Learn how to make caramel peanut clusters with this fun, no-bake recipe! Perfect for holidays or anytime you want an easy, sweet-and-salty treat. Get my simple tips to make these clusters a success every time.
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Why You’ll Love Caramel Peanut Clusters
Caramel peanut clusters are a holiday staple in our house, but let me tell you—they’re way too good to keep just for December. Inspired by our love of crockpot peanut clusters, this recipe takes everything we adore (chocolate, peanuts, caramel—hello!) and simplifies it into an easy, no-bake treat. It’s perfect for sharing…or not. No judgment here.
The best part? These clusters are crazy simple and a blast to make, especially if you’ve got little helpers. Kids love dropping spoonfuls of the gooey caramel-chocolate mixture onto parchment, and let’s be real—there’s usually a fair amount of sneaky tasting happening too. That’s half the fun, right?
Success Tips for the Best Peanut Caramel Clusters
- Choose the Good Stuff: Use quality chocolate, fresh caramels (not rock hard) and fresh, salted peanuts for the best taste!
- Melt with Love: Slowly heat your caramel and chocolate to keep them smooth and creamy.
- Chill Out: Let the clusters set in the fridge until they’re firm and ready to enjoy.
Whether you’re making these caramel peanut clusters for a party, holiday gift-giving, or just because your sweet tooth demanded it, they’ll always be a hit! And while you are at it, these Homemade Gum Drops will add sparkle and shine to any tray!
Simple Ingredients for Caramel Peanut Clusters
- Peanuts: Dry roasted salted peanuts are best for this recipe for the best sweet-salty treat.
- Caramels: Have your caramel candy unwrapped and ready to melt! Honestly, this is what takes the longest!
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream will help melt the caramels and smooth the mixture.
- Butter: I use regular salted butter for this recipe; if unsalted, add a pinch of kosher salt.
- Vanilla: Use regular or try my Bourbon Vanilla Extract!
- Chocolate: Use milk chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips or quality baking chocolate as the chocolate base for the candies. I prefer using real chocolate vs. candy melts
- Sea Salt: Maldon flaky sea salt or fleur de sel is an optional topping to sprinkle on at the end, but it’s so good!
- So yes, most store-bought caramels contain ingredients I’m not fond of, such as soy lecithin, corn syrup, palm kernel oil, and soybean oil, to name a few, but we don’t eat these every day, and if you would like to make your own caramel, follow this recipe!
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Caramel Clusters
Before you start the recipe, make sure you have all of your caramels unwrapped, this part took me the longest, about 15 minutes — a great way to get kids involved, if you are willing to sacrifice a few caramels that is!
Step 1 – Melt caramel and coat peanuts
First, line a baking sheet or two with non-stick parchment paper or lightly spray with oil. Then, add the caramels, heavy cream, butter, vanilla, and sea salt to a microwave-safe bowl.
Heat the caramel mixture in 30-second intervals, stirring well between each heating. It won’t look like much is happening, but keep stirring, it took me about 90 seconds of heating for the caramels to melt and come together.
After heating, use a whisk to get the salted caramel nice and smooth and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Next, stir in the peanuts until they are evenly incorporated.
Fresh Tip
- The caramel may not look like it’s doing much, so be sure to stir it well with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula between heatings. Heat only in 30-second bursts, not for a full 60 or 90 seconds, as it might “burn” your caramel.
Step 2 – Scoop and chill clusters
Drop the caramel peanut mixture onto the baking sheets with a small cookie scoop or teaspoon. Then, use an oiled rubber spatula to flatten the clusters, if needed. Set the trays in the fridge for at least 30 minutes as you continue the recipe.
Fresh Tip
- I tried adding a pile of peanuts (similar to how you make pecan turtle candy) and drizzling the caramel over the top. I found it easier, and it incorporated all of the peanuts by stirring them into the caramel.
- If you prefer to make them true turtle style, spoon small piles of peanuts onto prepared baking sheets, drizzle the caramel over the top of the peanuts, chill, and add chocolate.
Step 3 – Melt chocolate chips
Add the chocolate chips into a medium microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second bursts, mixing well between intervals. This shouldn’t take much longer than about 60-75 seconds total. Once the chocolate is almost melted, stop heating it and stir it well until it is creamy and smooth.
Next, let the melted chocolate cool for five minutes, stirring a few times. Use a spoon to drop and spread the chocolate over each chilled cluster, repeating until all the chocolate is gone or you reach your preferred amount. Sprinkle each with the flaky sea salt, chill for 30 minutes, then serve!
Pro Tips
- Be careful not to overheat the chocolate. Mixing between each interval helps to continue melting it without using more heat and risking the chocolate seizing or breaking. If this occurs, whisk in butter or heavy cream to make it smooth again. See my post on easy ganache for how to fix “broken” chocolate.
- For the best results, sprinkle the salt as you add the chocolate so it sticks to it while it’s still warm and melted.
For an even easier way to make a similar recipe, try my Crockpot Peanut Clusters. Or take your candy-making skills to the next level with these Easy Champagne Chocolate Truffles, fit for the classiest holiday parties and perfect for New Year’s Eve celebrations and Valentine’s day too!
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Variations & Substitutions
- Firmer Caramel: I wanted these caramels soft and chewy, not the kind that takes out fillings! If you prefer a more firm caramel, reduce the amount of butter and heavy cream.
- Caramel Peanut Turtles: Add roasted pecans or replace the peanuts with pecans for a caramel peanut turtle candy.
- Chocolate Options: If preferred, use all milk chocolate or all semi-sweet chocolate. Dark chocolate is another excellent option!
