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Whenever I put this Reese’s cheese ball out, people gather around it and keep dipping. It’s rich, creamy and super peanut buttery, like a peanut butter cheesecake dip in a crunchy Reese’s Pieces shell. It goes surprisingly fast for something that starts out as a pretty big ball.

Peanut butter cheese ball covered in Reese's Pieces candy, served on a platter with pretzels, graham crackers, vanilla wafers, and animal crackers.

This Reese’s Pieces peanut butter ball comes out at my house every so often, and it’s always a fan favorite. I think of it as a fall and holiday party dessert more than an everyday one, because those orange, yellow and brown candies look right at home on a Halloween, Thanksgiving or football spread.

I set mine in the middle of a big plate and fill in all around it with graham crackers, Nilla wafers, Teddy Grahams and mini flat pretzels. The sweet crackers make every scoop taste like peanut butter cheesecake, and the pretzels add a little salty crunch.

Most of my cheese balls are savory, like my football cheese ball and my bacon cheddar ranch cheese ball, so this peanut butter cheese ball is my sweet one. If you want another one for dessert, my circus animal cheese ball is made with sugar cookie mix and rolled in rainbow sprinkles.

FAN FAVORITE

The Party Dessert That Looks Like It Took All Afternoon

Whenever this peanut butter ball is sitting out on the table, it has that wow factor. It’s really a handful of ingredients beaten together in one bowl, shaped in plastic wrap, and covered in Reese’s Pieces right before it goes out.

It’s my answer when I want something people can snack on instead of another plated dessert. Put out a few different dippers and everyone ends up with a favorite.

This Part Matters

After the powdered sugar goes into the cream cheese and peanut butter, the mixture should be thick, creamy and scoopable. It will still be soft, but it should have enough body that you can mound it onto the plastic wrap and use the wrap to form it into a ball.

If yours seems especially soft, chill it longer instead of adding more powdered sugar. Too much sugar changes the flavor and the texture, and the fridge is what firms it up.

Two hours is usually enough, but go by how firm the ball feels and not by the clock. If it still won’t hold its shape, give it another hour, or chill it overnight.

The Ingredients That Do the Work

Cream cheese: Let it soften before you start. Softened cream cheese mixes right into the peanut butter, and cold cream cheese leaves you with lumps.
Creamy peanut butter: I stick with regular creamy peanut butter, not a runny natural one. Natural peanut butter separates from its oil, and that loose mixture has a hard time holding a ball shape.
Reese’s Pieces: I like them on the outside because they add a little crunch against the creamy filling and make the whole thing colorful. They’re peanut butter candy, not chocolate, so there’s no chocolate in this recipe unless you add it.

Overhead view of a peanut butter cheese ball covered in Reese's Pieces, surrounded by pretzels, graham crackers, animal crackers, and vanilla wafers.

How to Make a Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Ball

Step 1: Beat the Cream Cheese and Peanut Butter Beat the softened cream cheese, peanut butter and vanilla together with a stand mixer or a hand mixer until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes.

Step 2: Mix in the Powdered Sugar Add the sifted powdered sugar and keep mixing for another minute or so, until it’s thick and scoopable. Peanut butter cheese ball mixture in a glass bowl before shaping.

Step 3: Shape and Chill Lay two pieces of plastic wrap in a crisscross, spoon the mixture into the center, and use the wrap to shape it into a ball. Wrap it up tight and chill it for about 2 hours, until it’s firm. Peanut butter cheese ball mixture shaped into a ball and wrapped in plastic wrap to chill.

Step 4: Decorate and Serve Right before serving, unwrap the ball onto a serving plate and lightly press the Reese’s Pieces all over the outside. Arrange the graham crackers and any other dippers around it. Peanut butter cheese ball covered in Reese's Pieces on a plate, surrounded by graham crackers, pretzels, and peanut butter.

What I Put Out for Dipping

Besides the graham crackers, Nilla wafers, Teddy Grahams and mini pretzels on my plate, I’ve also served it with mini Hershey’s bars, apple slices and broken sugar cone bowls. Broken pieces of sugar cone are my personal favorite, because the creamy filling gets a really crisp crunch. Chocolate graham crackers, animal crackers and gingersnaps work great with it too.

Treat it like a peanut butter ball dip and scoop it or spread it onto whatever you grab. The recipe makes 8 half-cup servings, and it stretches to feed more people as part of a bigger dessert spread.

If you’re putting together a whole dessert table, I keep all of my favorite dessert dip recipes in one place.

Knife scooping into a peanut butter cheese ball covered in Reese's Pieces, surrounded by crackers, pretzels, and cookies.

Changing the Candy and Mix-Ins

I’ve made this with different colors of M&Ms for different occasions, so pick whatever colors match the party. For a little chocolate inside, stir mini chocolate chips into the peanut butter mixture before it chills.

Hand dipping a graham cracker into a peanut butter cheese ball covered in Reese's Pieces.

Making It Ahead and Storing It

To make it ahead, form and wrap the ball the day before and keep it in the fridge. Press on the Reese’s Pieces close to serving so the candy coating looks its best.

If you’re taking it somewhere, keep the wrapped ball cold and carry the candy and dippers separately, so the ball holds its shape and the dippers stay crisp.

This Reese’s peanut butter ball keeps covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store leftover graham crackers in a Ziploc bag so they don’t go stale.

To freeze it, wrap the undecorated ball in wax paper, put it in a Ziploc bag, and freeze it for up to 1 month. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before you decorate and serve it.

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