeyes”)
Click here for my entire collection of dessert recipes.
Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Peanut Butter Balls (No Bake!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter smooth or creamy
- ¼ cup butter at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup crispy rice cereal I use Rice Krispies, store brand will work
- 2 cups chocolate melting wafers or chocolate chips
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil optional to thin the chocolate, vegetable oil can also be used
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the peanut butter and softened butter until creamy. Gradually beat in the sugar until fully incorporated.
- Stir in the crispy rice cereal.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (approx. 1 Tablespoon) to scoop the mixture into 1" balls. Place them onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper. Repeat until out of mixture.
- Move the tray of balls to the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the chocolate wafers and coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then repeat until smooth.
- Once the balls are chilled, dip each into the melted chocolate and place back onto the lined baking sheet. Repeat until done.
- Once set, enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
I’ve been eating one or two of these everyday since I’ve made them and I just ran out. My initial thought after my last ball was: I have the ingredients to make more! These are so good, you’ll want to share them with friends and family (or not). I kept mine in the freezer. When I wanted one, I would take it out and let it sit for like 10-15 minutes and it is just sublime. I’m going to make another batch lol
Lol I love that! I agree, they’re so good cold 🙂 thanks for reporting back!
I’m not sure if there is a misprint in the recipe or what, but this doesn’t make peanut butter balls, it makes peanut butter blobs. Left them in the refrigerator for 2 hours and they were still just melted blobs. I ended up putting them back in a bowl and added more powdered sugar and rice krispies to get them to a consistency that I could work with.
Nope, no misprint. I’ve made them many times. Which type of peanut butter did you use?