If there are two things I’ve learned throughout 4 ½ years of food blogging it’s that 1) peanut butter is a crowd-pleaser and 2) the simpler, the better.
If I’ve drawn accurate conclusions from my informal data collection procedures, then you’re going to flip for these simple and oh-so-awesome vegan peanut butter crunch cups.
Puffed quinoa is coated in a rich mixture of peanut butter, coconut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. The peanut butter mixture is similar to this 3-ingredient peanut fudge, so there is a fudge-like quality to these treats. That nutty mixture is then spooned into muffin liners and popped into the freezer to set.
After an hour or so, you’ll have crunchy, peanut-buttery, and addictive little cups of goodness. These crave-worthy vegan peanut butter crunch cups are sweet enough for dessert, yet totally snack-approved.
6-Ingredient No-Bake Quinoa Peanut Butter Crunch Cups
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups puffed quinoa*
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons coconut butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the puffed quinoa to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Add the peanut butter, coconut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to a medium sauce pan. Heat over low, and whisk continuously for 4-5 minutes or until completely melted and smooth.
- Pour the peanut butter mixture over the puffed quinoa and stir to coat.
- Place 16-18 muffin liners on a baking pan. Drop heaping tablespoons of the quinoa mixture into the muffin liners and gently smooth out with a spoon.
- Pop the pan into the freezer for 1 hour to set.
- Once the cups have set, you can transfer them to the refrigerator to store.
Notes
I happen to be lucky enough to have a container of these in my fridge...and yes they are addictive. Perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning or afternoon. Love the crunch!
So glad you're enjoying the ones I left behind after our visit! I was craving them after long days on the ski slopes!
Hello! Do you know the nutrition breakdown for these?
Hi, Dena! I'm so sorry, but I don't know the nutrition breakdown.
Hi Dena, I inputted it into myfitnesspal (but i added a chocolate drizzle on top) and it works out to to be 110 calories a piece if you make 20, 7.6 grams of fat, 2.3 grams of protein and 8.3 grams of carbs per serving. Would be slightly less without the chocolate.
Can you use almond butter instead of peanut butter?
Thanks
Absolutely! Almond butter would be just as delicious in these, Diana! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Do you know many calories in these? Thanks <3 (it's okay if you don't!)
Hi, Katie! I do not, but I know other readers have found lots of easy sites to calculate calories. If you calculate it, feel free to note it in a comment for others who might be interested. Thank you!
I am loving the crunch of these! And my husband will as well! And I couldn't agree more...PB is a winner!
Oh my gosh. New reader to your blog and I am in LOVE! I don't know how you aren't huge! I always wondered how to pop quinoa and this is going to be the recipe I do it with. These look awesome! Pinned!! <3
Thanks so much, Leigha! I'm so glad you're enjoying the blog! I can't even tell you how many times I popped quinoa and burned it to oblivion before realizing its "pop" is tiny compared to corn or other pop-able foods. Once you know that, it's the easiest thing ever to make! I hope you enjoy this recipe, and thanks again for your kind words :)
Can you please tell me what is the Name and Brand of the "puffed quinoa" and where could that be purchased?
Thank you so much! :)
Hi, Stacy! There are several brands that make it, so it will depend on your grocery store. I've seen it at some Whole Foods but not all, so your best bet is probably to purchase it online through Amazon. I hope this helps!
Which brand name did you happen to use? I want to make these for an upcoming brunch with friends....Thank you! :)
I like Organic Merchants' puffed quinoa but often make my own for this recipe. Hope you enjoy the recipe! :)
Do you have a post explaining how to make your own puffed quinoa? Thanks for your help, it's so kind of you! :)
Oops, never mind, I just noticed the NOTES explaining how to make them, how simple, what a fun thing to do, thank you!!!
You're welcome! Happy quinoa puffing and peanut butter cup making!
These are seriously amazing! I couldn't wait to make them once I saw the recipe via Kris Carr so I left out the coconut butter and halved the recipe. So yummy I absolutely love the crunchy texture the popped quinoa gives.
