Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies and Dark Chocolate

peanut butter chocolate balls on a black plate with holiday greenery and berries.

Peanut butter balls with Rice Krispies and dark chocolate is a simple no bake recipe that is great for the holidays and gifting. Just mix, roll and dip. I add a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt to the Rice Krispie peanut butter ball before the chocolate sets for a sweet, salty yin/yang treat. You can learn how to make peanut butter balls with this easy method.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, you’ll pay no more for the product and I receive a small commission. Win-win!

ingredients for peanut butter balls with rice krispies.

These old fashioned peanut butter balls are a combination of nostalgia and sophistication.

Nostalgia because they combine childhood favorites peanut butter and the snap, crackle, and pop of Rice Krispies.

Newsletter Signup
Join our community of food lovers!

Get my latest recipes, helpful kitchen tips and more good things each week in your inbox.

The rich, dark chocolate coating and flurry of flaky sea salt give this simple peanut butter candy an air of sophistication.

Why you’ll love these easy peanut butter balls

  • It’s a quick and easy recipe.
  • These are no bake peanut butter balls. The only thing close to cooking is melting the chocolate in the microwave.
  • It’s a great Christmas candy project to make with the kids.
  • They can be made ahead of time.
  • The recipe makes about 50-70 peanut butter balls with Rice Krispies (depending on how large you form the candies)– so it’s perfect for holiday parties and gifts.

Fair warning: These are outrageously good, and I find it impossible to eat just one Rice Krispie peanut butter ball, especially when coated in dark chocolate and sprinkled with Maldon sea salt. Unless you’ve got super-human restraint, you should know that going in.

Rice Krispies in a bowl with a jar of peanut butter.

Ingredients for Rice Krispie peanut butter balls

  • Peanut Butter (we like crunchy for this recipe, but you can use creamy peanut butter as well).
  • Butter – softened to room temperature.
  • Salt – regular iodized salt
  • Vanilla Extract – not artificial flavoring
  • Powdered Sugar – adds sweetness and volume to the peanut butter balls.
  • Rice Krispies or other rice cereal puffs.
  • Dark Chocolate Melts (we used Ghirardelli)
  • Flaky Sea Salt (preferably Maldon)

How to make peanut butter balls

  1. Use a hand mixer to beat the peanut and room-temperature butter until combined.
  2. Add the salt and vanilla and beat to combine.
  3. Beat in the confectioner’s sugar a little at a time until blended through.
  4. Add the rice cereal to the peanut butter mixture and use a large spatula to stir them together evenly.
  5. Scoop out a few teaspoons of the no bake peanut butter mixture and roll into balls.
  6. Dip the crisp rice peanut butter balls into the melted dark chocolate and transfer them to a wax paper or parchment-lined baking sheet.
  7. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle a little flaky sea salt over the tops of the candies.
  8. Once the chocolate dries and sets, you can package up the Rice Krispie peanut butter balls for gifts or arrange them on a platter to serve.

Pro-Tips:

#1 Folding the thick peanut butter mixture with Rice Krispies can be challenging, so I recommend using a rubber spatula to gently stir and fold the two together initially, then switching to using your clean hands to mix thoroughly.

#2 Use a mini cookie scoop (look for one that holds 2-3 teaspoons) to scoop out the peanut butter dough for evenly sized Rice Krispie balls. This easy method will give your candies a uniform size and look.

Swaps & Variations:

  • Swap milk or white chocolate for the dark chocolate coating for your Rice Krispie peanut butter balls.
  • Substitute chopped peanuts for the sea salt topping.
  • To give these old fashioned peanut butter balls a festive holiday flair, sprinkle on some silver dragées or colored jimmies as well as the sea salt.

