Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Chocolate and peanut butter is a winning combination that’s made even better when they are combined in this homemade recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream.
This is a French style ice cream recipe that starts with a custard base made from egg yolks, sugar, and milk. We’ll add two types of chocolate and plenty of peanut butter too!
This ice cream recipe is gluten-free, just be sure to check the labels on your ingredients to be sure.
You are going to love this chocolate peanut butter ice cream recipe.
Maybe even more than you love Peanut Butter Ice Cream or a Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake.
As I was making this recipe I was remembering seeing a video of the old 1970s commercials for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
You know, the ones where two people bump into each other and one says, “Hey! You got chocolate in my peanut butter!” and then the other person says, “you got peanut butter in my chocolate!”
And in the end, they aren’t mad about it, because they’ve accidentally created the most delicious candy combination ever. Chocolate and Peanut Butter are two things that are meant to be together!
This Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe puts together those two peanut butter cup flavors in the best way– as a creamy and decadent homemade ice cream.
A rich chocolate ice cream base is infused with real peanut butter, and then more peanut butter nuggets are added in at the end. Yum!
More Reasons to Love this Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe
Chocolate + Peanut Butter is an irresistibly sweet, rich, and salty combination.
Step By Step Recipe – I’m showing you exactly how to make this ice cream, with tips, instructions, and photos to explain the whole process. You can make chocolate peanut butter ice cream even if you’ve never made ice cream before!
Simple Ingredients– Homemade ice cream is made with ingredients that you can see and pronounce. No preservatives or additives are needed to make this creamy, rich ice cream. Just a good amount of chocolate and peanut butter!
Ingredients in Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Creamy Peanut Butter – I suggest using a regular, creamy peanut butter to make this ice cream recipe. Crunchy peanut butter makes the overall texture a bit odd. You could always add chopped peanuts in later if you want that crunch.
Powdered Sugar – We’ll mix some of the peanut butter with a bit of sugar to thicken it up. Then we’ll freeze it to create little peanut butter nuggets to mix in with the base later.
Egg Yolks – These create the base for our ice cream custard. We’ll gently heat the egg yolks to pasteurize them, but you can also purchase pasteurized eggs if you prefer.
Sugar – For sweetness and texture, plain, white, granulated sugar is a perfect choice.
Whole Milk – The first of our dairy items adds bulk and aids in getting the perfect ice cream texture.
Cocoa Powder – Two types of chocolate, with cocoa powder being the first, give the ice cream base a deep rich chocolate flavor.
Salt – A bit of salt enhances the flavors of chocolate and peanut butter.
Chocolate – Chop up a few ounces of semisweet or dark chocolate to melt into the chocolate peanut butter ice cream base.
Heavy Cream – A mix of both heavy cream and whole milk in this recipe is what gives us the perfect creamy texture.
Vanilla Extract – Vanilla is a must for most ice cream recipes. Its flavor goes really well with peanut butter, and it elevates the simple flavors of sugar and cream.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you.
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream from Scratch
Start the day before by making sure that the bowl for your ice cream maker has at least 24 hours to freeze solid. If you shake the bowl you shouldn’t hear any liquid sloshing around in there.
- Make the peanut butter mix-ins: Mix together 1 cup of the peanut butter and powdered sugar in a bowl until smooth. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper and spoon the peanut butter mixture onto the parchment paper. Spread with a spatula until you get a thin layer, about ½ inch high. Freeze until firm and keep in the freezer until you’re ready to use. Cut into small cubes just before using.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth and pale yellow in color.
- Add the milk, cocoa powder, and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together until combined. Bring the milk mixture to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Be sure not to boil.
- Add about ½ cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg and sugar mixture and whisk constantly until combined. Then, add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk.
- Heat the saucepan on low. Stirring constantly, heat until the base has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take a few minutes. Strain the mixture into a bowl to remove any pieces of egg that may have cooked.
- Add the chopped chocolate and the remaining ½ cup of peanut butter. Stir until they have melted completely into the custard. Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap making sure to have the plastic wrap touching the surface of the ice cream base. This will help keep it from forming a skin while chilling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until very cold.
- Churn the ice cream mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions (mine took about 20 minutes), until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. In the last two minutes of the churn, add the frozen peanut butter nuggets.
- Spoon the ice cream into a shallow container or a loaf pan. Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
How to Store Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Store this homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream in the freezer in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper pressed on top for up to one month.
