Dairy Free Peanut Butter Ice Cream
This homemade dairy free peanut butter ice cream is the ultimate sweet treat! Creamy, luscious and easy to make, it’s filled with just the right amount of peanut butter goodness. And with a coconut milk plus oat milk base, it’s downright impossible to resist. Egg free, gluten free and vegetarian.
Calling all ice cream lovers!
Grab your spoons because today we talk about this dreamy dairy free peanut butter ice cream.
Now, are there plenty of awesome dairy free ice creams available at the store? Yes. But sometimes it’s just plain ol’ fun to make a pint yourself.
And this homemade version? It’s downright impossible to resist.
With a creamy texture, plenty of peanut butter goodness and just the right amount of sweetness, it makes for the perfect treat.
Especially when topped off with a little bit of chocolate. Total match made in dessert heaven.
How To Make
So, let’s talk about how this simple treat goes down:
Prepare base. First up, we’ll warm some coconut milk, sweetener and peanut butter in a saucepan until smooth, before whisking in a bit of oat milk and vanilla.
Chill for several hours. Next, we’ll pop the mixture in the refrigerator until well chilled, about 4 to 6 hours.
Churn in an ice cream maker. We’ll pour the chilled base into an ice cream maker and churn until the consistency of soft serve.
Freeze until firm. Finally, we’ll pop the ice cream in a container and stick in the freezer for about 2 to 3 hours, until hardened to the consistency of regular ice cream.
And then, we dive in.
Optional Add-Ins
While this ice cream is absolutely delicious just as is, it’s also fantastic with add-ins folded into the base.
Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
- chopped peanut butter cups
- crushed / chopped chocolate sandwich cookies
- chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- sprinkles
- cookie dough bites
Note: Please make sure that your add-ins are dairy free.
Tips & Tricks
- First things first. The full-fat coconut milk is non negotiable. Please do not try to use light canned coconut milk – you really need the extra fat.
- Now, as far as the oat milk, I personally like to use either Chobani Plain oat milk or Oatly Original oat milk (<— not sponsored, just what I prefer!). With that said, other oat milk brands will totally work as long as you do NOT use anything that’s low fat or light. Because again, we want the extra fat.
- Moving along, while I typically use natural peanut butter (i.e. the kind that’s only peanuts + salt), I’ve found that regular commercial peanut butter (that’s no stir and has added oils) works much better in this ice cream and results in a superior finished product. So I’d encourage you to do the same.
- I haven’t tested it myself, but I think pure maple syrup would work in place of the honey if you wanted to keep this vegan.
- And finally, the optional vodka. Because homemade ice cream doesn’t contain any preservatives or fillers, it freezes harder than store-bought versions. Vodka doesn’t freeze, so adding a touch to the ice cream helps make it more scoop-able and softer in texture. It’s not necessary but I’ve found it does help.
How To Store
Freezer: Store the ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. With that said, it is 100% best enjoyed within the first 24 to 48 hours after churning – it will be creamiest during this time. The longer it sits, the icier it will get.
Personally, we love to enjoy this ice cream about 2 to 3 hours after churning – giving it just enough time in the freezer to harden to the consistency of regular ice cream … and yet still perfectly soft and creamy in texture. It will also scoop super easily.
If you go longer, you can let the ice cream sit on the counter for about 10 to 20 minutes to soften before scooping.
Additional Dairy Free Dessert Recipes:
- Dairy Free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Dairy Free Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
- Dairy Free Peppermint Ice Cream
- Watermelon Coconut Milkshake
- Mango Coconut Ice Pops
- Coconut Mojito Ice Pops
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.
Dairy Free Peanut Butter Ice Cream
This homemade dairy free peanut butter ice cream is the ultimate sweet treat! Creamy, luscious and easy to make, it’s filled with just the right amount of peanut butter goodness. And with a coconut milk plus oat milk base, it’s downright impossible to resist.
Ingredients
- 1 (14 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
- ⅓ cup pure cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
- ¼ cup light honey
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ¼ cups oat milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons vodka, optional*
Instructions
- To a small saucepan, add the coconut milk, sugar, honey, peanut butter and salt. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until smooth and the sugar, honey and peanut butter have dissolved into the mixture.
- Let the mixture just barely start to simmer around the edges, then immediately remove from the heat. Stir in the oat milk and vanilla extract.
- Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until the mixture is well chilled, at least several hours (I usually do about 4 to 6).
- Whisk in the vodka, then freeze the chilled mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions, until it is the consistency of soft serve. If using, gently fold in any optional add-ins (see the post above for ideas).
- Transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe container, then pop in the freezer for several hours, until hardened to the consistency of regular ice cream. Enjoy! {See the "how to store" section in the post above for important information on storing.}
Notes
Depending on your ice cream maker, don’t forget to place your churning bowl in the freezer for at least 24 hours before using so that it is properly chilled.
*While the vodka is optional, it helps make the ice cream more scoop-able in texture (for more info see the "tips & tricks" section in the post above). After churning, you won’t taste it at all. Also, while I’ve never had issues with vodka containing dairy, please check with the manufacturer if you’re concerned.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 214Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 123mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 21gProtein: 3g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
Could I sub date syrup and coconut sugar?
Hey LJ – I think that should work just fine. Hope you enjoy!
I made this today and it was incredible! I added some chopped peanut butter cups at the end and it was a great addition. Will definitely make this again!
So happy to hear this Casey! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know 🙂
my husband and I rave about this Ice cream!! it is better than store bought DF ice cream. we can’t get enough of it! My only question is, how do you turn it into plain vanilla?
This made my day! I’ve actually been thinking about this … two options to consider. One – try using cashew butter instead of the peanut butter and upping the vanilla to taste. Cashew butter is way more neutral in flavor so I think it could work well. And two – try using mashed ripe avocado in place of the peanut butter and again upping the vanilla to taste (it sounds a bit weird but it will add the same extra fat and you won’t taste it (although it will add a hint of green color!). I use avocado as the base in my dairy free mint chocolate chip ice cream and it works super well there!). Please let me know if you try either – I haven’t done it yet but was planning to this summer 🙂
I loveeee peanut butter ice cream! This looks so good, & I love that vodka trick… never heard of that! I really need to get myself a dang ice cream maker.
Yes! You totally need to try it! 🙂
this looks delicious!! do you have a recommendation for an ice cream maker?
Thanks Natalie! I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker – it’s about 7 years old at this point and isn’t fancy but gets the job done 🙂 This looks exactly like the one I have (I assume it’s just the updated model!)
https://www.cuisinart.com/shopping/appliances/ice-cream-and-yogurt-makers/ice-21p1/
That looks seriously creamy!
Thanks Angie!