5-Ingredient No-Churn Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream made without an ice cream maker! This simple ice cream recipe requires zero fancy equipment, no tempering of egg yolks, and no ice cream making experience. Whip it up to wow your friends and family! I have included a dairy-free option in this recipe as well!
Peanut butter and chocolate lovers, this insanely rich and decadent luscious ice cream recipe is here to make you swoon!
Remarkably soft and incredibly easy to make, you’d never in a million years guess this ice cream was homemade, and made without an ice cream maker no less!
Rich and creamy chocolate ice cream with peanut butter both blended in and swirls of peanut butter throughout, this homemade chocolate ice cream recipe is designed for chocolate lovers and peanut butter lovers alike!
It turns out even better than store-bought ice cream and the best part is it requires very little effort and no fancy maneuvers like tempering eggs.
Just like my 3-Ingredient No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream and my 4-Ingredient No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream recipes, this easy recipe is made with very basic ingredients.
For those of you who are dairy-free, no sweat! With a few simple substitutions, this homemade ice cream recipe can be converted into a dairy-free no-churn ice cream recipe. Details below!
Recipe Highlights:
The reasons I find this easy ice cream recipe so attractive is how quick and simple it is to make and the fact that you don’t need special kitchen tools to make it.
- No ice cream maker.
- Egg-free (no tempering egg yolks, yippy!)
- No high fructose corn syrup.
- Only 5 basic ingredients.
- No ice cream making experience needed!
- Fun project for kids.
- An amazing summer frozen dessert!
- No emulsifiers like guar gum, xanthan gum, or soy lecithin.
At a minimum, all you need to make this easy no-churn chocolate peanut butter ice cream recipe is cacao powder, heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter, and chocolate chips. You can throw in a splash of vanilla extract and sea salt to really level up the flavors, but they aren’t mandatory.
Let’s discuss the ingredients in detail, as each one serves an important purpose.
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream:
Cacao Powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder) & Chocolate Chips: The chocolate flavor portion of this recipe comes from raw cacao powder and semisweet chocolate chips.
The cacao powder and chocolate chips get melted together with some heavy cream to create a thick ganache.
This is then added to a blender with the rest of the ingredients and blended to make the ice cream base. So easy!
The end result is an incredible rich chocolate flavor that will easily become your favorite ice cream!
You can easily use unsweetened cocoa powder in place of raw cacao powder if you prefer. I simply like cacao powder because I find it has a creamier, less bitter flavor.
Heavy Cream & Sweetened Condensed Milk: The ice cream base is made using a combination of heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk. Together, these two ingredients create a lusciously creamy and rich ice cream that is remarkably soft.
The high fat content is what gives us the incredible texture and flavor and also allows us to make the ice cream without an ice cream maker.
Be sure to use a sweetened condensed milk that only contains milk and sugar on the ingredients list for the best results. There are many brands of sweetened condensed milk available, some of which have additives that give it a strange consistency when frozen.
While you can use whole milk nonfat milk or skim milk for part of the milk mixture instead of cream, I recommend sticking with the higher fat version for the best ice cream.
Creamy Peanut Butter: The peanut butter portion of this recipe is regular ol’ creamy peanut butter. You can use chunky if you prefer, and you can also go with natural peanut butter. Any of your favorite peanut butters will work! You need a cup of peanut butter, so be sure to pick one you adore!
Vanilla Extract: While not mandatory, pure vanilla extract brings an added warmth to the ice cream that helps round out the flavor profile. If you don’t have any on hand, you can just as easily skip it and the ice cream will still taste great.
Sea Salt: A sprinkle of sea salt brings out all of the delicious flavors and enhances the whole experience!
If you have it on hand, add 1 tablespoon of instant espresso powder for depth of flavor, but no need to pick some up if you don’t already have it.
Can I Make Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream?:
You can easily make dairy-free peanut butter chocolate ice cream by replacing the heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk and the sweetened condensed milk with sweetened condensed coconut milk. Also be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips or chocolate chunks. Simply follow all the same instructions using these replacements.
The texture won’t turn out quite as soft, but it will still be absolutely delicious. This method is a marvelous dairy-free ice cream recipe for those with lactose intolerance. If need be, use pure maple syrup to your personal taste to make the ice cream your desired level of sweetness.
