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Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Chocolate peanut butter ice cream made with a cooked chocolate custard, then churned for a dense, scoopable texture and finished with thick peanut butter ribbons. Dark, bittersweet chocolate and creamy peanut butter swirl through every scoop for a classic homemade frozen treat.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 minutes
Total Time 39 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate peanut butter ice cream base
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 4 oz dark chocolate chopped
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Peanut butter swirl
  • 0.75 cup creamy peanut butter warmed until pourable

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the chocolate custard
  1. Whisk cocoa into heavy cream and whole milk in a Dutch oven, then heat until steaming and ribbons of steam are visible. Add chopped dark chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth, with no cocoa clumps.
  2. Whisk egg yolks and granulated sugar until pale and slightly thickened. Slowly whisk in the hot chocolate cream so the mixture stays glossy and smooth.
  3. Return the mixture to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring, until it reaches 175F and coats the back of a spoon. Strain the custard, then whisk in vanilla extract and salt; cool completely until it is no longer warm.
Churn and swirl
  1. Refrigerate the custard at least 4 hours, until cold throughout, with a visible set at the surface if it thickens slightly. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn until thick and scoopable.
  2. Layer churned ice cream into a container and drizzle warm creamy peanut butter between each layer. Swirl with a knife for distinct peanut butter ribbons running through the dark base.
  3. Freeze the layered ice cream at least 2 hours until firm. Stop when the surface looks matte and the ice cream holds shape when scooped.

Notes

For the thickest swirl, warm the creamy peanut butter just until pourable and drizzle quickly while the ice cream is soft from churning. Store covered in the freezer up to 1 month; thaw in the refrigerator 10–15 minutes for easier scooping. No, it’s not freezer-free friendly for best texture. For a dairy-light swap, replace whole milk with 2% milk and heavy cream with half-and-half, noting the churn may be slightly softer.