Keto Peanut Butter Balls
These Keto Peanut Butter Balls are perfect for your chocolate peanut butter craving! They are the perfect combination of sweet and salty with a bit of crunch from roasted peanuts and the vibrant flavor of chocolate.
Peanut butter balls are one of my family’s Christmas favorites. Most of us are tried-and-true peanut butter lovers with a sweet tooth. I decided a few weeks ago, when I started thinking about all the delicious Christmasy things I wanted to make this year, that low carb peanut butter balls were near the top of the list.
These easy keto peanut butter balls use only 4 simple ingredients but taste rich and decadent. This easy keto dessert is also low carb, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
If you love peanut butter, make sure to try my Keto Peanut Butter Fudge and Keto Peanut Butter Cheesecake next!
Ingredients
No Sugar Added Peanut Butter – To be keto diet friendly, peanut butter should have two ingredients: peanuts and salt. Smuckers Natural peanut butter is one that is easily found. You can use creamy peanut butter or chunky peanut butter.
Finely Chopped Roasted Salted Peanuts – Using roasted salted peanuts in place of the rice crispy cereal in the original version gives these a nice texture and kicks up the peanut flavor. Using peanuts eliminates the need for almond flour or coconut flour.
Powdered Sugar-Free Sweetener – Any brand of 1:1 powdered sweetener will work.
Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips – This recipe calls for a full 8-ounce bag of sugar free chocolate chips, such as Lily’s Chocolate Chips, if you’d like to completely cover the healthy peanut butter balls in chocolate. Add a small amount of coconut oil if necessary to thin it.
How to Make Keto Peanut Butter Balls
By swapping in a sugar-free sweetener for the powdered sugar and chopped peanuts for the rice crispy cereal I make the filling for these much healthier than the original. Just coat with a sugar-free chocolate and no one will ever know you converted this recipe to be sugar-free. This energy balls recipe is bound to be one of your favorite low carb snacks!
Step One: Finely grind fresh peanuts in a food processor.
Step Two: Mix the peanuts with the peanut butter and sweetener. It is easy to do this in a medium bowl with a spoon.
Step Three: Form into balls. I normally scoop them with a small cookie scoop so they are the same size and then roll them in my hands to make a more uniform sphere shape.
Step Four: Coat in melted chocolate and place on parchment paper or wax paper on a baking sheet. Let harden. On a warm day, it is helpful to pop the trays into the fridge to speed up the process.
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to a week. These can be frozen for longer storage.
Top Tip💡
These do flatten a little from the ball shape as they chill. If you really want round peanut butter balls I think adding a mix-in would help.
Variations
- Peanut Butter Protein Balls – Mix in a few tablespoons of collagen or peanut butter protein powder to make this into a keto energy balls recipe. You may need to add a little more peanut butter, keto maple syrup, or regular butter to balance out the additional dry ingredients.
- Crunchy Peanut Butter Balls – Add in some coarsely chopped peanuts as well as the finely chopped peanuts.
- Double Chocolate – Add some cocoa powder to the peanut butter mixture to make keto chocolate peanut butter balls.
- Chocolate Chip PB Balls – Boost the chocolate and throw some chocolate chips into the filling.
- White Chocolate Balls – Sub in some white chocolate chips.
- Almond – Sub in almond butter and almonds for the peanut products.
- Coating – Skip the chocolate coating. Roll these in cocoa powder and just do a drizzle of chocolate, or roll them in unsweetened shredded coconut flakes.
- Shapes – Make these into Easter eggs, hearts for Valentine’s Day, or Peanut Butter Trees.
My Tagalong Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are just as easy to make as these, with the same flavors. Give those a try next!
Common Questions
What is the easiest way to form peanut butter balls?
My tip for making even peanut butter balls is to use a cookie scoop for scooping. I love my set of cookie scoops. It has 3 different sizes and use them for everything from cookies and cupcakes to meatballs and chicken nuggets.
I used the medium scoop and made 18 balls from this recipe. You can make more and make them smaller but you might need additional chocolate to be able to coat them all.
Can I use peanut flour?
You can substitute peanut flour for the freshly ground peanuts. I do this in my Keto Peanut Butter Eggs.
Are these a fat bomb?
