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Peanut butter fudge swirl ice cream

Vanilla ice cream with a ribbon of fudge and small peanut butter cups folded through every scoop.

Sometimes found Found in some shops and some grocery freezers. What the badge means

Peanut butter fudge swirl is vanilla ice cream with a ribbon of fudge and small peanut butter cups. It sits in our chocolate and candy section. You can find it in some shops and some grocery freezers, but not everywhere.

This page covers how it tastes, how to make it at home from a base formula, what to serve with it, how common it is and what the nutrition figures show.

What peanut butter fudge swirl tastes like

The base is plain vanilla: sweet, creamy and mild. A ribbon of fudge runs through it, so some spoonfuls are deep chocolate and others are mostly vanilla. Small peanut butter cups add a nutty bite and a soft chew against the smooth ice cream. The color is pale cream streaked with dark brown and dotted with pieces of candy. The fudge stays a ribbon rather than mixing in, and that is what makes it a swirl. It is a rich flavor, so a modest scoop goes a long way. If you like peanut butter cup ice cream, this flavor adds fudge to the same idea.

Where peanut butter fudge swirl comes from

The sources we use do not record who first made peanut butter fudge swirl or when. Instacart describes it as a fudge-and-peanut-butter-cup flavor with Midwestern origins, and its order data shows that regional pull. In Instacart’s June 2022 to May 2023 data, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin bought more of it than the national average. In its 2025 data, it was Wisconsin’s standout flavor.

It sells well in shops, too. In IDFA’s 2022 survey, 23% of 132 makers and scoop shops named it among their ten best-selling flavors.

You may know it by a trademarked name. IDFA’s 2026 and 2024 surveys list it that way rather than under a generic name, and it is often called Moose Tracks. We use the generic name on this page.

How to make peanut butter fudge swirl at home

To make peanut butter fudge swirl ice cream at home, start with a no-churn base made from condensed milk and whipped cream. The Base Builder sets that style up for you. A Philadelphia base (no eggs) also works. Keep the base plain vanilla, because the fudge and candy bring the rest of the flavor.

Fold the small peanut butter cups in at the end of churning. The University of Guelph's Ice Cream Technology e-Book explains that factories add pieces like candy as the ice cream leaves the freezer, when it is about as soft as soft serve. That is why home cooks wait until the end. Then spoon fudge sauce in layers as you pack the container, so it stays a ribbon instead of blending in.

The Base Builder gives a base formula built on standard food-science ranges, not a tested recipe. If you already have a recipe you like, the Recipe Scaler resizes it to fit your machine.

Base formula

Open the Base Builder: No-churn (condensed milk and whipped cream)

Other styles that suit it: Philadelphia (no eggs)

The Base Builder gives a base formula built on standard food-science ranges, not a tested recipe.

What to serve with peanut butter fudge swirl

Pretzels are a natural match. Their salt and crunch set off the sweet fudge and peanut butter. Caramel sauce adds another layer of sweetness for a sundae, and a spoonful of whipped cream softens the richness. For a party, set out a bowl of broken pretzels, warm caramel sauce and whipped cream, and let people build their own bowls. Keep extra toppings simple, since the flavor already has plenty going on.

  • pretzels
  • caramel sauce
  • whipped cream

How common peanut butter fudge swirl is

Our badge shows a first quarter (half moon), which means "Sometimes found": in some shops and some grocery freezers. It shows how easy the flavor is to find, not how much people like it. In IDFA's April 2026 survey of 2,205 U.S. adults, it ranked 19th of 40, with 9% picking it as one of up to five favorites, and 2% named it their single favorite. In IDFA's April 2024 survey of 2,203 U.S. adults, it ranked 14th of 40, with 11%. Instacart's 2025 order data named it Wisconsin's standout flavor.

How it ranks in surveys and order data

SurveyResult
IDFA survey, April 20262,205 U.S. adults, online, April 7-9, 2026, margin of error +/-2 pointsRanked 19th of 40: 9% picked it as one of up to five favoritesThe survey's line: Moose Tracks
IDFA survey, April 20262,205 U.S. adults, online, April 7-9, 2026, margin of error +/-2 points2% named it their single favorite
IDFA survey, April 20242,203 U.S. adults, online, April 16-18, 2024, margin of error +/-2 pointsRanked 14th of 40: 11% picked it as one of up to five favoritesThe survey's line: Moose Tracks
  1. Rare Rare enough that you would most likely make it at home.
  2. Hard to find Look for it in specialty shops and seasonal runs.
  3. Sometimes found Found in some shops and some grocery freezers.
  4. Easy to find Common in most grocery freezers.
  5. Classic A classic you can buy almost anywhere.

Nutrition, roughly

FoodData Central has no record for peanut butter fudge swirl, so these figures are for a plain vanilla base, not for this flavor. Regular vanilla has 207 kcal per 100 grams, with 11 g fat and 21.2 g sugars. A 1/2 cup (66 g) portion is about 137 kcal. Rich vanilla has 249 kcal per 100 grams, with 16.2 g fat. The fudge, peanut butter cups and any sweeteners change these numbers.

Nutrition per 100 grams

FoodData Central record Calories Fat Saturated fat Sugars Protein
Ice creams, vanilla FDC 167575 1/2 cup (66 g): about 137 kcal, 7.3 g fat 207 kcal 11 g 6.79 g 21.2 g 3.5 g
Ice creams, vanilla, rich FDC 167573 249 kcal 16.2 g 10.30 g 20.6 g 3.5 g

FoodData Central has no record for peanut butter fudge swirl itself: these are the figures for a plain vanilla base, regular to rich. Mix-ins and sweeteners change them.

Questions people ask

What is in peanut butter fudge swirl ice cream?

It is vanilla ice cream with a ribbon of fudge and small peanut butter cups. The fudge stays in streaks rather than mixing in, so each spoonful is a little different, and the cups add a nutty, chewy bite.

When do I add the peanut butter cups?

Fold them in at the end of churning. Factories add candy pieces when the ice cream is about as soft as soft serve, and home cooks follow the same idea. Then spoon the fudge sauce in layers as you pack the container.

Can I make it without an ice cream machine?

Yes. The base style we suggest is no-churn, made with condensed milk and whipped cream, and the Base Builder sets it up. It gives a base formula built on standard food-science ranges, not a tested recipe.

Chocolate and candy ice cream flavors · All flavors

Plan and make it with these

Sources

  1. Ice cream preferences of U.S. adults, topline results (Morning Consult for IDFA, April 7 to 9, 2026) International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
  2. Ice Cream and Frozen Novelty Trends 2022 report (132 makers and scoop shops, 1,002 consumers) International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
  3. Pint-Sized Obsessions: Instacart Maps America's Favorite Ice Cream (2025 orders, July 2026) Instacart
  4. Instacart's most popular ice cream flavor by state, June 2022 to May 2023 (as reported by FOX 35 Orlando, July 26, 2023) Instacart
  5. Ice Cream Technology e-Book: Chocolate and Cocoa H. Douglas Goff, University of Guelph
  6. Ice Cream Technology e-Book: Freezing/Whipping of Ice Cream H. Douglas Goff, University of Guelph
  7. Ice cream survey of U.S. adults, topline results (Morning Consult for IDFA, April 16 to 18, 2024) International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)
  8. Ice creams, vanilla (FDC 167575) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
  9. Ice creams, vanilla, rich (FDC 167573) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service

Every data source the site uses is on the Sources page.