Peanut Butter and Honey Ice Cream
Creamy, dairy-free peanut butter and honey ice cream made with coconut milk instead of cow's milk. This ice cream is rich, delicious and easy to make!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 8, 2024
This homemade peanut butter ice cream is such a treat! The recipe yields ultra-creamy peanut butter ice cream with irresistible honey notes. I love peanut butter and honey on toast, and it’s even better in ice cream. It’s a match made in heaven.
This ice cream recipe is a little unconventional, but hear me out. I love making my ice cream with coconut milk simply because it’s easier to make than custard-based ice creams. It tastes just as good to me!
With coconut milk ice creams, you don’t have to fuss with eggs. To summarize, this recipe is dairy free, so it’s suitable for lactose-intolerant ice cream lovers, and it’s egg free, too.
The recipe is entirely sweetened with honey. Honey is the perfect sweetener for coconut milk-based ice creams. Since it never fully freezes, the ice cream stays soft enough to scoop straight from the freezer. So, it offers a more traditional ice cream texture on first bite. Now you know!
Peanut Butter Ice Cream Tips
Based on my recipe testing, I recommend using two cans of full-fat coconut milk, rather than one can of full-fat and one light. The first time I made this ice cream, I opted for the latter, thinking that I would even out the amount of fat when I mixed in the peanut butter. The resulting ice cream was creamy and scoopable, but only after it rested on the counter for five minutes. My second ice cream was scoopable straight from the freezer and noticeably richer to me. Regardless of which you choose, this is not a low-fat ice cream.
Add arrowroot or cornstarch for the best texture. I’ve found that it significantly improves the texture of coconut milk-based ice creams by reducing the iciness, which makes it creamier. Arrowroot is a natural starch that is easy to digest. It’s used often in gluten-free baking. It can be used as a thickener, like cornstarch.
You can often substitute arrowroot for cornstarch in other recipes, too, but beware that it can make dairy-based substances sort of slimy. You can find arrowroot starch in the bakery aisle at health food stores or well-stocked grocery stores.
Peanut Butter Honey Ice Cream
Creamy, dairy-free peanut butter and honey ice cream made with coconut milk instead of cow’s milk. This ice cream is rich, delicious and easy to make! Remember to put the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer at least one day in advance. The recipe yields a little less than 1.5 quarts of ice cream.
Ingredients
- 2 cans coconut milk (28 ounces total), either 2 cans full-fat or 1 can full-fat and 1 can light
- ¾ cup honey
- ½ cup creamy, natural, unsalted* peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine salt*
- 1 ½ teaspoons arrowroot starch (optional), whisked with a few tablespoons of the coconut milk mixture
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or a big, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the coconut milk (don’t worry if the coconut solids have separated from the liquid), honey, peanut butter, vanilla and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking often to prevent scorching.
- By now, the mixture should be well blended, but if not, whisk vigorously until it is. If you are NOT using arrowroot starch, remove the pot from heat. If you ARE using arrowroot starch, transfer a few tablespoons of the ice cream mixture to a small bowl. Add the arrowroot starch to the bowl and whisk to get out all of the lumps. Pour the mixture into the pot and gently simmer for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove the pot from heat.
- Transfer the mixture to a heat-safe mixing bowl to aid the cooling process. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then place the bowl in the refrigerator until the mixture is completely and thoroughly chilled. If your future ice cream container is made of glass or metal, place it in the freezer to chill.
- If you used arrowroot starch, scoop off the thickened top layer with a spoon (if there is one) and discard it. Whisk together the chilled mixture one last time, then pour it into your ice cream maker. Freeze according to your manufacturer’s instructions, then transfer it to your chilled container and freeze for several hours in the freezer.
- If you used 1 can light coconut milk, you might need to let the ice cream rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my chai coconut ice cream and honey-sweetened, spiced coconut milk ice cream.
*Salt note: If your peanut butter already contains salt, reduce the amount of salt shown used (just add salt to taste).
Make it vegan: You can substitute maple syrup or agave nectar for the honey, but the ice cream will freeze harder. You might have better luck with granulated brown sugar. You may need to adjust the amount of sweetener to taste—add sweetener until the ice cream mixture tastes a tad too sweet (it tastes less sweet once frozen).
Serving suggestions: This ice cream would be awesome with crumbled graham crackers or magic shell on top.
Storage suggestions: This ice cream keeps well in the freezer for a couple of weeks, stored in an air-tight, freezer-safe container.
Change it up: Add finely chopped chocolate near the end of the churning process.
A note on ice cream makers: I love-love-love my 2-quart Cuisinart. If you don’t have an ice cream maker and don’t want to buy one, here are a couple of methods that might work for this ice cream (I haven’t tried them): how to make ice cream with a food processor (tips from Jeni Britton) and how to make ice cream without a machine (by David Lebovitz).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
May be a bit late in posting but just discovered your blog!
My mummzy just bought an ice cream maker and now me and my sister bug her all the time to make this! :D
Only thing that worries me is it will make me fat but I can’t stay out of it! Soooooooo good!
Hey Hailey, glad you found my blog! If it’s any consolation, our bodies tend to burn off coconut fat immediately rather than storing it for later. :)
Have you tried giving this to your dog? Ive been looking for a dog friendly recipe to try in my ice cream maker :)
Ha, she may have licked a bowl clean. This ice cream is high in fat and sugar, so keep that in mind!
