If I’m going to eat peanut butter with a spoon, it might as well be peanut butter ice cream!
It all began with a jar of peanut butter. I really wanted to make a peanut butter sandwich but I was out of bread. So I took a spoon and dug in.
As I was happily eating the peanut butter, I had an idea. Turn this into ice cream!
Table of Contents
Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Ice cream is quite simple to make. It starts with a custard base made with milk, cream, and eggs and sugar. From there, you can infuse any flavor you want.
Go the simple route and infuse the custard with vanilla, or go crazy like Salt & Straw and create something like Thanksgiving turkey ice cream.
Today, I’m all about simplicity so I’m sticking with good ol’ plain creamy peanut butter.
Recommended Equipment
In a dream world, I’d have my own personal batch freezer to make all the ice cream, gelato, and sorbet my stomach could hold. However, batch freezers are super expensive…like starting at a thousand dollars expensive.
Next best option, a simple automatic ice cream maker with a removable freezer bowl. They are moderately priced and you could get a good one for around $50. I’ve had the same one for 6 years and I love it.
UPDATE: I have upgraded to this compressor ice cream maker. It is far more expensive than other ice cream machines, but well worth it if you make ice cream and sorbets often.
Peanut Butter Choices
There are nearly hundreds of different brands and varieties of peanut butter on the market. For this recipe, I recommend creamy, natural peanut butter made without sugar.
Should you choose to use sweetened peanut butter, I suggest decreasing the sugar in the recipe to 1/4 cup.
I don’t recommend using chunky peanut butter for this recipe.
Storage & Leftovers
Store ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two weeks.
Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 6 large egg yolks
- 3 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter (no sugar added)*
- pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pot, combine heavy cream, milk and 1 tablespoon sugar to a boil. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together remaining sugar and egg yolks. Temper hot milk into sugar yolk mixture. Slowly add hot milk about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking to distribute heat. Once all the milk has been added, transfer mixture back into the pot.
- Place pot over medium-low heat. Stir until mixture reaches nappé consistency, or 180 degrees F on a kitchen thermometer. Let mixture sit at 180-185 degrees for 5 minutes to pasteurize egg yolks. Add peanut butter and salt. Stir to combine until peanut butter has dissolved. Let sit for 5-10 minutes and allow to cool slightly.
- Strain mixture and transfer to an airtight container. Let mature in the fridge overnight.
- Freeze peanut butter mixture in ice cream maker according to your unit’s instructions.** Once the volume has increased by half and reached a soft serve consistency, transfer mixture into an airtight container and let harden in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!While this ice cream is great and tasty as is, of course, you could always step it up a notch. Take this ice cream to make these peanut butter ice cream sandwiches!
I made this ice cream recipe 3/30/2020 and followed it exactly except for one thing; I added broken pieces of Reese’s peanut butter cup. The ice cream turned out incredible! As one previous commentator mentioned, it did turn out rock hard from freezing over night, but I did not view that as a problem. This was my first time making an egg yoke (custard) recipe. The flavor and mouth feel are divine
Have now made variations of this recipe include mint chocolate ( real mint extract, fresh mint , Ghiradelli mint squares).
Peanut butter espresso with toasted walnut.
Maple walnut ( organic maple sugar, organic maple ? syrup)
This recipe is absolute perfection. It was luscious peanut buttery without being overly sweet. Even my own kids who would never choose to have peanut butter ice cream absolutely loved it and preferred it over the restaurant gelato we had.
Hi Liz! That’s so wonderful to hear! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe!
Just made this, it is delicious, but it did freeze rock hard overnight. Perhaps adding more sugar would make it a little softer.
Definately the perfect Ice Cream for these chillier mornings. Can’t wait to try this.
Perfect sweetness happening here, can’t wait to take a bite!
My thoughts exactly! Hope you enjoy it :)
It’s still cold over here but I wishing I had one of these now :)
I wish I could send scoops via email :)