Honey works beautifully in vanilla ice cream, but it does more than add sweetness. Because honey contains different sugars and water, changing the amount can also change how soft or firm homemade ice cream freezes. This recipe uses honey alongside a small amount of sugar for a balanced texture.
Estimated yield: about 1 litre Estimated preparation: 30 minutes plus chilling and churning
Recipe overview
This honey ice cream recipe is a vanilla base sweetened with both honey and sugar rather than assuming honey can replace dry sugar one-for-one. The aim is homemade honey ice cream with a clear honey note while still protecting the texture of the frozen dessert. It can also be described as vanilla honey ice cream or ice cream with honey.
Ingredients
- 500 mL thickened cream
- 250 mL full-cream milk
- 1 vanilla bean, split, or 2 teaspoons vanilla paste
- 4 egg yolks
- 100 g honey
- 40 g caster sugar
- Pinch of fine salt
Method
- Heat the cream, milk and vanilla in a saucepan until steaming but not boiling.
- Whisk the egg yolks, honey, sugar and salt in a bowl.
- Slowly whisk the hot cream mixture into the yolks.
- Return everything to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard lightly coats the back of a spoon. Do not boil.
- Strain into a clean bowl, cool quickly, cover and refrigerate until thoroughly cold.
- Churn according to your ice-cream machine instructions.
- Transfer to a freezer container and freeze until scoopable.
Can I replace all the sugar with honey?
Possibly, but the texture and freezing point will change. Honey is not a one-for-one substitute for dry sugar. A fully honey-sweetened version needs different proportions; do not simply swap the remaining sugar by weight.
See Honey vs Sugar and Honey Measurements for the underlying differences.
Why is my homemade ice cream hard?
Ice cream texture depends on sugar concentration, fat, solids, churning and storage temperature. If it freezes very firm, let it stand at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping rather than repeatedly thawing and refreezing.
Can I use raw honey?
Use a food-grade honey whose flavour you enjoy. The custard base is heated, so any “raw” processing description should not be treated as unchanged after cooking.
Can children eat it?
Honey should not be given to infants under 12 months. For older children, treat the ice cream as a sweet dessert and consider individual dietary needs.
For another honey dessert, see Honey Cake Made With Australian Honey.
Allergen note: contains milk and egg.
Recipe note: This recipe has been developed for home cooking but has not yet been independently kitchen-tested by Australian Honey Company. Results may vary with ingredients, equipment and cooking conditions.