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 70 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. And, Caramel Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes are an excellent dessert for your next party.
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.
Turn snack time into something special with a batch of Caramel Cheesecake Dip. Apple slices have never tasted better. 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
{originally published 08/12/2014 – recipe notes and photos updated 07/07/2023}
Sue/the view from great island says
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!
Joshua Hampton says
I wouldn't trust myself alone with this ice cream either. I'll end up eating the whole batch on my own.
Jessica @ Stuck On Sweet says
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!!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
You are speaking my love language lady! I want to eat ALL the salted caramel ice cream!
Amanda says
I need to make this right now!!
Tangos Treasures says
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!!!
kay says
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!
Mary says
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.
Katy says
Hey! I’m wanting to make this for my birthday dessert 🙂 What kind of milk do you use, or does it matter?
Thanks!
Mary says
I typically use whole milk. Enjoy!
stephanie says
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 🙂
Ann says
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!
Pamela Kara says
Made this yesterday for company. I topped it with some toasted pecans. EXCELLENT! We all loved it! Thank you for the recipe.
Mary says
I bet this was amazing with toasted pecans, Pamela! I’m so glad you like the recipe.
Mignone says
Which butter best to use please? Thanks.
Mary Younkin says
I use salted butter in everything, Mignone.
Ellie-may Lansdowne says
Is this all the ingredients or do you make the caramel separate to go with it
Mary Younkin says
This is all of the ingredients. You’ll make the caramel on the stovetop first, Ellie-May.
Kay says
Perfect!! And I’m picky when it comes to salted caramel ice cream. This is yummy. Thanks!
Mary Younkin says
I am so happy to hear that you love the ice cream, Kay!
LB says
Caramel is not listed in the ingredients. Just, pour the cream into the hot caramel
Mary Younkin says
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.
Vickie says
OMG!! I just made this and it has the BEST Carmel flavor ever for an ice cream. It won’t last long here.
Mary Younkin says
YAY! That’s how I feel about it as well, Vickie.
Linda says
I’m lactose intolerant so I’m curios as to whether either coconut or almond milk would work?
Mary Younkin says
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.
Fouzia Atif says
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
Mary Younkin says
Here are some tips for making ice cream without a machine: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/ice-cream-without-a-machine/
Alex Stenning says
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.
Mary Younkin says
Yes, this is a sweet ice cream. You could safely reduce the sugar in the ice cream, but not in the caramel sauce.
Gill Huckle says
It was an absolutely delicious recipe. The only complaint was that there wasn’t enough. I will be making it again tomorrow.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad to hear that you’ve been loving the ice cream, Gill!