These vegan Peanut Butter Mousse Cups are easy to make, and they contain only three ingredients! You can use them to make chocolate peanut butter cups, or you can serve them with fresh fruit and chopped nuts.
If you have More Great Good Dairy Free Desserts Naturally, you know I talk about eating an entire bag of peanut butter cups over a few days one semester in college! That experience put me off the confection for a while, but I never stopped liking Peanut Butter Cups. I was determined to create a healthier vegan version to include in my cookbook and for my enjoyment and the result has been a reader’s favorite recipe. That is despite the time it takes to make the chocolate cups. Last weekend, I had a taste for that recipe, but I didn’t want to make the chocolate cups. With the original recipe as inspiration, and a wish to use less sweetener, I came up with this three-ingredient peanut butter mousse. The chocolate cup element is simply melted chocolate. I added 1 teaspoon of coconut oil to make a shiner, slightly more magic shell-like chocolate topping but WFPBNO folks can leave it out for a no oil recipe.
Unsweetened cocoa powder is an ingredient in the peanut butter mousse filling in the More Great Good Dairy Free Desserts Naturally recipe in so more sweetener was needed. This time, unsweetened peanut butter and a small amount of pure maple syrup made a sweet enough filling. Another notable difference between the two recipes is the type of tofu used. I generally use silken tofu for puddings and mousse but here I used extra firm tofu—it is what I had on hand—and this tofu has a higher protein content, for another win. It worked a charm, creaming beautifully with the peanut butter and maple syup in my ordinary food processor. I allowed enough time for the tofu to break down.
I can tell you this recipe will delight and amaze you, but don’t trust me—here’s what my tofu-shunning cousin, Penn freshman, Zoe said when I served a cup to her: Wow, so good, you have more? Only then did I tell Zoe the base was tofu. She was truly amazed! And she said, “Good thing you didn’t tell me first. I’d have said NO! More please.”
To make chocolate candy cups, you’ll need paper candy cup liners or small cupcake liners (mini cups) and a clean, small watercolor paintbrush, small pastry brush, or spoon. (Here I used a mold but found it more difficult than the candy paper liners. Paint melted chocolate onto the liners. Use a pastry bag or small spoon to fill the set cups.

Peanut Butter Mousse Cups
I love peanut butter cups. Those of you who have my cookbook More Great Good Dairy Free Desserts Naturally know the story.
Ingredients
- 7 ounces about 1/2 a water packed box firm or extra firm tofu, drained, and rinsed
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, grade A dark
- 1/3 cup smooth sugar-free peanut butter
- Topping: 4 to 5 ounces 70% chocolate, melted with 1 teaspoon coconut oil (optional)
Instructions
- To prepare the mousse, crumble the tofu into a food processor and process 1 minute. Add the maple syrup and process 1 minute. Clean the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and add the peanut butter.
- Pulse the processor a few times, and then process until the mixture is perfectly smooth and creamy, with no signs of tofu visible.
- The mousse is ready to serve, but I find refrigerating it for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to bloom.
Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days. Serve chilled. or at room temperature. Mousse can be frozen (and defrosted too).
Recipe Notes
Ideas for serving:
Scoop the chilled peanut butter mousse into a serving dish. Pour enough of the melted chocolate over each serving, so that you make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. The chocolate will harden.
Add:
- Sliced or diced bananas to make Elvis Peanut Butter Cups.
- Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
- Add a dollop of your favorite jam.
- And of course, berries are always welcome.
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This was one of the first recipes I made from More Great Good Desserts Naturally. Easy and delish! When I make my version of peanut butter cups, I use a spoon to “paint” the inside of the fluted paper cups. Cruelty-free paint brushes are available from Colors of Nature.
Thanks for the tips on making the chocolate cups Mimi! I hope you’ll try this simpler, more direct PB recipe too!