Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Prep 20 mins
Cook 12 mins
Add'l 2 hrs
Total 2 hrs 32 mins
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Salted Caramel Ice Cream is a divine mix of salty and sweet, all in one bowl! If you are looking to avoid turning on the oven, try this homemade ice cream recipe to satisfy your sweet tooth!

A scoop of Salted Caramel Ice Cream still in the ice cream scoop on a dark wooden board.

So can I admit something to y’all? I um, don’t love ice cream. I like it – a lot, but if you put a cupcake or a bowl of ice cream in front of me…well, the cupcake will win almost every time.

I can only eat ice cream in small doses, before I’m over it. I don’t know why, but I just was never that girl to sit down with a big pint of Ben & Jerry’s. Sure I’d have a few bites, but never come close to eating the whole thing. However, I will say that I have been known to pick all the good stuff out of ice cream leaving the rest behind…you know like cookie dough or cheesecake pieces. ;-)

This weird ice cream rule I have does NOT apply to soft serve cones from Dairy Queen — I can actually make one of those disappear scarily fast. Like before you have even paid fast. The DQ Cone is the only exception to the rule – and no a McDonalds cone is not the same, no matter what your friends say.

A scoop of Salted Caramel Ice Cream still in the ice cream scoop on a dark wooden board.

And while you may no longer trust my judgement, I am head over heels in love with this ice cream. It’s been so hot lately…I just dread turning on my oven. Don’t get me wrong – I will still do it and I’m sure I will be baking something up for next week, but I am trying not to.

This recipe comes from the cookbook from BiRite Creamery out in San Francisco. Jorge and I went to San Fran back in 2011 and were super sad to have not made it over the BiRite. So instead I thought I would create a little bit of that magic back here in Florida.

It’s salty and it’s sweet…and those 5 large egg yolks keep it creamy. It takes some time to make, but it’s worth it for that first bite! And if you are feeling adventurous, I think it would also be delicious to add in some mix-ins like chocolate covered pretzels…or maybe serve it up in waffle cones!

Yield: about 1 quart of ice cream

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

A scoop of Salted Caramel Ice Cream still in the ice cream scoop on a dark wooden board.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream is a divine mix of salty and sweet, all in one bowl! If you are looking to avoid turning on the oven, try this homemade ice cream recipe to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 32 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups heavy cream, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup Dixie Crystals Granulated Sugar
  • 3/4 cup 2% milk
  • 1 teaspoon fluer de sel (or kosher salt)
  • 5 large egg yolks

Instructions

  1. Put 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a heavy stainless steel pan over medium-high heat. When the sugar is melted around the edges and starts to turn amber in places (about 2 minutes), stir the mixture gently and add another 2 tablespoons sugar to the pan.
  2. Continue to add the rest of the 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring frequently and allowing most of the sugar to melt before you add more. Watch carefully as the sugar darkens, stirring gently to help it melt evenly.
  3. When the caramel becomes a dark mahogany color, remove the pan from the heat and immediately pour the cream slowly into the pan. (It will steam and bubble up, so wear oven mitts and be very careful to avoid splatters and steam burns.)
  4. When the bubbling subsides, gently stir to blend the cream completely into the caramel. If you have lumps of hardened caramel in your pan, simply put the pan over low heat and stir until the caramel is melted.
  5. Once the caramel is completely smooth, stir in the milk along with the salt and put the pan over medium-high heat. When the mixture approaches a bare simmer, reduce the heat to medium.
  6. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks just to break them up, then whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Set aside.
  7. Carefully scoop out about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture and, whisking the eggs constantly, add the cream to the bowl with the egg yolks. Repeat, adding another 1/2 cup of the hot cream to the bowl with the yolks. Returning to the pan of cream on the stove, use a heatproof spatula to stir the cream as you slowly pour the egg and cream mixture from the bowl back into the pan.
  8. Continue to cook the mixture carefully over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spatula – about 1 to 2 minutes longer.
  9. Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer and into a clean container. Set the container into an ice bath, wash your spatula, and use it to stir the base occasionally until it is cool. Then cover base with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  10. Freeze the Ice Cream: When the base is completely chilled, freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. While the ice cream is churning, put the container you’ll use to store the ice cream into the freezer. Enjoy right away, or for a firmer ice cream, freeze for at least 4 hours.

Notes

Slightly adapted from the cookbook Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 313Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 200mgSodium: 70mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 0gSugar: 22gProtein: 7g

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33 Responses
  1. Trinity

    not great at all! five large egg yolks??? What to do with the egg whites? How wasteful. Nobody liked it either, what a waste again.