Yup. They are basically chocolate peanut butter fat bombs. They have enough healthy fats from the peanuts and nut butter to be fat bombs.
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Keto Peanut Butter Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup roasted salted peanuts finely chopped (not peanut flour)
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup powdered sweetener such as swerve
- 8 oz sugar-free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mix together the chopped peanuts, peanut butter, and sweetener. Divide the dough into 18 pieces and shape into balls. Place on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until cold.
- Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or on top of a double boiler. I microwave chocolate chips, stirring every 30 seconds until they are 75% melted. Then I just stir until the rest melt.
- Dip each peanut butter ball in the chocolate and place back on the wax paper. Refrigerate until the chocolate sets.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally Published October 31, 2018. Revised and Republished September 19, 2025.
Trader Joe’s now has pure cocoa chocolate chips for only $2.99. These look So good I’m about to make them.
Assuming I could just use chunky peanut butter instead of plain and adding peanuts.
It might be too wet. It it seems so you could add extra sweetener or peanut flour.
I agree with Zoey. These peanut butter balls are delicious and so easy to make. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you!
Any ideas on how to make the chocolate a little more “milk” chocolate? My boyfriend complains that Lily’s is too dark tasting
Have you tried their milk chocolate? There are other brands of sugar-free milk chocolate as well. Or you can add a little heavy cream. The chocolate won’t set as hard but is still tasty.
These turned out great. So easy to make. Things got a bit messy while I was trying to coat the peanut balls with chocolate. Overall a hit
These look great! I’m a chocolate and peanut butter fiend! My issue is i don’t like dark chocolate. …is there anyway to keep these reasonably keto and use milk chocolate? If so, what kind of milk chocolate to use, or how do we sweeten the dark chocolate.
Yup! There are several brands that now offer keto milk chocolate. Any of those are fine.
I never see Splenda mentioned as the sweetener is there a reason for that?
I stopped using it years ago. I prefer natural sweeteners.
They have it at Walmart because it is the. Best thing for you when you are having coffee
Can I use butter instead of peanuts at all can you help me I am on a keto diet
No, I’m sorry, that won’t work. These have 4 net carbs each. They are pretty big. You can make them smaller so they are 2 net carbs. Leaving off the chocolate coating, or using less and drizzling it on saves a carb or two as well.
How much Collagen do you add?
I’d add 2-3 tablespoons.
I don’t see collagen in the recipe?
That’s right. You can add some if you’d like but it’s not required.
Instead of peanuts can I add pb2? And skip the sugar?
PB2 will make these drier. It’s a different texture when you eat them. It will work but I greatly prefer them with peanuts.
If you leave out the sweetener I’m not sure how they’ll taste. I’d make a very small batch and taste them before making a lot.
OMG!!!!! Seriously delicious. So many of my gym friends are now as addicted as I am.
Depending on which peanut butter brand you use, the filling can be a little too soft. The add in suggestion is great. What I found worked best for me, was a scoop or 2 of unflavored whey protein powder.
These have become my go to treat post workout – protein, carbs & fats. Perfect!
Thank you sooooo much!
So instead of peanuts you used the whey powder??? My hubs can’t do the peanuts(no teeth). He loves peanut butter balls. If I can make them without the peanuts. Would be awesome!
These look so yumm, definitely going to try! Thanks you 🙂
These were delicious! I cut each ball in half and froze them in a ziplock ~ lasted me a month! I liked them in the evening as my treat with a cup of decaf coffee. Half of one was just perfect! I am now going to try them with almond butter and either chopped almonds or coconut. Thank you SO much ~ appreciate all the hard work you did on this recipe for us!
I don’t understand why you need to add sweetener to this recipe when the Lily’s non sugar chips already have lots of stevia and eryth. in them.
Because the filling is unsweetened. The powdered sweetener also helps dry put the peanut butter. They are not overly sweet.
Hi- just a suggestion. You had mentioned you like the glossy look on your treats? When melting your choc chips add a table spoon of black coffee. This gives the chocolate a nice finish when it sets 😊
Black coffee cold or hot? Brewed or ground bean?
I saw your suggestion to add coffee for a shinier finish but I tried this with hot black coffee as chocolate was on dbl boiler melting and the chocolate went from smooth and liquid creamy to pasty😐
Adding water can make chocolate seize so I would think coffee could do that too.