You only need 3 ingredients and a few minutes to make this deliciously creamy microwave peanut butter fudge. I make it every year for Christmas and love giving bags of this as gifts to our friends and family. It’s the perfect dessert or gift for holiday parties.
Easy Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge
These little bites of heaven are a peanut butter lover’s dream! This easy peanut butter fudge recipe is perfectly sweet, a little buttery, and has a whole lot of peanut butter flavor.
Homemade fudge truly doesn’t get any easier than this microwave peanut butter fudge recipe. Try mixing in some peanut butter chips and topping it with some chocolate frosting as an extra special treat.
When I make it I love to bag the extras up and share them with our neighbors. I always start getting messages within minutes telling me how delicious it is.
This microwave fudge reminds me of Christmas at my Grandma’s house. One bite is like taking a trip to the past and it’s such a nostalgic recipe for me and it always makes me smile.
The best part is that this fudge is so easy to pull together and the recipe is foolproof. There’s no need to stand over a stove using a candy thermometer. This recipe is truly simple and isn’t finicky at all.
Ingredients
Unsalted Butter: Butter is rich, delicious, and is what gives this recipe that melt-in-your-mouth quality everybody expects from fudge.
Creamy Peanut Butter: The most important thing is that you don’t use natural peanut butter where the peanut oil has separated from the peanut butter. Trust me, you will not get good results if you use that type of peanut butter. Standard creamy butter that has a smooth consistency is what you need for this recipe to turn out well.
Powdered Sugar: This acts as both the sweetener and the thickener in this recipe.
Vanilla Extract: This is optional, but I highly recommend it. It complements the peanut butter so nicely. Since this is a no-bake recipe, I’d really recommend using pure vanilla extract instead of artificial vanilla if you can because the flavor difference will be more noticeable.
Add-Ins And Toppings Ideas
- Add-Ins: Try mixing in some chopped crunchy peanuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, toffee bits, coconut flakes, crushed pretzels, Oreo cookie pieces, chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups, mini marshmallows, or M&Ms.
- Toppings: My favorite topping for this is flaky sea salt, but it would also taste great with chocolate, frosting, a chocolate drizzle, or a caramel drizzle.
How To Make Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge
Prep: Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on two opposite sides to use as handles later. Make the overhang long enough to fold over the top of the fudge for smoothing. (See the recipe card below for the full printable instructions.)
Melt in the Microwave: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and peanut butter. Microwave until melted, stirring well between intervals, until the mixture is smooth and fully blended.
Add Vanilla: Stir in the vanilla extract, if using, until incorporated.
Mix: Add the powdered sugar and stir until completely combined and creates a thick, smooth paste. The mixture will be dense but spreadable.
Spread: Transfer the fudge to the prepared pan. Press and spread it evenly to the edges with a spatula. Fold the parchment overhang over the top and gently press with your hands to smooth the surface.
Chill: Place the pan in the refrigerator and chill until the fudge is firm and set.
Slice: Use the parchment handles to lift the fudge out of the pan. Place it on a cutting board and cut into small squares before serving. See the recipe card below for the full written instructions, including ingredient amounts, cooking times, and helpful tips, etc.
Pro Tips
- Sift the Powdered Sugar if You See Lumps: If there are lumps of powdered sugar in your mixture, your fudge can end up with a lumpy texture. I don’t find that I need to sift fresh bags of powdered sugar, but if you’re using older powdered sugar that has visible lumps, I’d recommend sifting it through a fine mesh strainer.
- Don’t Overheat the Butter and Peanut Butter: The butter and peanut butter mixture needs to be melted so that it can be fully mixed together, but if it gets too hot the fat will separate, which would make the fudge greasy.
- Work Quickly: Once you add the powdered sugar, I recommend working quickly because it can stiffen up fast.
Press Firmly: If you don’t press it firmly enough into the pan the fudge can end up crumbly. It’s important that you use the spatula to push down firmly on the fudge. - Chill Fully: You’ll only get clean edges if the fudge has a chance to cool and set fully in the fridge.
