Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

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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.

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream is a hit!

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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!

homemade chocolate ice cream with peanut butter

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 by Barefeet In The Kitchen

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.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

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.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

4.59 from 17 votes
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.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Chill time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 6 ½ cup servings

Ingredients 

  • 1 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cups whole milk
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 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

Calories: 361kcal · Carbohydrates: 31g · Protein: 9g · Fat: 25g · Saturated Fat: 12g · Cholesterol: 59mg · Sodium: 208mg · Potassium: 292mg · Fiber: 2g · Sugar: 22g · Vitamin A: 649IU · Vitamin C: 1mg · Calcium: 86mg · Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

{originally published 7/26/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 2/16/24}

recipe inspired by Jen at My Tiny Oven

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream is better than store bought!
Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Ice Cream

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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  1. Matt says

    Ours came out basically solid from the fridge to the point we couldn’t even churn it in the ice cream maker! Any suggestions?3 stars

    • Mary Younkin says

      Hi Matt! Just to clarify, it churned normally and then solidified in the freezer? From your comment, it sounds like you might have then tried churning it again? I typically let the ice cream rest at room temperature for a bit before scooping/serving it, if it’s too firm after freezing. How firm it will freeze after it is transferred to a container, often depends on the freezer temperature settings.

  2. Jill says

    Wow!!! Just got an ice cream maker and everything we have tried has been really great. Then we tried this one tonight…. This recipe alone was worth the cost of the machine lol. This my favorite ice cream flavor at the ice cream shops and this recipe exceeded my expectations. Followed it to a T and worked like a charm! Churned to nearly firm in about 12 mins. Thanks for the recipe 🙂5 stars

  3. Stacey Hainsworth says

    Made this for the first time. It’s amazing. Reminds me of Baskin-Robbins Peanut Butter Chocolate ice cream. Which is my favorite flavor. LOVE IT!!! Will definitely make again and again.5 stars

  4. Sharifa Mwinyi says

    I like anything with chocolates, what if I don’t have heavy cream? can I have a nice icecream?

    • Mary Younkin says

      If you have half and half, you can sub the half and half for both the milk and the heavy cream. If you make it only with milk, it won’t be very creamy and will be more crumbly as ice milk.

  5. Jane App says

    This. Is. So. Flipping. Good.

    I did add a splash of vanilla, and used fewer chocolate chips than specified. Also, I’m not sure when the “foaming” stage arrives; I stirred as the mixture bubbled, and it formed a very thick base, that became *very* thick as it chilled. Every other ice cream I’ve made, I’ve been able to pour the base into the churner, but I had to scoop this out. I also had to stop the churner pretty soon after adding the chocolate chips, because the machine started to rebel against the extra effort. However, the texture of the ice cream, once finished, was beautiful.

    Thank you for this delicious recipe; it’s definitely going into the rotation!5 stars

  6. Jen says

    Even the mixture tastes amazing! So excited to let this cool and make the ice cream! Perfect for the 100 temps we’re about to get. ☀️5 stars

  7. J says

    Just made the mixture and it tastes INCREDIBLE. Using Dutch cocoa and letting it bloom when you boil it brings out that richer chocolate flavor. I’m going to add some peanut butter Rice Krispie bites (made w pb, honey, vanilla, and a dash of cinnamon) and marshmallows! Can’t wait!5 stars

  8. Rob Gokey says

    I have not made this recipe yet. The ingredients list specifies peanut butter cups. The instructions refer to chocolate chips and chocolate pieces. Would you please clarify this for me. Thank you.

    • Mary Younkin says

      Hi, Rob! In the recipe card, the recipe calls for either 1 cup of roughly chopped peanut butter cups or 1 cup of chocolate chips. Depending on your preference, you can use either in the recipe. I hope you love the ice cream!

  9. Cleo says

    I really wanted to like this recipe. I like the rich flavor but am having the same issue as Matt. I took the ice cream mix from the fridge to put into my ice cream maker and it was very thick before even churning! I tried to use it anyways but it would not churn in the machine because of how thick it was and just became a solid chunk.2 stars

    • Cleo says

      I followed the recipe exactly. Unless my ice cream machine is just not made for this kind I’m not sure what to do differently. I’m using a Cuisinart ice cream machine

    • Mary Younkin says

      The ice cream maker shouldn’t make a difference with the recipes, Cleo. If the bowl wasn’t completely frozen (assuming your machine has a frozen bowl) then the ice cream won’t churn properly.