If you’re searching for a quick and easy dessert that’s nearly guilt-free and additively delicious, you just found it! These almond butter cups are an allergy-friendly alternative to store-bought desserts.
Even better? The whole family will love these!
If you love peanut butter and chocolate (think: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups), you’re going to love this almond butter cup dessert.
Once we discovered our food allergies, I needed to find a new way for our family to enjoy some of our favorite desserts. We love peanut butter and chocolate together – it’s an ideal match.
But with dairy allergies, and my desire to stay away from refined sugar, store-bought peanut butter chocolate cups don’t work for us.
That’s the inspiration for these almond butter cups!
Almond butter cups: An allergy-friendly treat
Especially because it’s paleo-friendly (dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free, too), you can enjoy this dessert almost guilt-free.
This dessert isn’t low-calorie, but it has a lot fewer calories than typical peanut butter cup desserts, so that’s a win in my book!
Every once in a while, things fall together, and it just works. That’s what happened when I came up with this dessert. I don’t remember exactly what I was trying to make, but whatever it was failed.
So instead, I whipped up these tasty almond butter cups, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with how they turned out.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe. For the full recipe details, please see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- coconut milk, cream from the top only*
- almond butter
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- chocolate chips, dairy-free & soy-free
How to make almond butter cups
With a base of coconut milk cream and almond butter, this light dessert takes just a few minutes to make. In fact, it’s so easy, that my 13-year-old often makes this for a Friday night treat.
My whole family loves this recipe, and I have no doubt yours will too.
Step 1
Skim the cream off the top of canned coconut milk (I highly recommend this brand because not all brands have thick cream). It should be thick and creamy, about 1/3-1/2 cup worth.
Step 2
Whip the coconut milk cream on low until it’s smooth and fluffy. Don’t overmix.
Step 3
Add the almond butter (1 tablespoon at a time) and continue mixing slowly. Slowly drizzle in the maple syrup and vanilla extract.
Step 4
Spoon into little bowls or cups.
Step 5
Melt the dark chocolate chips in the microwave-safe bowl and drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of your almond butter cup dessert.
Sprinkle a dash of sea salt on top (optional, but highly recommended!), and dig into your almond butter cup dessert. Enjoy!
Homemade almond butter cups FAQs
Here are some questions that I frequently see readers ask about making this allergy-friendly dessert. If you don’t see your question answered below, please leave it in the comments!
Can I use peanut butter instead of almond butter?
Yes! Although I use almond butter instead of peanut butter, you can absolutely use peanut butter if you prefer. In fact, from time to time, I will make this dessert with natural (no sugar added) peanut butter.
Alternatively, you can also use cashew butter or any of your other favorite nut butters and probably nut-free seed butters too (although I haven’t tried using seed butter myself yet).
Would other sweeteners work instead of maple syrup?
If you need to substitute something else in place of the maple syrup for these almond butter cups, I recommend using agave. You can substitute it 1:1. Honey could work too if you prefer to use that.
Why does the coconut milk sometimes separate?
If the coconut milk separates a little while you’re making almond butter cups, don’t worry. Leave it as is because it will still taste DELICIOUS!
I’ve noticed this a couple of times, and it usually occurs for a couple of reasons:
- If the temperature is hot out, it’s more likely to happen.
- Adding maple syrup too quickly can cause separation.
How do I store leftovers of almond butter cups?
If you make these almond butter cups in small mason jars, you could just put the lid on top and store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. However, if you don’t serve them in small mason jars, use any other airtight containers that you can put in the fridge.
If you would like to make them ahead of time and freeze them, you can put them in an air-tight freezer-safe container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More allergy-friendly desserts
If you love this dessert recipe, I think you’ll love these other ideas too!
- Quick and Easy No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Easy and Energizing Chocolate Protein Balls Recipe
- Easy Chocolate Peppermint Fat Bombs {Keto-Friendly}
- Guilt-Free Chocolate Mousse With Avocados
- Homemade Dairy Free Hot Chocolate Mix
Almond Butter Cup Dessert
If you love peanut butter cups, you’re going to love this healthier Almond Butter Cup Dessert that takes just 5 minutes to whip up!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 2–4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 can coconut milk, cream from the top only*
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1–3 Tbsp maple syrup (I use 1.5 Tbsp)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips, dairy-free soy-free
Instructions
- Spoon the coconut milk cream from the top, leaving the liquid coconut milk. It should be thick and creamy, about 1/3-1/2 cup worth.
- Whip on low until smooth and fluffy. Don’t overmix.
- Add the almond butter, 1 tablespoon at a time while slowing mixing. Slowly drizzle in the maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- Spoon into small jars or bowls.
- Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over the top of your almond butter cup dessert.
Notes
*In warmer weather, it’s best to refrigerate the canned coconut milk for at least several hours first.
Amber Edwards says
I just love paleo desserts! They have such a great flavor and yet I can feel good eating them! No Seriously, I literally feel good after eating them because of the natural ingredients…no upset tummy after eating a lot of chemicals in other processed foods! 🙂
These almond butter cups look amazing! I recently made paleo whipped cream with coconut milk and that was such a hit in our family. So I KNOW this one will be too!
Ann says
This sounds fantastic! I love the addition of the maple syrup. Tasty combination.
Ellen says
Oh my that looks good! It’s so hard to find Paleo desserts. Cannot wait to try it.
Scott says
Only 5 minutes! Ok, that seems way too easy. Going to have to give it a shot!
diane says
this looks delicious! I have been meaning to try whipped coconut cream. Looks tasty with almond butter whipped in!
Lindset says
If you skim the coconut cream from the top, what do you do with the rest of it? Is there a coconut cream product?
Marcy says
I use it for smoothies.
Nicole says
Can you use heavy cream if you don’t have coconut milk ?
Erika says
Yes, you can use heavy cream however you will need to whip it before adding it to the other ingredients and then gently fold it in. Enjoy!
Nina says
I made this today. Used cinnamon almond butter, came out GREAT!
Tomorrow Im going to add strawberries, and eventually I want to try it frozen!
Thanks for the recipe!
Angie McP says
Can you make this ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator?
Erika says
I have stored this overnight in the refrigerator but never longer. It might keep but I wouldn’t do it for more than 2-3 days.
Kirra says
I just made this and it is absolutely DELICIOUS. It is officially my favorite healthy recipe! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Margaret says
Do you use the skimmed cream or the liquid part?
Erika says
The cream part
Carolyn says
I don’t do any kind of sugar. What would you recommend in place of the maple syrup?
Erika says
You could try a monkfruit or stevia sweetener – you’d have to adjust quantities depending on what you choose to use. At least this recipe is easy so you can add a little, taste and see if you like it. Good luck!
Tara says
This was good and easy. Took me longer since I had put my coconut milk in the fridge to get the max “cream” at the tip- then it was too hard to make smooth. A little patience and it came together. Also I think the hot melted Choc made it a little runny so I put it in the fridge for a bit and it was perfect! I used Trader Joe’s coconut milk