Salted Caramel Ice Cream
July 4, 2026 by Kimberly
TOTAL TIME
9 hrs
SERVES
6 portions
DIET
vegetarian
A Little Love Letter
So it was pretty clear that I had to make salted caramel ice cream myself. The beautiful thing about it starts long before the ice cream is even finished. In the kitchen, the sugar slowly turns into caramel, and suddenly the whole apartment smells warm.
And then comes the part I was almost most excited about: the caramel swirl. That glossy, thick caramel sauce that gets layered between the ice cream and creates those beautiful ribbons when you scoop into it.
Here is my very important note: give the base enough time to cool down before putting it into the ice cream maker. Really. Cold base equals better ice cream. But even with my little bit of impatience, it still turned into a creamy, caramel-y, slightly salty ice cream that became even more perfect in the freezer.
And by the first spoonful at the latest, it was clear: this flavor is staying. It tastes like a summer evening, like a little dessert moment, like “just a little bit more” — and then somehow you find yourself standing in front of the freezer again with a bowl and a spoon.
Hi, I'm Kimberly.
A hopeless romantic when it comes to food. Every recipe I share is a love letter to food itself. I’m so glad you’re here. Make yourself at home and stay a while.
Love,
Kimberly
If you want to get to know me better,
click here!
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
- Total Time: 9 hrs
- Yield: 6 portions 1x
Description
Imagine opening your freezer and finding homemade salted caramel ice cream waiting for you: creamy, sweet, salty, and layered with thick ribbons of caramel swirl. This ice cream tastes like a summer evening after spending the whole day by the sea: salty skin, shoulders still warm from the sun, open windows, and that moment when you have absolutely nothing left to do except spoon something cold from a bowl.
GOOD TO HAVE ON HAND
- ice cream maker
- small saucepan
- medium saucepan
- whisk
- large bowl
Ingredients
- 120 grams white sugar
- 40 grams butter
- 100 milliliters heavy whipping cream
- optional: 40 grams corn syrup
- 500 grams heavy whipping cream
- 500 milliliters full-fat cow milk
- 180 grams white sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/2-3/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Caramel Swirl: Caramelize the sugar until it turns a beautiful amber color. Stir in the butter. Slowly add the cream, carefully, as the mixture will bubble up strongly. Stir in the glucose syrup at the end. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Allow it to cool completely. Once cold, it should be creamy, thick, but still spoonable.
- Ice Cream Base (morning): Heat the cream in a medium saucepan until hot, but not boiling. Keep it warm over the lowest heat. This is important because cold cream can make the caramel clump more and cause stronger splattering when added.
- Add the sugar to a large saucepan and let it melt over medium heat. Try not to stir at the beginning. Once the sugar has melted, continue heating until the caramel is dark golden to amber in color.
- Slowly add the hot cream to the caramel while stirring. Be careful: it will bubble and steam heavily. Work slowly. If small caramel lumps form, don’t worry they will dissolve again as you keep stirring.
- Add the milk, glucose syrup, salt, and butter. Stir everything over low to medium heat until the caramel has completely dissolved.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the 5 egg yolks until smooth.
- Slowly pour the warm caramel milk and cream mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly. Start with just a few ladles, then gradually add more. This prevents the egg yolks from curdling.
- Pour everything back into the saucepan and heat over low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 84°C.
- Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Ideally, place the bowl directly into a cold water bath or ice bath and stir occasionally for 10–15 minutes. Then cover and place in the fridge. The goal is for the base to be properly cold before churning it in the ice cream maker.
- Ice Cream Base (afternoon/evening): Pour the base directly into the ice cream maker and churn. Straight from the machine, the ice cream will be rather soft and creamy. For scoopable ice cream, freeze for another 2–3 hours. After that, it should be nicely firm. If needed, let it sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 60 min
- Passive Time: 8 hrs
0 Kommentare