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Pure maple syrup, heavy cream, whole milk, and a pinch of salt. That’s the whole ingredient list in this Maple Ice Cream. And, the result is a soft, scoopable ice cream that I just can’t stop eating. This is the one, if you love all things maple!
Maple syrup carries a depth of flavor that plain sugar can’t match. I love playing with it as a sweetener for all kinds of desserts. My maple syrup cookies live on the same wavelength as this maple ice cream recipe. Both lean on the syrup to do the heavy lifting, and both are better for it!
Maple Ice Cream
You may have noticed, but I’m a little bit obsessed with making ice cream. I’ve tried just about every flavor you can think of over the years, and some that you would never think of (looking at you, mac and cheese ice cream).
And, the truth is that some are just better than others. This maple syrup ice cream is in that group. It’s bursting with all the warmth and sweetness that we maple-lovers crave, in every luscious scoop.
The natural sweetness of the maple gives it a light buttery caramel flavor with just the faintest hint of vanilla in the background. Nothing else in the freezer tastes quite like it.
Just what I was looking for. This was deeeee-licious! And all real ingredients. Yum.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The Dairy – I use milk and heavy cream together. That’s what gives this ice cream such a lovely, scoopable texture. This is the balance that I’ve landed on after years of testing.
Maple Syrup – For this, you want pure grade A maple syrup, no exceptions. The pancake-aisle imitations have additives that won’t freeze the same way, and the flavor is a fraction of what real syrup brings.
Salt – I use kosher salt in all my recipes, unless otherwise noted.
Notes on Equipment
- Ice cream maker. If you’re still shopping or looking to upgrade, my full ice cream maker review walks through the ones I tested and the one that earned a permanent spot in my kitchen.
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Airtight freezer container. These are the inexpensive containers I’ve been using for years. Tight seal, freezer-safe, stackable. I write the flavor on the lid with a marker, and it washes off with dish soap.
- Rubber spatula
Two thumbs up in our household
How to Make Maple Ice Cream
Whisking the Base: I dump the cream, milk, maple syrup, and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk it all together. Ok, the prep is done.
Churning the Cream: Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and let it run according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Picking a Texture: You’ve got a choice here. If you want soft-serve consistency, scoop straight from the machine into bowls. If you want a firmer, more traditional ice-cream texture, transfer to the freezer before serving.
Freezing: You’ll transfer the soft ice cream from the machine into an airtight container, and pop it into the freezer. I freeze mine for at least 2 hours.
Serving: Scoop into bowls and drizzle with a little extra maple syrup. If you have a handful of candied walnuts on hand, those are excellent on top. (And sometimes, I even stir them into the ice cream too!)
Expert Tip
The texture of homemade ice cream often depends on a couple of details that aren’t always on the ingredient list. This recipe for maple ice cream is so very simple, it comes down to using a good syrup and full fat dairy ingredients. Then, all that’s left is to resist devouring all of the soft, creamy ice cream in one go.
Pre-Freeze the Bowl – If your ice cream maker uses a separate freezer bowl, that bowl needs to chill in the freezer (for at least 24 hours!) before you start. Ice cream that isn’t fully churned to airy awesomeness before being placed in the freezer, can be a source of icy texture, and it’s entirely preventable.
The Base Must Be Cold – The ingredients for this ice cream come straight out of the fridge, are whisked together, and are poured into the machine. The colder the base, the faster the churn locks in air, and the smoother the final texture. Skip this step and you risk an icy result.
Pure Maple Syrup, No Substitutions – Pancake-aisle imitations have additives that don’t freeze the same way, and the flavor is a fraction of what real grade A syrup brings. The maple is doing most of the flavor work in this recipe. Cutting corners on a cheap syrup will give you an ice cream that doesn’t live up to its promise.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make Ahead: My maple ice cream stores beautifully in the freezer. And, I swear the flavor actually gets better after a day or two. You can churn it in advance of when you need it, but just don’t churn it too far in advance or it just might disappear.
How to Store: Keep it in an airtight, freezer-safe container. It will keep well for 2-3 months.
More Ice Cream Recipes
- Almond Ice Cream
- Chocolate Sea Salt Ice Cream
- Mascarpone Ice Cream
- Sweet Potato Ice Cream
- Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream
Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t recommend using low fat dairy products in ice cream recipes. The fat plays a crucial role in giving the ice cream its texture and flavor. Without it, your ice cream will turn out watery and lose the smooth texture with ice crystals.
It’s more work, but it’s totally possible to make this without a machine. Mix the ingredients together as directed in the recipe card below, then follow these instructions for making ice cream without an ice cream maker.
Good question. Sadly, no. It’s not sugar free. Maple syrup is a sweetener and has sugar. If you’re trying to cut back on white granulated sugar specifically, this is a fair trade. But, if you’re trying to cut all sugar, this isn’t the one for you.
Maple Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups heavy cream
- 1¼ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup candied walnuts OPTIONAL
Instructions
- Combine the cream, milk, syrup, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour into the ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Transfer the finished ice cream to an airtight container. Place in the freezer until ready to serve. Serve with walnuts on top and a drizzle of maple syrup, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 6/30/22 – recipe notes and photos updated 5/7/26}
Can you replace the sugar with splenda for the Maple ice cream ? Or any of the recipes ?
While I don’t make sugar free ice cream myself, I’ve been told it works nicely. You’d need to play with the recipe a bit if you want to try it.
I AM LOVING all the ice cream recipes!!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that, Debbra.
Easy peasy and very good. Used some gifted candied walnuts to add in and it was delicious!
Maple Walnut, that is a fantastic combination.
Just what I was looking for. This was deeeee-licious! And all real ingredients. Yum.
I’m so glad you like the ice cream, Dawn!
The taste was great and I love that it’s so simple to make but the texture wasn’t my favorite. I like the custard style recipes so I was hoping it would have that creamy texture but it was more icy.
Hmmmm, did you by chance substitute an ingredient? If you used a lower fat milk or substituted half and half for the heavy cream, the fat content would’ve been lowered and could’ve resulted in a somewhat icier result. As written, this ice cream shouldn’t have turned out icy at all.
Does this recipe have a strong maple flavor?
It’s a maple ice cream, so yes, the flavor is dominant.
Is it possible to not use heavy cream at all and only use 2% milk? Or would it not be as creamy? I personally don’t care for that coating in my mouth from a heavy cream ice cream recipe. I would love your thoughts.
You can certainly make an “ice milk” this way, but it truly will not be very creamy. If you want to preserve some of the creaminess and still make it less rich, you could try a bit less cream and more milk.
I just was given a pampered chef Ice Cream maker and wanted to try something I had on hand (all of the above) So off I went, THIS IS DELICIOUS!!!! Thank you so much
I’m glad the ice cream was a hit!
Can the cream be substituted with sweetened condensed milk without reducing the maple syrup for a smoother textured ice cream?
That would be a very very sweet ice cream, Evelyn. The texture here is pretty smooth as is. I don’t think the condensed milk is a great choice with this one.
Two thumbs up in our household
Hooray! I’m so glad you enjoyed the ice cream, Jake!
I love all your ice cream recipes. Yesterday we had a Memorial Day party and I had Maple Ice Cream, Chocolate Ice Cream and Oreo Cookie Ice Cream. They were a big hit.
I love all your recipes.
Thank you for all the work you put into developing these recipes.
awe! I love this!! We made strawberry ice cream and six threes ice cream yesterday for Memorial Day. It’s all about the ice cream this weekend for us too.