  2. Emily

    I was looking for a simple, straightforward receipt for salted caramel ice cream and this fit the bill — it was amazing! The only change I made was to use skim milk instead of 2% (it’s all I keep on hand) — after a week in the freezer, I haven’t had any issue with ice crystals or too hard ice cream so I’ll probably make the same swap next time (because oh yes, there will be a next time!). Thank you for the recipe!

    1. A woman holding a camera standing in front of some shelves.
      Jessica

      Hi Denyse! It’s listed towards the middle of the recipe:

      “Once the caramel is completely smooth, stir in the milk along with the salt and put the pan over medium-high heat. When the mixture approaches a bare simmer, reduce the heat to medium.”

  3. ErinsFoodFiles

    I’m the opposite, if you put ice cream or a cupcake in front of me, I choose the ice cream! I have a bowl (a tiny one!) nearly every night. Salted caramel is one of my faaaaavorite flavors.

  4. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar

    HELLO lovely! I guess I’m surprised that you don’t LOVE ice cream…but cupcakes are pretty good too, so I totally get it! LOVE this recipe!

  5. Chantel

    For someone who doesn’t like ice cream, this sure looks good. I like the DQ cone, and you are right, it is soft-serve, but nothing like McDonald’s (and for them I only like the fudge sundae’s). Oh well, I’m not as much an ice cream lover as a salt lover, I just have to get that ice cream maker if I want to be serious.

  6. Tina | My Life as a Mrs

    YOU DON’T LOVE ICE CREAM?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Oh my word… It’s like my favorite dessert EVER! lol It’s a good thing I REALLY like you or this would be a friendship deal breaker! ;)

  7. Sues

    This ice cream looks fabulous! I do love ice cream, but definitely love the good stuff packed inside more than the actual ice cream!

  8. Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious

    I’m the same way – I could eat soft serve all day long but I could only have ice cream in tiny portions. But this – this I could devour every single second of the day!

  9. Megan {Country Cleaver}

    I’m glad someone said it out loud – because I would pick a cupcake over ice cream any day!! But this might challenge that notion a bit. The photos, oh my!!

  10. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust

    What an awesome ice cream! LOVE the flavors, and I have to check out that creamery next time we’re in SF.

    And DQ is always better. Always!

  11. Elizabeth @ The Collegiate Baker

    Your photos are gorgeous!! I’ve never made homemade ice cream, but I might have to change that soon!

  12. Erin

    I’ve been on the look out for Homemade Ice Cream recipes, and I’m a caramel lover – this will hit the spot. Can’t wait to try! And for me, Summer = Ice Cream. Thanks for the great recipe! ~E~

  13. Alaina @ Fabtastic Eats

    yumm! I love ice cream, Im totally that girl who can eat an entire pint of ben & jerrys in one sitting. I ate an embarrassing amount of it while pregnant. Ill keep the specifics to myself. But seriously, I really need an ice cream maker! This is killing me!

  14. Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking

    Aaaand, say hello to reason # 352,678 that I need an ice cream maker. This is to-die-for!

  15. cassie

    I share your sentiments. I’ll eat it…but will always chose a cookie, cupcake or truffle over ice cream. However, salted caramel ice cream is talking my language!

  16. Rachel @ Baked by Rachel

    I may have just shed a tear. You don’t LOVE ice cream?! omg… just don’t ever tell me you don’t love bacon because that’ll be it… ;)

  17. Diana @ Sweet y Salado

    I share your feelings about ice cream which people have always given me a hard time about. And it’s not that I hate it, I just don’t care for it or do backflips like everyone else. I find it too thick, too cold (it hurts my teeth) and it makes me thirsty which kind of defeats the purpose of having it in a hot, summer day. I do like it with strawberry sauce like the sundaes they sell at Dairy Queen or in a banana split. Having said that, I love dulce de leche and salted caramel so why not give this one a try, right? :)

  18. Ashley Bee (Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine)

    I just made ice cream like this and it was SOOO GOOOOD! :) I added chocolate chunks and toffee bits too. I love making ice cream, you can make it just the way you’d like!

  19. Karly

    I’m not much of an ice cream girl either. I mean, I’ll eat it, obviously, but it’s not something that I crave. This one, though? I could get behind this.

  20. Renee @ Awesome on $20

    My husband is a caramel freak. It’s always ice cream weather here, as I imagine it is in Florida. He will absolutely die for this. Instead of a waffle cone, I’m thinking waffle taco. Slap a couple of scoops into the center of a Belgian waffle, drizzle it with caramel syrup and sprinkles, then fold that baby in half and go to town. Heaven

Welcome!

Jessica
I'm a trial & error, self taught, sugar addict who thankfully learned how to survive in the kitchen! I am also a wife, mama of 3.
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