Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Posted Aug 12, 2020, Updated May 27, 2024
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The best homemade chocolate peanut butter ice cream! An ultra-rich & creamy chocolate peanut butter ice cream base is loaded with peanut butter chunks so there’s one in every bite! Better than any ice cream shop and the perfect summer dessert.
I am a serious ice cream connoisseur, and chocolate peanut butter ice cream is my all-time favorite flavor. So much so, that if an ice cream shop doesn’t have chocolate peanut butter ice cream on the menu I’d rather not go!
However, many store-bought varieties fall short in the mix-in department. Often I find myself disappointedly scouring through my scoops, desperately searching for a chunk of peanut butter – only to come up empty handed. Well that will not happen with this homemade chocolate peanut butter ice cream.
This recipe is ultra-rich & cream, extra chocolatey, and loaded with peanut but chunks so you will enjoy one in every bite. It’s easy to make and is so much more delicious than anything you can find in a store or ice cream shop.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Heavy Cream/Whole Milk. this recipe calls for 3 cups total of full-fat dairy – 2 cups of cream and 1 cup whole milk. You can use 1 cup cream and 2 cups whole milk, but I wouldn’t recommend tampering with it any more than that.
- Cocoa Powder. Use your favorite unsweetened cocoa powder. For a even deeper flavor you can use dark cocoa powder.
- Semisweet Chocolate. You really can use any variety of chocolate, from milk to completely dark, just note your choice will effect the taste and sweetness of the recipe. I prefer using 60% dark chocolate.
- Creamy Peanut Butter. Any peanut butter variety works, from your standard Jif to natural varieties without added sugars.
- Granulated Sugar. White sugar and organic cane sugar are perfect in this recipe.
- Egg Yolks. Save the whites for a healthy scramble or another recipe – but don’t use them in this chocolate peanut butter ice cream! Yolks only!
- Vanilla extract. use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste can be used in place of extract.
- Powdered sugar. I like adding a little sweetness to the peanut butter chunks, you can omit the powdered sugar if you’re using an already-sweet peanut butter variety.
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Making homemade ice cream is a little bit of an art, but once you get the hang of it it’s so easy and the results are so worth it. We’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video!
Make the Peanut Butter Chunks
The first step in this recipe is to make and freeze the peanut butter chunks! They need to be completely frozen before adding them to the churned ice cream.
Make the Ice Cream
Next, we make the chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Start by adding 1 cup cream and cocoa powder to a saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk.
Then, remove the pot from the heat and add peanut butter and chocolate and whisk until smooth. Add the additional 1 cup cream and whisk to combine.
If you noticed, there’s a lot of whisking in this recipe. Using a whisk instead of a spatula or wooden spoon ensures your chocolate peanut butter ice cream is silky smooth!
Next, transfer the mixture to a large bowl and place a fine metal strainer over it, and set it aside while you cook the custard.
To make the custard, add milk sugar and salt to the saucepan and warm over medium heat, whisking frequently.
While that is warming up, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Once the milk mixture is slightly warm (NOT boiling or too hot), add ½ cup of warm milk to the beaten egg yolks and whisk to combine. Add the milk/egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking during the addition.
Stir the mixture constantly with a spatula until the mixture slightly thickens and lightly coats the spatula. Then, pour the custard through the metal strainer into the chocolate peanut butter mixture in the bowl. Discard any residue left on the strainer.
Add the vanilla to the chocolate peanut butter mixture and stir to combine.
Chill
Chill the chocolate peanut butter ice cream mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
Churn
Once the ice cream mixture is completely chilled, churn it for 30-40 minutes in an ice cream maker until it reaches the consistency of frozen yogurt.
Assemble
Once the ice cream is churned, add half of the churned ice cream to a freezer-friendly container. Add half of the frozen peanut butter chunks to the ice cream in the container. Repeat with the second half of the ice cream and peanut butter chunks and stir gently to combine everything.
