This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Rich and buttery homemade salted caramel is transformed to frosty perfection in this irresistible Salted Caramel Ice Cream.
Caramel Ice Cream
Inspired by our love of warm caramel sauce and homemade ice cream, this is a wonderfully decadent ice cream. It’s been in our dessert rotation now for years.
The first time I made caramel ice cream was on a weekend my husband was out of town. I tasted it and then forced myself to hand the whole batch to a friend, because I knew I couldn’t be trusted with it on my own. (Yes, I have ice cream issues.)
I made this ice cream again a week later for my family, and it was a huge hit. Salted caramel is a beautiful thing. Just a tiny bit of salt enhances the flavors in the caramel beautifully.
If you haven’t yet tried it, get to the stove and stir some together just as soon as possible. With a sprinkling of salt stirred into some warm caramel, one taste and you’ll understand its popularity.
And, if you haven’t made your own caramel sauce yet, get on it! Homemade caramel sauce is dangerously easy to make and like so many other things, it tastes ten times better than anything you can buy from a store.
If you enjoy homemade salted caramel ice cream, then you have got to try this Twix Ice Cream next. It’s unbelievably good.
And, this Caramel Swirl Brownie Chunk Ice Cream is an awesome way to celebrate any occasion.
With over 160 ice cream recipes here to choose from, there’s sure to be an ice cream for everyone! If you’re new to making ice cream, the best and easiest vanilla ice cream is a great place to start.
These are my favorite inexpensive containers for storing ice cream. They’re perfect for gifting (who doesn’t love homemade ice cream?) storage, re-using, etc. I write the flavors on the lids with a sharpie and it washes off with dish soap.
I have more ice cream scoops than I can keep track of at this point and I definitely play favorites. This ice cream scoop does the best job ever of cutting through firm ice cream and still delivers a pretty scoop. It gets bonus points for being one of the least expensive scoops I own as well.
Don’t miss our Ice Cream Maker Review for all the information you need to find the BEST Ice Cream Maker for your needs. Spoiler alert – our top-rated machine under $50 just might surprise you. It sure surprised me!
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:
- light brown sugar
- butter
- heavy cream
- milk
- vanilla extract
- sea salt
The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!
Salted Caramel Ice Cream Recipe
To begin, combine the butter and sugar in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, stir to combine the melted butter with the sugar.
Continue stirring while the mixture simmers for about 4 minutes, until thick, bubbling, and caramel colored. Remove from the heat.
Very slowly, pour the heavy cream into the hot caramel, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until smooth, making sure there isn’t a great deal of caramel stuck on the bottom of the pan. (A little bit at the bottom edges is fine.)
Add the milk, vanilla, and salt and whisk again until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Then, process according to your ice cream machine’s manufacturer’s directions.
Serve immediately for a soft serve ice cream, or transfer to an airtight container and freeze for a few hours for firmer ice cream.
Scoop into ice cream cones or serve in bowls with a drizzle of warm caramel sauce over the top.
Recipes with Caramel
I’ve always loved caramel. And, it shows in the number of recipes that I have played with that feature it. White Chocolate Caramel Fudge is a fabulous example. It pairs beautifully with a cup of coffee.
If you like caramel like me, then you should give Caramel Turtle Bark a try. It tastes far better fresh than anything you can find in the store.
Salted Caramel Frosting elevates so many of our favorite chocolate desserts. You can’t go wrong putting it on baked goods, ice cream, or even smoothies. And, No Bake Caramel Cheesecake Mousse is hands down the best no bake cheesecake dessert I’ve ever tasted.
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Ingredients
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Combine the butter and sugar in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, stir to combine the melted butter with the sugar. Continue stirring while the mixture simmers for about 4 minutes, until thick, bubbling, and caramel colored. Remove from the heat.
- Very slowly, pour the heavy cream into the hot caramel, while whisking constantly. Continue whisking until smooth, taking care to scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir the caramel. Add the milk, vanilla, and salt and whisk again until smooth. Refrigerate until cold.
