These Healthy Peanut Butter Balls are made with just a handful of ingredients that you might already have on hand, and remind me of the “buckeyes” my family makes around the holidays.
Crunchy Peanut Butter Balls
The peanut butter balls I grew up eating were made with crisp rice cereal for an addictive crunchy center, but when I first made this recipe my family was eating grain-free, so we used crunchy peanut butter instead, for a similar crunch.
You can use smooth peanut butter if you’d prefer that. These are delicious either way!
Healthy Peanut Butter Balls
Honey replaces the powdered sugar called for in traditional recipes, and fiber-rich coconut flour helps to balance blood sugar for a healthier dessert option. If you’d prefer to use almond flour, be sure to check the notes below the recipe.
I like to add a little coarse sea salt on top of these peanut butter balls to boost their flavor, but be sure to add it quickly when you dip the balls into the melted chocolate, as it will harden quickly. (The salt will only stick to melted chocolate.)
Dark Chocolate Coating
There is still a bit of refined sugar in the chocolate used for the coating, but if you use a dark chocolate (70% or darker) it’s pretty minimal. You can make a homemade chocolate coating, if you prefer, just keep in mind that a homemade chocolate will melt much faster at room temperature.
Healthy Peanut Butter Balls
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Balls:
- 3/4 cup natural peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
- 1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup for vegans)
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- pinch of sea salt
Chocolate Coating:
- 4 ounces dark chocolate (about 1 heaping cup of dark chocolate chips)
- coarse sea salt , for topping (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter, honey, coconut flour, and salt. Stir until a dough forms that is easy to handle and roll into balls. You can add another tablespoon of coconut flour to the mixture, if needed to get the right texture for rolling.
- Scoop the dough by tablespoons and roll the dough between your hands to make balls. Place the balls on a pan lined with parchment paper, then put them in the freezer to set until firm, about 20 minutes.
- When the peanut butter balls feel firm to the touch, melt the chocolate. (I use a double boiler to do this on my stove, but you can use the microwave if you prefer in 30 second intervals.)
- Remove the peanut butter balls from the freezer, and dip each one into the melted chocolate mixture, coating each one thoroughly. Top the chocolate with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt, if desired. (Work quickly, as the chocolate will harden soon.) Return the chocolate-covered balls to the parchment paper. The chocolate should start to harden right away, but you can place them in the fridge or freezer to set completely.
- Serve cold, from the fridge to keep the chocolate firm. These should keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Video
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 112, Fat: 7g, Carbohydrates: 9g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 3g
Recipe Notes:
- You can make this recipe using almond butter or sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter, if you prefer.
- If you don’t want to use coconut flour in the recipes, I’ve successfully used 3/4 cup blanched almond flour in its place.
- For a vegan dessert, swap the honey for maple syrup instead.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite dessert?
Oh my gosh, my girlfriend is going to freaking LOVE these.
I hope she does!! All of my taste-testers have been big fans. 🙂
Wow these look awesome! I can’t believe the original recipe called for wax – that’s gross!! In my mind, wax is ok in 3 places: on cars, candles, and for personal grooming. Not food! Definitely keeping this recipe tucked aside for my next potluck!
Ha, AGREED on the wax! Gross!!
Hope you enjoy them! 🙂
I don’t think that I could ever get sick of the peanut butter/chocolate combo! You could post 50 more and I’d still be drooling. 🙂
Are you kidding, that’s one of my favorite combinations..if not my favorite!! Love your creativity..you are definitely in your flow..love it! xo
Peanut butter + chocolate = the way to my heart! I can’t wait to try these!!
starting a detox, will these last in the freezer till afterwards?
🙂
T
Yes, I think they’ll last in the freezer indefinitely!
So glad I found your blog, and these little gems! Can’t wait to try ’em =)
There can never be too many pb/chocolate desserts…and buckeyes are one of my favorites (buckeyes…that is what they are called here in Ohio). Yours sound so much healthier, and I’ve been trying to figure out uses for the bag of coconut flour I have.
I think “Buckeyes” is a cuter name for them!! I can’t believe how well these turned out… I’m in love with coconut flour now. 🙂
Yes Erin these are close to what we also call BUCKEYES, not sure if it’s regional or what (here in SE Michigan close to Ohio border). I use a toothpick to pick up and dip the balls in the chocolate and dip them about 3/4 of the way, leaving a small circle open at the top, then you don’t touch them and use less chocolate, and its a bit decorative with the peanut butter showing through the top. That style of “dipping” makes it look like a “buckeye” which is a nut that grows on a buckeye tree 🙂 (my buckeye recipe doesn’t include wax, but a WHOLE lot of powdered sugar)
These look delicious! I’d love to try them with almond butter. I don’t have any coconut flour, and I’m a new baker, do you think I could sub for coconut flour with something else?
Coconut flour is pretty unique in its absorbent qualities, so I’m not sure if it can be substituted and yield the same results. However, I think almond flour or meal might be worth a shot!
