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Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Chocolate peanut butter ice cream made with a cooked custard base and a thick peanut-butter ribbon swirl. Deep, dark chocolate and rich peanut butter create dramatic ribbons in every scoop, then it’s churned and frozen until firm.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate 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 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Make the chocolate base
  1. Whisk the cocoa powder into the heavy cream and whole milk until smooth, then heat in a saucepan until steaming (about 5–7 minutes).
  2. Add the chopped dark chocolate and whisk until fully melted and glossy, with no lumps (about 2 minutes).
  3. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar until pale and slightly thickened (about 2 minutes).
  4. Slowly whisk the hot chocolate cream into the egg yolks in a thin stream to temper, keeping the mixture smooth.
  5. Return everything to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175F (about 8–10 minutes).
  6. Strain the custard, then whisk in the vanilla extract and salt; discard any solids.
  7. Cool the mixture completely to room temperature before chilling.
Chill and churn
  1. Refrigerate the custard for at least 4 hours, until very cold through (or overnight for best texture).
  2. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until thick and scoopable.
Swirl and freeze
  1. Layer the churned ice cream into a container, drizzling the warmed peanut butter between each layer.
  2. Swirl the peanut butter through the ice cream with a knife to create thick ribbons throughout.
  3. Freeze for at least 2 hours, until firm enough to scoop cleanly.

Notes

For the smoothest custard, keep the temperature at a steady simmer and stir constantly while it thickens to 175F—don’t rush or let it boil hard. Chill time of at least 4 hours is important for proper churning; store covered in the freezer up to 2 weeks. Freezing: yes, once assembled it freezes well. Dietary swap: use a dairy-free cream/milk blend and substitute dairy-free dark chocolate for a non-dairy version (texture may be slightly softer).