Rich chocolate and peanut butter ice cream with chocolate and peanut butter chunks mixed throughout is a dream come true for any ice cream lover.
The candy pieces are just the right amount of dark chocolate and peanut butter to mix into the ice cream.
Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
The first time I made this chocolate ice cream and filled it with peanut butter cups, I stashed it in the freezer for a few days before sharing it with my boys.
I knew without a doubt that they would flip over this ice cream. (Yes, I enjoyed it daily. There just wasn’t the right moment to share it initially. You do believe me, right?)
I’ve been making this ice cream for almost nine years now and this is still one of our favorite ice creams. It tastes just like a smooth, creamy chocolate peanut butter cup!
I don’t know if I’ve ever had as many ice cream related questions from readers as I have this past week. So many people are making Homemade Ice Cream and looking at Ice Cream Makers too.
For more great recipes to try, don’t miss our whole collection of ice cream recipes! Fresh Mint Ice Cream is like no other mint ice cream you’ve tried in the past, and it is one of our current favorites.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
There aren’t very many ice cream recipes on this website that require cooking the base mixture over the stove, but this one? It is absolutely worth a few minutes of stirring and the lengthy chill time before churning. And when I say it’s worth it? I mean it.
I’d choose this chocolate and peanut butter ice cream combination over anything store-bought!
Just a heads up: As much as I love this ice cream fully loaded with peanut butter cups, I need to caution you that adding too much candy to this ice cream will make it far less creamy and more likely to crumble apart.
It’s absolutely delicious that way too (as evidenced by some of these photos) but it won’t be as pretty or scoopable if it’s fully loaded with chocolate peanut butter chunks.
And for what it’s worth, this ice cream is absolutely lovely without any additional candy mixed in to it.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe
Start by combining all of the ingredients except the peanut butter and the chocolate chips in a large saucepan. Whisk to combine and then heat over medium heat, stirring continually, until it comes to a full boil. (If you are impatient like me, increase the heat, but continue stirring non-stop. Do not step away at this point.)
When the mixture begins to foam, remove it from the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Whisk it together until it is fully incorporated. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to two days.
Process the mixture according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. When the ice cream is almost finished, stir in the chocolate pieces of your choice, if desired. Transfer the finished ice cream to a freezer-safe container.
If you’re looking for an ice cream recipe with even more crunchy candy pieces, Nutty Bars Ice Cream is a rich peanut butter ice cream loaded to the absolute max with chunks of Little Debbie’s classic Nutty Buddy Wafer Bars.
The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!
If you don’t happen to have peanut butter cups in the house, but you do have chocolate and peanut butter, you might want to try your hand at Homemade Reese’s Cups too.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cups heavy cream
- 1 cups whole milk
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 cup peanut butter cups, roughly chopped, or 1 cup miniature peanut butter cups (the very small pb cups that come unwrapped in a bag in the baking aisle work great)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine everything except the peanut butter and the chocolate chips. Whisk to combine and then heat over medium heat, stirring continually, until it comes to a full boil. If you are impatient like me, increase the heat, but continue stirring non-stop. Do not step away at this point.
- When the mixture begins to foam, remove it from the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Whisk it together until it is fully incorporated. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to two days.
- Process according to your machine's instructions. When the ice cream is almost finished, stir in the candy pieces and transfer to a freezer-safe container.
Nutrition
{originally published 7/26/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 2/16/24}
recipe inspired by Jen at My Tiny Oven
Barefeet In The Kitchen says
Lisa – I would try the simple freezer method first. I think it is easier that the ice cream ball. I have no idea how the ziploc method would work for this type of ice cream.
Here is a how-to link on making it without the machine. I've made it this way and it does work. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/07/making-ice-crea-1/
sheila @ Elements says
oh wow!!! I haven't tasted this, but from the pictures and description, I think this is my new favorite ice cream!!! Yummmm!!!
Zoe says
Wow! This ice cream and all your baking recipes are fantastic! I'm happy to follow your blog for more of your delicious cooking ideas!
Tricia @ saving room for dessert says
You know I love that you read my older posts! I always read yours too but never leave comments – guess I'm afraid I'll look dumb showing up so late for the party! Love this recipe and can't wait until next summer to give it a try. I don't know why I have to wait until next summer – but guess we have enough goodies around the house this time of year! Have a great week.
quiltandcafe says
Made this last night and finished it this morning. It's delicious! The chocolate mixture before the peanut butter goes in is awesome by itself. Would make a great hot chocolate. Thanks for sharing!
Janet Ponder says
Does this recipe for a 4 quart ice cream maker?
Thanks!
don't care says
how many servings is it
Mary says
Approximately 5-6 depending on serving size.
