Chickpea-Nut Butter Ice Cream

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.

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.

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:

Chickpea-Nut Butter Ice Cream

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?

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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View Comments

Krystal says:

2018-06-16 at 9:08 pm

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!
- Unsweetened Caroline says:
  
  2018-06-18 at 7:08 pm
  
  Hi Krystal! I hope you loved the end result. Using chocolate hemp milk sounds like a great idea! :)
Megan says:

2018-07-14 at 1:40 pm

How would you change it to make other flavors?
- Unsweetened Caroline says:
  
  2018-07-14 at 11:56 pm
  
  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!
Shaun says:

2018-10-06 at 5:59 pm

Ice cream is the best! Healthy ice cream is even better!
Miarou says:

2019-01-17 at 7:46 am

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! :)
- Unsweetened Caroline says:
  
  2019-01-18 at 3:00 pm
  
  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. :)
Danielle Keith says:

2019-01-22 at 1:42 pm

This recipe was delicious and so creative!
- Unsweetened Caroline says:
  
  2019-01-22 at 5:42 pm
  
  Thank you, I'm happy you liked it! :)
Kate says:

2019-01-31 at 4:53 pm

Can’t wait to try this! Would it work in an ice cream maker?
- Unsweetened Caroline says:
  
  2019-02-01 at 7:18 am
  
  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. :)
Miriam says:

2019-05-21 at 5:51 am

Instead of peanut butter can you use ground peanuts?
- Unsweetened Caroline says:
  
  2019-05-21 at 9:03 am
  
  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!
- Tricia says:
  
  2023-10-22 at 8:30 pm
  
  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
  - Nourished by Caroline says:
    
    2023-10-30 at 10:45 am
    
    Thank you so much! I'm happy that you enjoyed it. :)
regina quimby says:

2019-08-19 at 3:21 pm

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....
- Unsweetened Caroline says:
  
  2019-08-20 at 6:11 am
  
  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. :)
Danica says:

2020-06-20 at 7:49 am

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.
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2020-06-20 at 8:42 pm
  
  That's so sweet of you! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback. This is definitely an old favorite of ours. :)
Sarah says:

2020-06-27 at 3:10 pm

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!!
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2020-07-02 at 8:45 am
  
  I'm so happy you like it! And that nut butter sounds amazing. What a great idea! Thank you for the feedback. :)