A Delightful Honey Ice Cream That You’ll Love
Sweetened with real honey, this recipe is a twist on a classic that you’ll love. People who like “regular” ice cream will still love this, because it has a ton of vanilla flavor with a little something different.
Honey Ice Cream
Equipment
- strainer
- Medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1½ cups heavy cream divided
- ½ cup honey clover or wildflower
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 vanilla beans
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat the milk and cream. Heat the milk, 1¼ cup of the cream, and all the honey in a saucepan over medium heat, until warm and steaming, or about 170 degrees. You'll have just a small amount of cream left to beat with the eggs.
- Beat the eggs and remaining heavy cream. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and remaining cream until light yellow in color and well combined. They will noticeably change color when mixed enough. (A hand mixer on low will work well.)
- Temper the eggs by adding half of the warm milk mixture, a half cup at a time. Then add the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk and cream.
- Heat the custard. Heat the saucepan, which now contains all of the milk, cream, honey, and eggs, over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 185 degrees. The custard is ready when it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not boil. Take off the heat when it reaches temperature.
- Strain the custard and add the vanilla and salt. Hold cheesecloth or a strainer over a bowl to strain the custard. Add the vanilla bean and vanilla extract along with the salt and stir to combine. Immediately place the custard into in the refrigerator to chill. Chill for 4-24 hours, until very cold.
- Freeze ice cream according to the manufacturer's instructions. When it has reached the consistency of soft serve ice cream, place into a loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.
Notes
More Tips:
You can make ice cream by hand, but it will be a little more work. Just pop the liquid custard in a medium bowl in the freezer and stir it well every 30 minutes or so. This might sound easy, but it’s actually a huge pain! I find that any ice cream maker is well worth it.
Don’t add additional honey, it will make the ice cream too soft.
Don’t skip the straining step. You’ll often have small bits of egg in the custard and you definitely want those out!
For a softer ice cream, serve it right out of the churn. For a firmer consistency, let it freeze for a few hours.
About the Ingredients
Any substitutions can alter the flavor and texture of the final product, but they are worth a try if you have dietary restrictions. The outcome of the recipe may vary.
- Whole Milk: Use almond, coconut, or oat milk for dairy-free alternatives.
- Heavy Cream: Substitute with full-fat coconut cream or high-fat oat cream.
- Honey: Maple syrup or agave syrup are good alternatives, if you need one. Farmers’ markets, health food stores, or specialty food shops are great places to find high-quality, flavorful honey. The flavor of the honey can significantly influence the ice cream’s taste, so choose one you like.
- Egg Yolks: Use a cornstarch or arrowroot powder slurry (2 tablespoons mixed with a little of the recipe’s milk) to thicken.
- Vanilla Beans: Replace with additional vanilla extract (4 to 6 teaspoons total) or use 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste per bean.
By Katie Shaw
Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.