This single-serving Easy Peanut Butter Sauce for Ice Cream, Pancakes, or Waffles can be made with just two ingredients and is absolutely decadent and delicious.
Hey, friends. Last summer, I shared a 30 second, 2-ingredient Chocolate Sauce on the blog. I wasn’t really sure how it would do, if there was really much of a demand for quick, single-serving dessert sauces, but the post has actually been pretty popular.
Turns out I’m not the only one who sometimes gets the craving for a last minute solo sundae or chocolate drizzled pancakes.
So this summer, I have a couple more of these quick and easy ice cream/pancake/waffle sauces coming your way, and today we’re starting with Peanut Butter Sauce!!
OMG, guys, this sauce.
THIS SAUCE.
It’s made with two ingredients, syrup (almost any kind—we’ll talk more about that in a second) and peanut butter. And when you heat them together, you end up with a decadent peanut buttery topping that’s SO GOOD over ice cream, pancakes, or waffles.
You can use pretty much any syrup you have in your cupboard, but the type of syrup you use will determine the texture and sweetness of your peanut butter sauce.
- Corn syrup, which is what I used in the photos, will give you something almost like peanut butter caramel. It’s not just melted, liquid peanut butter, but something that pulls and sets a little like warm taffy. It’s such a fun texture over smooth and creamy ice cream, and I absolutely love it.
- Regular pancake syrup will give you a pourable sauce with a smooth and creamy texture. If you want peanut butter sauce for pancakes (it would be amazing over banana pancakes) or waffles, this is what I would go with.
- Honey makes a sauce with a similar texture to pancake syrup but with a distinct honey flavor. This one’s also very sweet.
- Maple syrup can also be used, but you’ll need to cut the amount from 2 tablespoons to 2 teaspoons. It doesn’t create as pretty and smooth of a sauce as the other options but has a great maple flavor.
How to Make Peanut Butter Sauce
This peanut butter sauce could not be easier to make. You just combine the syrup of your choice and peanut butter and microwave for 10 to 20 seconds, until your syrup has just started bubbling.
Carefully remove your bowl from the microwave and stir together until it is completely mixed and that’s it. It’s ready to be poured over ice cream, breakfast, or maybe brownies…
Peanut Butter Sauce Recipe Notes
- Be very careful removing the syrup from the microwave. Hot syrup can cause severe burns.
- I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter in this recipe as you won’t get a completely smooth sauce.
- Looking for more peanut butter desserts? Try my Peanut Butter Cookie for Two, Small-batch Buckeye Brownie Cookies, Small-batch Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies, and Small-batch Peanut Butter Cups.
- For more single-serve dessert sauces, try this easy Fudge Sauce and Nutella Sauce.
Easy Peanut Butter Sauce for Ice Cream, Pancakes, or Waffles (Single-serving)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup OR pancake syrup OR honey OR maple syrup*
- 1 tablespoon (16g) creamy peanut butter not natural peanut butter
Instructions
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine syrup and peanut butter. Microwave for 10 to 20 seconds, until syrup just begins to bubble. Remove from microwave (be very careful, syrup will be HOT), and stir until smooth.
- Serve over ice cream, pancakes, or waffles and enjoy!
Jessica says
I made it with agave syrup but I microwaved it too long so I ended up ruining it, I did it at first for about 15 seconds and mix that I guess I should’ve just left it alone I thought if I warmed it up more it would be thinner but absolutely not so everyone make sure you do not overcook it lol it ended up turning into a paste
Tracy says
Yeah, microwaved too long, this will basically turn into hard candy if you’re not careful. Ask me how I know… LOL
Brittany says
I will dream of this tonight. It was so absolutely delicious! And so easy to make, which may be problematic .
Tracy says
Lol! So glad you enjoyed it!!
Alaina says
This was perfect! I did 1-1-1 ratio of PB to corn syrup to half and half to make it a bit thinner. Perfect. Poured over vanilla ice cream with some whole peanuts on top. Wish I had read all the comments first – next time, I’m definitely adding a tiny bit of some chili powder or cayenne! That sounds amazing! And reminds me of one of my favorite Jeni’s ice cream flavors, Thai peanut. Thank you for this recipe.
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed it, Alaina!!
Heather says
Think this would work as a coffee syrup? My husband wants me to make him a PB latte!