How to store chocolate covered peanut butter balls

  • Keep the candies in a well-sealed airtight container. If you’re stacking them, separate each layer of peanut butter rice krispie balls with a piece of parchment paper to prevent them from sticking.
  • Store the peanut butter candies at room temperature.
  • Do not refrigerate. Chocolate is notorious for “sugar blooms, “ a hazy white film caused by sugars rising to the surface when stored in the refrigerator. The discoloration won’t mar the taste of the chocolate but will diminish the shiny finish of the Rice Krispie peanut butter ball.
Chocolate-dipped peanut butter balls on a piece of parchment paper.

FAQ’s

What if I don’t have chocolate melting wafers?

That’s ok. You can use 2-3 good-quality dark chocolate bars or a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Break the bar into pieces and place them in a microwaveable bowl. Heat in the microwave at 50% power in 10-15 second increments, stirring after each until the chocolate is completely melted to coat the Rice Krispie peanut butter ball.

How far in advance can I make the candies?

You can make them up to 3-4 days ahead of time. Just keep them stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

Can I freeze chocolate covered peanut butter balls?

I wouldn’t freeze them after they’ve been coated in chocolate (because of the sugar-blooming issue I mentioned above). However, you can store the dough in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost the dough thoroughly before rolling out balls of peanut butter candies and dipping them in melted chocolate.

sprinkling maldon sea salt on the still wet chocolate coating.

How do they taste?

OMG. These peanut butter candies are the perfect balance of salty and sweet, chocolate and peanut butter, with an irresistible crunch of peanuts and the crispy crackle of crisp rice cereal. In other words, DELICIOUS!

These chocolate covered peanut butter balls are always a hit with our crowd and make an appreciated holiday gift.

Old-fashioned peanut butter balls on a gold background for Christmas and the holidays.

How to package them for gifting:

I recommend packaging the peanut butter chocolate balls in small food gift boxes (big enough to hold 6-8 candies). To keep them separate in the box, use candy liners. {affiliate links}.

I don’t recommend using cellophane bags as the candies can get tossed around in the bags and potentially stick together..

A wooden serving board filled with chocolate peanut butter truffles.

More sweet peanut butter treats:

taking a bite out of the old fashioned peanut butter balls.

More candy recipes you’ll love:

Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and review.

Your comments and shares are invaluable to me and the thousands of readers who use this site daily. If you've made the recipe, leave a star rating and review. We want to hear how you liked it.

We'd love it if you shared the recipe with your friends on social media!

chocolate peanut butter balls with rice krispies on a black serving platter.
Print Pin
4 from 9 votes

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls with Sea Salt

These easy, no bake peanut butter balls melt in your mouth. You’ll love the shiny dark chocolate coating that surrounds a crunchy peanut butter and rice krispies center. A great peanut butter truffle for Christmas and Valentines Day.
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course candy, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword chocolate, peanut butter, rice krispies
Dietary Restrictions Egg Free, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time 45 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 70

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups crunchy peanut butter we used Jif
  • ½ cup butter at room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 cups crisp rice cereal we used Rice Krispies
  • 12 ounces dark chocolate melting wafers we used Ghirardelli
  • flaky sea salt we used Maldon

DIRECTIONS:

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat together the peanut butter and softened butter. Add kosher salt and vanilla and mix to combine.
  • Add powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing completely with the hand mixer after each addition.
  • Add the crisp rice cereal and use your clean hands to blend it completely into the peanut butter mixture.
  • Use a mini cookie scoop to portion the peanut butter candy mixture into individual servings. Roll the candies between your hands to form smooth peanut butter balls. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Melt the dark chocolate wafers according to package directions.
  • Use dipping tools to coat the peanut butter balls with dark chocolate, shaking off the excess. Transfer to the parchment lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt.
  • Allow the chocolate to harden before touching. Store in an airtight container.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg

Pin it for later!

a pin to save for later.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    The grandkids went crazy for these! Both making and eating them! A winner!

  2. 5 stars
    I’ve made these for years -they really are wonderful! If you put some canning paraffin in the chocolate it is shinier and you get no problem with bloom (I freeze themwith no problem). It doesn’t affect the taste at all. I’ve also found that store brand peanut butter works better – name brand ones are drier, the texture is better with the store brand butters.