Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Nothing quite says summer like homemade ice cream. Whip up a batch of this creamy Peanut Butter Ice Cream today!
This post may contain paid links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.
We go through a respectable amount of peanut butter in our house. And it’s not in the way you might think. I do love a good peanut butter sandwich. (But no jelly for me. I prefer to eat my peanut butter sandwiches completely unadulterated by jelly.) Nope, we go through peanut butter because we have two dogs. Two dogs who both take pills.
If you’ve ever tried giving a dog a pill, you know exactly what I’m talking about here. You can try to be nice. You can try to trick them. You can even try to be stern. But it just doesn’t work. Been there, done that. We’ve even hidden the pills in cheese cubes. But sometimes they manage to eat the cheese and then spit out the pill. How is that even possible??
Enter peanut butter. It works like a charm, so we keep a little jar of creamy peanut butter right next to their pills. Maximus takes pills to control his itchy skin. It actually got so bad a couple of years back that he had to wear a cone of shame all day. But his vet found a combo of pills that works, and we gladly jumped at the chance to take his cone off. And little Ethel has a minor heart murmur. So she takes pills to control that. Sometimes I swear that we run a doggie pharmacy out of our kitchen. But our dogs are family, so we’ll do anything for them. Even stick our fingers in peanut butter.
So where am I going with this? Well, the other day I made a batch of homemade Peanut Butter Ice Cream. It’s one of Laura’s favorite flavors, and I wanted to surprise her with it when she got home. As I was making this ice cream, I noticed the dogs were right under my feet the whole time. I didn’t think much of it other than having to keep shooing them aside. Then it hit me. I had a jar of peanut butter out, and I wasn’t giving it to them. How rude of me.
If I had to describe this Peanut Butter Ice Cream with one word, it would be ‘creamy.’ I know what you’re probably thinking. It’s ice cream and it’s peanut butter. Of course it’s creamy. But seriously, y’all, this is one awesomely creamy dessert! I put the base in the ice cream maker about 20 minutes before Laura got home from work, so she walked in to a container of soft-serve Peanut Butter Ice Cream. Delicious! We managed to eat just a spoonful each before putting the rest into the freezer to harden up.
For the next couple of nights, we had a small bowl of ice cream after dinner. And yes, I did let the dogs lick the bowl on the last night. I’m bad like that.
Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the Ice Cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 6 large egg yolks
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Peanut Butter Swirl
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
Instructions
- Place the milk and peanut butter in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until mixture just begins to simmer and peanut butter has melted completely.
- While the peanut butter mixture is heating, whisk together the sugar, salt and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Gradually pour the peanut butter mixture into the egg yolks; whisking vigorously the entire time.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens noticeably and coats a wooden spoon. (~4-6 minutes)
- Remove mixture from heat and add the heavy cream; stir until well combined.
- Pour/gently press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the surface of the mixture, and refrigerate overnight.
- Pour the ice cream mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.
- Meanwhile, melt the peanut butter for the swirl in either a small saucepan or the microwave. Set melted peanut butter aside to cool slightly.
- Once churned, transfer ice cream into a freezer-safe container. Drop spoonfuls of melted peanut butter into container and swirl together using a butter knife. Serve immediately (softer ice cream) or transfer into the freezer for a couple of hours (harder ice cream).
Looking for more homemade ice cream recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
No Churn Oreo Ice Cream
French Vanilla Ice Cream
Homemade Peach Ice Cream
Haha, we go through an unrespectable amount of peanut butter in our house – it’s insane.
I maybe need to actually try making something with it, like this. But, I worry that I would eat it all in one sitting.
Haha…that’s why they make those 3-gallon sized containers of peanut butter, right, Dannii? For people like us. And yes, this one takes a lot of will power to not just eat it all in one sitting. Good luck! (If nothing else, just give the rest to Dave so you won’t eat it all…haha!)
I need this ice-cream in my life, David! Wow, this looks delicious! Pinning right away!
We love peanut butter in our home too and that trick giving fur baby pills with peanut butter works like a charm every time. I swear, nothing else works, but peanut butter…always!
And, we always let fur baby lick the bowl after we have ice-cream too 😉 How can you not, right?
Thank you so much, Dawn! This was one delicious ice cream. We managed to spread it out over a few nights, but we could easily have gotten carried away and eaten it all in one sitting! (Oops…) And I think our dogs know when we have ice cream in the bowl because they sit extra close until we’re done. Smart pups! 🙂
I love peanut butter and this ice cream looks incredibly delicious. I am having my breakfast but craving for this one 🙂 Amazing clicks !
