This is my copycat recipe for the famous peanut butter sauce at Dairy Queen. I used to always order it with my sundae, but now I can make it at home for much cheaper.
When I was a kid, I lived just a couple of blocks from a Dairy Queen. My friends and I would ride our bikes there and get dessert almost every weekend. One of my favorite things to order was their soft-serve sundaes. You can choose from a variety of toppings, but my absolute favorite was the peanut butter sauce. It had the perfect nutty taste and was just a little bit sweet.
I remember always asking for extra on the side because it was so good. Fast-forward to today, I found an easy way to make it at home. It only takes four ingredients and five minutes to make.
Peanut butter
For this recipe, you can use any type of peanut butter you want. I'm using the Kirkland brand of peanut butter, but if you want the creamiest texture, I recommend using a processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy.
Processed peanut butters have extra additives that prevent the oil from separating and make them a little more creamy. I generally prefer processed peanut butter, but today I'm using natural because that's all I have.
Sweetened condensed milk
You can find this in the baking section of most grocery stores. It has a very sweet taste and a strong milky flavor that will make the sauce taste creamier.
One of my pet peeves about condensed milk is that most recipes only require a little bit of it. Even here, we only need ¼ of a cup. One cool trick I have found is that you can store an opened can in the freezer for up to three months. I cover mine with some tin foil, pop it in the freezer, and then scoop some out whenever I need it.
Why water makes it creamier
You might think adding water would make the peanut butter sauce taste watery, but it actually does the exact opposite. When you add water to peanut butter, it forms an emulsion with the fat and makes it creamier.
Try it yourself. Just add 2 parts water with 1 part peanut butter and whisk until smooth. You'll notice it becomes paler and much more like a sauce.
Copycat DQ Peanut Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. If you find the sauce is too thick, you can add a little bit extra water. The sauce will last for about one week in the fridge. You can also freeze it and defrost it for 30 minutes before using it.
Tom
I owned a DQ for 24 years. When we ran out of topping, just use creamy peanut butter and mix vegetable oil until you get your desired consistency. Don’t make it any harder than you have to. My preferred manufacturer was JHS topping.
(J Hungerford Smith).
Grumpy
Thanks for the insight! I will have to try that next time but I do like a little bit of sweetness which is why I added the condensed milk.
Timothy DesJarlait
What’s the ratio of peanut butter and vegetable oil, and can you use any other oil
Grumpy
You should be able to use any neutral flavor oil. For example, canola, vegetable, or corn. I would say just start with a small about of oil (maybe 25% of your volume in peanut butter), then slowly whisk in more until it reaches the right consistency