Do you have the nutritional information for these?
Hi, Karey! I'm so sorry, but I do not have the nutritional information for these.
What is coconut butter and where can you buy...I live in Huntington, NY Thank you.
Hi, Debbie! Coconut butter is made by blending the meat of the coconut until it forms a smooth butter. It's essentially the same idea as peanut butter, almond butter, etc. I usually buy mine at Whole Foods or through Amazon, but recently I've started making my own because it can be pricey. To make it, you can add a few cups of unsweetened shredded coconut (the kind that's packaged in bags) to a food processor fitted with an S-blade. Process for 8-10 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, and you'll end up with a creamy coconut butter. You'll want to store it in a jar in the refrigerator (for a few weeks to a month). I hope this helps!
I had the same question, so thanks for the tip! Now I'm off to make these! Can't wait to try.
I tried making coconut butter and i'm pretty sure I either bought the wrong types of coconut flakes or I did something wrong. I used coconut chips and blended in my Vitamix probably close to 20 minutes (with stops) and all I got was shredded coconut. I added water which didn't work and i got wet shredded coconut. At the end I wound up buying coconut oil (since it's required for the recipe) and adding that in. It seems to have gotten better but it's closer to unmeltable packed powder snow or fine salt.
I can probably safely omit the coconut oil from the recipe completely or throw everything out :( and try again with bulk coconut chips from Fairway. Does anyone think this salvageable?
Hi Nick! I'm sorry that you're having trouble with the coconut butter. Are the coconut chips baked or dehydrated? If so, that is the problem. Coconut butter can really only be made with unsweetened, untoasted shredded coconut. It's usually the cheaper stuff too -- the kind I buy is just $2-3 at Whole Foods. I've also only made it in my food processor, but I imagine a vitamix would be able to handle to job. When you try it again, make sure to use shredded coconut rather than chips and that should do the trick!
I made these this morning and they are awesome! Saw the recipe on Kris Carr's website. I spent about a month looking for puffed quinoa then decided to order it from Amazon. Super easy! Can't wait to share these with friends!
Hi, Amy! I'm so glad you saw this recipe on Kris Carr's site -- I adore her! Happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, and I'm going to add in a note about purchasing the puffed quinoa from Amazon. I've had trouble finding it in stores lately, and it can be a bit temperamental to make. Thanks for sharing your feedback and tips! I really appreciate it.
One more item to share: I found Coconut Butter at Whole Foods in the "Raw" department, on the bottom of the shelves. At first they tried to sell me "Coconut Spread" in the dairy department. This is not the same thing.
Thank you for noting this, too! I've noticed so many differences in products and placement between Whole Foods' stores. At the one I usually shop at, coconut butter in next to the coconut oil but at another one in downtown Chicago it's in the raw section. I've never heard of "coconut spread" -- is it sweetened and mixed with cream?
I calculated the nutrition value of this recipe. I hope this will be helpful to those that were asking.
6-Ingredient No-Bake Quinoa Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
(calculated exactly as recipe was written)
Assuming 16 servings, each bar contains:
calories: 103, carbs: 8.25g, fat: 7g, fiber: 1.5g, protein: 2.6g, sugar: 1.7g
Hi, Dawne! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this and to share it in case others are curious. I really appreciate it!
Thank you!!!
if i don't like coconut, what could i replace the coconut butter with?
Hi, Megan! The coconut butter is a tricky ingredient to replace as it sets the cups. The closest thing to it would be cacao butter, but you might need to reduce the amount as cacao butter tends to set up a bit firmer. It will also give it more of a white chocolate flavor, but I think that might be nice! :)
Just got an enthusiastic thumbs up from my four super picky young stepchildren. Whew! This is my new go-to. I noticed directions to make chocolate coating from scratch in another of your recipes, so I did and drizzled it on top of each little cup for insurance purposes. Also, I used puffed millet since it was in my cupboard. Worked fine, but I want to try the quinoa as you suggest. I'll just be excited that quinoa is actually getting into them somehow.
