Peanut Butter Lover’s Ice Cream
Now, you know I am one of the world’s biggest peanut butter lovers. I put peanut butter on nearly everything, and make no apologies for it. I’ve loved peanut butter since I was a kid; so much so, that I even had a peanut butter and jelly sleeping bag. Given my affinity for the stuff, it’s hard to believe that I never experienced peanut butter ice cream until I went away to college. The main dining hall at my college had an ice cream freezer where you could scoop your own ice cream on the way out. Once of the ice creams was peanut butter swirl, which was was peanut butter ice cream with an unbelievable peanut butter swirl in the middle. That ice cream played a pivotal role in my packing on the freshman fifteen, but I couldn’t quit it if I tried.
How it has taken me nearly five years of having an ice cream maker to make straight-up peanut butter ice cream is beyond me. The important thing, however, is that I did it and that it is absolutely, positively amazing. If you love peanut butter, this ice cream is for you.
To make this ice cream, I used my favorite vanilla ice cream recipe, omitted the vanilla bean and added peanut butter, then swirled in more melted peanut butter as I transferred the ice cream to its container. Basically, this is a peanut butter lover’s dream. It’s like eating big spoonfuls of smooth, creamy, cold peanut butter. I certainly mean that in the best way possible.
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While I think this is definitely peanut butter ice cream in the purest form possible, you could throw even more layers of flavors in here if you’d like. You could add a fudge swirl, peanut butter cups, or any number of other add-ins. You could also scoop this into a bowl, drizzle on some hot fudge and top with whipped cream. I’ve been eating it by the spoonful from the container. I’m not here to judge how you eat your ice cream.
It may have been a long time coming, but this peanut butter ice cream was absolutely worth the wait.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy peanut butter ice cream?
One year ago: Rainbow Ribbon Jello
Two years ago: Oil and Vinegar Coleslaw
Three years ago: Quiche Lorraine Pizza
Four years ago: Eggplant Lasagna Tart with Parmesan-Basil Crust
Five years ago: Beef Wellington
Peanut Butter Lover's Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the Ice Cream:
- 1 cup (244 ml) whole milk
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (129 g) creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups (476 ml) heavy cream, divided
- Pinch of salt
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Peanut Butter Swirl:
- ½ cup (129 g) creamy peanut butter, melted and cooled slightly
Instructions
- Warm the milk, sugar, peanut butter, 1 cup of the heavy cream and the salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and the peanut butter has melted. Continue cooking until the mixture comes to a slight simmer, bubbling around the edges of the pan.
- Meanwhile, pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and place a fine-mesh sieve on top. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly pour the warmed milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly with a rubber spatula, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spatula, a few minutes. The mixture should register 170 to 175 degrees F on an instant-read digital thermometer.
- Pour the custard through the fine-mesh sieve and stir it into the cream. Stir in the vanilla extract and place the bowl over an ice bath. Stir occasionally, until the mixture is cool. Cover and transfer the custard to the refrigerator until completely chilled, at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. As you remove the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, drop dollops of the melted peanut butter over each layer of ice cream. Once all of the ice cream and peanut butter has been placed in the container, use a butter knife to gently swirl the mixture. Store the ice cream in the freezer.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Oh my goodness! I’m in heaven! I have just started my ice cream maker addiction and when I saw this recipe, I had to try it immediately. The ice cream if finishing in the freezer right now, but I have to admit that there is only half a batch left. I kept “sampling” along the way and then my husband came home as it was churning and insisted he had to try a good portion of it to approve it. :) I use organic, no sugar added peanut butter and it appears that it doesn’t melt. So next time, I will try something different for the swirl, but even with that little hitch, it’s delicious. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Tried this recipe and loved how it came out ! I am not a huge peanut butter fan myself but I absolutely loved this.
I just made this, literally just now. I’m not a PB lover at all, but this is delish. I did do a couple of tweaks, such as using half and half, and crunchy PB in the ice cream, and it tasted so good after only 10 mins churning in the kitchenaid I nearly didn’t add the swirl. Yummy
This was creamy peanut buttery deliciousness! However, I would recommend using a no stir variety of peanut butter. I used a “creamy” natural (stir in the oil at the top of the jar) kind of peanut butter and it had little gritty bits of peanuts throughout. When I strained my mixture the bits clogged up my strainer, so I ended up using a nut milk bag to squeeze everything through. I bought a jar of skippy to make the swirl, because I wanted a smooth final product, and all ended well. :)
Made this ice cream this weekend and it was delicious! My family thought it was the best ice cream I ever made. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Used your recipe but substituted average peanut butter with
Manna Organics Toasted Coconut Cashew Butter.
This is what icecream tastes like in heaven!
