Jinn's Peanut Unda is what happens when America's favorite combo, peanut butter and chocolate, meets a vegan peanut treat from Kerala, India. It's built on a peanut and rice base with cardamom, jaggery, coconut milk and chocolate, and it's intentionally a little gritty, in the most delicious way. It's vegan and gluten-free, and it contains nuts.
If you came here searching for a peanut butter ice cream that's dairy-free, or just wondering what on earth an unda is, you're in the right place. Here's the story of this flavor, the Kerala sweets that inspired it, and how we like to eat it.
The story: two peanut traditions, one container
Peanut butter and chocolate might be the most American flavor pairing there is. In Kerala, where our founder Shafna Shamsuddin grew up, peanuts show up in sweets too, often bound together with jaggery and shaped by hand. We loved the idea of introducing those two peanut traditions to each other.
So we took the classic peanut butter and chocolate combination and paired it with a premium vegan peanut treat from Kerala. The result is a flavor with real texture. We make it intentionally gritty, so you can taste the peanut and the rice instead of a smooth, anonymous paste. We use freshly made peanut butter and 100% pure coconut milk, which keeps the whole thing plant-based and wonderfully rich.
It's also one of our most North Carolina flavors. We use Tidewater Carolina gold rice and chocolate from French Broad Chocolates, two local makers we're proud to work with. You can read more about our partners on our story page.
What is unda?
Unda is the Malayalam word for a ball, and in Kerala it's the name for a whole family of hand-rolled sweets. You'll find ari unda (made from rice), avalose unda (roasted rice flour with coconut and cardamom, also called mavunda in some places), ellu unda (sesame seeds and jaggery) and more. Most are made the same basic way: something roasted and ground, bound with jaggery or sugar, often scented with cardamom and rolled into balls while still warm.
Peanut and jaggery sweets are popular across South India, from peanut balls to kappalandi mittai, Kerala's crunchy peanut candy. Recipes and names vary from family to family and town to town, so you'll see plenty of spellings and versions. What they share is a toasty, nutty flavor and that satisfying, slightly sandy texture you get from roasted grains and nuts. That texture is exactly what we wanted in Jinn's Peanut Unda.
Jaggery, the sweetener that makes it taste like Kerala
Jaggery is unrefined cane sugar, and it's one of the most important ingredients in South Indian sweets. It has a deep, caramel and molasses flavor that plain white sugar just doesn't have. In this flavor, it's the bridge between the roasted peanuts and the chocolate.
Carolina gold rice, a Southern heirloom
Rice is the other half of our base, and we use Carolina gold. It's a historic variety that was once central to the Lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia, grown on plantations through the labor and expertise of enslaved West Africans. Commercial production faded in the early 20th century (sources give different dates for the last crops), and the grain nearly disappeared before growers and researchers revived it, starting in the 1980s. Today it's prized by Southern cooks for its flavor. Using it in a Kerala-inspired sweet feels just right to us: rice is at the heart of the kitchen in both places.
What Jinn's Peanut Unda tastes like
Think of the best peanut butter cup you've ever had, then make it toastier, a little less sugary and much more interesting. The peanut comes through first, roasted and nutty. The jaggery adds a warm, caramel sweetness, the coconut milk makes it rich and creamy, and the chocolate rounds it all out. Cardamom floats over the top, the way it does in every Elaka flavor. And yes, there's that grit, the pleasant texture of real ground peanuts and rice. It's the most fun part.
Key ingredients
- Peanut and rice base, made with freshly made peanut butter and Tidewater Carolina gold rice
- Cardamom
- Jaggery (unrefined cane sugar)
- Coconut milk, 100% pure
- Chocolate from French Broad Chocolates
Dietary badges
Jinn's Peanut Unda is vegan and gluten-free, and it contains nuts. Peanuts are the star here, so this flavor isn't for anyone with a peanut allergy. Our badges describe ingredients and aren't a promise that a product is free of any allergen. Please check the label on your pack, and contact us before ordering if you have questions. It's part of our vegan collection and our gluten-free collection.
How to serve it
- With a hot cup of chai or black coffee. The bitterness of the drink makes the jaggery and peanut sing. It's a tea-time treat with a frozen twist.
- Sandwiched or crumbled. Scoop it between two cookies, or top it with crushed roasted peanuts and a pinch of flaky salt for extra crunch.
- Next to sliced banana. Peanut, chocolate and banana are a classic trio. A drizzle of melted dark chocolate over the top doesn't hurt either.
Which packs it's in
Order it on its own as a Jinn's Peanut Unda 4-pack, add it to a mix and match 4-pack from all flavors, or find it in two of our curated 4-packs:
- Kerala Roots: Jinn's Peanut Unda with Plantain, Kulfi and Vanilla Milk, the flavors closest to where Elaka began.
- Carolina Made: Jinn's Peanut Unda with Carolina Peach Sonker, Strawberry Hot Chocolate and Q'ahwa, every one leaning on North Carolina makers.
Looking for more plant-based options? Our guide to the best dairy-free ice cream walks through bases, labels and our vegan flavors. Every pack ships frozen on dry ice, and you can read how shipping works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Jinn's Peanut Unda dairy-free?
Yes. It's made with coconut milk instead of dairy, and it carries our vegan and gluten-free badges. It contains nuts, including peanuts, so always check the label if you have an allergy.
Why is it gritty?
On purpose! The texture comes from the real peanut and rice base, inspired by Kerala's hand-rolled unda sweets. We think a little grit makes it taste more like the real thing.
What does "unda" mean?
Unda is Malayalam for "ball." In Kerala, it's the name for a family of hand-rolled sweets made from ingredients like rice, peanuts, sesame or coconut, usually bound with jaggery and scented with cardamom.
Ready to taste peanut butter and chocolate the Kerala way? Grab a Jinn's Peanut Unda 4-pack, pass the spoons around, and start making memories today!