Thanks again for the great recipe. All the ones I've browsed through on your site look really creative, fabulous and best of all...EASY :)
An enthusiastic thumbs up from picky kids is the best kind of compliment! I love the idea of drizzling homemade chocolate on top as well; definitely a great way to guarantee approval! Thanks for taking the time to share your sweet words and feedback, Janell! I hope the quinoa version goes over just as well with the kiddos.
Your step children are so lucky to have you in their life. Stay a good MOMMA and cook great recipes like these.
Would it work without the coconut butter?
Could you just double the peanut butter instead of using coconut butter?
Unfortunately, it won't work without the coconut butter as that is what sets them. If you can't find coconut butter, you can make it by processing 4 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut (dehydrated, not dessiccated) for 8 to 12 minutes in a food processor or until smooth and liquidy. I hope this helps!
Do you know how many grams of protein are jn each crunch cup?
Do you know how many grams of protein are in each crunch cup?
Hi, Kayla! I'm so sorry, but I'm not sure, but you can try pasting the recipe into an online nutrition calculator to get an estimate. I hope this helps!
HI Ashley, this looks great. Could you please provide nutrition facts. Interested in calorie count, protein count and sugars. Thanks!
Thanks, Sarah! I'm so sorry, but I don't have nutrition facts for this recipe. There are plenty of online calculators that you can use if you'd like to input the ingredients though.
Has anyone tried this with pb2 substitute?
Not that I know of, Jessica. I've never used PB2 to know what the texture is like, but that would be my primary concern in terms of what would be affected by substituting it.
Like this idea. 2 questions B4 I make these: 1) If I only have unsalted PB, how much salt would I add, & 2) Can I sub an equal amount of cacao bits? Thanks so much for all your time & energy in making life more beautiful! You are a lifesaver for people with special dietary needs. I found you only a short time ago & I have made 6-7 of your recipes but have yet to comment, though I have shared everything with family & friends who have grown to love you too! When I can breathe again (I suppose after Christmas) I promise to critique every recipe that I have made because they are soooo good! Your granola bars will forever be a staple in our home.
Is there a substitute for the coconut oil?
Hi, Anais! You can try substituting the coconut oil with more coconut butter. I haven't tried it myself, but I think it should yield similar results. Hope this helps!
Recipe calls for 2T agave. Agave is a cactus plant. Agave nectar? Agave what??!
Hi, Diana! I'm so sorry, but I'm confused as this recipe doesn't call for agave anything (1 1/2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup is the sweetener used here). Would you be able to clarify?
Just wondering if these freeze well and for how long? Can you just pop them in the freezer to store? Thanks!
Hi, Ro! Yes, they do freeze well. I would imagine they'll keep for up to 1 month in the freezer, but I've never been able to find out as they typically only last for 1–2 weeks in our house because we devour them too quickly. Enjoy!
Hi...so, if i were to use cacao butter in place of the cnut butter...do you have a suggestion for how much less to use?! maybe just a 1/4 cup (omitting the + 2 Tbs.), or even less?! Thanks!
Hi, Alyssa! I've never made this particular swap, so I can't say for certain, but I would say either 1/4 cup or the full amount. Since both coconut butter and cacao butter are solid at room temperature, I think it should come out to be about the same amount. I'd love to know how it works out if you have time to come back and share! Enjoy!
Thanks. It worked out fine! I halved the recipe (to be sure i didn't have more than need be if i didn't like them), but used the called for amount (as long as my math was right, which is always questionable). I think it would've worked just fine with a little less though too. I also added a bit of flax seeds, chia seeds and hemp hearts. Now I'm thinking some cinnamon might be good to add too...next time! Thanks for the recipe!
What if I don't want to make this vegan? What are the best substitutes ??
Hi, Nirali! Really, truly, there aren't substitutes to make this non-vegan. Butter and other dairy products simply won't set the cups the same way that the combination of virgin coconut oil and coconut butter will.