Vegan “Peanut Buster Bar” Ice Cream Cake


I’ve been getting tons of traffic on this post lately. Maybe it’s because it’s summer and people are looking for healthy treats that seem indulgent… or it could be that Udi’s Gluten Free recently shared it on twitter! (Thanks Udi’s!!)

Either way, people are loving it, and that makes me very happy! So, I thought, why not redo another DQ favourite – healthify it and throw in a NITK spin?! Have you ever had a Dairy Queen Peanut Buster Bar?… think creamy vanilla ice cream, salty peanuts, covered in a crispy chocolate shell.

 Yep, deliciousness. Unfortunately, as we all know… DQ isn’t known for healthy options, so yes the Peanut Buster Bar comes in at over 450 calories, with more than 35g of sugar. Eish. And that ingredients list, oooohhh that ingredients list…..let’s take a look shall we…

Milkfat and Nonfat Milk, Sugar, Whey, Corn Syrup, Mono & Diglycerides, Carob Bean Gum,

Guar Gum, Carrageenan, Artificial Flavor, Vitamin A Palmitate,

High Fructose Corn Syrup, Condensed Nonfat Milk, Partially Hydrogenated Coconut Oil,

Fructose, Water, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Cocoa, Algin, Salt, Mono & Diglycerides,

Potassium Sorbate as Preservative, Dextrin, Sodium Phosphate, Disodium Phosphate,

Soy Lecithin, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Peanuts Roasted with Vegetable Oil

(Cottonseed Oil and/or Sunflower Seed Oil and/or Peanut Oil), Salt,

Vegetable Oil (Coconut and/or Soybean Oil), Sugar, Cocoa, Whey, Cocoa Processed with Alkali,

Soy Lecithin, Artificial Flavor.

 

… that was taken from the IDQ website. So to recreate the flavours and delicious taste and texture of this chemical-poop-storm-of-a-dessert, I had some work ahead of me. Luckily I managed to make my version with only 8 whole-food ingredients. Coconut milk, dates, vanilla bean, agave (or honey), coconut oil, dark chocolate, natural peanut butter, and raw pecans!

Nutrition in the Kitch for the WIN!

There are quite a few steps to this recipe, so it’s a tad labor intensive, but nothing any amateur in the kitchen can’t do! Oh, and you don’t need an ice cream maker! Just a blender and a food processor! I think it’s safe to say most of us have those in our kitchens!

The final product? SERIOUSLY delicious.

Creamy, dreamy, vanilla ice cream cake base, with layers of chocolate and peanut butter drizzle that magically turn into a crunchy shell, and raw pecans for a little nutty texture!

And the nutritional comparison for my version? 250 calories, only 10g of natural sugars, and no artificial or hydrogenated anything per delectable slice!

Vegan "Peanut Buster Bar" Ice Cream Cake
 
Prep time
Total time
 
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 can unsweetened full fat coconut milk
  • ¼ tsp scraped vanilla bean (from the pod) or ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • 5 pitted dates
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar (or raw honey for non-strict vegan)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, divided
  • 35g 70% dark chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
  • ¼ cup chopped raw pecans
Instructions
  1. Open the can of coconut milk and scrape out the coconut cream (there is a usual separation of the cream from the liquid in the can - the liquid looks like water).
  2. Add the cream to a blender and pour in ¼ cup of the remaining coconut liquid from the can.
  3. Add the vanilla, dates, and agave (or honey) to the blender and blend until the dates are almost dissolved into the mixture.
  4. Pour the mixture into a cake pan and place in the freezer for 2 or more hours.
  5. Once frozen, remove the coconut mixture from the pan and break into chunks.
  6. Add the frozen chunks to a food processor and process until creamy - just like ice cream consistency.
  7. Transfer the coconut ice cream to the same pan and spread evenly throughout.
  8. Place in the freezer again.
  9. In a small pan, heat ½ tablespoon of the coconut oil over low heat and add in the dark chocolate, stirring constantly until melted.
  10. Take the cake pan out of the freezer and drizzle the melted chocolate over top. It will harden immediately.
  11. Place the cake pan back in the freezer.
  12. Wash the small pan that had the chocolate and reheat at low heat on the stove and add in the remaining coconut oil.
  13. Add in the peanut butter and stir constantly until melted into a smooth pourable mixture.
  14. Take the cake pan out of the freezer and drizzle the peanut butter over top. It will also harden immediately.
  15. Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the drizzle and place the pan back in the freezer.
  16. Let the cake set for at least 1 more hour.
  17. Cut into 6 slices.
  18. Enjoy!
Nutritional Information
Serving size: ⅙ cake Calories: 260 calories Fat: 20g Carbohydrates: 13g Sugar: 10g Fiber: 3g Protein: 4g

 

I plan to make a huge pan of this and serve it at our housewarming gathering this summer! I know it will be a big, big hit!

 

Have a fantastic weekend!!

Christal

Nutrition in the Kitch

Author: Christal Sczebel

Christal is the creator of Nutrition in the Kitch. She's a Certified Nutritional Consultant, twice published author, gluten and dairy free recipe developer, food photographer, speaker, wife, and mama. Christal loves good food, all things wellness, and loves to travel. Her wellness philosophy is centred around balance and sustainable health, life's way too short for boring diets and restriction!

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  • My dad is a huge fan of buster bars and I’ve been planning to try a homemade version for him for Father’s Day. I might have to stick to the full-on-bad-for-you version for him, but I’m totally giving this healthier version a go for myself another time!

  • This looks so delicious and it would be perfect for Father’s Day! My hubby loves the peanut buster from DQ but since we’ve stopped eating junk we haven’t had anything like this for a long while.
    I have a question though… The coconut milk, would it be possible to use homemade coconut milk? How big is this can that you used? The only cans they sell here don’t seem to have near as much of the cream as your picture shows…
    Thank you for your post. I am really considering making this for my hubby Sunday! He will be surprised!! 🙂

    • Hi Marie! I just used a normal 15oz can! there isn’t a ton of cream in the can, maybe about 2/3 of a cup, if you want to make a thicker cake I would just double the ice cream ingredients! I’m not sure if homemade coconut milk would work as I’m not sure it would be the right consistency!

  • And there Christal goes again, this is so darn tempting!

    I love that you managed to shorten the ingredient list and make it all out of healthy whole foods, lots of healthy fats and fibre 😀 Loving the looks of this 🙂

    That’s so great you got a mention at Udi’s as well, a little bit of acknowledgement always gives you a right good boost! I hope you have a great weekend ahead of you Missy!
    x

    • Thanks Jules! Yes I was surprised I could get the same amazing flavor with way less and much better for you ingredients! 🙂