Tips for Making This Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe
Use quality ingredients – When making homemade ice cream, you’ll want to make sure you are using high-quality ingredients for the best outcome. Good chocolate, good vanilla, and good peanut butter will all go a long way in making this the best homemade ice cream.
Chill out – If possible, always start with chilled ingredients. This is important for homemade no-churn ice cream recipes and ice cream maker recipes.
Don’t skimp on the fat – High-fat milk and cream are essential when making homemade ice cream. Opting for a low-fat option often leads to icy ice creams and inconsistency in the texture. Avoid using low-fat peanut butter as well.
Don’t go crazy with the add-ins – If you’re adding in additional ingredients to this peanut butter chocolate ice cream , pick one or two and make sure they are chopped into pieces no larger than a blueberry or pea.
Don’t skimp on the sugar – Sugar not only adds sweetness to homemade ice creams, it also helps with the texture. Sugar is essential for the creamy texture of ice cream, and recipes without enough sugar can be icy and hard.
Who Makes the Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream?
That’s an easy one. The answer is that YOU make the best peanut butter chocolate ice cream, using this recipe!
No Churn Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Directions
Chill a shallow container or a loaf pan in the freezer while you mix the ice cream ingredients.
Pour the ice cream mixture into the prepared pan and freeze for 3-4 hours. Stir the ice cream every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours to help add air. This will help create a creamy, smooth texture.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Add-Ins
You know what else is delicious with peanut butter and chocolate? More Chocolate!
You can add anything you like to your chocolate peanut butter ice cream, but I suggest that you try chopped or grated dark chocolate, crushed chocolate cookies, or chopped Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.
The Best Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream Recipes
I have a feeling that if you’ve read this far that you are a huge chocolate ice cream lover! We have lots of decadent recipes involving chocolate, so try some of them next:
- Chocolate Ice Cream
- No Churn Chocolate Ice Cream
- Chocolate Marshmallow Ice Cream
- Mississippi Mud Ice Cream
- Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Turtle Ice Cream
- French Silk Ice Cream
- Rocky Road Ice Cream
Our Favorite Ice Cream Making Tools:
- Cuisinart 2QT Ice Cream Maker – Works with ice cream, sorbets, and frozen yogurt.
- Ice Cream Scoop – Make sure you have a good ice cream scoop. This is one of our favorites.
- Ice Cream Containers – We love keeping a couple of ice cream containers on hand for when we make homemade ice cream.
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter divided
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 4 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 oz semisweet or dark chocolate roughly chopped
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Chill the ice cream bowl for at least 24 hours or until solid. You should not hear any water sloshing around when you shake the bowl. Mix together 1 cup of the peanut butter and powdered sugar in a bowl until smooth. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. Spoon the peanut butter mixture onto the parchment paper. Spread with a spatula until you get a thin layer, about ½ inch high. Freeze until firm or ready to use. Cut into small cubes before using.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth and pale yellow in color.
- Add the milk, cocoa powder, and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together until combined. Bring the milk mixture to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Be sure not to boil.
- Add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg and sugar mixture and whisk constantly until combined. Then, add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk.
- Heat the saucepan on low. Stirring constantly, heat until the base has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take a few minutes. Strain the mixture into a bowl to remove any pieces of egg that may have cooked.
- Add the chopped chocolate and the remaining ½ cup of peanut butter. Stir until they have melted completely into the custard. Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap making sure to have the plastic wrap touching the surface of the ice cream base. This will help keep it from forming a skin while chilling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until cold.
- Churn the ice cream mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions (mine took about 20 minutes), until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. In the last two minutes of the churn, add the frozen peanut butter nuggets.
- Spoon the ice cream into a shallow container or a loaf pan. Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- I used no-stir creamy peanut butter in this recipe. If you use a natural creamy peanut butter, your mixture may be a bit thinner before churning.
- Be sure to keep the peanut butter pieces frozen until you're ready to add them in to the machine. If they aren't frozen, they'll soften up and get lost in the ice cream.
- If you’d like, you can add ½ cup of chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, or nuts to this recipe. Chopped peanut butter cups would also be delicious. Add the mix-ins in the last 2 minutes of the churn with the peanut butter nuggets.
Do you use baking chocolate, or regular chocolate for the 2 oz finely chopped?
Hi Justine,
We used regular chocolate in this recipe but you can use either.
The Ice Cream From Scratch Team