Do you want a delicious frozen snack on a hot day, but don’t want to reach for the ice cream or popsicles again? These frozen peanut butter banana chocolate cups can satisfy your cravings for a sweet, frozen treat by combining the classic flavors of banana, chocolate, and peanut butter!
They’re super easy to make and healthier than many frozen snacks. The best part is that they’re easy to grab and go if you want. I like taking these to the beach in a cooler to make sure they don’t completely thaw out before I get the chance to eat them.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe for Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Cups?
These mini frozen cups taste like a peanut butter banana ice cream bite wrapped in a crisp chocolate shell, with just four simple ingredients and no ice cream maker.
Why you’ll love them:
- Creamy, not icy: more like a mini frozen dessert than a popsicle
- Better than many store-bought snacks: simple ingredients and rich chocolate-peanut butter-banana flavor
- Peanut butter powder works best: it adds nutty flavor without making the filling heavy or greasy
- Easy to make ahead: keep a batch in the freezer for snacks or dessert
- Dairy-free friendly: just use dairy-free chocolate
Perfect for:
- dairy-free eaters
- hot-weather cravings
- make-ahead snackers
- easy freezer desserts
Each bite has a smooth, creamy center and a snappy chocolate shell, making these little cups simple, satisfying, and easy to keep on hand.
Equipment Needed for Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cups
Let’s jump right into it by making sure we have all the necessary ingredients and equipment. You probably do if you love baking or making a daily smoothie, or both. But it never hurts to check.
What You’ll Need:
- Mini Muffin Pan
- Paper Muffin Liners
- Microwave-safe dish or saucepan
- Basting Brush
- Blender
- Freezer
Just 4 Ingredients for Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cups
You really only need four ingredients that you may already have. If you need to run to the grocery store for something, be sure to save the recipe card below for easy reference.
- 1/2 cup dairy-free baking chocolate
- 3 frozen bananas
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter powder
- 1 tablespoon dairy-free chocolate chips
What You Need to Know About These Ingredients
Seems deceptively simple, doesn’t it? The best treats are usually the ones that have simple ingredients! Here’s what each one brings to the table:
Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup dairy-free baking chocolate
The baking chocolate will form the cups for these frozen treats. I like to go for 100% cocoa baking chocolate to be sure it’s all chocolate with no dairy or funny ingredients.
Frozen Bananas
3 frozen bananas
Bananas provide the classic banana flavor and form most of the filling for your frozen chocolate peanut butter banana cups.
Peanut Butter Powder
3 tablespoons peanut butter powder
Using a powder avoids adding too much of the oily liquid content found in a jar of peanut butter. I like to use a peanut butter powder made from just peanuts, with no added salt or sugar, for a recipe like this.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips
1 tablespoon dairy-free chocolate chips
Chocolate chips make a fun topper to sprinkle over the frozen chocolate banana cups before I put them in the freezer for the final time. It can be hard to find semi-sweet chocolate chips that are also dairy-free, but the Baker’s Choice brand chocolate chips tend to work well.
Printable Frozen Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Cups Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dairy-free baking chocolate
- 3 frozen bananas
- 3 Tablespoons peanut butter powder
- 1 Tablespoon dairy-free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line 9 cups of a mini muffin pan with paper muffin liners.
- Melt the baking chocolate in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave. You can also do it on the stovetop in a saucepan. Either way, be sure to stir it a few times to make sure it melts evenly.
- Using a basting brush, brush each paper liner with a thin layer of chocolate, put back in muffin pan after lining with chocolate.
- Freeze until the chocolate is firm (30-45 minutes)
- Thaw bananas slightly.
- Blend bananas and peanut butter powder until smooth.
- Remove frozen chocolate cups from freezer but leave in muffin pan. Fill each cup with peanut butter banana filling.
- Sprinkle the tops of each cup with chocolate chips.
- Freeze the cups until the banana filling is firm (1-2 hours)
- Remove from freezer. Peel the paper lining off each dessert cup before eating.
- Store in freezer safe container in freezer.
Nutrition
How to Make Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Cups
Once you’re sure you have everything, we can get started, because these peanut butter banana chocolate cups aren’t going to freeze themselves.
Step One: Get Your Muffin Liners Ready
Line 9 cups in a mini muffin pan with paper muffin liners. I do this first because a half cup of baking chocolate doesn’t stay melted forever, and I like to make sure the liners are ready to roll.
Step Two: Melt Baking Chocolate
Melt the baking chocolate in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave. You can also do it on the stovetop in a saucepan. Either way, be sure to stir it a few times to make sure it melts evenly.
Step Three: Line the Inside of the Muffin Liners With Chocolate
Use the basting brush to line the insides of the muffin liners with a thin layer of chocolate. Replace the liners in the muffin pan cups as necessary.
Step Four: Freeze Chocolate
Place the muffin pan on a flat surface in the freezer. Freeze for 30-45 minutes until the chocolate is completely frozen.
Step Five: Thaw Bananas Slightly
While the chocolate is freezing, take the bananas out of the freezer and let them thaw slightly.