- Homemade Caramel: For a from-scratch treat, make your own caramel instead of getting it from the grocery store; try this caramel recipe.
- Holiday Caramel Clusters: Make it perfect for the holiday season by sprinkling festive Christmas sprinkles on top!
- Use different nuts: If peanuts aren’t your thing, or there is a peanut allergy, use your favorite nuts, pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts, you get the idea!
Gluten-Free Chocolate Caramel Peanut Clusters
According to the ingredients I bought, these are naturally gluten-free peanut caramel clusters. Double-check your ingredients, and then have at it!
Dairy-Free Caramel Peanut Clusters
Swap out the milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips for dairy-free chocolate chips; I like this brand the best. As for the caramels, try these Cocomels, made with coconut milk.
Storage Tips
Refrigerate or Room Temperature – Store the peanut caramel clusters in an airtight container with parchment paper or wax paper between the layers to prevent them from sticking together. Keep the treats on the countertop for up to a week, or refrigerate them for a little longer.
How to Freeze – Store the caramel chocolate clusters the same way as above, then freeze them for up to three months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! If preferred, heat the caramel mixture in a pan on low to medium heat until melted and well combined. Be careful not to let it boil! As for the chocolate, use the double boiling method. For these alternative methods, it helps to have a candy thermometer.
If you need the recipe to be peanut-free, replace it with pecans, walnuts, almonds, or another favorite nut!
Yes, you can use chocolate chips for convenience. However, be sure to choose high-quality chocolate chips for the best flavor and texture.
Absolutely! You can customize your peanut clusters by adding dried fruits, puffed quinoa, chia seeds or shredded coconut.
Gifting Caramel Peanut Clusters
These are a great food gift! Place a square of parchment between each piece and stack or lay in cellophane bags. Don’t forget to add a cute tag, like these “We’re Nuts About You” gift tags (free!)
Best drinks to serve with caramel peanut clusters
It’ll be super festive if you serve these amazing candies with your favorite drinks! We love this Starbucks white hot chocolate, Christmas morning chai latte (not just for Christmas morning) and this cranberry spritzer!
More holiday sweets
- Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Chip Blondies
- Oreo Peanut Butter Pie
- Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Mint Chocolate Brownies
- Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten-Free)
- Crockpot Peanut Clusters
Do not overcook or overheat your chocolate, you want it silky smooth, keep stirring and remove from the heat while there is still a little chocolate unmelted.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups dry roasted peanuts not quite a whole jar
- 60 caramels about 1 ½ packages (unwrapped of course)
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream less for firmer consistency
- 2 tablespoons butter Use less for firmer consistency
- 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt or flaky sea salt
- 11.5 ounce milk chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
- ¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips Or use all one or the other of your favorite chocolate
- Maldon flaky sea salt optional, but so good! or fleur de sel
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, if not a non-stick parchment, then spray lightly with a little oil.
- In a microwave-safe medium bowl, combine the unwrapped caramels (60), heavy cream (3-4 tablespoons), butter (2 tablespoons), vanilla extract (1-2 teaspoons) and sea salt (¼ tsp). Heat caramels in 30 second bursts, stirring well between each heating, I only needed to heat about 2 minutes. Keep stirring, it will continue to melt and come together. Towards the end, use a whisk to make the caramel smooth. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then stir in peanuts until well coated.
- Drop by a small cookie scoop or teaspoon onto the prepared baking sheets. Spray or rub a rubber spatula with oil and flatten the peanut clusters if necessary. Place baking sheets in fridge for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour milk chocolate chips (2 cups) and semi-sweet chocolate chips (¾ cup) into a medium microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second bursts, stirring very well between heatings, stopping when the chocolate is almost melted. Chocolate chips continue to melt and it will prevent the chocolate from seizing (breaking). If it gets grainy or clumpy, whisk in a little pat of butter or a little heavy cream until smooth.
- Allow the chocolate to cool for about 5 minutes, stirring well occasionally. Drop and spread a full teaspoon of chocolate over the top of each chilled peanut caramel cluster. Repeat with the balance of the candies. If desired, sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt (adds great salted caramel flavor). Tip: Sprinkle the salt as you go along, so that it sticks to the warm chocolate.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes before removing and storing.
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Notes
Variations & Substitutions
Make caramel peanut turtles, add some roasted pecans, or replace the peanuts altogether.Use bourbon vanilla instead of regular vanilla.
Use all milk chocolate chips or all semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Make your own homemade caramel if desired.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Caramel Peanut Clusters
According to the ingredients I bought, these are naturally gluten-free peanut caramel clusters. Double-check your ingredients, and then have at it!Dairy-Free Caramel Peanut Clusters
Swap out the milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips for dairy-free chocolate chips; I like this brand the best. As for the caramels, try these Cocomels, made with coconut milk.Nutrition
Ann
These are the perfect gift. They are so irresistible.Thanks!
They really are!!
TAYLER ROSS
I made these and gifted to family for the holidays. They were a HUGE hit, so I will definitely be making again next year!
So glad to hear!! Thanks Tayler!
MacKenzie
I love the addition of sea salt at the end it really brings out the flavor. These turned out amazing
So glad you loved them!! I love the sea salt too!
Beth
I’m goign to make these as soon as possible, and I am NOT sharing these. LOL
lol! I don’t blame you!!
Dina and Bruce
These were a huge hit for the holidays! so tasty!!
So glad you liked them
Tasia
We had so much fun making them {well, the bugs would probably say eating them!}. You know I’m a no microwave girl, and a double boiler did us just fine. So fun for the Christmas season.
So glad the double boiler worked so well!! Way to go not being a microwave girl! I should make that change too! Happy New year Tasia!