Bruleed Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Bruleed Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Bruleed Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Bruleed Salted Caramel Ice Cream

July 19, 2026 by Kimberly

Imagine tapping your spoon through a thin, crisp caramel shell to find ice-cold, creamy salted caramel ice cream underneath. That is exactly what this crème brûlée ice cream is: warm and caramelized on top, soft, cold, and slightly salty underneath. Every spoonful brings together shards of caramel and melting ice cream – and that contrast is exactly what makes this dessert so good.

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TOTAL TIME

10 min

SERVES

2 ramekins

DIET

vegetarian

EVERY RECIPE DESERVES

A Little Love Letter

You probably know by now that I like things to be a little special. Not necessarily complicated, but whenever a small idea can turn a good dessert into something even better, I have to try it. That is exactly how this Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée Ice Cream came to be.

It started with my Salted Caramel Ice Cream, which is already perfectly good on its own. But then I started thinking about crème brûlée – more specifically, that moment when the spoon breaks through the thin, firm sugar crust. Probably one of the best sounds a dessert can make. Naturally, the question followed: why shouldn’t that work on ice cream too? It does. Surprisingly well, in fact.

Underneath the caramel layer, the ice cream stays cold and creamy. With the first spoonful, the crust breaks into small pieces that mix with the soft salted caramel ice cream. Sweet caramel, a little salt, and that contrast between crisp and creamy.

For the crust, I did not simply use regular sugar this time. I first melted it into a dark caramel, let it cool and harden completely, and then ground it into a fine powder. This allows the caramel powder to melt especially quickly under the blowtorch while adding even more depth and toasted flavour. It does not just taste like caramelized sugar, but intensely of caramel, which is of course perfect with the ice cream.

You can still skip that extra step and use regular sugar instead. The dessert works very well that way too. The caramel version is more for those days when you feel like a small kitchen experiment and a little extra effort suddenly seems entirely reasonable.

Hi, I'm Kimberly!

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

Kimberly the Zett Signature

If you want to get to know me better,
click here!

 

 

Bruleed Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Bruleed Salted Caramel Ice Cream

LET’S MAKE A PIECE OF HAPPINESS

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Bruleed Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Bruleed Salted Caramel Ice Cream


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  • Author: Kimberly
  • Total Time: 10 min
  • Yield: 2 ramekins 1x

Description

Imagine tapping your spoon through a thin, crisp caramel shell to find ice-cold, creamy salted caramel ice cream underneath. That is exactly what this crème brûlée ice cream is: warm and caramelized on top, soft, cold, and slightly salty underneath. Every spoonful brings together shards of caramel and melting ice cream – and that contrast is exactly what makes this dessert so good.

GOOD TO HAVE ON HAND

  • kitchen torch
  • small saucepan
  • parchment paper
  • heatproof ramekins
  • small sieve

Ingredients

Units Scale

Instructions

  1. Optional: Caramelize the sugar in a small saucepan, then pour it onto a sheet of parchment paper. Leave it to cool completely and harden. Once set, transfer the caramel to a food processor and blend it into a fine powder. You can skip this step and use regular white sugar instead.
  2. Spoon the ice cream into the ramekins and smooth the surface, leaving a little room at the top. Sift the caramel powder or regular white sugar evenly over the ice cream using a small sieve. Briefly torch the surface until the sugar melts and forms a firm caramel shell.
  3. Serve immediately or return the ramekins to the freezer until ready to serve.
  • Prep Time: 10 min

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Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

July 4, 2026 by Kimberly

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.

This website uses affiliate links which may earn commission for purchases made at no additional cost to you.

TOTAL TIME

9 hrs

SERVES

6 portions

DIET

vegetarian

EVERY RECIPE DESERVES

A Little Love Letter

I think there are ice cream flavors you like, and then there are ice cream flavors that suddenly become part of your personality. Salted caramel is definitely in the second category for me. Whenever I see those two words, my brain is immediately on board. No questions. No reason. Just: yes, please.

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!

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

Kimberly the Zett Signature

If you want to get to know me better,
click here!

 

 

Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
LET’S MAKE A PIECE OF HAPPINESS
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Salted Caramel Ice Cream


  • Author: Kimberly
  • 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


Ingredients

Units Scale
CARAMEL SWIRL
  • 120 grams white sugar
  • 40 grams butter
  • 100 milliliters heavy whipping cream
  • optional: 40 grams corn syrup
SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM
  • 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Add the milk, glucose syrup, salt, and butter. Stir everything over low to medium heat until the caramel has completely dissolved.
  6. In a separate bowl, whisk the 5 egg yolks until smooth.
  7. 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.
  8. Pour everything back into the saucepan and heat over low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 84°C.
  9. 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.
  10. 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
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