- Use a Clean Sharp Knife: This is another tip to get the cleanest edges possible.
Why Didn’t My Microwave Fudge Harden?
The fat-to-sugar ratio is the most important thing when it comes to getting the fudge to harden and getting the texture right. The most common problem I see is people reading 1 pound of powdered sugar as 1 cup, when it’s really about 4 cups. If your microwave peanut butter fudge didn’t harden it normally means that you either had too much fat or not enough powdered sugar.
If you’re confident that you measured the fat and powdered sugar correctly and your peanut butter fudge still didn’t set, it could also be that you overheated the butter and peanut butter (causing the fat to separate), used natural peanut butter (which won’t set correctly), or didn’t let the fudge fully cool in the fridge.
What Is The Secret To Perfect Fudge?
Perfect fudge all comes down to measuring correctly, using the right amount of heat, mixing well, and letting it set. In other words:
- Make sure you use enough powdered sugar to thicken the mixture and balance out the fat.
- Melt the butter and peanut butter, but don’t boil it
- Stir until the powdered sugar is completely incorporated into the peanut butter and butter mixture.
- Use the back of the spatula to firmly press the fudge into the pan, and then give it long enough in the fridge to let it fully cool and harden.
Should You Put Fudge In The Fridge To Set?
It depends on the type of fudge. This is a microwave fudge recipe, which means we do need to use the refrigerator to help the fudge set fully because we’re not relying on the crystallization process you can get on the stovetop.
Storing And Freezing Leftovers
Transfer leftovers to an airtight container, preferably separated by layers of parchment paper. Store in the fridge for up to 10 days, letting it rest at room temperature briefly before serving.
To freeze, wrap sliced fudge tightly in plastic wrap (keeping the pieces separated by layers of parchment paper) before placing it in an airtight container, then freeze for up to 2 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight, or for an hour at room temperature, before serving.
Keep In Touch
I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime
Dessert Recipes
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out all of our other dessert recipes. Some reader favorites are:
- Fantasy Fudge
- Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Nestle Toll House Cookie Bars
- Yellow Cake Mix Cookies
- Cake Mix Cookie Bars
- Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
BEST Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge (Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe)
You only need 3 ingredients and a few minutes to make this deliciously creamy microwave peanut butter fudge. Perfect for gifts at Christmas!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 pound powdered sugar (about 4 cups spooned and leveled)
Instructions
- Grease the vertical edges of an 8x8 baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper making sure to leave about a 4 inch overhang on two opposite sides. These will act as handles to lift the fudge up and remove it from the pan after it has cooled. We’re also going to use the overhangs to fold over the fudge to smooth it out later. That’s why they’re extra long, so don’t skimp on the length of the parchment paper.
- To a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and peanut butter. Place the bowl into the microwave and cook for 1 minute. Carefully remove the bowl, then use a rubber spatula to stir the butter and peanut butter together. Place the bowl back into the microwave and cook for another 1 minute. Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave (it will be hot). Stir again to make sure the butter and peanut butter are fully combined.
- Add in the vanilla extract (if using), and stir until it’s incorporated.
- Add in the powdered sugar and stir until it’s fully incorporated and looks like a thick paste.
- Transfer the fudge from the bowl to the lined baking pan and evenly spread it out to the edges while pressing down with the spatula. Fold the parchment overhang over the fudge, then run your hands over it while gently pressing down to smooth it out.
- Place the pan into the fridge and let it rest for 2 hours to harden up.
- Once the fudge has hardened, use the parchment paper handles to lift it out of the pan and place it onto a cutting board. Cut it into 1” square cubes (you should get about 64 cubes out of this batch).
Notes
Do not use natural peanut butter where the oil has separated from the peanut butter. Standard creamy peanut butter is what you need for this recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1/64Amount Per Serving: Calories: 57Total Fat: 5gCarbohydrates: 2.8gFiber: 0.2gSugar: 2.3gProtein: 0.9g
Nutrition information isn't always accurate.
The next time you’re trying to think of a holiday gift to make, you’ve got to try this fool proof 3 ingredient microwave peanut butter fudge!
