Crispy Coconut Balls
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This simple candy recipe has been in my family for years!
Coconut Balls are made with just four ingredients, don’t require any baking, and make a yummy treat! Start a new holiday tradition and make them with the kids!
Bite into one of these delicious coconut balls and you’ll find a creamy peanut butter center with bits of crispy rice cereal.
Coated in sweetened coconut, these little bonbons look like snow balls making them perfect for holiday parties, treat bags, and cookie swaps!
Add this to your holiday dessert table or package it up with other treats as an easy homemade gift! Some microwave peanut brittle, nutty caramel corn and a few pieces of English Toffee will create a crunchy variety that anyone will love.
Key ingredients for Coconut Balls
- Coconut — These treats are coated in sweetened shredded coconut. If you prefer a finer texture, you may use desiccated coconut which is ground coconut.
- Crisped rice cereal — Rice Krispies (or a generic brand)
- Peanut butter — Either creamy or crunchy peanut butter works, but for these treats I prefer creamy peanut butter since you get a bit of crunch from the cereal.
- Powdered sugar — You’ll use powdered sugar in the filling and to make a paste to help the coconut adhere to the balls.
How to make Coconut Balls?
STEP 1 | Form the balls
In a large bowl, stir together the crisped rice cereal, peanut butter, and 1 cup of the powdered sugar with a rubber spatula until combined. The powdered sugar should be fulling incorporated and the mixture should look like a crumble.
Line a baking sheet or tray with waxed paper. Form the mixture into 24 balls, about 1 1/2-inches in diameter.
A small scoop or a heaping tablespoon is helpful in measuring out balls that are uniform in size. Press the mixture together with your fingers, then roll between your palms to form each ball, and place on the wax paper.
STEP 2 | Make a powdered sugar paste
A powdered sugar paste helps the coconut adhere to the balls. To make the paste, add a cup of powdered sugar to a small bowl. Stir in very hot water (almost boiling) a tablespoon at a time until it is smooth and the consistency of a thin glue.
tip
- For festive candies, tint the coconut red or green. Add a cup of sweetened coconut to a pint jar (or use a ziplock bag) with a drop or two of food coloring. Cover tightly with a lid and shake.
STEP 3 | Coat in coconut
Set up an assembly station: tray of balls, bowl of powdered sugar paste, and a shallow dish with shredded coconut.
First, dip the peanut butter balls in the paste, shaking off any excess. Place the ball in the coconut dish and roll until completely coated. Place each coated coconut ball back on the wax paper to let the paste dry.
After about 30 minutes, transfer the coconut balls to a container and seal tightly.
tip
- Sweetened coconut is already moist, but if after coating a few balls, the coconut in the dish seems wet (from excess paste), stir in more coconut to dry it out a bit.
Frequently asked questions
Store coconut balls at room temperature in a container with a tight sealing lid, like a candy tin, with wax paper between layers.
Sealed tightly, coconut balls will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks.
Yes! I recommend flash freezing first. Place a wax paper lined tray of coconut balls in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes, until solid, then transfer to a ziplock freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Welcome to #CandyFudgeFavorites Day hosted by Jennifer from Take Two Tapas! It’s the holidays and we are celebrating the holiday tradition of making candy and fudge!
Join me and my fellow bloggers as we share our favorite holiday candy and fudge recipes today. I know you will see some old favorites and I hope you find some new ones!
- Rocky Road Fudge from Jennifer at Take Two Tapas
- Crockpot Peanut Clusters from Jennifer at Leftovers Then Breakfast
- Chocolate Orange Fudge from Michaela at An Affair From The Heart
- Champagne Truffles from Kathleen at The Fresh Cooky
- Candied Bacon from Kathy from Lemon Blossoms
- Slow Cooker Fudge from Ashley at Cheese Curd In Paradise
- 3-Ingredient Chocolate Almond Fudge from Julie at Hostess at Heart
- Rocky Road Clusters from Kathryn at Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog
- Sponge Candy from Inger at Art of Natural Living
- Bourbon Bacon Buckeyes from Terri at Our Good Life
- Honeycomb Candy from Jennifer at Jen Around the World
- Haystacks from Ellen at Family Around the Table
- Peppermint Pretzels from Rebecca at Devour Dinner
- Chocolate Almond Cranberry Clusters from Nicole at Daily Dish Recipes
- Turtle Fudge from Heather at Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Ube Coconut Truffles from Sue at Palatable Pastime
- Christmas Gum Drop Nougat Candy from Amy at Savory Moments
- Coconut Balls from Sheila at Life Love and Good Food
- Milk Chocolate Fudge from Radha at Magical Ingredients
Coconut Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup crispy rice cereal
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar divided
- 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the rice cereal, peanut butter, and 1 cup of the powdered sugar with a rubber spatula until combined and all the powdered sugar is incorporated.
- Form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on a wax paper lined tray.
- Place the coconut in a shallow bowl.
- In another shallow bowl, add the remaining cup of powdered sugar. Make a paste by stirring in hot water a tablespoon at a time until it is the consistency of a thin glue.
- Dip the peanut butter balls in the paste, shaking off any excess, then roll in the coconut until completely covered.
- Place the balls on the wax paper until the paste is dry, about 30 minutes. Store in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.
Notes
- For festive candies, tint the coconut red or green. Add a cup of sweetened coconut to a pint jar (or use a ziplock bag) with a drop or two of food coloring. Cover tightly with a lid and shake.
- Sweetened coconut is already moist, but if after coating a few balls, the coconut in the dish seems wet (from excess paste), stir in more coconut to dry it out a bit.
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
All my favorites are in here! I am loving it!
These are so pretty with the colorful coconut!
I love the crispy coconut coating and it pairs well with the peanut butter! What a fun bite!
I love old recipes and this one is tops, I would have never guessed that it has peanut butter in the center! Can’t wait to make these!
These are so festive with the red and green!
These candies look delicious! I love the festive colored coconut, too. So pretty for the holidays.
These candies look so festive. I love coconut. I am definitely gonna make a batch of these for the family.