Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

A rich and creamy vegan chocolate peanut butter ice cream made with coconut sugar and swirls of peanut butter. A coconut milk base keeps this decadent ice cream dairy-free.

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

Homemade ice cream is something I don't make often, but I really should! (I used to do a lot of DIY frozen Greek yogurt, and that's a stellar method if you are interested) It doesn't take too long to prep and once the base is chilled the ice cream maker does most of the work. It always feels somewhat magical to take a few ingredients and turn them into a sumptuous dessert.

This vegan peanut butter chocolate ice cream is silky, rich, and oh-so-flavorful. I kept it refined sugar-free too, although you don't have to do so. But I love the subtle sweetness of the coconut sugar and maple syrup. And don't be afraid of the coconut milk - this is not necessarily a "coconut" dessert. Two kinds of chocolate - unsweetened cocoa powder plus semisweet chips - take center stage. And course, the peanut butter swirl takes it over the top. This may be my favorite flavor combo of all time.

Why You'll Love It

I love ice cream but sometimes store-bought is so sweet and so ... full of dairy. So I like to have a few back-pocket homemade ice cream recipes that I can adjust to my particular taste. This is why I love this recipe:

• Not too sweet. Yep, this is a big point in its favor. Coconut sugar has a subtle sweetness that pairs perfectly with chocolate.
• So creamy and rich. The coconut milk in this recipe makes the ice cream ultra-rich and dairy-free. You use another non-dairy milk but I think coconut milk and chocolate go so well together.
• Chocolate + peanut butter! I will always love this combination. There's little better.

What You'll Need

Here's a quick look at what you'll need to make this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post of the full ingredient amounts.

• Coconut Milk: Use full-fat coconut milk.
• Coconut Sugar: You can substitute brown sugar.
• Cocoa Powder: Choose unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Semisweet Chocolate
• Peanut Butter: I use the freshly-ground peanut butter I get at my grocery store, but any natural peanut butter will work. Unsweetened is best!
• Maple Syrup

How to Make Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

It's so easy to make this recipe! Follow this method for the best results.

• Whisk the coconut milk with the sugar. In a medium, heavy saucepan, whisk together the coconut milk, coconut sugar, and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat. Stir in the chopped semisweet chocolate and the vanilla, let sit for a minute, and then whisk very well to melt the chocolate.
• Chill mixture. Place mixture in the refrigerator until very cold, preferably over night.
• Add the peanut butter. When ready to make the ice cream, remove the base from the fridge. In a small bowl, whisk the maple syrup into the peanut butter. Place the base in an ice cream maker and make it according to your ice cream maker's instructions. Drizzle in the peanut butter mixture.
• Freeze. Place ice cream in the freezer and freeze until firm. 

Best Tips for Success

• Chill the base as long as possible. If you don't have a lot of time, you can get by with chilling the chocolate ice cream base for a few hours. But I think it freezes so much better if it's been thoroughly chilled. I try to plan ahead and store it in the fridge overnight so it gets really cold before freezing it.
• Sub fruit jam for the peanut butter. This recipe would taste so good with raspberry jam! You could try any jam you like, just substitute it for the peanut butter in equal amounts and leave out the maple syrup.
• Adjust the sugar to taste. I prefer a less-sweet ice cream because the semisweet chocolate brings its own hit of sweetness. But you can add more coconut or brown sugar if you like a sweeter ice cream.
• Add chocolate chips. Need I say more? Yes, this would be delicious!

How to Store

Store ice cream in the freezer in an airtight/freezer-safe container for 1 month.