7 Easy Homemade Reese’s Cups Ideas You Need to Try

Okay, so here’s the thing—I’ve been making homemade Reese’s cups for like three years now, and I’m pretty sure I’ve tried every variation that exists on the internet. Some were incredible. Some were… well, let’s just say my dog wouldn’t even eat them.

But I finally figured it out. These easy homemade Reese’s cups ideas are the ones that actually work, taste amazing, and don’t require you to be some kind of chocolate wizard. Whether you’re trying to eat healthier, avoid certain ingredients, or just want to impress people at your next potluck (guilty), I’ve got you covered.

The best part? Most of these recipes take like 15 minutes of actual work. The rest is just waiting for them to freeze, which is honestly the hardest part because the temptation to eat them half-frozen is REAL.

1. Classic Easy Homemade Reese’s Cups (The Gateway Recipe)

This is where it all started for me. I was craving Reese’s at like 9 PM on a Tuesday, had no car to go to the store, and thought “how hard could it be?” Turns out, not hard at all.

Why it’s amazing: It’s the OG. Three ingredients. Tastes exactly like the real thing, maybe even better because you control the peanut butter-to-chocolate ratio. And you don’t have to deal with that weird waxy coating some store-bought ones have.

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet, but dark chocolate works if you’re fancy)
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (not the natural kind—trust me on this)
• ¼ cup powdered sugar (yes, I know, but it makes the texture perfect)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (salted or unsalted, whatever’s in your fridge)
• Pinch of salt if your peanut butter isn’t salted

Instructions:

1. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Mini liners work too if you want cute little bite-sized ones.
2. Melt half your chocolate chips. I use the microwave—30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds, stir. Don’t rush this or you’ll burn the chocolate and have to start over. Been there.
3. Spoon about a tablespoon of melted chocolate into each liner. Use the back of the spoon to push it up the sides a little. Pop the whole tray in the freezer for 10 minutes.
4. While that’s freezing, mix your peanut butter, powdered sugar, melted butter, and salt in a bowl. It’ll be thick but should still be scoopable.
5. Take the tray out and add a spoonful of peanut butter mixture on top of each chocolate base. Flatten it a bit but don’t go all the way to the edges.
6. Melt the rest of your chocolate and cover each cup completely. Back in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
7. Try not to eat all of them immediately.

Tips & Chaos Notes: The powdered sugar is key—I tried making these without it once and they were weirdly oily. Also, keep these in the fridge or freezer. They get melty at room temp and while that’s delicious, it’s messy.

2. Healthy Homemade Reese’s Cups (That Don’t Taste Like Punishment)

Okay, so “healthy” is relative here, but these are way better for you than the regular ones. I made these during a phase where I was trying to eat clean (lasted about three weeks), and honestly? Still make them all the time.

Why it’s amazing: No refined sugar, no guilt, and you can eat like four of them and still feel virtuous. Plus they’re surprisingly filling because of the almond butter.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (at least 70% cacao, or you’re cheating)
• ¾ cup natural almond butter or peanut butter (the runny kind)
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup (the real stuff, not pancake syrup)
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour (makes it less runny)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Sea salt for sprinkling because we’re healthy and fancy now

Instructions:

1. Same deal with the muffin liners. I usually make these in mini muffin tins because portion control is a thing I pretend to care about.
2. Melt 2/3 of your chocolate. You know the drill—microwave, careful not to burn.
3. Spoon chocolate into liners, freeze for 10 minutes. Use this time to scroll TikTok or whatever.
4. Mix your nut butter, maple syrup, coconut flour, and vanilla. It should be thick enough to hold its shape. If it’s too runny, add more coconut flour a teaspoon at a time.
5. Add filling on top of chocolate bases. These ones you can make thicker because the coconut flour helps them hold together better.
6. Cover with remaining melted chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt if you’re feeling extra.
7. Freeze for at least 30 minutes. These need longer than regular ones for some reason.

Tips & Chaos Notes: Don’t skip the coconut flour. I tried using almond flour once and it was a disaster—couldn’t get the consistency right. Also, these are actually better if you let them sit at room temp for like 5 minutes before eating. Cold-from-the-freezer they’re kinda hard.

3. Protein-Packed Homemade Reese’s Cups (For Your Gains, Bro)

Made these for my husband who’s always complaining about needing more protein. Now he asks for them weekly. They’re basically a post-workout snack that tastes like dessert.

Why it’s amazing: Each cup has like 5-6 grams of protein, and they actually taste good. Most protein desserts taste like sweetened cardboard, but these? These slap.

