This is one of my oldest peanut butter ice cream recipes, and it's still a favorite. It's a peanut butter ice cream recipe with no cream and no eggs. Instead, it calls for three milks -- condensed milk, evaporated milk and regular whole milk. The recipe makes a fairly large batch, so I often halve it and make it when I have a partial can or half can of condensed milk that needs to be used up.
Flavor and Texture
The peanut butter flavor in this ice cream is just right, but as a serious peanut butter lover I increase it by adding 2 tablespoons of peanut butter powder. Back when I first posted this peanut butter powder wasn't nearly as easy to find, but it's fairly common now, and it really adds a blast of peanut butter flavor. Adding cocktail peanuts and swirls of straight peanut butter also helps. In addition to the peanut butter, the vanilla adds flavor. As for texture, condensed milk can make things kind of chalky, but the evaporated milk helps counteract that with slickness so the end result is just creamy (not too chalky, not too slick).
Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker
No-churn ice cream recipes are popular right now, but I prefer recipes that call for an ice cream maker, so this one does require an ice cream maker. Years ago I bought this little Cuisinart and while it's old and kind of beat up, it still churns up fantastic ice cream. Since posting this recipe I've invested in an ice cream maker with a built in compressor which means you don't need to freeze the barrel. The one I know own is the Cuisinart 1 ½ gallon. It used to be called the Ice-100, but it looks like they've changed the name.
Maple Syrup or Agave
Homemade ice cream can get rock hard. Adding things like sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, alcohol and syrups helps mitigate that, though even with those additions homemade ice cream is rarely as soft as store bought. Using maple syrup or agave as a sweetener helps keep this ice cream soft, so I wouldn't advise cutting out the syrup. If you want to take it a step further you can add a little lecithin or xanthan gum, but those things aren't completely necessary. Just let the ice cream stand at room temperature for a few minutes to soften.
Where To Buy Ice Cream Cartons
I've always used plastic containers from the grocery store, but since I started making more ice cream I bought some plain white pint cartons on Amazon. They're nice if you plan on giving gifts of ice cream to people. Another option is to just recycle pint containers of store bought ice cream.
Peanut Butter Ice Cream Ingredient List
- Whole Milk -- I use whole milk, but given the fat from the peanut butter, I don't see why 1 or 2% wouldn't work.
- Evaporated Milk -- Not to be confused with condensed milk, this helps give the ice cream a slick, creamy texture.
- Eagle Brand Condensed Milk -- In the past I made this with fat free condensed milk. It works very well since the peanut butter already contributes a significant amount of fat. But these days I usually make the ice cream with regular condensed milk.
- Peanut Butter -- Unsweetened peanut butter was my go-to for a while, but sweetened is fine if you also add the peanut powder for the extra flavor blast. For the peanut butter that is swirled through, you can continue to use unsweetened peanut butter or sweetened peanut butter. Mix it with a little oil for a drizzling consistency.
- Agave is a great for helping keep ice cream soft. Maple syrup also works and adds a little flavor. I recently tested with Lyle's brand golden syrup and of course it's fine.
- Salt -- Some people find it strange to add salt to ice cream, but it really helps tame the sweetness. The salt from the cocktail peanuts helps too.
If you try the recipe, let me know what you think! It's really easy to make if you have a scale because you can just put the blender container directly on the scale and pour everything in there by weight. It can go directly from the freezer to the ice cream maker!
Recipe
Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Three Milks
Ingredients
- 10 ounces whole milk (280 grams)
- 12 ounces evaporated milk (340 grams)
- 14 ounces fat free or regular condensed milk (400 grams)
- ½ cup unsweetened peanut butter (generous half cup) (140 grams) -- go by weight
- 1 tablespoon syrup of your choice, such as maple, agave, golden or corn syrup (20 grams)
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract maybe a little more
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter powder (optional) and some regular sweetened peanut butter for adding at the end.
Peanut Butter Swirl
- ¼ cup peanut butter, sweetened type
- ½ tablespoon oil, such as peanut butter oil, liquid coconut oil, olive oil works surprisingly well or a neutral oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend.
- Alternatively, you can mix the ingredients in a mixing bowl. If using a mixing bowl, put the condensed milk and peanut butter in first and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually add in the other two milks and the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.
- Make sure your mixture is very cold, then transfer to the prepared ice cream container and process as per manufacturer's directions. Turn off the ice cream and add drizzle peanut butter swirl over it.
Peanut Butter Swirl
- Begin making this shortly before the ice cream is fully churned. Mix together your choice of oil and peanut butter in a very small saucepan or in a microwave-safe bowl.. Warm just enough to soften mixture and bring to a consistency that's somewhat drizzle-able without using too much oil.
- Scrape the ice cream into your preferred container. As you scrape or spoon it into the carton, you can add even more small gobs or lines of softened peanut butter so that the ice cream has swirls of peanut butter.
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