If you’re trying to keep your treat intake on the more health-conscious end of the dessert spectrum, make my Banana Nice Cream which is so deliciously creamy yet made only with ripe bananas!
Sugar-Free Ice Cream:
For those who follow a low-carb or ketogenic diet, make my Keto Coffee Ice Cream or my Keto Vanilla Ice Cream.
Let’s make this delicious no-churn ice cream recipe!
How to Make No-Churn Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream:
Add the cacao powder (or cocoa powder) to a small saucepan with 4 tablespoons of water. Heat over medium-low heat and stir continuously, until thick, creamy, and combined.
Add ½ cup of the heavy whipping cream to the saucepan and mix until well-combined. Pour in the chocolate chips and continue stirring constantly until a thick chocolate ganache forms and everything is well-combined. Incorporate ½ cup of the peanut butter.
Pour the rest of the heavy whipping cream (about 1 ½ cups), the sweetened condensed milk, and the chocolate mixture in a high-powered blender. Blend on a low speed just until everything is creamy and combined.
Avoid over-mixing to ensure small ice crystals don’t form during the freezing process. If you don’t own a blender, you can perform this step using an electric hand mixer and a large bowl.
Dollop half of the remaining peanut butter on the bottom of a 9” x 5” loaf pan (or freezer-safe container), creating little peanut butter lumps.
Pour the chocolate peanut butter ice cream base into the loaf pan, then dollop the remaining peanut butter on top. If you’d like, you can swirl the peanut butter, creating a peanut butter swirl.
Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours, or until the ice cream has completely set up.
Note: if you own an ice cream maker, you can churn the peanut butter chocolate ice cream base in your ice cream maker. Make sure to follow the manufacture instructions of your ice cream maker (which typically involves freezing the ice cream bowl for at least 24 hours ahead of time).
When you’re ready to serve the ice cream, bring it out of the freezer and thaw it on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping and serving.
Optional Additions:
If you love cookie dough ice cream, you can take this treat up a notch by making my Paleo Chocolate Chip Edible Cookie Dough and adding it to the ice cream.
Want to step up the chocolate decadence even further? Swirl in a batch of Chocolate Ganache.
Add store-bought mini peanut butter cups or chop up and add Homemade Peanut Butter Cups for even more peanut butter chunks of bliss!
If you’re looking for more delicious no-bake dessert recipes, also try these out:
More Frozen Desserts:
- Banana Chickpea Ice Cream
- Paleo Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Vegan Key Lime Popsicles
- Almond Joy Popsicles
- Strawberry Coconut Milk Popsicles
Enjoy this incredible marriage of chocolate and peanut butter!
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp raw cacao powder*
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
- 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract, optional
- ¼ tsp sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add the cacao powder to a small saucepan with 4 tablespoons of water. Heat over medium-low heat and stir continuously, until thick, creamy, and combined.
- Add ½ cup of the heavy whipping cream to the saucepan and mix until well-combined.
- Pour in the chocolate chips and continue stirring constantly until a thick chocolate ganache forms and everything is well-combined.
- Stir in ½ cup of the peanut butter.
- Pour the rest of the heavy whipping cream (about 1 ½ cups), the sweetened condensed milk, and the chocolate mixture in a high-powered blender. Blend on a low speed just until everything is creamy and combined. Avoid over-mixing to ensure small ice crystals don’t form during the freezing process. If you don't own a blender, you can perform this step using an electric hand mixer and a large bowl.
- Dollop half of the remaining peanut butter on the bottom of a 9” x 5” loaf pan (or freezer-safe container), creating little peanut butter lumps.
- Pour the chocolate peanut butter ice cream base into the loaf pan, then dollop the remaining peanut butter on top. If you'd like, you can swirl the peanut butter, creating a peanut butter swirl.
- Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours, or until the ice cream has completely set up.
- Note: if you own an ice cream maker, you can churn the peanut butter chocolate ice cream base in your ice cream maker. Make sure to follow the manufacture instructions of your ice cream maker (which typically involves freezing the ice cream bowl for at least 24 hours ahead of time).
- When you’re ready to serve the ice cream, bring it out of the freezer and thaw it on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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