A protein recipe that tastes like a naughty dessert! These vegan protein chocolate peanut butter cups make a great snack or healthier treat.
I love making treats like this for when I’m craving something sweet and chocolatey, but don’t want something too decadent. They’re no-bake, so really easy to make and you can change the recipe around depending on your preference. For example, if you don’t have peanut butter, you can use any nut butter you like. Or if you have a nut allergy, use a seed butter like tahini or sunflower seed butter instead.
You can also make them in a square cake tin and slice them into squares instead of individual cups. If you want to make them even healthier and cut back on the calories, you can make the base and shape them into energy balls instead. There are so many ways to play around with this recipe, so just have fun with it!
Packed with 11g of protein per serving, these protein cups are great to store in the fridge for when you’re feeling snacky.
What you need to make these vegan protein chocolate peanut butter cups:
Protein powder – any will work, but I love using the chocolate vegan gourmet protein powder from Bulk. It’s the only one that tastes like whey protein and isn’t overly sweet, which I like. Protein powder is an amazing ingredient to add to desserts to make them more balanced, but also to help bump up your protein intake. They also taste good, which means you don’t need to add as much sugar or additional sweetener.
Cocoa powder – to intensify the chocolatey goodness!
Peanut butter – natural smooth peanut butter works best for this recipe. Again I get mine online from Bulk. You can also use other nut butters if you prefer or use a seed butter like tahini to make it nut-free.
Maple syrup – this acts as a binder as well as a sweetener. You could use a sugar-free syrup instead, but I don’t like the after taste in most.
Your choice of milk (dairy or non-dairy) – any milk will work here.
Dark chocolate – because everything tastes so much better topped with a layer of smooth dark chocolate ?
Here’s why you need to make these vegan protein chocolate peanut butter cups:
- They’re easy to make
- No-bake
- The recipe is easily adjustable
- They’re vegan
- Gluten-free
- And can be made nut-free too
- Packed with protein
- And they’re healthier than your average chocolate treat!
Here’s how to make them…
Vegan Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients
For the base
- 100g chocolate protein powder I used Bulk chocolate gourmet vegan protein
- 3 tbsp cocoa
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 90g smooth peanut butter
- 120ml milk of choice
For the peanut butter layer
- 100g smooth peanut butter
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- Pinch of salt
For the chocolate topping
- 100g dark chocolate
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the base ingredients until you have a smooth dough.
- Divide into 10 balls, then press into cupcake moulds lined with a strip of baking paper (for easy removal). Freeze for 10 minutes.
- Mix the peanut butter layer ingredients in a separate bowl, then spread over the base.
- Break up the dark chocolate into a heat-proof bowl, then add the coconut oil. Melt in the microwave, then pour on top of the peanut butter layer. Use a teaspoon to even it out.
- Freeze for 30-60 minutes, then carefully remove from the moulds.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe is my new favourite thing to make! Love that it’s high protein and so easy to make.