Chickpea-Nut Butter Ice Cream

Aug 24, 2020

This healthier ice cream is made with plant-based milk, dates, peanut butter and chickpeas. Yes, chickpeas. Don’t worry, you won’t taste them! This frozen dessert is a mix between ice cream and freezer fudge and has a rich peanut butter flavor, while being sweetened with dates only. It’s ice cream with fiber, healthy fats and no added sugar! What could be better?

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Chickpea-nut butter ice cream: Ice cream that’s made with chickpeas, plant-based milk, dates and peanut butter. This frozen dessert is vegan, gluten-free, high in fiber, healthy fats, protein and sweetened with fruit. I promise, you won’t taste the chickpeas!

What started as an attempt to make freezer fudge a few years ago ended up being the best homemade ice cream alternative I’ve ever made.

This recipe is not only nutritious, but it’s also as easy as homemade ice cream can get. There’s no ice cream maker needed. Just a blender and a dish. All the ingredients are blended together until smooth, then added to a dish to freeze overnight or for at least 12 hours. Easy!

This has been one of the top recipes on the blog since it was first posted in 2018. Try it and see why it’s loved by so many.

chickpeas, peanut butter, dates and coconut milk

How to Make Chickpea Ice Cream:

Here are the simple steps that you need to make chickpea ice cream at home.

Blend the Ingredients
Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender, including the chickpeas, dates, peanut butter, vanilla and milk of choice. Blend for 30 seconds or until smooth.
Freeze
Transfer to a dish and freeze overnight or for at least 12 hours, covered. Serve with a drizzle of peanut butter and chocolate if desired.

chickpeas, peanut butter and dates in a blender

Notes on the Recipe:

The texture is best after sitting in the freezer for 12-15 hours. It’s creamy, easy to scoop and delicious. If frozen longer (depending on the temperature of your freezer), you may find that the ice cream gets a little harder to scoop. While it’s still delicious and you can eat it this way (we always do), you might want to let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to eat. Either way, it will be rich, perfectly sweetened and delicious.
One of my favorite things about this recipe (other than the fact that it’s nutritious and easy), is that it doesn’t melt as fast as regular ice cream. It could be at room temperature for a good 15 minutes without melting. It just softens. That means, you can take your time and enjoy it without a mess.
For the best texture, use a high-speed blender, such as Vitamix or Blendtec. Weaker blenders may not give you the same smooth result.

Chickpea-Nut Butter Ice Cream FAQ:

Can I Use a Different Plant-Based Milk?

This recipe has been tested with low-fat coconut milk, high-fat coconut milk, cashew milk, almond milk and oat milk, all of which turned out great. My personal favorite is coconut milk due to the light coconut flavor it adds to the recipe. Simply choose what you have on hand.

Can I Adjust the Sweetness of the Recipe?

This recipe is sweetened with dates, which might not be overly sweet, depending on your preference. If you like a sweeter ice cream, feel free to add a drizzle of maple syrup (or honey if not vegan). Taste the ice cream before freezing and adjust the sweetness as needed. You can also check out some of my ice cream recipes linked below for a sweeter option.

Can I Make This Recipe With an Ice Cream Maker?

You don’t need an ice cream maker to make this recipe. However, if you want to speed-up the freezing process, you can try making it with an ice cream maker. I haven’t tried it myself, so I can’t guarantee it will work just as well, but it’s worth a try!

I really hope you’ll give this recipe a try and if you do, I would love to know what you think! Leave a comment and a rating below to share your thoughts.