If it works for you, please come back and let us know! 🙂
I finally got around to making these peanut butter balls and they are very good! The peanut butter and honey are great together and you really don’t taste the coconut flour (you can taste the coconut oil in the chocolate coating mixture which I really liked). I tried to save on measuring devices at the end and just eyed the chocolate and coconut- do not do that. I must have been way off as my chocolate coating was very runny. It was still delicious but for me the more chocolate the better.
hi, your blog is great, can i substitute dessicated coconut for the flour.
thanks,
Helen
Coconut flour is a little more absorbent, so I’m not sure if that will work, but it’s worth a try!
Does it have to be crunch peanut butter or would creamy work?
Creamy should work fine, too!
Any substitution ideas for the coconut flour and oil? I have a relative with a coconut allergy.
If it were me, I would actually try working with a different recipe– such as my Pecan Date Truffles. You could probably use about 1 cup of peanut butter, or 2 cups of peanuts, to replace the pecans AND the coconut. It wouldn’t be exactly the same texture, but I don’t know of anything else that can be used to replace coconut flour! Good luck! 🙂
Thank you!! Great blog, btw!! Every recipe I’ve tried has been yummy!!
I used a couple tbs. of tapioca flour and it still tasted good.
Try using a skewer or toothpick instead of a spoon. It’s easier to hide the poke and doesn’t ruin the shape 🙂
Hi there, I just tried these little goodies! They are great. I substituted the honey for Algave Nectar and found that a few seconds later the peanut butter was firming up! Perfect. I did not even need the coconut flour, although I had some ready. I put my dried coconut in the mill and it came out pretty gooey. I added some to the first batch but not to the second. Both came out wonderfully! Thank you so much for your recipe!
So, basically if you use algave nectar you don’t need the coconut flour.
Oh, and I used way less algave nectar than honey. 1 TBS at a time until its starts to thicken…
Wow I’m so happy I came across this recipe of yours. PB balls are one of my mom’s go to recipes that EVERYONE loves. I would’ve never thought a healhty substitution was possible. Thanks for coming up with this, can’t wait to make them this way now 🙂
Just made these with my PB2(powdered peanut butter 2TBS 45 caloriesand 13 fat calories) I LOVE this stuff and Im so happy to have found this site Thank you!!
How did you use the PB2? How much? We love that stuff.
Oh. My. Goodness. These are so delicious. I can’t get enough of them and either can my roommates and friends. Overall I can’t get over this website!! It’s so hard to find simple healthy versions of food and this site has been my go to for weekly meals.
I bet these would be even better (if that’s possible) with a sprinkling of course sea salt on top, YUM!
I was wondering…my boyfriend doesn’t like dark chocolate (I know I don’t get it), do you have a good “milk” chocolate recipe that I could use for the coating? I’m wondering if adding coconut milk would work? Any ideas?
I’ve never made a true “milk” chocolate, but I use this recipe all the time to make raw chocolate coatings: https://detoxinista.com/2012/06/easy-raw-chocolate-bark/ You could simply add more sweetener for a more “milk chocolate” flavor!
I made these last night for my boyfriend and he loved them! Thanks for the recipe:)
Hi Megan,
My Daughter, Marion has me hooked on Paleo lifestyle. Well anyways, She had a party and pulled out some yummy no bake chocolate cookies that had pumpkin seeds in them. OMG, were they good, the link she sent me had your website I have searched and I can’t find the recipe.
Could it be this recipe and maybe your daughter used sunflower seeds, or substituted pumpkin seeds? https://detoxinista.com/no-bake-chocolate-cookies-grain-free-nut-free/
Do you think I could substitute maple syrup for the honey in this recipe?
Any substitutions may change the flavor, but feel free! Please let us know if you have any success!
This recipe is delicious. My husband loved them. He loves dark chocolate peanut butter cups. I didn’t feel guilty treating him to these like I do when I buy him peanut butter cups from the store. I use a odorless tasteless coconut oil for cooking. I did use honey since I didn’t have maple syrup. Thank you again for another wonderful recipe.
Just curious cause all of this is new to me….what type of dark chocolate do you use?
I usually use the 70% dark chocolate chunks from Whole Foods. If they’re not available, any dark chocolate should work, but to keep the sugar and milk content reasonable, I recommend sticking to 70% or darker varieties.
I have made these peanut butter balls before and loved them. My mom used to make pb balls when I was a kid and then I used to make them as well. My old recipe called for shortening in the chocolate and a TON of powdered sugar with the peanut butter. When I found this recipe I was so excited because I thought I’d never be making pb balls again. This weekend I made them again, half with cashew butter and half with almond butter. OMG the cashew butter ones were fabulous! The almond butter ones were excellent too, but the cashew ones were my fav. I made the butter mixture pretty soft so they would be more like patties instead of balls by adding just enough coconut flour to be able to pick them up and shape them. That way they were super creamy in the middle, and they were! Almost marshmallowey. 🙂 Think I’ll have to make them again next weekend for easter. Darn. 😉 I’ll do egg shaped patties.
