Peanut Butter Whipped Ganache
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This peanut butter whipped ganache is rich, creamy, and lighter than buttercream — and once you make it, it’ll be your go-to for just about everything. This small batch recipe is pure peanut butter cup: semi-sweet chocolate and creamy peanut butter, whipped to a fluffy, indulgent finish. Use it to frost cupcakes, fill a small layer cake, pipe it inside cookie cups, or eat it straight from the bowl — no judgment here.
This chocolate peanut butter ganache actually started as a filling — specifically for my chocolate filled cookie cups, where I wanted to play up the peanut butter flavor already baked into the cookies. A straight chocolate ganache would have worked, but I wanted something that leaned into that chocolate-peanut butter combination a little harder. Enter: the Costco-size jar of peanut butter sitting by the toaster.
I already had a chocolate peanut butter buttercream in my recipe collection, but this is for the moments when you want something lighter than American buttercream — still rich, still indulgent, but with a whipped, almost mousse-like texture that buttercream just can’t deliver. It took a couple of test batches to land on the right balance, and along the way, I picked up a few things worth knowing before you start.
My Testing Notes
The ingredients for this chocolate peanut butter ganache vary from a standard ganache. And that’s intentional to achieve the texture and flavor.
This is a semi-sweet chocolate ganache. Milk chocolate tips a little too sweet, and bittersweet can leave you chasing sweetness with extra powdered sugar, which risks turning the whole thing into fudge.
Use a semi-sweet baking chocolate bar. Chocolate chips contain ingredients that can interfere with the ganache’s texture.
A small amount of butter and powdered sugar goes into the base. The butter smooths out the texture, adds a subtle glossy finish, and helps bind everything together for a stable result. The powdered sugar adds just enough sweetness for balance and helps the ganache hold its shape as a frosting or filling.
Use regular peanut butter. Jif, Skippy — that’s ideal. Natural peanut butter, or anything that separates and needs stirring, will make the ganache oily and broken.
A semi-sweet chocolate baking bar will yield smooth ganache. 
Regular, creamy peanut butter is the best option for smooth frosting.
How To Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache
Chop the chocolate baking bar into small, even pieces. The more surface area exposed to the warm cream, the faster and more evenly it melts. Then add it to a bowl along with the pat of butter. Remember: the butter contributes to the velvety texture.
Heat the heavy cream on the stovetop just until small bubbles form along the edges — not a full boil. Pour it over the chocolate, then let it sit untouched for about 3 minutes. This gives the cream time to distribute its heat evenly through the chocolate.
But don’t let it sit too long. If the cream cools down before it has time to melt the chocolate, you’ll probably end up with a separated ganache. When you do stir, it’ll come together into something glossy and smooth — that’s exactly what you’re looking for.
Warm cream melts the chocolate. Shiny, smooth ganache.
Let the ganache cool at room temperature for a few minutes, then cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. As it chills, it will thicken considerably — almost to the consistency of peanut butter. Stir it every 20 minutes so it sets evenly.
Conversely, you can cool the ganache at room temperature; it will just take almost twice as long to thicken.
Ganache Must Have Time To Cool
Warm fat can’t hold air, and warm ganache will split, look greasy, or just refuse to come together. This is why I prefer the refrigerator to cool down the ganache. I think of it like whipping heavy cream — it needs to be cool to whip.
Ganache will be thick once properly cooled. Whipped ganache will be light and fluffy.
Once cool, add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat with a hand mixer until fluffy and creamy.
Then add the peanut butter and continue beating until everything is smooth, light, and holds a soft peak. Stop there — overmixing at this stage can cause the ganache to separate and turn grainy. Medium soft peaks are exactly where you want to land.
Troubleshooting Whipped Ganache
The ganache is grainy or looks separated. This usually means one of two things: the cream was too hot when it hit the chocolate and caused it to seize, or the ganache was whipped past the point of no return.