Holly says
I made this today and it blew me away! Perfection! Thank you so much for sharing! YUM! Tastes like gourmet ice cream from a local ice cream shop!
Mary says
I’m thrilled that you like it so much, Holly!
Lizane says
Just a note for those who want this right away and don’t want to wait to boil the chocolate then wait for it to cool. My ice cream cookbook has a very similar recipe and because there are no eggs in this recipe, it does NOT need to be boiled. If you ensure that you have whisked all other ingredients well enough (approx 2 min) so that the sugar is not grainy, you can melt the PB in the microwave (or on the stove) before you add it to the chocolate and then you can skip the heating part all together and go straight to the machine…
Mary Younkin says
For what it’s worth, in my experience, that will work, but the final result will be smoother and creamier with the cooked and cooled version. Thanks for the tips, Lizane!
nole says
this was not really great ice cream. I don’t recommend it.
Mary Younkin says
Sorry to hear that you didn’t love it, Nole. I’m happy to help work through any problems, but I’d need a little more information. Did you substitute any ingredients? or adjust any measurements?
Ari says
Hi! I tried to make this recipe but for some reason my ice cream didn’t thicken in my churner. I followed your instructions exactly except that we didn’t have smooth peanut butter so I used crunchy instead. Any idea what might’ve happened?
Mary Younkin says
While I haven’t tried this with crunchy peanut butter myself, I don’t think that would have caused issues with the churning, Ari. What kind of machine were you using? It sounds like it didn’t churn long enough.
Ari says
The Cuisinart Pure Indulgence. I use it quite a lot and this is the first time it didn’t work for me. Could it be because I used natural peanut butter?
Mary Younkin says
Natural peanut butter might have affected the texture. I honestly can’t say, Ari. However, it should have thickened regardless. Is it possible the ice cream bowl wasn’t fully frozen? or that it thawed before finishing churning?
Christopher says
I have the same churner and it has left me with a cold goo instead of Lucious Firm product when I have churned in a hot kitchen or less than fully frozen churner.
Make sure you start with WELL chilled ingredients and that your churner reservoir is rock solid frozen (no noise AT ALL when you shake it).
Nota bene: wrap churner in plastic bag in the freezer when prepping it to avoid freezer burn
Mary Younkin says
You’re correct that with freezer bowl machines, the bowl needs to be frozen solid and the liquid mix needs to be very cold.
Jeanne Turney says
Can you recommend an ice cream maker?
Mary Younkin says
Yes, you can find my favorites here: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/ice-cream-makers/
Mike says
I see that this recipe is basically a copy of a recipe by someone else, from 2011. Anyway, the taste of the chocolate peanut butter base was good, but texture of the final product was not. By cooling the liquid for so long — eight plus hours — it made it too dense, so that it processed too quickly in the ice cream maker. As a result the texture was off. I would try letting the base cool down to room temperature and then put it in the fridge for no more than 1 hour. I see another comment that notes a problem with churning–again, that’s because of the density, no doubt.
Mary Younkin says
Feel free to adapt the recipe however you like, Mike. As clearly noted above, Jen originally posted this recipe and I loved it. I shared it because I just plain loved it several years ago and recently reshared it.
Angela says
This was so easy to “whip up”. I liked the hint about turning up the temp. That was helpful to speed up the process a bit. I will let you know how my turns out. Thanks for the recipe and stay tuned.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you like it, Angela!
Amanda says
Just made this…it’s delicious! No need for the extra Reese’s Cups because it already tastes like one. Next time we will just need to double or triple the recipe for a bigger crowd.
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled that you love the ice cream, Amanda.
Gabby says
Can I use oat milk instead of whole milk?
Thank you!
Mary Younkin says
That should work fine, Gabby. You’ll need the heavy cream though, in order to have a creamy result.
Terece says
Need to double the recipe and chill the base and the freezer bucket overnight
Mary Younkin says
Enjoy the ice cream, Terece!
Andy says
My ice cream maker can only make 1.9L at a time. If i double this recipe will it fit? If so do i need to mix it any longer than usual?
Mary Younkin says
A doubled recipe will not fit in that machine, Andy.
Jen says
Does this recipe fill the ice cream can completely? Or do you need to add additional milk to reach the fill line?
Mary Younkin says
The ice cream mixture will increase in size as it churns and air is mixed into it, Jen. That said, this recipe is written for a 1.5qt machine. If you have a 4qt machine, you could double the recipe if you desire, but definitely do not add additional milk to the mix.
Catherine says
Loving the vanilla ice cream and can’t wait to try this recipe!
I have dark chocolate discs. Can I use that instead of cocoa powder? 1 cup as well?
Mary Younkin says
I’m guessing that will work fine, though I haven’t tried it myself, Catherine.