Any idea about how many calories one would have?
Please see my FAQ regarding nutrition info: https://detoxinista.com/frequently-asked-questions/
Oh my gosh! I have a child living with me that never wants to eat dinner. These will be wonderful as a bribe! Eat all your dinner and I will share PB balls with you!
I made these with my twin sister for my family for Easter! We used butter instead of coconut oil for the coating, cause we’re not dairy free. We made them very large and in egg shapes. It took two separate coatings in chocolate to get the proportions right. We made a mess and had tons of fun. Thanks!
I made these for my mother in law yesterday but shaped them like little hearts. I used Himalayan salt and got a nice salty taste, a delightful suprise. Also, almonds sprinkled on top was a nice look.
Thank you for a great, easy receipe! I have a picture if you would like….
Cheers to healthy treats;)
Hi Megan! Just wondering if I can substitute coconut oil with grass fed butter like your peanut butter cups? Thanks! Love the recipes!
Sure, I think that would work!
thanks for sharing this recipe ! its my ultimate fav snack-
i love the hint of coconut i taste when i use the oil
There are no words in the English language sufficient to describe how much I love peanut butter and chocolate! Seriously. In the absence of Reese’s peanut butter cups, I’ve sat with a jar of peanut butter and a bag of chocolate chips and…well, you do the math. Peanut butter balls are my favorite Christmas treat. Since going Paleo, I’ve found great substitutions for things like pizza crusts, tortillas…etc. But I’ve sorely lamented a substitute for my beloved peanut butter / chocolate combo. Until running across this recipe. These. Are. So. Good. I tried this recipe today, and it’s perrrrrrrrrrrrrrfect! Thank you, thank you, thank you! It’s my birthday, and I’m subbing these for cake! LOL
Thank you for this recipe! I just made a batch of these for my sweet tooth. They are delectable!
These PB treats are great!! Used a couple tablespoons of tapioca flour instead of coconut flour and used enjoy life’s dark chocolate bars for the coating and did not add the oil. Will be making these again. Thank you for your recipes and keep up the great work ;)I have a wheat and cow’s milk allergy and coming across your site a couple weeks ago has helped me eat foods I thought I couldn’t.
Could I use almond meal or even finely chopped pats instead of coconut flour?
Hi! You mentioned that Stevia can be used. How much of the coconut flour should I use should I use stevia? Thank you!
I love PB and chocolate together so I can’t wait to try this recipe. I would like to use liquid stevia so I was wondering if anyone could tell me how much to use in place of the honey?
These peanut butter balls are incredible! My family hates it when I make “healthy” versions of their favorite treats. This time they didn’t even know the difference AND they keep asking for more! They get depressed when they look in the fridge and there are no peanut butter balls. 🙂 Making another batch right now. I didn’t have coconut flour so, as Mary mentioned above, I used tapioca flour and it’s awesome…taste, texture, everything, very good! Thank you so much. Another great one!
These were our valentine treat and there were a hit with the entire family, I could not fine coconut flour in the store or unsweetened coconut to grind into flour. My friend had almond flour so I used that and it was fine, I want to make again with the coconut flour. Thanks for the great recipes
I wasn’t sure how these would taste but OH MY…they really are delicious! Thank you so much!
I also forgot to mention that I used gluten free oat flour…really good!!
Wanted to know if you had the nutritional breakdown. :]
Just a tip for the chocolate dipping process, if you put the balls in the freezer to firm up and then dip them in the chocolate using a skewer, keeps the chocolate off your hands (but licking them is half the fun!) and its less messy in general. Can’t wait make these!
Mmmm I just made these. They were so delicious and easy to make!! Thank you!
I made these with wheat flour since that was all I had at the moment and they still turned out soooooo delicious. I’ve already made three or four of your other recipes and each time I’m so happy. I also like things that call for few ingredients and take a small amount of time and your recipes are perfect for that! Thank you for sharing!!!
WOW! I absolutely LOVE that these are a good healthy alternative. Fiber and protein even in the coconut flour! AND they taste amazing. Made these for my boyfriend’s family yesterday and my family today for Thanksgiving. SUCH a big hit. Thank you so much for caring about what ingredients goes into these. They are much appreciated.
I’m always confused when a recipe calls for chocolate cos we only have raw cacao powder. 🙂 I read you get yours from whole foods; Is the chocolate you’re using this recipe Baking and/or non-sweetened chocolate, or a pre-sweetened chocolate? Thank you for enlightening me! 🙂
If you use stevia instead of honey, how much stevia should you use? I would really like to make these sugar free.
Hi, Thank you so much for sharing this. I have been making a version every Christmas for years and recently decided to go of all grains. I was only thinking this week i wonder if there is a healthy version and voila!!
To coat the balls in chocolate, I use a plastic splade and take out the prongs in the middle. The balls fit perfectly on there and you can dip in the chocolate and let the drips fall away.