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When it comes to treats, it’s hard to beat fudge. And this chocolate peanut butter fudge recipe uses a date-sweetened peanut butter base pairs perfectly with a drizzle of chocolate, crunchy peanut butter cups, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. It’s an easy no-bake dessert you can whip up in minutes and keep stocked in the freezer for holiday gatherings, make-ahead treats, or anytime cravings.
Table of contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
I almost always have all these items in my pantry, which make it dangerously convenient to make this chocolate peanut butter fudge recipe.
Peanut Butter Fudge Base
- peanut butter: creamy and unsweetend
- Medjool dates: look for pitted
- unrefined coconut oil: creates a silky texture
- pure vanilla extract: can also use vanilla bean paste
Chocolate Topping
- mini peanut butter cups: can also chop up full size ones, too
- chocolate chips: semi sweet is my preference
- unrefined coconut oil: this hardens the chocolate
- coarse unrefined sea salt: ultimate flavor bomb
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Tips
- Be sure your coconut oil is fully melted before mixing—this helps it cool evenly and keeps your fudge smooth without any weird texture spots. I don’t pick up on a strong coconut flavor, but if you’re sensitive to it, go with refined coconut oil for a more neutral taste.
- When it’s time to add the drizzle, pour the melted chocolate over the fudge while it’s still in the freezer. The cold will instantly harden the chocolate, making the fudge easier to cut and serve.
- Not into peanut butter? Try a nut butter instead. The texture may change slightly (even with smooth almond butter), but it’ll still set up like fudge. Just make sure you’re using an unsweetened nut or seed butter with simple ingredients for the best results.
How To Store
Keep your chocolate peanut butter fudge in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks. Honestly though—if your crew loves it as much as mine does, it’ll disappear long before the
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Bites
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut oil, unrefined melted
- ½ cup peanut butter creamy
- 5 Medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Toppings
- 1 cup mini peanut butter cups I use Justin's
- 3 tablespoon chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, unrefined
- sea salt, unrefined coarse
Instructions
- Combine fudge ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until super creamy.
- Pour the fudge mixture into silicone ice cube tray.
- Freeze for 20 minutes, until the fudge has hardened slightly.
- Remove from freezer and set on counter.
- Gently melt the coconut oil and chocolate chips over stovetop on low, stirring constantly.
- Lightly drizzle melted chocolate on the cold fudge for instant hardening effect.
- Add chopped mini peanut butter cups on top and press gently to 'set'.
- Sprinkle coarse sea salt lightly over top.
Video
Helpful Tools
Notes
- To keep this recipe vegan, make sure you use natural peanut butter, vegan chocolate chips, and vegan peanut butter cups.
- Swap cashew butter or almond butter for the peanut butter. Note that this will change the texture.
- Feel free to add any toppings you want, or mix in nuts as desired to the fudge before it sets in the freezer.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!Common Questions
No soaking required—just pit them and blend. If your dates are really dry, a quick 5-minute soak in warm water can help them blend smoothly.
Yes! I personally use unrefined coconut oil and don’t notice a coconut taste, but if you’re sensitive to flavors, refined coconut oil is more neutral.
A high-speed blender gives you the creamiest results, but a food processor will work in a pinch—just scrape down the sides a few times.
Keep it in the freezer for the best texture. It will last up to 3 months. You can store it in the fridge for about a week, but it will be softer.
Yes! In fact, this is a freezer-friendly recipe, so you can double the batch and always have a sweet, wholesome treat on hand.
Can you substitute a different oil for the coconut oil
?
Hi Kathy! If you’re worried about taste you can use refined coconut oil for a more tasteless addition.
Made this fudge for Valentine’s Day for myself. I wanted a treat that was sweet, but something with no chocolate. Turned out great! It’s hard not to eat several pieces though! Loved it a little too much!
I just love your book Simple Green Meals and the recipes are outstanding! I am inquiring about the Peanut Butte Fudge recipe. I want to make it and noticed you use a silicone ice cube tray that looks functional and would like to know where you bought it. It looks perfect for the PBF recipe. Thank You!
Peace and blessings,
Jeanette
Hi Jeanette, These would work great – Check out these 1in x 1in Silicone Ice Cube Trays I found on Amazon
I made these for a work party and they were a huge hit! And simple ingredients also makes me feel great letting my toddler have a few pieces. To keep them from melting, I kept them in a glass container on top of an ice pack and it worked perfectly.
Curious if you think these would hold shape for a cookie gift box- we do cookie gift boxes of assorted cookies as gifts for our neighborhood. Thank you- I enjoy your take on smoothies and would love to try this recipe!
Best!
LW
What a nice idea! I’m movin to your neighborhood for sure! This Peanut Butter Fudge actually holds up best in the freezer until you’re ready to eat, so it might not be the best choice for a box. You might try our Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies or some yummy ginger cookies instead! 🙂
This looks delicious but my grandson is allergic to nuts, too! I may try & substitute out the coconut oil for melted vegan butter & sunflower butter for the peanut butter. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Love the swaps Cheri! Def let us know what you think!
I’m oil free. Is there anything I can substitute for coconut oil?
Gosh— you could try leaving it out and see if it would work. I would prob add more peanut butter if doing this and double the recipe to get it blended really well.
On a side note…we’re big fans of healthy fats around here and love coconut oil because it helps our bodies (including brain and digestive system) work at it’s best. Yet, we do understand that oils aren’t for everyone. While we’ve not tried an oil free version of this recipe, you could try substituting in applesauce in place of the coconut oil. If you do, let us know what you think! 🙂
Made these last night and they are soo good! They are easy to make and I highly recommend. I need a bit of help though. I have a Blendtec, but still cannot get my dates to fully blend, do you have any tips for this?
Hey Shannon— you could possibly add a little more coconut oil and peanut butter to get the blender to whip like liquid. When I made them, I had the blender going on high speed and it was pureed into a silky texture that I blended long enough to get the dates to completely blend up. You could also double the recipe so there’s more content for the blendtec to blend– that could help too.
We’d also recommend soaking your dates in hot water for 30 minutes prior to blending. This will soften them and make them easier to blend.