Thank you so much, Kushi! Too bad we can’t eat ice cream for breakfast, right? 🙂
David, you don’t know how many times this thought has gone through my head too… “sometimes they manage to eat the cheese and then spit out the pill. How is that even possible??” But you are spot on – PB works like a charm – no need to even crush the pill! Speaking of pills, I’d hide a couple of Lactaid pills in this ice cream and eat till I reached them…ooh, you bet I’d bury them deep as this sounds amazing!
Happy Monday to y’all – hope y’all had a wonderful weekend!
Hahaha…I love the idea of hiding Lactaid pills in here so that you can eat it. Hey, I always say I’m just like my dog. So if he gets peanut butter with his pills, then I should get peanut butter ice cream with my pills, too. 🙂
We did indeed have an awesome weekend…I hope you guys did too! Your NYC trip is getting close now…
Wow this sounds amazing! And I just had ice cream for dinner last night 🙂 This makes me want to have it again for dinner tonight! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I’ve never made homemade ice cream before, but I may just have to start!
Hey, who says you can’t have ice cream 2 nights in a row? It’s the summer, and ice cream is required! 🙂 Oh, and if you’ve never made homemade ice cream, then you absolutely owe it to yourself to try it out. It’s way easier than you might think, too! (It just required advance planning to freeze the bowl.) I know there are a lot of no-churn recipes out there, but I prefer this custard version…and ice cream makers really aren’t that expensive. Well worth the investment I say!
Dude, this is calling my name! While both of our dogs are not peanut butter eaters, it’s weird because as puppies they were, I go through quite a bit in protein shakes. And almond butter. Oliver with work around the cheese and drop the pill out. Kodi hasn’t figured that one out yet. 😉
Question for you on this one. Why the overnight chill and not directly into the ice cream maker? Looks so good Dave, thanks!
Wait…your dogs don’t like peanut butter!? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that. I’m pretty sure Maximus would get his face stuck in the jar if I happened to leave it out by mistake. hah!
So the overnight chill is to make sure the mixture is nice and cold before you pour it into the machine. (You could just chill it for several hours, but I find overnight is just easier.) If the mixture isn’t cold, then tiny ice crystals can develop as it freezes in the machine…and no one wants ice crystals in their ice cream!
Ha! Too bad I don’t still live across the street from you! I would be over for this one!
My dog won’t eat peanut butter, but we found these “pill pockets” that are good and dog-smelly and we put his pills in there and he swallows them up. (Don’t tell Bailey)
Are you sure you guys didn’t have this INSTEAD of dinner? That’s what we would have done. 🙂
Haha! Ok, we’ll keep that secret between us, SueAnn. Bailey doesn’t need to know that there’s something hiding in that pill pocket. 🙂
If I had my way, we would have had this ice cream for dinner…but Laura wouldn’t let me. (I tried!) It’s ok…we got to space this one out for several nights that way. But sadly it’s all gone now…I’m thinking it’s time for another batch!
Now we talk, David. Ice cream. Creamy and dreamy (Well, it’s not lavender ice cream, but how could I anticipate something like that from you, right?) Very well done. P.S. Peanut butter and jelly are great things, but they should go separately. However, I do sprinkle a peanut butter toast with some chocolate once in a while, and this option works for me. P.P.S. I know I will never send me ice cream, but can you at least send the container to lick it?:)
Is there such a thing as lavender ice cream, Ben? I’ve never seen it before. But then again, if it exists anywhere in the world, I’d expect you to know where! 🙂 And yes, peanut butter and jelly are totally meant to be separate! Finally…someone else who understands! So the dogs got the first lick of the empty container. Are you sure you still want me to send it up??
Okay pass me the entire tub! Peanut butter ice cream, this is made for me!! looks delicious! PS: I don’t like jelly in my sandwich either, only PB!
Yes! Another PB-only fan. I get the strangest looks when I tell people that. But that’s ok. I just save my jelly for toast. 🙂 I’ll save you a bowl of this ice cream, Manali. Well, maybe on the next batch since this one is already gone!
The things we do for our dogs! My dog needs shredded cheese on top of his dog food or he just won’t eat it, so we always have an assortment of shredded cheeses in the fridge. This peanut butter ice cream looks so yum! PB is definitely my favorite dessert flavor and I love it in frozen desserts 🙂
Oh, the shredded cheese trick. I know that one quite well, too, Medha. Fortunately our dogs will eat their food without it. But if I treat them with some shredded cheese one night, then they stop and stare at me the next night like “well, where’s my cheese?” Hah! And I’m right there with ya on the peanut butter in frozen summer desserts…yum!
