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Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Peanut butter ice cream made with a custard base that’s cooked to 175F, strained smooth, then churned for a dense, creamy scoop. You’ll get a pale golden-tan color and rich roasted peanut flavor in an easy homemade churned texture.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 485
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Peanut butter ice cream base
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 0.75 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan
  • 1 fine mesh sieve
  • 1 ice bath

Method
 

Make the peanut butter custard
  1. Heat heavy cream and whole milk in a saucepan until steaming, not boiling, about 5 minutes. Keep the surface gently steaming so the dairy won’t scorch.
  2. Whisk granulated sugar with egg yolks in a bowl until smooth. Pour the hot dairy in a thin stream while whisking to temper the yolks.
  3. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175F, about 5 minutes. The custard should coat the back of a spoon when it’s ready.
  4. Remove from the heat and whisk in creamy peanut butter until completely smooth. Whisk until no pale streaks remain, and the mixture looks glossy.
  5. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. This removes any cooked egg bits for a silky texture.
  6. Add vanilla extract and salt, then cool the custard over an ice bath for about 10 minutes. The surface should feel cool to the touch before chilling.
Chill, churn, and freeze
  1. Refrigerate the custard at least 4 hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled. Cover to prevent a skin from forming.
  2. Churn in an ice cream maker according to its instructions until thick and scoopable. Stop when the texture looks like soft-serve.
  3. Transfer the churned ice cream to a container and freeze until firm. Freeze until it holds a shape during scooping, about 2 to 4 hours.

Notes

For the smoothest peanut butter custard, keep the heat at medium-low and stir continuously until it reaches 175F—don’t rush or it may curdle. Chill at least 4 hours (overnight is best) for clean churn results; store covered in the freezer up to 2 weeks. Freezing yes—texture may soften slightly after a second freeze. If you want a dairy swap, use lactose-free whole milk and cream measured the same way, but expect a slightly less rich flavor.