Name: Peanut Butter Ripple Ice Cream (No Churn Recipe)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1440 min
Total time: 1445 min
Ingredients: 2 cups (480mL) heavy cream; 14 ounces (406mL) sweetened condensed milk; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup (256g) creamy peanut butter1 (divided)

JUMP TO RECIPE PIN RECIPE

5 from 4 votes

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.

This easy, no churn ice cream is swirled with ribbons of peanut butter throughout a creamy vanilla base– no ice cream maker required.

A bowl of peanut butter ripple ice cream with a cone in it.

THIS NO CHURN ICE CREAM RECIPE HAS EARNED ITS KEEP

This recipe has lived on my site since 2015, back when no churn ice cream was just starting to have its moment. Those viral two-ingredient recipes were everywhere, and I have to give them credit… They totally earned their spot.

As it turns out, no churn ice cream isn’t a gimmick. It’s a genuinely good method that produces a creamy, scoopable result that holds its own alongside anything you’d make with a machine. I have both styles on this site, and my peach ice cream (ice cream maker) and coffee ice cream (no churn) are two of the most popular frozen treat recipes in my whole recipe index.

That’s just undeniable proof that there’s room for both in your freezer.

Aerial photo of a loaf pan with peanut butter ripple ice cream in it.

This particular recipe was born out of a desire to recreate peanut butter ripple, one of my favorite ice cream flavors growing up. Chunky, swirly peanut butter ribbons running through every bite. Such an icon in the ice cream aisle, if you ask me.

The original version (circa 2015) used melted peanut butter chips to get there, but over the years I’ve simplified it: now we just use straight peanut butter, which gives you those beautiful soft curls and ribbons without the extra ingredient.

No only does that mean fewer ingredients to buy, but there’s a good chance you already have everything you need (score!).

THE ICE CREAM BASE

The ice cream itself is two ingredients: heavy whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk. That’s the foundation. To it, we add a touch of peanut butter and a splash of vanilla extract to round out the flavor, juuuust enough to make it taste intentional rather than plain.

THE PEANUT BUTTER RIPPLE

This is the heart of the recipe, and it’s just straight up (commercial) peanut butter, spooned in layers and swirled through the ice cream. The peanut butter freezes into those soft, ribbony curls that make every bite interesting. It doesn’t harden into a crackly shell, but rather stays slightly softer than the ice cream around it, which is exactly what we’re looking for when we say “ripple.”

A note about the peanut butter: I have never used natural style peanut butter to make this ice cream, though you are welcome to try it (and let me know how it turns out). Be sure you’re stirring it extra well to incorporate all that separated oil.

Aerial photo of peanut butter ripple ice cream that has been scooped.

HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER RIPPLE ICE CREAM

This process is mega simple. You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer to make your ice cream, though I prefer a handheld mixer only because then I don’t have to lug my big one out. Be forewarned that things can get spattery, so I like to hold a kitchen towel over the bowl until it becomes more cohesive thus spatters less.

Combine the base ingredients in a large bowl: you’re just looking to combine the heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla at this point. Set it aside for now.

Melt the peanut butter: this is simply to make it a little more pourable. Just 10-15 seconds or so in the microwave should do the trick, but you be the judge of the mixture in front of you.

Melted peanut butter in a glass measuring cup and someone is allowing a spatula to drip into the mixture.

Add a touch of peanut butter to the base: you’ll want to add approximately ¼ cup (just eyeball it!) of the melted peanut butter to the ice cream base. This is just to give it a little boost of peanut butter flavor, so don’t worry about being exact. And yes, it will sink, so it won’t look like much is happening. It’ll come together in the next step!

Someone is pouring melted peanut butter into a bowl of ingredients to make the base of homemade peanut butter ripple ice cream.

Beat the ice cream base: beat the mixture for about 3-5 minutes until it is smooth, fluffy, and resembling mousse. You’ll know it’s done when it can hold soft peaks and look slightly pillowy.

A bowl of the base ingredients for peanut butter ripple being whipped with a handheld mixer.

Layer it into a container: I like to use a standard size loaf pan, but you can use whatever you prefer that handle living in the freezer for a bit. Pour about ⅓ of the ice cream base into the bottom, then dollop half of the peanut butter evenly over it. Repeat with another ⅓ of the ice cream, the remaining peanut butter, then finish with the final ⅓ of ice cream on top.

A container of peanut butter ripple ice cream in progress.

Swirl the peanut butter: take a butter knife and drag it up and down the length of the pan a few times to swirl everything together. You’re not trying to fully mix it, just disperse the peanut butter into ribbons. It doesn’t need to be pretty, it just needs to be in there.

Someone is swirling peanut butter into the base of peanut butter ripple ice cream with a butter knife.

FREEZING HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

Cover the pan tightly and freeze it for at least 6 hours, or overnight (my preference). The final texture of this ice cream leans toward soft-serve– creamy and smooth– not the firm, hand-dipped style you’d get from an ice cream shop.

Pro tip: let the container sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before scooping and serving.

It’s worth nothing that this recipe is very forgiving. Don’t stress the layering and most definitely don’t stress the swirling. The peanut butter will find its way into every bite regardless, and no bite will be the same.

Sounds like the perfect opportunity to grab yourself a big bowl and do bite comparisons… For science, of course.

A closeup photo of a spoonful of peanut butter ripple ice cream.

More ice cream flavors for your enjoyment: cookies and cream ice cream cake, pumpkin ice cream, birthday cake ice cream, homemade peach ice cream, and ice cream sheet cake.

A slice of cookies and cream pie with a fork having removed a portion.

5 from 4 votes

Pin Recipe Print Recipe Rate this Recipe