More Vegan Ice Cream Recipes to Try:

Watch How to Make Chickpea-Nut Butter Ice Cream:

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5 from 4 votes

Chickpea-Nut Butter Ice Cream

Course Dessert

Cuisine vegan

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings 6

Ingredients

1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup pitted Medjool dates
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 398 ml can (14 oz) coconut milk, low-fat (or about 1 1/2 cups plant-based milk of choice)
Chocolate chips or cocoa nibs for serving (optional)
More peanut butter for serving (optional)
Melted chocolate, for drizzling (optional)

Instructions

Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender. Blend for 30 seconds or until smooth.
Transfer to a dish (such as a bread pan) and freeze overnight or for at least 12 hours, covered. Serve with a drizzle of peanut butter and chocolate if desired. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

This ice cream has the best consistency when eaten 12-15 hours after putting in the freezer. Longer than that, it can get a little harder (but still tastes great!). If this is the case, simply leave it at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

Almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk (high-fat and low-fat) and oat milk have all been tested with success. Choose what you have on hand.

A strong blender is best for this recipe to get a smooth ice cream. This is the one that I use.

This recipe has been tested with salted natural peanut butter. If using unsalted peanut butter, you may want to add a small pinch of salt.

You can taste the mixture before freezing and add maple syrup to taste if you would like it sweeter.

If you make this chickpea-nut butter ice cream, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

This post contains affiliate links. I only share products that I trust and recommend. Choosing to use these links helps to support me and this blog. Thank you!

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I’m Caroline, a registered dietitian based in British Columbia. Here, you’ll find a variety of nourishing vegan recipes, without a side of diet culture

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Comments

39 responses to “Chickpea-Nut Butter Ice Cream”

Krystal

2018-06-16

Gotta love chickpeas!! Just put a batch of this in the freezer – used chocolate hemp milk and got a super nice, chocolate PB taste (my favorite! :)). Fingers crossed it freezes well! Thanks for the inspired recipe!

Reply
1. Unsweetened Caroline
  
  2018-06-18
  
  Hi Krystal! I hope you loved the end result. Using chocolate hemp milk sounds like a great idea! 🙂
  
  Reply
Megan

2018-07-14

How would you change it to make other flavors?

Reply
1. Unsweetened Caroline
  
  2018-07-14
  
  I’ve been thinking of trying different flavors lately, but haven’t tried anything yet. I would say the easiest flavor would be to add cocoa powder and make chocolate peanut butter ice cream. If you don’t want the peanut butter flavor, you could try other nut/seed butters. Maybe add some chopped nuts or chocolate chips. A fruit jam could maybe be swirled in it. Hope this helps a bit! If you try something new, let me know how it turns out!
  
  Reply
Shaun

2018-10-06

Ice cream is the best! Healthy ice cream is even better!

Reply
Miarou

2019-01-17

Would another dried fruit work for this? I am not a fan of dates, I find their flavor over powers everything when they are in a recipe… Or is the flavor of dates not strong in this? I would love to make this! 🙂

Reply
1. Unsweetened Caroline
  
  2019-01-18
  
  Hi, I wouldn’t use another dried fruit as dates are actually the dried fruit that hides best in recipes. Figs, apricots, prunes and raisins have a stronger fruit taste, while dates have more of a caramel-like taste that goes well in this recipe. If you want an alternative, you could always try honey or maple syrup, although you’d need to adjust the amounts. I would start small and increase to taste. I can’t guarantee the texture will be the same though! Hope this helps a little. 🙂
  
  Reply
Danielle Keith

2019-01-22

This recipe was delicious and so creative!

Reply
1. Unsweetened Caroline
  
  2019-01-22
  
  Thank you, I’m happy you liked it! 🙂
  
  Reply
Kate

2019-01-31

Can’t wait to try this! Would it work in an ice cream maker?

Reply
1. Unsweetened Caroline
  
  2019-02-01
  
  I honestly don’t own an ice cream maker, so I haven’t tried it! I can’t guarantee it would work, but it would be worth trying. 🙂
  
  Reply
Miriam

2019-05-21

Instead of peanut butter can you use ground peanuts?

