• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chisel & Fork logo

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • DIY
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • DIY
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    You Are Here: Home → Desserts → Ice Cream

    Baileys Ice Cream

    March 13, 2021 | Updated March 1, 2022 by Ryan 4 Comments

    2508 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    overhead shot of baileys ice cream in metal bread pan
    close-up of baileys ice cream in bowl
    ice cream made with baileys in bowl
    baileys ice cream in glass bowl with baileys in background

    If you are craving a boozy dessert, Irish cream liqueur is the perfect base with this smooth and creamy Baileys ice cream recipe.

    baileys ice cream in glass bowl with baileys in background

    I could have ice cream every single day - from graham cracker ice cream to chocolate peanut butter ice cream to dulce de leche ice cream.

    But I had never added alcohol to ice cream, until today. I was always a little apprehensive as alcohol freezes at a much lower temperature. I was concerned by adding some, the ice cream wouldn't freeze.

    Luckily after fiddling around, I found the perfect ratio. I decided to go with Baileys as it already has cream in it, making it the perfect complement to ice cream. Plus I love Baileys. My Baileys chocolate martini is my go-to cocktail for a reason.

    By adding Baileys, the ice cream actually has a slightly lower freeze point which creates a super creamy and easy to scoop homemade ice cream. I also added one extra egg yolk to help prevent crystilization.

    What you get with this Baileys ice cream is a decadent dessert that is great year round or for St. Patrick's Day! And if you want to step up your game, top it over some warm and gooey Guinness brownies or some Irish coffee cake.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Ingredient Swaps
    • Step-by-Step Instructions
    • FAQs
    • How to Serve
    • Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
    • Other St. Patrick's Day Recipes
    • Baileys Ice Cream
    ice cream scoop scooping out ice cream from metal tin

    Ingredient Notes

    • Heavy cream and milk - the 2:1 ratio of heavy cream to milk gives you the right fat content to create that creamy texture you except with ice cream.
    • Baileys - adds a sweet, milk and somewhat chocolatey flavor and also lowers the freezing point, which makes for a soft serve-like ice cream.
    • Eggs - important in stabilizing the ice cream and adds extra richness.

    Ingredient Swaps

    As with any recipe, you can switch things up if needed. Some variations include:

    • Whole milk and heavy cream are my go-tos, but you can also use any skim milk and half-and-half if needed. It just won't be as creamy.
    • I like the flavor of light brown sugar with the Baileys, but granulated sugar works as well.
    • It is called Baileys ice cream for a reason, but you can also make your own or use Carolan's or Kavanagh.

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    cream and milk being heated up and eggs mixed with sugar in bowl

    Bring the cream, milk and Baileys to 170°F in a saucepan. While heating up, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until incoporated.

    hot cream mixed with eggs then placed in pot and heated up

    Temper the eggs by slowly pouring the hot cream mixture in and then transfer back to the saucepan and heat to 185°F.

    ice cream in ice cream maker and then transferred to metal tin

    Add to the ice cream machine and churn until smooth, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until solid, about 4 hours.

    FAQs

    What Ice Cream Maker Do You Use?

    It may be the cheapest one available, but the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker is super simple to use and makes the best ice cream at home.

    Can You Make Ice Cream with Half-and-Half Instead of Heavy Cream?

    You can although I highly recommend trying to use whole milk and heavy cream as the high fat content creates the creamy texture when the ice cream is cooled.

    Nearly any type of milk will work, and you can substitute half-and-half for the cream. But just keep in mind, it won't be as creamy and could get icy.

    Do I Have to Heat Up the Cream Mixture?

    Yes. When adding the eggs, while the chance is very small, if you bring to 185°F you kill the risk of salmonella.

    How Do I Keep It From Being Icy?

    So in general, eggs help prevent ice crystals but I also add Xanthan gum a lot of times to my recipes. Xanthan gum helps stabilize the Baileys ice cream and prevents ice crystals from forming.

    The usual problem with homemade ice cream is it will only lasts a couple of days before ice crystals form. But the Xanthan gum helps battle this. Just add ¼ tsp.

    Can I Serve to Kids?

    Baileys does have alcohol in it and it doesn't get burned off. While it is lower than other liqueurs at 17%, I would still keep this dessert to adults only.

    How to Serve

    This homemade ice cream is great on its own or to complement other desserts including:

    • Flourless Chocolate Cake
    • Smith Island Cake
    • Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie
    • Chocolate Lava Cakes
    • Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

    You can also drizzle some homemade chocolate syrup on top or even homemade magic shell.

    Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

    • Use the Best Ingredients - when making ice cream you want to use the best ingredients possible so use free-range eggs and organic milk and cream. Don't use imitation vanilla extract either. Use the real thing or make your own homemade vanilla extract.
    • Don't Cut the Fat and Calories - ice cream is not the dessert that you should be cutting the fat. It depends on the high-fat content to create a creamy texture. If you go lower fat, it will cause an icy ice cream. If you're on a diet, just have a smaller scoop!
    • Add Extract at Right Time - if you add the vanilla extract while the custard is too hot, you won't get the actual flavor as it will cook out slightly. Just wait until right before you pour the custard into the ice cream maker to add it.
    • Chill the Custard - you don't necessarily need to chill the custard overnight, but you want to chill until it is as cold as possible.
    • Use Frozen Bowl - make sure your ice cream bowl has been frozen for at least 24 hours, otherwise you aren't giving ice cream a great chance of freeze.
    • Start Ice Cream Motor First - do not pour the custard in the frozen bowl before starting the ice cream maker. It will start freezing upon contact. You want the motor running and slowly pour the custard in.
    • Don't Overchurn - always error on the side of caution when it comes to churning your ice cream. You do not want it to be hard. Remember it will continue to freeze once you place in the freezer.
    ice cream made with baileys in bowl

