Get your peanut butter fix with this creamy peanut butter ice cream recipe. It’s sweet, creamy, and made with 5 ingredients. No ice cream maker needed.
My creamy peanut butter ice cream recipe combines two of my favorite things: sweet ice cream and rich, subtly salty peanut butter. It’s a satisfying duo that’ll convince you homemade ice cream is the ONLY way to go.
Ingredients needed
To make the recipe, you need just three ingredients plus a little salt and vanilla.
Gather together peanut butter, milk of choice, salt, pure vanilla extract, and sugar or your favorite sweetener.
Feel free to use either creamy or crunchy peanut butter. Natural peanut butter or the kind sold by companies like Skippy or Jif both work.
I sometimes like to replace the peanut butter with an equal amount of almond butter, macadamia nut butter, sunflower butter, Coconut Butter or Homemade Nutella.
For dairy free and vegan peanut butter ice cream, simply use a plant based milk. My favorite options here are either almond milk or canned coconut milk. Oat milk, soy milk, and cashew milk are also great options.
The recipe is already naturally egg free.
Unlike many other homemade peanut butter ice cream recipes, this one calls for no sweetened condensed milk. And there is no need to heat the stove either.
If you prefer to use a vanilla flavored milk, simply omit the pure vanilla extract.
Choose whatever all purpose liquid or granulated sweetener you have on hand. Regular sugar is fine to use, as is unrefined coconut sugar, pure maple syrup, honey, agave, or sugar free and keto friendly xylitol or granulated erythritol.
Xylitol is especially good for no sugar ice cream because it does not crystalize and therefore keeps your ice cream soft instead of freezing into a solid brick.
Be sure to buy pure vanilla extract at the store for best results. Imitation vanilla is less expensive but will give the ice cream an artificial aftertaste that you do not want.
How to make peanut butter ice cream
Step 1- Prep work. Place a loaf pan in the freezer.
Step 2- Whisk. In a large bowl, whisk the cream until it’s fluffy. Fold in the condensed milk and peanut butter and mix until combined.
Step 3- Freeze. Pour the ice cream mixture into the loaf pan and place it in the freezer. Allow the ice cream to freeze for 3 hours.
If you will be using an ice cream maker, prepare it ahead of time. Follow the directions in the manual for your specific brand. Many models need to be frozen ahead of time to work correctly.
In a large measuring cup, whisk the peanut butter, milk of choice, sugar or sweetener, salt, and pure vanilla extract. For the best flavor and texture, we highly recommend using no less than the amounts called for of both the peanut butter and sugar.
Churn the mixture according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Homemade ice cream takes about fifteen minutes in my basic Cuisinart Ice Cream Machine.
Helpful tip: It is best to measure the ingredients ahead of time in a separate bowl instead of adding them directly to a chilled ice cream machine one by one. This step will help you avoid the churning tool freezing and getting stuck.
Or for no churn ice cream without an ice cream machine, freeze the mixture in ice cube trays. You can find ice cube trays for as cheap as two or three dollars apiece at many grocery stores or online.
Once frozen, blend the cubes in a high speed blender like a Vitamix, or thaw them enough to blend in a food processor or a regular blender.
If desired, serve with chopped peanuts and Coconut Whipped Cream.
How to store leftovers
To store: Any leftover ice cream can be stored in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 1 week.
To re-freeze: I don’t recommend re-freezing the ice cream once it has been thawed since re-freezing causes ice crystals to form, making the ice cream rock solid and not smooth.
Servings: 4 – 6 servings
Prep: 5minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk of choice
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup sugar or sweetener of choice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For best results, do not cut back on any of the ingredients.
If you do not own an ice cream maker or high speed blender, see these directions.Whisk everything together.
If you don’t have a high-speed blender or an ice cream maker, there are two options for making the almond milk ice cream without either appliance. While the resulting ice cream isn’t quite as smooth, it still tastes good!
The first option is to whisk all ingredients together, pour into ice cube trays, and freeze. Let the ice cubes thaw enough for a food processor to be able to handle, then blend until smooth. Freeze for about an hour for a firmer ice cream.
Option two is to freeze a large, shallow container. Whisk ingredients together in a bowl, pour into the cold container, and freeze. After a half hour, stir the mixture very well to break up ice crystals, then re-freeze. Repeat this process every half hour for about 2-3 hours. Essentially, you’re doing the same work that an ice cream machine would do, whisking air into the mixture and breaking up ice crystals.
If using an ice cream maker, simply pour the mixture in and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions for your machine. Or if using a high speed blender, pour the mixture into ice cube trays. Freeze, then blend the frozen peanut butter ice cream cubes until smooth, using the machine’s tamper. Eat straight from the machine, or freeze about an hour for a firmer texture. Because of the lack of preservatives and gums, homemade ice cream is best eaten the day it is made. However, you can technically freeze for up to a month as long as you thaw before eating.
Nutrition
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 120 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 9g | 11% |
| Saturated Fat 1g | 6% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 150mg | 7% |
| Total Carbohydrate 3g | 1% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.7g | 6% |
| Total Sugars 0.4g | |
| Protein 6.5g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 2% |
| Calcium 168mg | 13% |
| Iron 1mg | 6% |
| Potassium 149mg | 3% |
Net Carbs: Just over 1 gram per serving (1.3g)
