Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

This dairy-free chocolate peanut butter ice cream is made with 6 healthy ingredients and takes 5 minutes of hands-on prep time! It’s rich and creamy, and no one would ever guess that it’s dairy-free! 

Overhead view of a bowl of Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream with a spoon in it


This recipe goes out to all my lactose-intolerant friends. Those of us who truly can’t eat dairy without serious consequences. Who wish we could go swimming in a sea of ice cream or sail away on a boat made of cheese.

Whose tastebuds scream for the cream but our tummies beg us to stay away. This Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream is the answer to all your dairy-less life problems.

So many dairy-free ice cream recipe turn out icy or rock-hard and definitely lack in the creaminess department. But that’s not the case with this Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream.

Using coconut cream instead of other non-dairy milk makes this dairy-free ice cream smooth and creamy and rich!

front view of a bowl of Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream with a spoon in it

Let’s start with the fact that there are only six, good-for-you ingredients that make up this Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream! It is free of dairy, gluten, soy, and refined sugar!

Plus it can be made vegan by substituting maple syrup for the honey! You can even make this paleo if you use creamy almond butter instead of peanut butter! There are so many healthy options with this amazingly creamy dessert recipe!

Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream: Substitutions & Ingredients

This ice cream is absolutely the best when made exactly as written!

Front view of all the ingredients in dairy-free chocolate peanut butter ice cream
  • Peanut Butter: If you are allergic to peanuts you can use any nut or seed butter.
  • Honey: Maple syrup can be used in place of honey for a vegan version.
  • Coconut cream. Full-fat coconut milk works just as well as coconut cream. I don’t recommend any other substitutions.
overhead view of a spoon taking a bite of Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream in a bowl

How to make Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Let’s continue with the fact that this recipe is insanely easy!

Make the Peanut Butter Balls

The first thing you need to do is make the frozen peanut butter balls! Everybody knows that the absolute best chocolate peanut butter ice cream has lots of chunks of peanut butter mixed in.

There have been (many) times that I actually added extra peanut butter balls to store-bought ice cream because there simply wasn’t enough, which is why I prefer homemade ice cream.

I prefer to use pure peanut butter (not add any sugar to it). Simply portion out your desired amount of your favorite peanut butter onto a tray lined with waxed paper. Then freeze it for one hour.

Overhead view of peanut butter chunks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper ready to go into the freezer

Blend & Churn

Once the peanut butter is frozen, add all of the ingredients for the ice cream into the container of your Vitamix and blend until smooth.

Then pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and let it churn! It’s important that (unlike many other recipes) you do not chill the chocolate peanut butter ice cream mixture! It must go directly from the Vitamix into the ice cream maker.

The bowl of your ice cream maker must be frozen in order to churn the ice cream!

Collage of two pictures, one is an overhead view of the ice cream mixture blended in the vitamix, the second is a side view of the dairy-free chocolate peanut butter ice cream base being poured into the ice cream maker

Turn the ice cream maker on, then add the mixture

Important tip: When using an ice cream maker it is crucial that you turn the machine on before you pour the mixture into it! Pouring ice cream into an already moving container ensures that it will not freeze to the bottom or sides, which could hinder the churning process by preventing the machine from rotating.

When your Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream forms a ball and no longer has a liquid consistency, it is done! At this point it could become so thick that the ice cream maker stops rotating, which is another indicator that it’s ready!

overhead collage of two photos of the dairy-free chocolate peanut butter ice cream in the ice cream maker. One with it in the maker, one with the paddle lifted out showing the consistency of the ice cream

Assemble the ice cream

Once the ice cream is churned, mix in the peanut butter balls and freeze again.

The peanut butter balls will thaw very rapidly, especially if you choose to use an all-natural variety. This means that you need to mix in the chunks as  quickly as possible when you remove them from the freezer.

overhead view of the churned dairy-free peanut butter ice cream in a rectangular glass container with the baking sheet of frozen peanut butter balls next to it

You can either mix the peanut butter balls in by hand, or add them to your ice cream maker before the base forms a ball too solid to add mix-ins .

overhead close up view of the peanut butter balls on top of the dairy-free chocolate peanut butter ice cream base before being mixed in.

Freeze

Once the ice cream is finished, freeze it for at least 1 hour before serving. You may need to remove it from the freezer for 5 or so minutes to soften enough to scoop and serve.

overhead view of dairy-free chocolate peanut butter ice cream being scooped out of a container

Recipe FAQs

How long does this ice cream last?