Tracy says
I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure, but I think it would work in hot coffee. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Debbie says
you know, you can microwave peanut butter to make a sauce, with no added ingredients. Love doing that with vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Sure that’s how they do it at the ice cream joints! ~jus sayin!~
Sasha Lea says
Actually I gave that a try and the peanut butter just clumped up and it definitely wasn’t that great at all!
Remy Largent says
Hi I just made this delicious sauce! I was wondering if you could save it in the refrigerator for about 3 hours or so.
Muna Sidan says
Lovely recipe. Googled PB sauce at the last minute because I felt it would go down well.with the banana pancakes I was making. Best decision. Your recipe was simple and straightforward. I added a pinch of chilli powder to cut through the sweetness of the pancake syrup. Delish
Thank you
Tracy says
Ooooo, I love the chilli powder idea!! So glad you enjoyed the sauce, and I’m totally trying it your way, with extra spice the next time I make pancakes.
edselone says
Can anything be added to thicken it so it can be used as a cookie toping?
Tracy says
Do you mean like a peanut butter glaze that sets? You’ll have to play with the ratios a bit, but you can add powdered sugar to the sauce to thicken it into a sort of glaze.
I’d also cut the syrup to about 1 1/2 teaspoons. Just add powdered sugar to the mixture until you get the consistency you’re looking for and if you accidentally make it too thick, you can add a little water (by the 1/4 teaspoon) to thin it out. I haven’t tested this, so I can’t say 100% for sure it will work, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t. Hope that helps!
Dunja says
Hi,
I presume you’re using unsalted peanut butter?
Here in Australia we can also buy the salty variety…
Cheers and thank you
Tracy says
I’m not too familiar with Australian peanut butter, but the stuff I’m talking about is the very smooth and creamy processed peanut butter that usually has salt and sugar (among other things added).
If you’re using a natural peanut butter where the only ingredient is peanuts and there’s a layer of oil over the top, you can use either salted or unsalted, but the texture might not come out like the stuff in the photos since it is so much less processed. And if you’re using unsalted peanut butter, I’d add a good pinch of salt to the syrup. Hope that helps!
ASHLEY says
Very easy, very tasty pb sauce. I love the way it thickens without hardening when it goes on the ice cream. I made it with honey and it was just a bit too sweet for my taste. I doubled the pb and it was still a bit too sweet, so I’ll have to play with it a bit to find the taste that works for me personally.
Christibe says
Can I use crunchy peanut butter
Tracy says
Should work just fine!
Amber says
Hi, is there a reason why you cannot use natural peanut butter? Thanks
Tracy says
Hi, Amber, natural peanut butter is less processed so you probably won’t get a completely smooth finished product like the sauce in the photos. You can definitely give it a try though, and see if you like the results! If you do try it, please let me know how it turned out!
Amber says
Thank you very much for replying Tracy, I would love to still give it a go and see if it does work out. Will most definitely let you know if it does. Sounds and looks delicious anyhow. A biiiiiig hello from Brisbane, Australia:)
Tracy says
Big hello back from California! ❤️❤️ Just realized it’s perfect ice cream weather over there for you guys right now. 🙂
Adam says
This is an awesome idea, and pretty flexible. I adapted it a bit to make a peanut butter sauce for chocolate pancakes. PB, some honey, a splash of vegetable oil (to cut the sweetness a bit), and then I whisked it slowly adding milk until it was thin enough to pour. Yum yum yum…
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the detailed comment!
IndyKoala says
I’m an ice cream nut, and have been in to peanut butter sauce for a couple of years. Finally wanted to see if I could make it myself. This was very easy to make, and very tasty! My husband enjoyed it too. I would say the recipe is enough for a large scoop of ice cream, or two depending on how much sauce you like. As like most hot sauces it does become thicker when mixed with the cold ice cream, but not hard.
Tracy says
Thanks for the detailed comment! So glad you both enjoyed it!
Linda Mansker says
This looks so delish! I cant wait to try it!
Tracy says
Thanks, Linda. Hope you enjoy it!!
Neha says
Wow Tracy! This pb sauce sounds super easy and versatile. I cannot wait to give it a try.
Tracy says
Thank you, Neha! Hope you enjoy it!!
Carissa Nelson | Spoonful of Easy says
Hi Tracy,
This looks amazing! I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a peanut butter sauce like this. It’s like I didn’t know how much I needed it until you posted it! Can’t wait to try!
Tracy says
Thanks, Carissa!