Go Back
two sugar cones held upright inside of a glass, topped with a scoop of homemade peanut butter ice cream

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

icecreamfromscratch
This is the creamiest, smoothest Peanut Butter Ice Cream recipe ever! It's packed with nutty flavor, and is rich and delicious because of its custard base.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chilling/Freezing Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 45 minutes
Course Ice Cream Recipes
Cuisine Dessert
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 587 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp sea salt

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.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth and pale yellow in color.
  • Add the milk and peanut butter 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 heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt 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.
  • 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

  • This is a traditional, or french-style, ice cream which is made with a custard base that contains eggs. 
  • 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.
  • Add-in ideas: Chopped peanuts, mini chocolate chips, crushed cookies, strawberries, bananas, fudge sauce, marshmallow fluff, jam.
  • Solid add-ins like chocolate, cookies, or nuts should be mixed in during the last two minutes of churning. Liquid or soft ingredients can be stirred in or swirled in before putting the pan in the freezer.
  • Keyword peanut butter ice cream, peanut butter ice cream recipe