EASY Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (5-min prep!)
You just need a few pantry ingredients to make this EASY chocolate peanut butter fudge! It has a super smooth, creamy texture, tons of chocolate peanut butter flavor without being overly sweet, and comes together in about 5minutes of prep!
If you’re looking for a simple, fast dessert to make for the holidays (or any time of year!), you’re going to love this fudge!
Here’s why you’ll love this easy chocolate peanut butter fudge recipe:
- It is a DELICIOUS fudge recipe. It has great chocolate & peanut butter flavor and a super smooth, creamy texture (with a nice little crunch from the peanuts).
- It’s a QUICK and EASY no-bake dessert. Literally comes together in about 5 minutes of prep work, and it’s a no-fuss process. You don’t need to mess with a double boiler or candy thermometer. It’s a super quick stovetop recipe that literally comes together in a few minutes. Then you just let the fridge to the work in allowing it to set and you’re done other than cutting it into pieces at the end!
- You can *very easily* halve this recipe if you want to make 2 different kinds of fudge at the same time. (I do this all the time!) I’ll share how!
- It’s the perfect sweet treat for a crowd! If you need a fancy-feeling dessert for the holiday season – something that feels special to give out as gifts or share at a Christmas party – this is a great dessert option! You can VERY easily make it in bulk, and you won’t be spending hours in the kitchen making that happen. 😉 YAY.
I’ve made A LOT of fudge, and here are a few things I’ve learned along the way:
- Homemade fudge doesn’t have to be hard to make. In fact, it’s probably one of the easiest dessert recipes you can make!! When you use sweetened condensed milk vs. evaporated milk to make fudge, you dramatically cut down not just on time, but on the process. There’s not a detailed process to follow if you use the condensed milk; it really is just a matter of melting some ingredients together quickly in a sauce pan and then pouring them into a pan to set!
- A little bit of fudge goes a long way, so I often like to cut the recipe in half. This is really easy to do, and you can just make a different flavor of fudge with that second half of the sweetened condensed milk so you can have some variety!
- It lasts a while in the fridge. You can easily make this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for a few days before using it.
- It has the most flavor at room temperature, but it still tastes just fine straight out of the fridge!
- This type of fudge (using marshmallows and sweetened condensed milk as the base) really is the best fudge if you’re looking for a shortcut dessert recipe. I think those ingredients help you cut so many corners without it tasting like you’ve cut a bunch of corners!!
Ingredients for this easy fudge recipe
You just need a few simple ingredients from your pantry!
- 2 T of butter – helps add just a little bit of softness and richness to the fudge.
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk – I’ve tested both Eagle Brand and my store brand, and found that Eagle Brand is definitely worth it to use. It’s a little thicker and it produces a wonderfully creamy fudge every time.
- 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips – I would use semi-sweet OR dark chocolate chips; I think milk chocolate chips will make this fudge too sweet. I usually use my store brand chocolate chips (H-E-B) and they work just fine, or Hershey’s.
- 1 c mini marshmallows – these help give the fudge a little extra structure
- 1 c crunchy peanut butter – you CAN use creamy and this will work just fine, but I like the little extra crunch of the peanuts in the fudge
- chopped peanuts for topping
>> Note: If you want to halve this recipe, you can easily do that – you’ll have 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk left, but if you only need a small batch or if you’re wanting to make 2 different batches, cutting the recipe in half is definitely an option!
How to make this easy chocolate peanut butter fudge recipe
Step 1: Add butter, condensed milk, and peanut butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until butter melts. This will just take a few minutes.
Step 2: Add marshmallows to the warm peanut butter mixture and stir until they melt – just about a minute or so.
Step 3: Stir in chocolate chips until they melt. The melted chocolate will quickly merge with the other ingredients to make a big “blob” of fudge. 😆 It won’t be runny at all. Immediately remove from heat and pour fudge mixture into prepared pan – a square pan (8×8 or 9×9), lined with aluminum foil and lightly greased with cooking spray.
Step 4: Place in refrigerator to set – it just needs about 3 hours, or you can allow it to sit overnight.
