Crème Brûlée Ice Cream

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Smooth, rich, creamy, and decadent custard ice cream with caramelized sugar pieces.

scoop of rich & creamy crème brûlée ice cream with burnt sugar bits sitting in a bowl

What is Crème Brûlée?

Crème brûlée is a desert made of a silky-smooth, rich custard topped with a thin, crispy layer of caramelized sugar. As you scoop into the creamy custard, the sugar layer on top cracks. It is often served in a shallow ramekin so you get some of that sugar layer in every spoonful.

Turning Crème Brûlée into Ice Cream

The custard of crème brûlée is actually very similar to the base of custard-style ice cream. Because of this, turning crème brûlée it into ice cream seems like a natural transition.

When it comes to the caramelized sugar on top of the crème brûlée, there are two delicious ways to incorporate it, depending on your preference. To mimic the taste of the sugar layer, I caramelize sugar in a pot, pour it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool, and break it into little pieces. If you want the ice cream to have little bits of caramelized sugar flavor throughout, you can mix in the sugar pieces after the ice cream has finished churning. The ice cream will soften the hard bits of sugar and create little pockets of caramelized sugar flavor throughout the ice cream.

If you want the caramelized flavor in addition to some crispy texture, save the sugar bits to use as an ice cream topping. Add the sugar bits to the top of the ice cream when serving to preserve their crunch. Note – as it sits for a while, the sugar pieces will begin to soften, but it’s so yummy – I’m not sure the ice cream will last that long.

scoop of rich & creamy crème brûlée ice cream with burnt sugar bits sitting in a bowl with a spoonful missing showing the texture

Homemade Ice Cream = Endless Possibilities

Making your own ice cream is so fun because there are endless flavor combinations and possibilities! You can create flavors that you may not be able to find in the stores and tailor each one to your liking. It also allows you to enjoy ice cream made with real, simple ingredients. If you’ve ever looked at the ingredient list of store-bought ice cream, you know how long they can be.

More ice cream recipes to try:

a sugar cone with a scoop of homemade, rich, creamy crème brûlée ice cream with burnt sugar bits sitting on a marble countertop

Equipment

I use an ice cream maker to churn this ice cream. The one I currently use, and some other options, are linked below:

Don’t have an ice cream machine or not ready to buy one? Check out my post: How to Make Ice Cream Without a Machine.

rich & creamy crème brûlée ice cream with burnt sugar bits in a bowl and a sugar cone alongside a container of ice cream on a marble counter
scoop of rich & creamy crème brûlée ice cream with burnt sugar bits sitting in a bowl on a marble countertop

Crème Brûlée Ice Cream

Brookside Kitchen
This recipe takes everything you love about crème brûlée, the rich & silky custard with caramelized sugar, and turns it into a smooth and creamy, delectable ice cream treat.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chilling & Churning 8 hours
Course Dessert
Servings 1 quart

Equipment

  • Ice Cream Machine

Ingredients
  

Ice Cream Base

  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup sugar

Caramelized Sugar Pieces

  • 1/2 cup sugar

Instructions
 

Ice Cream Base

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Set aside.
  • Add milk, cream, vanilla, and salt to a pot. Place over medium heat, stirring frequently, until warm and beginning to steam.
  • Slowly pour some of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, while whisking constantly to temper the egg yolks. Continue until all of the milk has been added.
  • Pour the mixture back into the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon well.
  • Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve (optional) into a heat-safe container. Cover and let cool slightly at room temperature for 20 minutes. Then, place in the fridge and chill overnight, or until completely cold.
  • Prepare the sugar pieces. Instructions below.
  • Churn ice cream according to manufacturer's instructions.
  • Fold the sugar pieces into the ice cream (optional).
  • Transfer to an air-tight container. Cover, and freeze until firm.

Caramelized Sugar Pieces

  • Add the sugar to a pot and place over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until sugar has melted and turned a caramel color.
  • Remove from heat and pour onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow to cool and harden completely.
  • Place the sheet of sugar into a bag or between parchment paper and carefully break into small pieces using a rolling pin or meat mallet.

Notes

Prepare Your Ice Cream Machine – If your ice cream machine has a bowl that needs to be frozen, remember to freeze it in advance so it’s ready when you need it. I prefer to freeze it overnight to ensure it’s fully frozen before using.
Tempering the Egg Yolks – This step is important because it allows the eggs to heat up slowly, so they don’t curdle and cause little egg lumps in your ice cream mixture.
Cooking the Ice Cream – When cooking the ice cream, you’ll know it’s done when it coats the back of a spoon well. If you want to use a thermometer, it should reach this point around 160 – 180℉.
Strainer – Pouring the cooked ice cream base through a strainer or fine-mesh sieve is optional, but it ensures that you don’t end up with any lumps or pieces of cooked egg yolk in your mixture.
Chilling the Mixture – I prefer to chill the ice cream base overnight to ensure it’s fully cold and allow everything to meld together. If you don’t want to wait that long to churn your ice cream, you can move onto the churning step once the ice cream base is fully cold.
Options for Caramelized Sugar – If you want the ice cream to have little bits of caramelized sugar flavor throughout, you can mix in the sugar pieces after the ice cream has finished churning. The ice cream will soften the hard bits of sugar and create little pockets of caramelized sugar flavor throughout the ice cream. If you want the caramelized flavor in addition to some crispy texture, save the sugar bits to use as an ice cream topping. Add the sugar bits to the top of the ice cream when serving to preserve their crunch. Note – as it sits for a while, the sugar pieces will begin to soften.
Serving – If the ice cream has been in the freezer for an extended period of time, you may want to let it sit out on the counter for a few minutes to allow it to soften slightly before scooping.
Churning without an Ice Cream Machine – If you don’t have an ice cream machine, I show an alternate method for churning ice cream here (https://brooksidekitchen.com/how-to-make-ice-cream-without-a-machine/).
Keyword caramelized sugar, creamy, custard, easy ice cream recipe, frozen dessert, Ice Cream, summer dessert

If you try out this recipe, I’d love to know what you think! Please leave a comment with a rating here and share a photo of your creation on Instagram using the hashtag #brooksidekitchen and tag @BrooksideKitchen

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