Hi David! Gary is the peanut butter fanatic in our house, if he were to run out I’m sure they would be an emergency run to the store! He likes pb&j, but he also likes toast with peanut butter and bananas or celery with it. I like the flavor of peanut butter, just not the texture (okay, I’m weird). When I told him about this his first comment was “how about adding a little chipotle?”. Yeah, he likes his spices! 🙂
Peanut butter toast with celery? That’s a new one! But I can see how the crunch would be pretty good. I still prefer my peanut butter sandwiches untoasted, but Laura always toasts hers.
Chipotle in peanut butter ice cream? Gary has a fun way of thinking about food! I could see how a tiny little spice kick would be fun in a sweet dessert like this one. Tell Gary I said ‘good thinking’! 🙂
Okay, this totally makes sense now. I was always curious why pins (lol) with dog treats made of peanut butter were crazy and now it ALL MAKES SENSE!
Seeing as I love peanut butter and ice cream, I will willingly transform into a dog for it.
Yes! Dogs love peanut butter. You should try giving some to Panda. (And then give some to Niki, too.) Maybe you were a dog in a previous life. Or wait…maybe Panda is just a reincarnation of you from a previous life. Now if that doesn’t get you thinking, I’m not sure what will! Haha!
My husband always tries to hide the pill in a hunk of cheese….and you’re right, sometimes the pill still doesn’t get eaten. I will let him know about your peanut butter trick! I’ll tell him about this ice cream too! He’d be a huge fan, for sure 🙂
The peanut butter trick is a bit messier (it requires a hand washing), but it totally works! Then he can have an ice cream cone afterwards. Haha! In fact, if your husband needs to take any pills, maybe you can hide ’em in ice cream? 🙂 Thanks, Kathy!
I am ashamed to say I haven’t even made homemade ice cream once this entire summer! Lucky for me I still have plenty of time left to try this one. I would be in serious trouble around this as I’m a peanut butter addict!
Say what!?! Shame. Shame. Shame. (Do you watch Game of Thrones? Hah!) But yes, there are still plenty of warm summer weeks left…and I think an ice cream (or 2 or 3) need to be in your future!
That’s interesting. Straigh-up peanut butter in the swirl. I just assumed it’d be sweetened, but I like the idea of no added sugar. Sounds like some excellent ice cream! But enough of that … you eat peanut butter sandwiches without jelly? Is that legal? Have the proper authorities been notified? Are our children safe? You must mix it with something! Honey? Mayo? Butter? Bananas?
Well, peanut butter already has sugar in it unless you make your own…and I’m not that fancy. But yeah, straight-up peanut butter here. Or since you love jelly so much, try dropping some jelly in there. In the meantime, I’ll go ahead and have myself arrested for not liking PB + jelly. (And to answer your question, just PB. Pure, unadulterated peanut butter between 2 slices of whole wheat bread. Yum!)
OH HELLOOOO hunky creammmmmmm!!
Why hello there, GiGi! 🙂
I’m like a dog in that I can smell PB a mile away, and someone better give it to me. Without the pill. So you can imagine that I wish I could hunt down this ice cream and eat it all. It’s looking so happy!
Haha! Hey, if you take any pills, we can start hiding them in peanut butter ice cream cones. I think that’s a stupendous idea!
I loveeee anything peanut butter! You’re killing me with the dessert recipes lately 🙂 My dog loves peanut butter too, and I also hide pills in PB for her.. It’s kind of gross because I literally stick my fingers in her mouth and shove the pill halfway down her throat, otherwise she’d eat the peanut butter and leave the pill on the floor. Ha. I also give her my empty nut butter jars, so whenever one is opened, she magically appears after being on the other side of the house snoozing. Got to love it!
No way…your pup has figured out how to eat the PB off of a pill!? That was why we switched to PB because ours were eating the cheese around the pill. And I totally hear ya on the dogs showing up magically. Whenever Maximus hears me chopping something, he shows up. (He loves apples, so he always assumes I’m dicing up apples…haha) Thanks, Nicole!
Ha ha! My dog relies on bread for his med needs, but I’m sure he’d be willing to try pb 😉 I’m sure he’d especially like it if I served him an entire cone’s worth of PB ice cream, but I’m saving that for me (unless he pulls a fast one!)
Bread, huh? Interesting! Our dogs love when I bake bread…they literally circle around me like 2 little sharks. But I’ve never thought about using bread for pills. I like it! And maybe you and your pup can share that ice cream cone? Haha! Thanks, Megan…have a great weekend!!
Iam completely drooling over these ice creams. You won’t believe, i popped of my chair to have a close look at these ice cream. Texture of the ice cream is what is making me drool. Yum Yum
Haha! Don’t you wish they made computer monitors where you could just get a little taste of the photo on the screen? 🙂 This ice cream is amazing, Smitha! Thank you so much for commenting, too.