This homemade peanut butter ice cream is such a treat! The recipe yields ultra-creamy peanut butter ice cream with irresistible honey notes. I love peanut butter and honey on toast, and it’s even better in ice cream. It’s a match made in heaven.
This ice cream recipe is a little unconventional, but hear me out. I love making my ice cream with coconut milk simply because it’s easier to make than custard-based ice creams. It tastes just as good to me!
With coconut milk ice creams, you don’t have to fuss with eggs. To summarize, this recipe is dairy free, so it’s suitable for lactose-intolerant ice cream lovers, and it’s egg free, too.
The recipe is entirely sweetened with honey. Honey is the perfect sweetener for coconut milk-based ice creams. Since it never fully freezes, the ice cream stays soft enough to scoop straight from the freezer. So, it offers a more traditional ice cream texture on first bite. Now you know!
Peanut Butter Ice Cream Tips
Based on my recipe testing, I recommend using two cans of full-fat coconut milk, rather than one can of full-fat and one light. The first time I made this ice cream, I opted for the latter, thinking that I would even out the amount of fat when I mixed in the peanut butter. The resulting ice cream was creamy and scoopable, but only after it rested on the counter for five minutes. My second ice cream was scoopable straight from the freezer and noticeably richer to me. Regardless of which you choose, this is not a low-fat ice cream.
Add arrowroot or cornstarch for the best texture. I’ve found that it significantly improves the texture of coconut milk-based ice creams by reducing the iciness, which makes it creamier. Arrowroot is a natural starch that is easy to digest. It’s used often in gluten-free baking. It can be used as a thickener, like cornstarch.
You can often substitute arrowroot for cornstarch in other recipes, too, but beware that it can make dairy-based substances sort of slimy. You can find arrowroot starch in the bakery aisle at health food stores or well-stocked grocery stores.
Peanut Butter Honey Ice Cream
Creamy, dairy-free peanut butter and honey ice cream made with coconut milk instead of cow’s milk. This ice cream is rich, delicious and easy to make! Remember to put the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer at least one day in advance. The recipe yields a little less than 1.5 quarts of ice cream.
- In a Dutch oven or a big, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the coconut milk (don’t worry if the coconut solids have separated from the liquid), honey, peanut butter, vanilla and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking often to prevent scorching.
- By now, the mixture should be well blended, but if not, whisk vigorously until it is. If you are NOT using arrowroot starch, remove the pot from heat. If you ARE using arrowroot starch, transfer a few tablespoons of the ice cream mixture to a small bowl. Add the arrowroot starch to the bowl and whisk to get out all of the lumps. Pour the mixture into the pot and gently simmer for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove the pot from heat.
- Transfer the mixture to a heat-safe mixing bowl to aid the cooling process. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then place the bowl in the refrigerator until the mixture is completely and thoroughly chilled. If your future ice cream container is made of glass or metal, place it in the freezer to chill.
- If you used arrowroot starch, scoop off the thickened top layer with a spoon (if there is one) and discard it. Whisk together the chilled mixture one last time, then pour it into your ice cream maker. Freeze according to your manufacturer’s instructions, then transfer it to your chilled container and freeze for several hours in the freezer.
- If you used 1 can light coconut milk, you might need to let the ice cream rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my chai coconut ice cream and honey-sweetened, spiced coconut milk ice cream.
*Salt note: If your peanut butter already contains salt, reduce the amount of salt shown used (just add salt to taste).
Make it vegan: You can substitute maple syrup or agave nectar for the honey, but the ice cream will freeze harder. You might have better luck with granulated brown sugar. You may need to adjust the amount of sweetener to taste—add sweetener until the ice cream mixture tastes a tad too sweet (it tastes less sweet once frozen).
Serving suggestions: This ice cream would be awesome with crumbled graham crackers or magic shell on top.
Storage suggestions: This ice cream keeps well in the freezer for a couple of weeks, stored in an air-tight, freezer-safe container.
Change it up: Add finely chopped chocolate near the end of the churning process.
A note on ice cream makers: I love-love-love my 2-quart Cuisinart. If you don’t have an ice cream maker and don’t want to buy one, here are a couple of methods that might work for this ice cream (I haven’t tried them): how to make ice cream with a food processor (tips from Jeni Britton) and how to make ice cream without a machine (by David Lebovitz).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
