Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Recipe

Name: Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 cups heavy cream; 1 cup whole milk; 4 egg yolks; 1 1/2 cups dulce de leche; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/8 tsp salt

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This dulce de leche ice cream recipe uses South America's favorite sweet sauce to create a caramel-like and creamy ice cream.

I can never have enough ice cream - from cookies and cream ice cream to peppermint ice cream to chocolate peanut butter ice cream.

But have you had some with dulce de leche? Before today I hadn't either. However I had bought a jar of dulce de leche for another dessert and was trying to come up with a way to use the rest. And then it hit me - homemade ice cream.

For those that have never had dulce de leche, it is South American's version of caramel - made with milk and sugar. I mean who doesn't love caramel?

And by adding it into this ice cream, you get that caramel flavor with every bite that is hard to resist.

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Recipe Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
Homemade Dulce de Leche
Desserts that Go with Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
FAQs
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
Other Ice Cream Recipes
Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

ice cream made with dulce de leche being scooped out of metal tin

Recipe Ingredients

Heavy cream - high fat content creates the creamy texture you expect.
Whole milk - whole milk is just as important for the fat.
Eggs - gives extra richness and stabilizes the homemade ice cream.
Dulce de leche - where the sweetness and caramel flavor comes from.
Vanilla extract and salt - enhances the flavor.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Combine cream, milk and dulce de leche in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat until the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F and bubbles start to form around the edges. Stir occasionally.
Whisk the egg yolks together until smooth in a heatproof bowl until thick and a pale color.
Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks and whisk constantly to temper the eggs.
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. 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 2 hours.

process shots of how to make dulce de leche ice cream

Homemade Dulce de Leche

While I bought the dulce de leche at the store, you are welcome to make your own. Baking a Moment has a great and easy recipe that uses just condensed milk.

Desserts that Go with Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

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

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 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.

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. Also use high quality products when it comes to added flavorings like vanilla or chocolate. Never use imitation vanilla.
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 an extract or alcohol 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 the 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.
Keep It Creamy - homemade ice cream can turn hard as we don't add preservatives, however Xanthan gum or a couple tablespoon of vodka will help keep it creamy.

overhead shot of dulce de leche ice cream in glass bowl and tin

Other Ice Cream Recipes

If you’ve tried this dulce de leche ice cream 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.

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5 from 2 votes