White Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies

Name: Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: ¾ cup creamy peanut butter; 1 tablespoon powdered sugar; 1 cup crispy rice cereal; 1 ½ cups vegan white chocolate chips

These no-bake peanut butter balls with Rice Krispies are crunchy, sweet and dipped in vegan white chocolate, so they look like little snowballs. You only need 4 ingredients and about 15 minutes of hands-on time, and the freezer does the rest. They're one of my favorite treats to add to a Christmas cookie tray or pack up as holiday gifts for neighbors and friends.

Close-up of white chocolate peanut butter balls with one bitten open to show the crispy rice center

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If you love peanut butter Rice Krispie treats, you'll love these. The filling is creamy peanut butter, a little powdered sugar and crispy rice cereal, rolled into balls and coated in melted dairy-free white chocolate. I've brought them to holiday parties next to my vegan peanut butter and jelly thumbprint cookies and red velvet crinkle cookies, and they're always the first thing gone. If you prefer a chocolate coating, try my chocolate peanut butter balls with Rice Krispies on Plant-Based on a Budget.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love These Peanut Butter Snowballs
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies
How to Make Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies
Toni's Recipe Tips
Ideas I Haven't Tried Yet
FAQs
How to Store Peanut Butter Balls
How to Serve Them
More Vegan Christmas Recipes
Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies

Why You'll Love These Peanut Butter Snowballs

No-bake: No oven needed, just a bowl and your freezer.
4 ingredients: Peanut butter, powdered sugar, crispy rice cereal and vegan white chocolate.
Great for gifting: They hold their shape in the fridge, so they're easy to pack in tins or boxes.
Kid friendly: Kids can help mix, scoop and add sprinkles.

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies

Ingredients for peanut butter balls: vegan white chocolate chips, puffed rice cereal, powdered sugar and creamy peanut butter in bowls

Peanut butter: Use creamy, no-stir peanut butter. Drippy natural peanut butter makes the mixture too soft to roll.
Powdered sugar: Sweetens the filling and helps it hold together.
Crispy rice cereal: Any crispy white rice cereal works. I use Great Value crispy rice cereal from Walmart.
Vegan white chocolate chips: These give the balls their snowball look. These are the vegan white chocolate chips I use.

See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and amounts.

Prefer chocolate? I've also made these with semisweet vegan chocolate chips in place of the white chocolate. Melt and dip them the same way.

How to Make Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies

Puffed rice cereal, powdered sugar and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl before stirring

Step 1: Add the ingredients. Add the peanut butter, powdered sugar and crispy rice cereal to a large bowl.

Peanut butter and rice cereal mixture stirred together in a bowl with a white spatula

Step 2: Mix. Stir with a spatula until the cereal is completely coated.

Metal cookie scoop scooping the peanut butter rice cereal mixture from a bowl

Step 3: Scoop. Use a small cookie scoop to portion the mixture and press it into balls.

Scooped peanut butter rice cereal balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet

Step 4: Freeze. Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes until firm.

Bowl of melted vegan white chocolate next to peanut butter balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet

Step 5: Melt the white chocolate. Melt the chips in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring between each, or over a double boiler.

Peanut butter rice cereal ball being dipped into melted vegan white chocolate with a dipping tool

Step 6: Dip and chill. Dip each ball with a fork or candy dipping tool, let the extra drip off, then freeze for 15 more minutes until set.

Tap the fork or dipping tool against the side of the bowl to let the extra chocolate drip off before you set each ball back on the tray.

Toni's Recipe Tips

Chill before dipping: Frozen balls hold their shape in the warm chocolate, so don't skip the first freeze.
If the mixture is too soft: Add a little more cereal or powdered sugar, a spoonful at a time, until you can roll it.
If the mixture is too dry: Stir in another spoonful of peanut butter.
Make the chocolate easier to work with: Stir a spoonful of vegetable shortening or melted coconut oil into the melted white chocolate.
Keep water away: Even a drop of water can make white chocolate seize and turn grainy.
Decorate while wet: Add sprinkles, crushed candy canes or a drizzle of melted chocolate before the coating sets.

One peanut butter ball coated in white chocolate next to undipped balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet

Ideas I Haven't Tried Yet

I haven't tested these yet, but they'd be fun to try:

Sugar-free: Powdered erythritol and sugar-free vegan chocolate.
Holiday spices: A pinch of cinnamon, pumpkin spice or gingerbread spice in the filling.
Bars: Press the mixture into a lined pan, pour the chocolate over the top, chill and slice.
Other nut or seed butters: Almond butter or sunflower seed butter, with a little more powdered sugar if the mixture is soft.
Protein powder: Vanilla or peanut butter protein powder in place of the powdered sugar.
Freezing: I haven't frozen these yet. If you try it, freeze them in a single layer first, then store them in an airtight container.

If you try one, let me know in the comments!

FAQs

Why did my white chocolate get thick and grainy?

White chocolate burns and seizes easily. Melt it in short 20-second bursts, stir between each, and keep every drop of water away from the bowl.

Why won't my peanut butter balls hold their shape?

The mixture is too soft, usually from runny natural peanut butter. Stir in a little more cereal or powdered sugar, and freeze the balls before dipping.

Can I use semisweet chocolate instead of white chocolate?

Yes! I've made these with semisweet vegan chocolate chips too. Melt and dip them the same way.

Can I make them ahead?

Yes! Make them up to 5 days ahead and keep them in the fridge.

How many peanut butter balls does this make?

About 12 balls using a small cookie scoop.

Can I use a different nut butter?

I've only tested these with peanut butter. If you try almond butter or sunflower seed butter, you may need a little more powdered sugar to make the mixture firm enough to roll. Let me know how it goes in the comments!

How to Store Peanut Butter Balls

Store: Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Make them for holiday gifts. Pack them in a tin or box lined with parchment paper and keep them chilled until you hand them out.

White chocolate peanut butter balls on crinkled parchment paper with loose puffed rice and a spoonful of peanut butter

How to Serve Them

Set them out on a Christmas cookie tray with peppermint chocolate brownies, vegan chocolate truffles and peanut butter blossoms, with mugs of vegan peppermint hot chocolate on the side. If you're craving bars instead of balls, try my easy peanut butter Rice Krispie treats.

Did you make these peanut butter balls with Rice Krispies? I'd love to hear how they turned out! Leave a 🌟 star rating and a 📝 comment below to let me know who you shared them with.