- When ready to churn the ice cream, pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and process it according to your machine's manufacturer's directions. Serve immediately for a soft serve ice cream, or transfer to an airtight container and freeze for a few hours for firmer ice cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 08/12/2014 – recipe notes and photos updated 07/07/2023}
I have to try this, I like that you don't need to fuss with a thermometer or anything, and it all comes together in one pan, yum!
I wouldn't trust myself alone with this ice cream either. I'll end up eating the whole batch on my own.
This looks amazing Mary! I just made homemade caramel not too long ago and you are right…so much better than anything you can buy in a jar. Can't wait to try it in an ice cream now!!
You are speaking my love language lady! I want to eat ALL the salted caramel ice cream!
I need to make this right now!!
Omgosh I made this yesterday and it's AWESOME! ! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes!! I've tried 2 other of your recipes and you can bet I'm going to try a lot more!!!
This is a **** recipe. I have made ice cream without eggs before and that is what I wanted. So yummly suggests this recipe. And it’s not even a salted caramel ice cream recipe it’s a caramel sauce recipe that says “Process according to your ice cream machine’s manufacturer’s directions. Serve immediately for soft serve ice cream, or transfer to an airtight container and freeze for firmer ice cream.” Thats just lazy!
First, I’ve edited your comment to remove profanity. Normally, I’d ignore a comment altogether when it’s this rude, but I felt the need to address it. If you had actually taken the time to read through all the ingredients, and the directions, you’d realize that the recipe begins with a homemade caramel sauce that is then whisked into milk and cream to make a caramel ice cream base. I’m not even sure what you mean by calling this a lazy ice cream, but I truly wish you all the best in your ice cream making.
Hey! I’m wanting to make this for my birthday dessert 🙂 What kind of milk do you use, or does it matter?
Thanks!
I typically use whole milk. Enjoy!
I had been searching for an easy salted caramel ice cream forever (w/o eggs), made this this weekend, So yummy. We topped ours with toasted pecans, yum! thx for the recipe, its a keeper 🙂
This recipe looks amazing. Can I still make this even though I don’t have an ice cream machine?
Keep up the great recipes 😊
Many thanks!
Made this yesterday for company. I topped it with some toasted pecans. EXCELLENT! We all loved it! Thank you for the recipe.
I bet this was amazing with toasted pecans, Pamela! I’m so glad you like the recipe.
Which butter best to use please? Thanks.
I use salted butter in everything, Mignone.
Is this all the ingredients or do you make the caramel separate to go with it
This is all of the ingredients. You’ll make the caramel on the stovetop first, Ellie-May.
Perfect!! And I’m picky when it comes to salted caramel ice cream. This is yummy. Thanks!
I am so happy to hear that you love the ice cream, Kay!
Caramel is not listed in the ingredients. Just, pour the cream into the hot caramel
The first part of this recipe is instructions for making the caramel. The butter and sugar are cooked on the stove to form the caramel sauce. You add the cream after the caramel forms.
OMG!! I just made this and it has the BEST Carmel flavor ever for an ice cream. It won’t last long here.
YAY! That’s how I feel about it as well, Vickie.
I’m lactose intolerant so I’m curios as to whether either coconut or almond milk would work?
Linda – You can but you will have to play with the amounts a little bit and know that the flavor will be different as the butter and brown sugar contribute to the salted Caramel flavor. If you do decide to try it be sure to use the Thai canned coconut milk as I have found that to work best. Also, there are several vegan ice cream recipes on this site that do not contain milk you might find helpful.
Mary can this be made without ice cream machine? Like beating or with a hand beater or egg beater?
Please let me know!
Thank you
Here are some tips for making ice cream without a machine: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/ice-cream-without-a-machine/
This ice cream looks amazing. Is it sweet? What would be the implication of reducing the sugar? Maybe not advisable as it seems to be for the ‘caramel’ element of the ice cream.
Yes, this is a sweet ice cream. You could safely reduce the sugar in the ice cream, but not in the caramel sauce.
It was an absolutely delicious recipe. The only complaint was that there wasn’t enough. I will be making it again tomorrow.
I’m glad to hear that you’ve been loving the ice cream, Gill!