Store/Freeze
Freeze the finished chocolate peanut butter ice cream for at least 6 hours or overnight. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Serve
Use an ice cream scoop and serve yourself a big scoop of the most delicious chocolate peanut butter ice cream! In a bowl, on a cone, topped with homemade whipped cream, there is no wrong way to enjoy this special treat! Or, use it as one of the layers in this homemade ice cream cake.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream FAQs
Yes, make sure to use a large ice cream maker or churn it in two batches.
You do not have to do this, especially if using a sweet peanut butter variety. However, it does give the chunks the authentic ice cream shop taste.
Churning by hand is a lot of work, but it can be done. Here’s how:
Once the ice cream base is made, put it in a freezer-friendly container and put it in the freezer.
After 1 hour, check the ice cream. If is has started to freeze, use a hand-held mixer (or a whisk or spatula) to beat it vigorously.
Continue to mix the mixture with a mixer or by hand every 30 minutes until it is frozen. This should take about 3-6 hours.
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Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (⅔ cup)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Pinch sea salt
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Chunks
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the Peanut Butter Chunks
- Line a large baking sheet with wax paper.
- Mix together powdered sugar and peanut butter (if your peanut butter is solid at room temperature, you may need to warm it slightly in the microwave to be able to add the powdered sugar).
- Drop ½ tsp portions of the mixture onto the wax paper, with ½" space between.
- Put in freezer to harden.
Make the Ice Cream
- Add 1 cup cream and cocoa powder to a 2 or 3-quart saucepan. Whisk to combine.
- Bring mixture to a boil. Boil for 15 seconds whisking constantly.
- Remove from heat add peanut butter and chocolate and whisk until smooth.
- Add the additional 1 cup cream. Whisk to combine.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and place a fine metal strainer over it. Set aside
- Add milk sugar and salt to the same saucepan you used to make the cream/chocolate mixture, whisk to combine. Warm over medium heat
- Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl.
- Once the milk mixture is slightly warm, add ½ cup of warm milk to the beaten egg yolks and whisk to combine. Add the milk/egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking during the addition.
- Stir the mixture constantly with a spatula until the mixture slightly thickens and lightly coats the spatula.
- Pour the custard through the metal strainer into the other ingredients in the bowl. Stir until combined.
- Discard any residue left on the strainer.
- Add vanilla and stir to combine.
- Chill for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight.
- Once the ice cream mixture is completely chilled, churn it for 30-40 minutes in an ice cream maker until it reaches the consistency of frozen yogurt.
- Add half of the churned ice cream to a freezer-friendly container.
- Add half of the frozen peanut butter chunks to the ice cream in the container. Repeat with the second half of the ice cream and peanut butter chunks. Stir lightly to combine.
- Freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Serve!
Video
Notes
- Heavy Cream/Whole Milk. this recipe calls for 3 cups total of full-fat dairy – 2 cups of cream and 1 cup whole milk. You can use 1 cup cream and 2 cups whole milk, but I wouldn’t recommend tampering with it any more than that.
- Cocoa Powder. Use your favorite unsweetened cocoa powder. For a even deeper flavor you can use dark cocoa powder.
- Semisweet Chocolate. You really can use any variety of chocolate, from milk to completely dark, just note your choice will effect the taste and sweetness of the recipe. I prefer using 60% dark chocolate.
- Creamy Peanut Butter. Any peanut butter variety works, from your standard Jif to natural varieties without added sugars.
- Granulated Sugar. White sugar and organic cane sugar are perfect in this recipe.
- Egg Yolks. Save the whites for a healthy scramble or another recipe – but don’t use them in this chocolate peanut butter ice cream! Yolks only!
- Vanilla extract. use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste can be used in place of extract.
- Powdered sugar. I like adding a little sweetness to the peanut butter chunks, you can omit the powdered sugar if you’re using an already-sweet peanut butter variety.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this dairy free and it is sooooo yummy.
I used coconut cream instead of heavy cream. Almond/coconut milk instead of milk. Enjoy Life dairy free mini chocolate chips (cut those in 1/2 BUT also added to my frozen peanut butter chunks. I used Jif. I added vanilla protein powder to PB chunks and chocolate protein powder when adding cocoa powder (I also used a little milk with cream at this time since it was a little thicker). Only used 3 eggs as they were large.
Thank you.
I’m SO happy you love it!