When stored in an airtight container in the freezer it lasts for up to 2 months.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, but you will either need to churn it in two batches or use a larger ice cream maker.

Overhead view of a spoon with a big bite of Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream on it resting on top of a bowl of Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!

Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Laura
This dairy-free chocolate peanut butter ice cream is made with 6 healthy ingredients and takes 5 minutes of hands-on prep time! It's rich and creamy, and no one would ever guess that it's dairy-free! 
4.96 from 69 votes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 1 pint (6 servings)
Calories 276.4
Prep Time10 minutes
Freezing Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Frozen balls of PB

Ice cream:

Instructions 

To make PB Balls:

  • Cover an 8×8” baking pan with wax paper. Drop 1 tsp spoonfuls of PB on the waxed paper. Put in the freezer to harden.

To make Ice cream:

  • Add all ice cream ingredients in the order listed to the container of a Vitamix (or other high-powered blender).
  • Blend for 30-60 seconds or until the mixtures is smooth and homogenous.
  • Turn the ice cream maker on and pour the mixture into the machine while it is spinning. (**See note below if you do not have an ice cream maker)
  • Let the ice cream churn for 20-25 minutes until it becomes a firm ball or the ice cream maker stops rotating.
  • Add the peanut butter chunks at the end of churning. You can add them to the ice cream maker just before the mixture becomes too hard, or you can mix them in by hand.
  • Transfer to an airtight, freezer-friendly container and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour, or until completely frozen.
  • Makes about 1 pint of creamy DELICIOUSNESS!

Video

Notes

To churn by hand:

You can church this ice cream by hand. Pour the ice cream mixture from the Vitamix into a freezer-safe container with a lid. Mix it by hand every 15-20 minutes until it begins to harden. Once it’s soft and has a milkshake consistency, add in the frozen peanut butter balls. Keep churning every 20 minutes until it is hardened.
Ingredient Substitutions
  • Peanut Butter: If you are allergic to peanuts you can use any nut or seed butter.
  • Honey: Maple syrup can be used in place of honey for a vegan version.
  • Coconut cream. Full-fat coconut milk works just as well as coconut cream. I don’t recommend any other substitutions.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.333cup | Calories: 276.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.5g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 21.6g | Saturated Fat: 10.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.4g | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 2.6g | Sugar: 13.6g | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question? Leave a comment below!

This Dairy-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream is one of my top 10 favorite dessert recipes ever. I am so excited that I get to share it with the world! I hope that it will be just as life-changing for you as it was for me. Want to take this to a whole new level? Serve it on top of dairy free brownies (recipes here, here, and here) or on top of cookies (like these, these or these)!

The links in this post are affiliate links, thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine.




latest recipes

Post a Comment or Ask a Question!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




208 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This ice cream is absolutely delicious!! But… I need a little help… my ice cream is frozen solid! Do you have any suggestions on how to thaw it without affecting it and not having to wait an hour for it to soften? Thank you!

      1. Thanks, Laura! I have left mine on the counter for an hour, and most of it is still frozen solid… We love the flavor and texture of it – I guess I’ll have to figure out what works best to thaw it quickly! Thanks again for the recipe!

  2. 5 stars
    Thank you for this dairy free ice cream recipe! I used coconut milk, and I really could not taste it because the chocolate and peanut butter flavors dominated—just like I hoped they would!

  3. 5 stars
    Best and easiest dairy free ice cream we’ve ever made! And it stays soft in the freezer. Our favorite!

  4. Just curious, do you use the entire can of full fat coconut milk?? Some other recipes say to only use the thick hardened part? I don’t want to mess this up…it sounds so delicious. TIA

  5. Why do you indicate not to chill the mixture prior to putting it in the ice cream maker? The ice cream maker i have specifically says to chill the ice cream base before churning.

    1. That’s the beauty of this recipe, you can blend it up and pour it directly into the ice cream maker and it churns extremely well without chilling. I have a batch of it in my freezer right now! It’s one of my favorite recipes!

  6. I’m just realizing I bought unsweetened coconut cream. Will it still turn out okay or should I add something for sweetness?

    1. We are in the middle of making your vanilla ice cream and we were curious why the chocolate ones call for coconut cream and not coconut milk? Thanks so much