Quick question: Is it 2 x 28 oz cans or 28 oz total of coconut milk?
Thanks!
Hi MB! It’s 28 ounces total. Sorry for the confusion; I just corrected the recipe to make it more clear.
Thank you for clarifying!
I made it last weekend :)
great texture and flavor.
i used agave for a vegan version and increased the amount of peanut butter.
Really good.
thank you for recipe
Thank you, Sara! Happy to hear it!
Made this using 2 cans low fat coconut milk. It was amazing. Added two frozen bananas cut up when I added liquid to ice cream machine. The banana mashed into ice cream and it was amazing. I only had honey nut peanut butter which couldn’t hurt. Thank for recipe. Not able to eat milk products and it tasted just like any store bought ice cream but better. :)
Thank you, Deena! That’s so great to hear. Love that you added bananas!
Made this with my new ice cream maker today… holy WOAH! So delicious Kate :)
Awesome! Thanks, Emma!
Thanks for this yummy recipe idea Kate! I definitely want to try it. I really like the idea of substituting coconut milk for regular milk. My mother has been trying to use coconut milk as a replacement ingredient in some dishes she has made recently. Every dish tastes as it would if regular milk was used instead, but it is dairy free! When cooking, would you recommend using coconut milk as a regular substitute? Is it generally healthier?
I’m looking forward to trying this. One thing caught my eye though – namely, that supposedly low fat coconut milk is actually just regular coconut milk diluted with water. Cheekily the manufacturers usually charge the same price. So if you’re after a “low fat” experience then just buy one tin and dilute it and save a few pennies in the process.
Hi Kate,
This recipe looks delicious. Can you omit simmering the ingredient together if you don’t use arrowroot starch? Just mix them together, chill and add to freezer?
Hi. Love the sound of this recipe but wondering why it needs to be cooked. I’ve made a few coconut cream recipes which were all raw and the peanut butter is roasted peanuts anyway. Can I skip the cooking bit and just put all the ingredients in a high speed blender before chilling for the ice cream maker?
Hi Diana, good question. It can be difficult to incorporate honey into a mixture if it’s not warmed. Same goes for canned coconut milk if the cream has separated from the rest. And, if you use arrowroot, it needs to be warmed to activate. All that said, you could try the blender, because that will warm the mixture somewhat. Let me know if you do!
How does Agave work in this recipe? It’s lower on the glycemic index, and as a Type II diabetic, this is a concern. Thanks, Cindy
Hi! I made this for thanksgiving as a dessert for a family member who is on a very strict, limited diet. It was delicious! I did substitute cashew butter (which I made) for the pb according to the dietary rules my sister in law follows. I don’t have an ice cream maker but just stirred it every half hour or so. My whole family loved it and my sister in law was thrilled to find a dessert she could have! Thank you so much for this recipe!
I am happy it was able to suite your family member’s needs! Sounds wonderful. I appreciate the review, Julie!
I love homemade ice cream + I love peanut butter so this is pretty much perfect summer eating for me.Regards
It’s great for the summer! Thanks for your review, Lita.
What a great honey tip! I am brand new with my new home ice cream maker. I have a base chilling already with 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup PB, and 2/3 cup honey. I wonder how it will turn out. I guess I’m an experimenter. I was thinking I added too much honey. Of course, next time I should follow something tried and true like yours :). What your guess on my ice cream results? Great blog.
What did you think?
Hi Kate! I’m back! I need to get used to store bought vs homemade ice cream. My version was a little rich and laking in sweetness b/c I didn’t follow your guidelines. I actually would love to try a vegetarian version but I’m sensitive to coconut milk. You are awesome in providing me inspiration. I just started your book today which made me revisit the blog! Love it so far!
I will definitely make this yummy homemade ice cream for my family and I’m sure they will love it :-). I get truly inspired by your wonderful recipes and the gorgeous photos you make are a treat too. By the way, do you know if this recipe can be made into a paleo or keto version? I would really like to try and make a paleo version of this delicious ice cream. Thanks a lot in advance!
You’re welcome! I’m not sure to your question, as I’m not an expert there. I know lots of my recipes are adaptable though :) Follow the notes as a helpful guide.
I made this last weekend and the honey trick works great! I have been using dates for the most part when making vegan ice cream, and the texture using honey is much creamier. I used one can of coconut cream and one can of full-fat coconut milk, and not surprisingly, I found that the coconut overpowered the peanut butter. So although I am only giving the recipe 4 stars, it’s really my fault that it didn’t get a 5. Planning to try making this again using goat’s milk, and excited to see how it turns out.
Can you omit the PB + just go for a honey flavor? Or will the consistency be affected?
Hi Liz! The consistency would most likely be impacted, sorry!
Looks great! My question is, how do you store your homemade ice cream? What kind/size/brand have you found works best?
Hey Lauren! I recommend a 2-quart glass storage container with a tight-fitting lid (rectangular if possible, since it takes up less space). GlassLock brand is my favorite.
So good! I’m not sure what I did but it came out with little bits of chewiness in the icecream at the end but we aren’t complaining because it tastes like eating cake and ice cream together. Very happy with how it turned out and it will be going into the recipe book.
Hi Kate! I`m wondering if I can make this recipe using whole milk instead of coconut milk? I have sooo much leftover milk in the fridge that I need to use up… Thank you!!
I really find it works best as is and changing the base will likely impact your results. The starch can impact dairy products (see post for more).