Reply
1. Unsweetened Caroline
  
  2019-05-21
  
  Hi Miriam, the peanut butter is an important part of the texture in this recipe. It helps it be creamy and not crystalize. You could make homemade peanut butter using peanuts if it’s just a matter of not having peanut butter on hand. If you can’t have peanut butter, you can try other nut or seed butters or you can try it without (the texture might just be affected). Hope this helps!
  
  Reply
2. Tricia
  
  2023-10-22
  
  Delicious… honestly better than most store bought ice creams including the high end brands
  
  I had this with a bit of honey on top – perfect
  
  Reply
  1. Nourished by Caroline
    
    2023-10-30
    
    Thank you so much! I’m happy that you enjoyed it. 🙂
    
    Reply
regina quimby

2019-08-19

I just tasted the blended concoction before putting it in the freezer – it’s DELICIOUS!!! I cannot wait to try this. I didn’t know how versatile chickpeas are – thanks for your recipes!!

I am wondering, do you know if the dates add not just the caramel-y flavor, but also an important texture? I love dates but want to make a lower carb version of this, and dates are so high in carbs. I am wondering if I just put in erythritol or monkfruit instead of dates next time, if that would be ok….

Reply
1. Unsweetened Caroline
  
  2019-08-20
  
  Hi Regina, thank you so much for the sweet comment! I’m glad you like it! As for the dates, I do believe they add an important texture. They don’t freeze solid, so it does help the ice cream texture once frozen. I can’t say for sure though as I’ve never tried it without dates. I don’t think it would hurt to try! If you do, let me know how it turns out, it could help others. 🙂
  
  Reply
Danica

2020-06-20

This is AMAZING!!!
1. Everything in it is healthy
2. It is easy to make and clean up
3. It is SUPER DELICIOUS!!!!
Thank you so much! You make eating no sugar easy.

Reply
1. Nourished by Caroline
  
  2020-06-20
  
  That’s so sweet of you! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. This is definitely an old favorite of ours. 🙂
  
  Reply
Sarah

2020-06-27

I absolutely love this recipe! I had only ever made it with peanut butter, but decided to use Ground Up PDX’s Matcha Latte nut butter this time. It gave the ice cream a delicious matcha flavor! So, I think to change the flavor you could use different kinds of nut butter, or even add different flavored extracts, etc. Thank you for the wonderful recipe, Caroline!!

Reply
1. Nourished by Caroline
  
  2020-07-02
  
  I’m so happy you like it! And that nut butter sounds amazing. What a great idea! Thank you for the feedback. 🙂
  
  Reply
Miche

2021-02-22

Hi Caroline,

Medjool dates are super expensive where I live. Is it possible to get a good result by soaking some normal dates in warm water until they’re soft, then draining the excess water off?

I’m very interested to try this.

Reply
1. Nourished by Caroline
  
  2021-02-25
  
  Hi! You can definitely try it. It will be important to soak them until soft so that it blends nicely. The only thing that might be different is the sweetness. From experience, regular dates don’t tend to make recipes as sweet as Medjool dates. But I think it will still be good! You could also taste the mixture before freezing and add a liquid sweetener to taste as needed. I hope you’ll like it! 🙂
  
  Reply
Carrie

2021-02-25

I love this recipe so much… and this feedback is long overdue! I don’t change a thing and it comes out perfect every time. So happy to have a way to satisfy my ice cream craving without having to binge on super sugary store-bought stuff. Because of the coconut milk, chickpeas, and dates, it’s really filling — and kind of impossible to eat too much. Thanks for sharing this.

Reply
1. Nourished by Caroline
  
  2021-03-01
  
  Thank you so much Carrie! That made my day. I’m so happy you love it. 🙂
  
  Reply
Tiffany

2021-03-12

Would this work okay for popsicles. Trying to make something healthy-ish for friend who just had her tonsils removed.