Either way, the fix is the same: set the bowl over a double boiler (a saucepan filled with about 2 inches of simmering water) and gently warm the ganache, stirring until it comes back together into a smooth, glossy consistency. It will need to cool and thicken again before re-whipping. It won’t always work perfectly, but more often than not, it pulls through.
The ganache won’t whip. It’s probably not cool enough. Return it to the refrigerator for another 30 minutes and try again. Keep in mind, it may take longer.
Another issue could be that the cream didn’t have enough fat content (which is why I grab cream labeled “heavy whipping cream”). You can try adding a splash or two of cold heavy whipping cream and try again. Otherwise, you may just have a pourable or dippable ganache.
The frosting feels too stiff after refrigerating. That’s normal — chilled ganache firms up considerably (think, truffles). Let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, then give it another quick mix to loosen it back up before using.
Did You Make It? Let’s Hear About It!
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Did you use this as a frosting, a filling, or did it just not make it out of the bowl? Let me know in the comments below — I want to hear how you used it!
Peanut Butter Whipped Ganache Frosting
by Erin Cernich
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (I recommend a baking bar)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar (sifted)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (regular peanut butter like Jif or Skippy)
Instructions
- Chop the chocolate bar into small pieces. Add to a medium mixing bowl along with the butter.2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until small bubbles form along the sides of the pan. Do not boil or overheat, or the ganache will be grainy.1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and butter and let it sit for about 3 minutes without stirring. This will allow the heat to distribute to all the chocolate pieces. Don't let it sit too long. If the cream cools too much, the ganache may separate and be grainy.
- With a spatula, stir the chocolate until smooth. The chocolate now needs time to thicken (to a peanut butter-like consistency), so it will whip properly. This can take up to 2 hours at room temperature, or you can speed this up by refrigerating it. If so, let it cool down at room temperature first for about 5 to 10 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. You will also need to stir it a couple of times while it's chilling so it sets evenly. If it is still loose in the fridge after an hour, give it more time.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla to the ganache. Use a hand mixer with whisk attachments, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and creamy for about 1 minute. Add the peanut butter, and continue to beat for about another 1 to 2 minutes to medium, soft and fluffy peaks. Do not overmix, or the ganache can separate.1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- The ganache frosting is ready to use immediately and can be used to frost cakes, cupcakes, or as a filling.
Notes
- Serving Size – This is a small batch frosting recipe that can be doubled. It will yield enough to frost a small cake or small batch of cupcakes.
- Chocolate – To make smooth ganache, I prefer a semi-sweet chocolate baking bar because it doesn’t have extra ingredients that may not yield the best result for ganache.
- Peanut Butter – I recommend regular peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Natural, organic, or peanut butter that has to be stirred may yield frosting that is oily and separated.
- Temperature is Key – With heating the cream and cooling the ganache. If the cream is too hot, it will make the ganache grainy. This is why I heat it on the stovetop – so I can monitor it. And, if the ganache is too warm, it won’t whip. Which is why chilling it adequately is so important.
- Stable at Room Temp – The ganache frosting is fine at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours. After that, I recommend refrigerating it because of the dairy.
- Storage – Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. It will stiffen when chilled. When ready to use, bring it to room temperature, then mix it again to make it smooth.
Nutrition Estimates
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About the Author …
Hi, I’m Erin! With years of experience baking for two in my own small household, I know about the love for desserts without the leftovers. I’ve tested, written, and photographed every one of the 300+ recipes on my website. And even had some of my desserts featured on Taste of Home, The Spruce Eats, ELLE, Parade, and more! From traditional to gluten free desserts for two, I have the recipe for you.
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Very good recipe! I hate any type of buttercream frosting but I wanted to find a peanut butter chocolate frosting and this one was perfect. I did cut the powdered sugar in half since I don’t like overly sweet frosting though. I was able to frost 6 cupcakes easily.
Thanks Megan – glad the frosting worked for you!