    Other St. Patrick's Day Recipes

    • Guinness Chocolate Cake
    • Corned Beef Tacos
    • Guinness Chocolate Donuts with Baileys Glaze
    • Beer Cheese Dip

    If you’ve tried this Baileys ice cream recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.

    baileys ice cream in glass bowl with baileys in background
    Print Recipe
    5 from 5 votes

    Baileys Ice Cream

    If you are craving a boozy dessert, Irish cream liqueur is the perfect base with this smooth and creamy ice cream recipe.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time35 mins
    Resting Time4 hrs
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 12 scoops
    Calories: 240kcal
    Author: Ryan Beck

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups heavy cream
    • 1 cup whole milk
    • ½ cup Baileys Irish Cream
    • 5 egg yolks
    • ¾ cup light brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    • Combine milk, cream and Baileys in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat. Stirring occasionally, heat until the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F and bubbles start to form around the edges.
    • While the cream mixture is heating, whisk the egg yolks together until smooth in a heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in the sugar until well incorporated and the mixture is thick and a pale yellow color. Temper the egg yolks by very slowly pouring the hot cream mixture while whisking constantly. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and heat, stirring frequently, on low heat to a temperature of 185°F. The mixture should be slightly thickened, enough to coat the back of a spoon. It should not come to a boil.
    • Pour the custard mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl in an ice bath to cool the mixture completely, stirring constantly. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
    • Remove the custard from the refrigerator and stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn for about 20 minutes (follow your ice cream maker directions).
    • Transfer ice cream to airtight container and freeze until solid, about 4 hours.

    Notes

    • Use the Best Ingredients - when making ice cream you want to use the best ingredients possible so use free-range eggs and organic milk and cream. Don't use imitation vanilla extract either. Use the real thing or make your own homemade vanilla extract.
    • Don't Cut the Fat and Calories - ice cream is not the dessert that you should be cutting the fat. It depends on the high-fat content to create a creamy texture. If you go lower fat, it will cause an icy ice cream. If you're on a diet, just have a smaller scoop!
    • Add Extract at Right Time - if you add the vanilla extract while the custard is too hot, you won't get the actual flavor as it will cook out slightly. Just wait until right before you pour the custard into the ice cream maker to add it.
    • Chill the Custard - you don't necessarily need to chill the custard overnight, but you want to chill until it is as cold as possible.
    • Use Frozen Bowl - make sure your ice cream bowl has been frozen for at least 24 hours, otherwise you aren't giving ice cream a great chance of freeze.
    • Start Ice Cream Motor First - do not pour the custard in the frozen bowl before starting the ice cream maker. It will start freezing upon contact. You want the motor running and slowly pour the custard in.
    • Don't Overchurn - always error on the side of caution when it comes to churning your ice cream. You do not want it to be hard. Remember it will continue to freeze once you place in the freezer.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1scoop | Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 54mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 18g
    Did You Try This Recipe?I love seeing what you make so mention @ChiselandFork or tag #chiselandfork on Instagram and please give a star rating below!
    « Baked Lemon Cod
    Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup »
    2508 shares

    Receive Top 25 Recipes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michelle says

      March 13, 2021 at 6:54 pm

      5 stars
      I made this and this is 🙌🙌🙌🙌

      Reply
    2. Marios says

      August 04, 2022 at 9:02 am

      Hello trying the recipe now just wanted know when to add the Xanthan gum to cold or hot custard .
      Many thanks
      Marios

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        August 04, 2022 at 12:57 pm

        Hot custard

        Reply
    3. Christopher says

      September 25, 2022 at 11:48 am

      5 stars
      I took it a little bit further. Add the ice cream to an Oreo crust, either homemade or store bought, and place in freezer until frozen. Drizzle some Hersheys chocolate syrup on the top when serving.
      I don’t know how to make much but this blows everyone away when I make it.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    About Chisel & Fork

    ryan standing in kitchen

    Hey there! Welcome to Chisel & Fork, a blog with tasty recipes and DIY projects. I'm Ryan and here you'll find hundreds of recipes ranging from true comfort food to vegan. Oh and if you like woodworking, you might just find your next inspiration. Read More About Chisel & Fork…

    Get Your Free Copy of My Top 25 Most Popular Recipes

    title page of ecookbook

    Healthy Recipes

    • Cinnamon Overnight Oats
      Cook Time5 Minutes
    • Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash
      Cook Time1 Hours 10 Minutes
    • Peanut Butter Energy Balls
      Cook Time25 Minutes
    • Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad
      Cook Time1 Hours

    Popular Recipes

    • Baked Cheddar Mac and Cheese
      Cook Time40 Minutes
    • Cranberry Mimosa
      Cook Time5 Minutes
    • Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
      Cook Time1 Hours 40 Minutes
    • Chocolate Chip Scones
      Cook Time35 Minutes

    Featured In

    logos of places where Chisel & Fork has been featured

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    Information

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Recipes
    • DIY

    Contact

    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • Work With Us

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Chisel & Fork

    2508 shares