Step Six: Blend Bananas With Peanut Butter Powder
Blend the bananas with peanut butter powder in the blender you normally use to make your smoothies. Let the blender run until there are no solid chunks of banana left.
Step Seven: Fill Chocolate Cups With Blended Banana Mix
Once the chocolate cups are completely frozen, remove them from the freezer. Fill each cup with an equal amount of the blended banana-and-peanut-butter powder mix.
Step Eight: Sprinkle Chocolate Chips Over Top of Cups
Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips over the tops of the cups.
Step Nine: Freeze Cups
Place the muffin pan with the cups back in the flat place in your freezer. Freeze for 1-2 hours until the banana filling is firm.
Step Ten: Remove Liners Before Eating
Don’t forget to remove the liners before eating. Use a freezer-safe container to store them in the freezer.
Substitutions and Variations for Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Cups
Is someone in your household allergic to peanuts? If so, it’s okay to leave out the peanut butter powder. I’ve also had some luck using almond butter powder instead, if you still want that nutty flavor.
Peanut butter chips and caramel chips make fun replacements for chocolate chips if you want a bit of variety.
I haven’t really experimented much with substitutions for the bananas.
Perhaps most importantly, it’s easy to double or triple this recipe if you expect these cups to go fast!
Tips for Success
For the best texture and flavor, keep these simple tips in mind before you start:
- Use very ripe bananas before freezing for a sweeter, creamier filling
- Let the bananas soften for 3–5 minutes before blending so the mixture gets smoother more easily
- Brush the chocolate slightly up the sides of each liner so the mini chocolate banana cups hold their shape
- Freeze the chocolate until fully firm before adding the filling
- Let the cups sit for 5 minutes before eating, so the center softens slightly for the best bite
These small steps help turn this recipe into a creamy frozen banana dessert instead of an icy freezer snack.
Troubleshooting
If your cups don’t turn out exactly how you hoped, here are a few easy fixes:
- Chocolate cracked? The chocolate layer was probably too thin, or the cups froze too hard before serving
- Filling too icy? The bananas may not have been ripe enough, or they were too frozen when blended
- Liners sticking? Let the cups rest for a few minutes before peeling off the liners
- Filling too soft? Freeze the cups longer or use a little less banana in each cup
These quick fixes can help your no-bake frozen treat turn out creamy, chocolatey, and easier to enjoy every time.
FAQ About Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Cups
These frozen peanut butter banana chocolate cups are super easy to make. However, we do sometimes get questions. I did my best to answer the most commonly asked questions here. If you think of one we haven’t answered yet, feel free to ask in the comments section, and we’ll answer as soon as possible.
How do I store these cups after I’ve frozen them?
They do best in an airtight container in the freezer once they have finished freezing in the muffin pan. While I typically expect them to go fast, they can last up to two months in the freezer.
Why should I use peanut butter powder instead of “normal” peanut butter?
I tried it with regular peanut butter once, and the oil in the peanut butter made the cups come out too oily! Another problem is that it’s easy to trigger the oil in peanut butter to separate from the peanut butter blend, especially if it goes through the freezer.
Experts who have tried freezing and thawing peanut butter recommend stirring it regularly during the process, which isn’t necessarily possible when making a treat that requires mixing it with other ingredients.
Should I let them thaw before eating?
The good part is that they don’t need to be completely thawed. In fact, I recommend only letting them sit out for about five minutes to let them slightly thaw. That way, the cups are easier to bite into, but the blended bananas don’t get too runny.
Are these peanut butter, banana, and chocolate cups dairy-free?
They should be if you use dairy-free chocolate for this recipe. If it’s marked “certified dairy-free,” it should have been made in a facility where it won’t get cross-contaminated with other products containing dairy.
Can I make these in a regular muffin tin instead of a mini muffin tin?
You can, but the cups will be bigger and require more chocolate and banana filling. I primarily use mini muffin pans because that makes it easier to get a bite-sized cup.
More Tasty Frozen Treats to Try
Looking for another cold recipe to make next? Here are a few more frozen favorites to add to your list:
- Frozen Watermelon Creme Bars for a fruity, creamy summer dessert
- Chick-fil-A Ice Cream Recipe for a rich, homemade copycat treat
- Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches for a sweet, creamy frozen dessert that feels fun, nostalgic, and perfect for summer
- Vegan Oreo Milkshake for a thick, dairy-free cookies-and-cream dessert
- Frozen Kale Cubes for Green Smoothies for a healthy make-ahead freezer option
Whether you are in the mood for something indulgent, refreshing, or a little more wholesome, these frozen recipes make it easy to keep your freezer stocked with something tasty.
They are great for hot afternoons, easy dessert cravings, or simple make-ahead treats you can reach for anytime. If you enjoyed these frozen peanut butter banana chocolate cups, these recipes are a fun way to keep the cold treat theme going.
Ready to Try These Frozen Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Cups?
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a comment below and let me know how they turned out, or share your favorite variation if you put your own twist on them. And if you’re looking for more easy frozen desserts, be sure to check out the other tasty freezer-friendly treats linked above.