Ingredients:

• 1¼ cups dark chocolate chips
• ½ cup natural peanut butter
• ¼ cup vanilla protein powder (I use whey, but plant-based works too)
• 2 tablespoons PB2 (powdered peanut butter—game changer)
• 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 2-3 tablespoons almond milk (just enough to make it mixable)
• Tiny pinch of salt

Ingredients (continued):

Instructions:

1. You know the setup by now. Liners in the tin, let’s go.
2. Melt your chocolate. I feel like I’m repeating myself but apparently I burned chocolate AGAIN last week, so… patience, friends.
3. Chocolate in liners, freeze 10 minutes. Set a timer this time because I always forget.
4. Here’s where it gets different—mix your peanut butter, protein powder, PB2, honey, and almond milk. Start with 2 tablespoons of almond milk and add more if needed. The protein powder absorbs a lot of liquid, so it needs to be wetter than you think.
5. The mixture will look kinda weird and grainy. That’s normal. Add your pinch of salt.
6. Spoon filling onto chocolate bases. These will be thicker than regular Reese’s cups because of the protein powder bulk.
7. Top with remaining chocolate. Freeze for 30 minutes minimum.

Tips & Chaos Notes: The PB2 is optional but it makes the peanut butter flavor SO much stronger without adding extra fat/calories. Found that trick on accident when I ran out of regular peanut butter. Also, different protein powders absorb liquid differently, so you might need to adjust the almond milk amount. Start with less, add more.

4. Keto Homemade Reese’s Cups (Low-Carb Magic)

My sister’s been keto for like two years and she literally cried when I made these for her. Okay, that’s dramatic, but she did eat six in one sitting and text me at midnight asking for the recipe.

Why it’s amazing: Under 3 net carbs per cup, and you genuinely cannot tell they’re “diet” food. The texture is perfect, the sweetness is on point, and they don’t have that weird aftertaste some keto desserts have.

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups sugar-free chocolate chips (Lily’s brand is the best, don’t @ me)
• ¾ cup natural peanut butter (check the label—just peanuts and salt)
• ¼ cup powdered erythritol or monk fruit sweetener
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Flaky sea salt for topping (because keto people love their fancy salt)

Instructions:

1. Line your muffin tin. I’ve said this so many times I could do it in my sleep at this point.
2. Melt the sugar-free chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. The extra oil helps because sugar-free chocolate can be finicky when melting.
3. Spoon into liners, up the sides, you know the deal. Freeze 10 minutes.
4. Mix peanut butter, powdered sweetener, remaining coconut oil, and vanilla. Taste it—if it’s not sweet enough, add more sweetener. Different brands vary in sweetness level.
5. Add filling to cups. With keto ones, I like to make the peanut butter layer a bit thinner because the chocolate is the star here.
6. Cover with remaining melted chocolate. Sprinkle with that fancy salt.
7. Freeze for 20-25 minutes. These set up faster than regular ones for some reason.

Tips & Chaos Notes: Store these in the freezer, not the fridge. Sugar-free chocolate gets soft at room temp really easily. Also, if you’re not used to sugar alcohols, maybe don’t eat five of these in one sitting. Your stomach will… let you know. Speaking from experience here.

5. Almond Flour Homemade Reese’s Cups (Gluten-Free & Fancy)

I made these for a friend’s gluten-free kid’s birthday party and now I’m apparently “the Reese’s cup lady” in their friend group. There are worse reputations to have.

Why it’s amazing: The almond flour gives them this incredible texture that’s almost… cookie-like? Hard to explain, but trust me. Plus they’re naturally gluten-free and grain-free without even trying.

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups chocolate chips (regular or dark, your call)
• ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
• ⅓ cup almond flour (fine ground, not almond meal)
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of cinnamon (weird but amazing, trust me)

Instructions:

1. Muffin liners. Tin. You’ve got this.
2. Melt chocolate—I feel like a broken record but seriously, LOW HEAT. Don’t rush.
3. Chocolate into liners, freeze 10 minutes. Maybe clean up the chocolate you definitely dripped on the counter.
4. Mix peanut butter, almond flour, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and cinnamon. The almond flour makes this thicker than other versions, which is perfect.
5. Roll the mixture into little balls and flatten them into discs. This method works better with almond flour because it’s less sticky.
6. Place discs on chocolate bases. They should almost fill the entire diameter.
7. Top with remaining chocolate, making sure to seal the edges. Freeze 25-30 minutes.

Tips & Chaos Notes: The cinnamon is optional but OH MY GOD it’s good. I accidentally added it once thinking I was grabbing vanilla extract (my spice cabinet is a mess), and now I can’t make them without it. Also, these are great at room temperature, unlike most homemade Reese’s cups. The almond flour helps them hold their shape.

