3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge pieces

The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 16 servings

You just can’t mistake the aroma of freshly baked oatmeal cookies or homemade peanut butter fudge. Treat your kids to the smell of peanut butter fudge wafting through the front door when they come home from school—it's a delicious way to make memories.

The traditional way of making this treat involves boiling sugar to just the right temperature using a candy thermometer. But in this busy world of ours, time is a rare commodity, so this quick-and-easy fudge recipe is a godsend, even if it's a little grainier than the time-honored version. An added plus is that all fudge is free of gluten so kids with wheat issues can enjoy this treat. Be sure to use a reputable brand of confectioners' sugar that has not been contaminated with wheat.

"Nothing is better than being able to make a treat at home that you can share with friends and family! This fudge recipe is probably one of the easiest and most delicious recipes I have ever made! The recipe suggestion to add chocolate was a home run and took the fudge to another level!" —Kiana Rollins

Peanut Butter Fudge/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound (8-ounces) salted butter, more for the pan

  • 18 ounces crunchy peanut butter

  • 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge ingredients

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  2. Line an 8x8-inch pan with foil. Be sure ends hang slightly over the edges so it will be easy to lift out. Lightly butter the foil. Set aside.

    Greased aluminum foil lined baking pan

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  3. Fill bottom of a double boiler one-third of the way up with water. Bring the water to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, reduce the heat to low. Place the top pan over the double boiler.

    Double boiler on a burner

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  4. Add the butter and peanut butter to the double boiler. Stir until completely melted.

    Peanut butter and butter mixture in a double boiler, on a burner

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  5. Stir in confectioners' sugar until the mixture is very smooth with no lumps.

    Subar, butter and peanut butter mixture in a double boiler on a burner, with a spatula

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  6. Quickly scrape the mixture into prepared pan. Use a spatula to smooth the top.

    Peanut butter mixture in a prepared baking pan

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  7. When completely cool, remove fudge from pan by pulling up on foil handles.

    3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge in an aluminum foil lined baking pan

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  8. Place on a work surface, remove and discard the foil, and cut fudge into 16 equal pieces.

    3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge sliced on a cutting board

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Tips

  • In warm weather months, store the fudge in a sealed container in the refrigerator, otherwise it will melt.
  • To make sure this is a truly gluten-free dessert, be sure to carefully read all ingredient labels.

Variations

It might seem like tinkering with a perfect recipe is folly, but you'd be surprised what a different spin you can put on an already great dish just by adding a few different ingredients.

  • To satisfy the chocolate lovers in your crowd, melt 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips and spread it on top of the fudge immediately after you have poured it into the pan.
  • Or, after the fudge has been poured into the pan, top it with 1/2 cup chopped peanuts.
  • And to really dress things up, top the poured-out fudge with melted chocolate and chopped peanuts.
  • For the ants on a log crowd, skip the celery and add 1 cup of raisins to the fudge mixture before you turn it out into the pan.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
400 Calories
27g Fat
35g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 400
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g 35%
Saturated Fat 10g 49%
Cholesterol 30mg 10%
Sodium 247mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 35g 13%
Dietary Fiber 3g 9%
Total Sugars 30g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 18mg 1%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 242mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)