I am just seeing this recipe (thanks to Googling “peanut butter ice cream”) even though it is a year later. I am commenting ONLY to tell you that when I was a kid, my dad taught me to put a thin layer of peanut butter on hot dogs. Yes. Peanut butter on hot dogs. Thin layer, slathered right on top of the hot dog, not on the bun. I still have one that way in his honor every now and then. :-)
P.S. The ice cream is perfection!
Hi, I have been looking all over for a peanut butter vanilla image for a project I’m working on and yours is one of the only ones I’ve come across. Would you be ok if I use your image? Please just shoot me an email and let me know :)
Thank you so much!
I just made this ice cream today. With a few alterations. It’s really delicious. I didn’t have enough cream so substituted I cup of cream for 1 cup of milk. However with all those egg yolks the custard was still super thick. It took only a minute to thicken up (usually I am stirring for ages…!). For the peanut swirl I added some chocolate to the melted peanut butter. The chocolate seized when I poured it over the ice cream (which I thought it might) so it’s now more like a choc-chip peanut butter ice cream. Still tases amazing though! My only complaint is that after I poured it out of the ice cream maker it doesn’t look like all that much ice cream. Would definitely recommend doubling the recipe.
Oh. My. Gawd. This was amazing! I’ve never made ice cream using eggs, and wasn’t sure what to expect, but WOW! I didn’t have whole milk on hand, so I used almond milk (don’t judge), and it still was phenomenal. Best ice cream I’ve ever made, and one of the best I’ve ever tasted. Thank you!
I made this last week and double the recipe… Man was it ever good… Will be making this again…
I made this ice cream tonigh and it is AMAZING. Unbelievably creamy. I made a peanut butter caramel instead of just the peanut butter ribbon, but the ice cream stole the show. Absolutely exceeded my expectations.
I just finished making this ice cream, and MAN it is GOOD! I left out the PB swirl since I am not as much of a “peanut butter lover” as some people, but I love plain old PB ice cream and this recipe is fantastic! I even messed up prepping the custard but I don’t think it made any difference!
I made this recipe over the weekend with my daughter. It was absolutely great! I may have cooked the custard for a bit too long, but it still turned out wonderful! I will definitely make this again!
Ben And Jerrys Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Is The Very Best Although Not Cheap Try It If You Haven’t
This came out extremely creamy for me. I’m not sure if I did anything wrong, but it was basically butter.
I’m such a peanut butter fan so I love this recipe! I wanted to let you know that I’ve included this post in my blog’s Weekend Wrap-Up, where I share some of my favorite web finds from the past week. I’ve included the link below in case you’re interested. Thanks for another great recipe; enjoy your weekend!
http://floptimism.blogspot.com/2013/08/weekend-wrap-up-floptimism-rd.html
Never posted here before but…I’m a big BEB fan with a brand new ice cream machine. Just made this and used marshmallow fluff instead of PB for the swirl. Ta da! Fluffernutter ice cream! Soooo delicious!
Love your orange sherbet & vanilla ice cream recipes, too. Must stop….. :D
The Marshmallow fluff took the ice cream and made it super amazing!
I just made this and it is amazing!!! Thank you for the recipe; it is excellent!!
I fell in love with peanut butter ice cream on a cruise a few years ago (it may have earned the spot of BEST ICE CREAM EVER for me!!). Even though I had gotten the Kitchenaid attachment last summer, somehow I haven’t made it… well now the custard is chilling in my fridge and I will have ice cream later today! Thanks for ensuring I get it made ASAP!
This looks A. MA. ZING!
Oh my goodness, I absolutely need to try this. Just the other day, I scooped up some vanilla ice cream and spread some peanut butter on top of it. Must try making actual peanut butter icecream…
This is the third peanut butter ice cream post I’ve read today. I love peanut butter milkshakes, so I can’t wait to try this ice cream. Sounds amazing.
A pint of this and a corny chick flick movie is so what I need right now!
OMG Michelle this looks like the best ice cream ever! It’s so simple and pure pb flavor. I’ve been wanting to try pb ice cream and this is a great way to start!
I love peanut butter ice cream! I remember as a kid that would be the ice cream I would always pick when we were out.
How have I never had peanut butter ice cream!? Thank you for helping me take the first step to rectify this- it looks amaaazing!
I am the same way! I love peanut butter and have been making lots of ice cream, but took a while to finally make it! I just posted mine recently, too. Mine is just with a blender. :)
YUM!! I posted a pb lovers ice cream just yesterday. Great minds :)
The peanut butter swirl looks out-of-this-world good! It reminds me of the pb swirl in one of our favorite store-bought flavors, and that’s a very good thing indeed!
Darn! I could really go for some of this right now! Looks totally worth the overnight wait though :)