Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe

Chocolate and peanut butter — a classic pairing — combine beautifully in this rich, homemade triple chocolate peanut butter ice cream.

This is a Philadelphia-style ice cream, which means the base contains no eggs. In the United States this style is commonly labeled simply as “ice cream.” It’s lighter than custard-style ice cream, letting the chocolate and peanut butter shine more brightly.

When I make ice cream at home I often reach for a custard base because it’s dense, smooth and decadently rich. However, egg-based custards can slightly mute more delicate flavors. Without eggs, the chocolate taste becomes clearer and more forward, which is ideal if you want an intensely chocolate-forward ice cream that pairs perfectly with a salty peanut butter swirl.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe Notes

This recipe uses three types of chocolate: dark chocolate, milk chocolate and cocoa powder. Combining them gives a layered, deep chocolate flavor. Use the best quality chocolate you can find, since the chocolate is the star of the base. If you prefer a sweeter, milder profile, increase the proportion of milk chocolate; for more bittersweet intensity, favor dark chocolate.

Chilling the base overnight improves texture. While not mandatory, letting the ice cream base rest in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight improves smoothness. Proteins and starches in the mix can bind water, reducing large ice crystals and creating a denser mouthfeel. Chilling also allows flavors to meld and helps reduce trapped air, resulting in a creamier finished ice cream.

Other nut butters work well, too. If you’d like a variation, almond butter or cashew butter can replace peanut butter. Melting a little coconut oil into the nut butter firms it slightly so you can create clean ribbons or chunks of nut butter that hold their shape when folded into the frozen chocolate base.

Serve suggestions: This ice cream is wonderful on its own, but it’s especially delicious with honey-roasted nuts and sliced banana for an elevated take on a banana split.

Two Ingredients That Help Make Incredibly Smooth Homemade Ice Cream

This recipe suggests glucose syrup and xanthan gum to improve texture. Glucose syrup binds with more water than regular sugar, helping prevent large ice crystals and producing a softer, scoopable ice cream straight from the freezer. If you prefer not to use glucose syrup, granulated sugar or light corn syrup can be substituted, though texture may vary slightly.

Xanthan gum is a small addition that inhibits the growth of large ice crystals, improving overall creaminess. Only a tiny amount is needed, and a little goes a long way. Both ingredients are optional but useful tools if you want exceptionally smooth homemade ice cream.

📖 Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe

Yield: About 2 quarts of ice cream

Rich, triple-chocolate ice cream with ribbons of creamy peanut butter. A simple Philadelphia-style base keeps the flavors bright and intense.

Ingredients

FOR THE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM:

• 7 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
• 3 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ½ tablespoons non-fat milk powder
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 3 ½ cups whole milk
• ⅓ cup glucose syrup (optional — can substitute granulated sugar or corn syrup)
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum (optional)

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER SWIRL:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt

Instructions

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM BASE:

1. Place the dark chocolate, milk chocolate, cocoa powder and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth, then remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the non-fat milk powder and sugar.
3. Combine the heavy cream, whole milk and glucose syrup in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil, whisking occasionally.
4. Whisk the milk powder and sugar mixture into the hot milk. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from heat.
5. Temper the melted chocolate by whisking about one-third of the hot milk mixture into the chocolate until smooth. Gradually whisk in the remaining milk until fully combined.
6. Prepare an ice bath (a large bowl filled two-thirds with ice and cold water). Place the bowl with the ice cream base into the ice bath and stir occasionally until the mixture feels cool to the touch.
7. Transfer the base to a blender, add the xanthan gum (if using) and blend on medium speed until evenly incorporated.
8. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight to let flavors meld and improve texture.

MAKE THE PEANUT BUTTER RIBBON:

1. Combine the peanut butter, coconut oil and salt in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container until ready to swirl into the ice cream.

FREEZE THE ICE CREAM:

1. Pour the chilled ice cream base into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the mixture reaches soft-serve consistency, stop the machine.
2. Layer the ice cream and peanut butter: spoon about one-third of the ice cream into a freezer-safe container, drizzle with half the peanut butter mixture, add another third of ice cream, drizzle the remaining peanut butter, then top with the remaining ice cream. Smooth the top, cover tightly and freeze until fully firm, about 4 hours.