Step 5: Cut into pieces and serve, or if you’re making this ahead of time, then just store the fudge in an airtight container (or wrap the block tightly in plastic wrap) and remove from fridge when you’re ready to cut and serve!
Tips for making this easy fudge recipe:
- To store the fudge: wrap the block of fudge tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container & then keep it in the fridge. It’ll last in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
- It has the most flavor at room temperature. Some people prefer fudge cold, but I do think it has the most flavor when it’s not as chilled. You can absolutely serve it both ways! I just like to bring mine up to room temperature before serving it if I have the time.
- To cut the recipe in half: Cut all of the ingredients in half, store the extra half of the sweetened condensed milk in the fridge (or make a different batch of fudge with it at the same time), and then pour into a SMALLER pan to set. If you don’t have a really small square pan (like a 4×4 or 5×5), you can use a loaf pan.
- Add in some mini Reese’s peanut butter cups for some extra peanut butter flavor (and extra fun 😜) – I made this recipe about A ZILLION TIMES and there was no way to get a beautiful peanut butter swirl and still maintain the fudge consistency. The fudge definitely tastes like chocolate + peanut butter, but it doesn’t have that peanut-buttery look I was hoping for. (One good reason to use crunchy peanut butter and chopped peanuts on top – helps to communicate the peanut butter aspect of the fudge!) However, if you stuck in some mini Reese’s at the end right before you put the fudge in the fridge to set, I’m sure it would look really pretty when you cut the fudge into squares!
ENJOY this recipe! Such a fun holiday treat or sweet treat for any time of year!
More fudge recipes you might like:
- Christmas cookie fudge – VERY easy fudge recipe with real sugar cookie bits inside! So fun & festive!
- Spiced Cranberry & Pistachio White Chocolate Christmas Fudge – a huge favorite. Also very, very easy to make and definitely has unique flavors, so it’ll stand out among other Christmas desserts! 🙂
- Peppermint mocha Christmas fudge – deep chocolate flavor + a hint of coffee & peppermint. YUM. And, surprise! This one is easy to make, too! 😉
Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe
This EASY chocolate peanut butter fudge has a creamy texture, tons of chocolate peanut butter flavor, and only takes about 5 min of prep!
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk*
- 2 c semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 c mini marshmallows
- 1 c crunchy peanut butter (you can use creamy if you prefer)
- chopped peanuts for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Line square baking dish (8x8" or 9x9") with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray.
- Add butter, sweetened condensed milk, and peanut butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally for a few minutes until butter is melted.
- Stir in the marshmallows until they melt - another minute or so.
- Stir in the chocolate chips until they melt - just another minute or two. Remove from heat.
- Pour the fudge mixture into prepared pan, ensuring you get it to spread as evenly as you can across the pan. (It's not going to be very runny, so don't worry about trying to fit every nook and cranny. Gravity will eventually help it settle!)
- Immediately sprinkle chopped peanuts on top and gently press in.
- Chill in fridge for 3-4 hours (or overnight). Remove pan from fridge, lift fudge out with foil, and then use a sharp knife to slice fudge into about 32 smaller pieces. You can make fewer cuts than this to produce larger pieces of fudge, but because this is such a decadent and sweet treat, I like to make smaller pieces.
- Wrap fudge block tightly with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the fridge for several days. It'll stay moist & delicious for quite a while!
Notes
*In order to make sure others would achieve the same outcome, I used Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk since it's widely available. I noticed it's much thicker than my store brand, so if you use something other than Eagle Brand, it could potentially affect the recipe. I really don't know that it'd make THAT much of a difference, but because texture is key to this recipe, you might want to use Eagle Brand just because you know it'll work!
To cut the recipe in half: Cut all of the ingredients in half, store the extra half of the sweetened condensed milk in the fridge (or make a different batch of fudge with it at the same time), and then pour into a SMALLER pan to set. If you don't have a really small square pan (like a 4x4 or 5x5), you can use a loaf pan.
Other fudge recipes to consider:
- Christmas cookie fudge
- Spiced Cranberry & Pistachio White Chocolate Christmas Fudge
- Peppermint mocha Christmas fudge