6. No Powdered Sugar Homemade Reese’s Cups (For the “I Don’t Have That” Moments)

This recipe was born out of pure desperation. It was 10 PM, I wanted Reese’s cups, and I was out of powdered sugar. Did I let that stop me? Absolutely not.

Why it’s amazing: You probably have all these ingredients right now. No special trips to the store, no weird substitutions that don’t really work. Just simple, delicious, no-powdered-sugar Reese’s cups.

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups chocolate chips
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (the processed kind works best here)
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs (this is the secret ingredient)
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Liners in the tin. I’m not even going to elaborate anymore, we all know what’s happening here.
2. Melt half your chocolate. Be patient. Don’t burn it. Learn from my mistakes.
3. Into the liners, into the freezer, 10 minutes. Standard procedure.
4. Mix everything else together—peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, graham cracker crumbs, and salt. The graham crackers do what powdered sugar usually does but with a slightly different flavor that’s actually really good.
5. Spoon filling onto chocolate. These might be slightly grainier in texture but in a good way, like there’s actual cookie in there.
6. Melt remaining chocolate, cover the cups completely. Freeze 20-30 minutes.

Tips & Chaos Notes: If you don’t have graham crackers, crushed up vanilla wafers work too. I’ve also used crushed digestive biscuits when I was in a British food phase. The texture is slightly different without powdered sugar—less smooth, more rustic—but honestly? Some people like these better. My mom does, and she doesn’t even like regular Reese’s cups.

7. Sugar-Free Homemade Reese’s Cups with PB2 (The Ultimate Low-Cal Version)

These are for when you want Reese’s cups but you’re trying to be reasonable about calories. Each one is like 60 calories compared to 200+ for regular ones. Math that makes you feel good about eating three.

Why it’s amazing: PB2 is magical. It’s powdered peanut butter with most of the fat removed, so you get all the flavor with a fraction of the calories. Mixed with a bit of real peanut butter, it’s perfection.

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups sugar-free chocolate chips
• ½ cup PB2 powder
• ¼ cup natural peanut butter (just a little for richness)
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (maybe more, maybe less)
• 2 tablespoons powdered erythritol or stevia
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. You know the liner drill by now. If you don’t, scroll up.
2. Melt sugar-free chocolate with half the coconut oil. The oil helps it melt smoother.
3. Spoon into liners (make these in mini muffin tins for better portion control). Freeze 10 minutes.
4. Here’s where PB2 gets tricky—mix the powder with almond milk little by little until it’s the consistency of thick peanut butter. Start with 2 tablespoons and add more as needed. It can go from too dry to too wet FAST.
5. Mix in the regular peanut butter, sweetener, remaining coconut oil, and vanilla. Taste and adjust sweetness.
6. Add filling to cups. With PB2, the filling will be lighter in color and slightly fluffier in texture.
7. Cover with remaining melted chocolate. Freeze 25 minutes.

Tips & Chaos Notes: The PB2-to-liquid ratio is SO important. Too much liquid and they’ll be soupy. Too little and they’ll be dusty and gross. I’ve messed this up more times than I can count. Also, these taste better after sitting in the fridge for a day—something about the flavors melding. If you can wait that long, which… good luck.

Wrapping This Up

Look, I’ve made a LOT of homemade Reese’s cups at this point. Like, a concerning amount. My freezer usually has at least two batches at any given time because apparently I can’t function without knowing there’s a stash of chocolate peanut butter goodness waiting for me.

Not every batch has been perfect. I’ve burned chocolate, made filling that was too runny, forgotten to line the pan (cleanup nightmare), and once accidentally used crunchy peanut butter when the recipe called for creamy. That last one was actually pretty good though, so maybe try it on purpose sometime.

The point is, these easy homemade Reese’s cups ideas are all forgiving. You can adjust sweetness, change up the chocolate type, make them bigger or smaller, add mix-ins (mini chocolate chips in the filling? YES.), or just follow the recipe exactly as written. They’re all going to turn out delicious.

My favorite part about making these is customizing them exactly how I want. Store-bought Reese’s cups are great and all, but they’ll never have the perfect chocolate-to-peanut butter ratio that I’m obsessed with. Plus, knowing exactly what ingredients are in them feels good, especially when I’m feeding them to my kids.

If you’re new to making homemade Reese’s cups, start with recipe #1. It’s foolproof. Once you’ve got that down, branch out into the healthier versions or specialty ones. And if you mess up? Honestly, melted chocolate and peanut butter mixed together is still pretty delicious, just eat it with a spoon and call it a win.

Let me know which recipe you try first! I’m genuinely curious which one appeals to people most. And if you come up with your own variation, please share because I’m always looking for new ideas to add to my apparently endless Reese’s cup experimentation.

Happy making! (And may your chocolate never seize up on you like mine did last Thursday. That was tragic.)