Reply
1. Nourished by Caroline
  
  2021-03-12
  
  Hi Tiffany, that’s a great question! I haven’t tried it yet, but I think it would work very well. It’s definitely worth a try! Let me know how it turns out if you try it. 🙂
  
  Reply
Sinead

2021-07-27

So, I made this with non-medjool dates (too expensive! gah!) and I just soaked a (packed) cup of dried dates in 1.5 cups oat milk (that was what I had on hand, but I will definitely try the coconut option next time I have coconut milk lying around) for a while, and then blended that before adding the other ingredients. I tasted it before freezing and doubled the vanilla (to amp up the caramel taste, which I suppose would be stronger with medjool dates than with the dried ones I used). It worked just fine and was delicious and totally sweet enough. This ice cream is seriously filling! Not sure how I feel about that, as it is yummy enough that I want to eat two scoops… but I am (tragically) full after one.

Reply
1. Nourished by Caroline
  
  2021-07-30
  
  I’m so happy to learn that it worked well with these dates! Thank you for taking the time to comment your results. I’m sure it will help others as well. And I completely understand what you mean! It’s such a filling and nutritious ice cream that a little bit goes a long way. But it’s also delicious. 🙂
  
  Reply
Kaitlyn

2021-09-01

What if I don’t have dates? What is a good alternative? Thx 🙂

Reply
1. Nourished by Caroline
  
  2021-09-07
  
  Hi Kaitlyn, sorry for the late reply! Unfortunately I haven’t tried any alternatives for the dates in this recipe. You could try using a liquid sweetener, such as maple syrup. If you want to try it, you could add a bit to the mixture, taste it and add more to taste. When you’re satisfied with the flavor, freeze it as indicated. Again, I can’t guarantee that it will work and it will affect the taste and texture (the dates make it creamy and less icy), but it’s what I would recommend trying first.
  
  Reply
Tina McPherson

2022-07-13

Wondering if I can use the No nut butter as we have a nut allergy?
Thanks

Reply
1. Nourished by Caroline
  
  2022-07-18
  
  Hi Tina, I’m not familiar with No Nut Butter and I haven’t tried the recipe with any alternatives to peanut butter yet. That being said, it should work with most nut/seed butters, as long as the texture is similar to a creamy peanut butter. I love using SunButter in other recipes and it has a great texture and lightly sweet flavor. But the No Nut Butter might work too! Just make sure that you like the flavor of the “nut” butter as you will taste it in the ice cream. I hope this helps a little!
  
  Reply
Sangita Jain

2023-01-23

Can I use low fat dairy milk in the above recepe . I am waiting eagerly for your response . Thanks

Reply
1. Nourished by Caroline
  
  2023-01-23
  
  I can’t guarantee the same results, but the recipe should work with low-fat dairy milk. It has worked with every plant-based milk I’ve tried, so it is a versatile recipe. I would recommend tasting the mixture before freezing to make sure that the flavor is good to you. You can then adjust it if needed with more vanilla, peanut butter or dates. I hope that you’ll enjoy the recipe!
  
  Reply
Luli

2023-06-23

Can u please tell me how many calories are in each serving

Reply
1. Nourished by Caroline
  
  2023-06-26
  
  Hi! I don’t include the calories with my recipes for a few reasons. To learn more about this you can read my FAQ section here: https://nourishedbycaroline.ca/welcome-to-nourished-by-caroline/. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. There are many resources online that easily calculate recipe calories. I hope those will help. 🙂
  
  Reply
Rachel

2024-02-22

Hi Caroline,
I have adapted your recipe, by using 1/3 cup avocado oil instead of the peanut butter, and then after blending I added broken pieces of pecans to make ‘caramel pecan’ flavour ice cream. I went heavy on the vanilla! The flavour is delicious! I will serve it for desert after lunch. Many thanks!

Reply
1. Nourished by Caroline
  
  2024-02-28
  
  Thank you for sharing Rachel! That sounds delicious and I’m glad it worked well with the substitutions. 🙂
  
  Reply