Homemade Coffee Ice Cream
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This Homemade Coffee Ice Cream is made just like old-fashioned ice cream! It starts with a custard that is blended with heavy cream and churned in an ice cream maker for a sensationally smooth and creamy dessert.
Once you’ve made this homemade churned ice cream, you will come back to it time and time again. This recipe will satisfy your sweet coffee cravings any time you have them!
I have quite a few no-churn ice cream recipes in the archives but I’ve been itching to try a more traditional homemade ice cream.
Since you really enjoyed this coffee crunch ice cream I thought it would be great to turn it into a creamy churned recipe.
Plus, I’ve gotten quite a few requests asking how to make that ice cream with an ice cream maker.
You can use today’s custard method to turn any no-churn recipe into a luscious churned ice cream. Try it with fresh blackberry ice cream or peaches and cream ice cream.
I just know the results will be amazing.
How to make homemade coffee ice cream?
Step 1: Make the base
To get started on today’s homemade coffee ice cream, you need to make the custard. It’s a simple concoction of whole milk, sugar, salt, and instant coffee granules. The recipe calls for decaffeinated coffee just in case you are sensitive to caffeine.
Put all those ingredients in a small saucepan and cook it over medium heat until it begins to steam. Make sure not to boil it or the milk will curdle. As soon as it begins to steam reduce the heat to low.
The egg yolks go in next but you can’t just drop them into the hot the milk. They’ll scramble if you do.
Instead, whisk them gently in a small bowl. Then, while you continue to whisk, slowly pour half of the hot milk into the eggs. Now you can pour the eggs into the pot with the remaining milk.
Cook the custard over medium heat until it thickens. This can take anywhere from three to five minutes. And be sure to stir it occasionally so the bottom doesn’t scorch.
Step 2: Refrigerate the custard
Sometimes little bits of egg get scrambled, no matter how careful you are, so I like to strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve once it’s finished cooking. This will ensure the custard is completely smooth.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic is touching the surface of the custard. This will help prevent a skin from forming over the top.
Place the custard in the refrigerator until it’s cold. It usually takes about two hours to chill.
Step 3: Churn the ice cream
When it comes time to finish the coffee ice cream, you just need to mix the custard with heavy cream and vanilla until it’s well blended and churn it in your ice cream maker.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for churning.
Making old-fashioned churned ice cream seems time-consuming and this is why most people prefer no-churn options.
But all the steps above can be done in advance. The custard will be done and ready to use.
You can enjoy the ice cream right away or store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two weeks.
Tips for making homemade coffee ice cream
- Make the ice cream base a day in advance. It needs to be very cold before going into the ice cream maker.
- Take care not to scramble the egg yolks. Slowly pour the hot milk in while whisking continuously.
- Jazz up your ice cream by adding chocolate chips or nuts.
Homemade Coffee Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (600 ml) whole milk
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons instant decaffeinated coffee granules
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 ¼ cups (540 ml) heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan combine the milk, sugar, salt, and coffee granules. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until steaming. Reduce the heat to low.
- Lightly beat the egg yolks in a small bowl. Slowly pour half the hot milk into the eggs while whisking continuously. Return the mixture to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap, allowing it to touch the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold.
- When ready to make the ice cream, whisk the cream and vanilla into the custard until smooth. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Enjoy right away or transfer to a freezer-safe container. The ice cream will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Double the recipe for a larger batch.
- Caffeinated coffee can be used if desired.
- ½ cup of regular, strong brewed coffee can be used instead of instant coffee granules. Omit ½ cup of the milk.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
This coffee ice cream recipe is exceptional. I was always a fan of Starbucks coffee ice cream that was in grocery stores long ago. I think I have tried every coffee ice cream available at grocery stores but non of them hold a candle to the Starbucks ice cream. Since I have been stuck at home and had a disused ice cream machine, I decided to give this recipe a go. I always have fresh whole coffee beans and did half decaf since that is how I drink my coffee. All I can say is wow. This is the best coffee ice cream I have ever had. Give this one a try and I bet you will be surprised at how well this ice cream comes out.
Hello I was wondering if I would be able to use coffee beans instead of the instant coffee and then strain it when i strain the custard. Would that work?
I haven’t tried it but if you do, let me know how it goes.
I have the custard chilling in the ‘fridge as I type this. It’ll be the fifth batch of this recipe I’ve made and we love it! I use lactose-free milk and heavy whipping cream I’ve put lactose drops in at least 24 hours in advance. I also put in 5T of coffee granules in as my husband loves a strong coffee flavour, and high-cocoa count chocolate shavings.
If I wanted to use this base for vanilla ice cream would I just omit the coffee? Would you need to ade more vanilla?
I’m not sure how much vanilla you’d need, this is something you’ll have to experiment with. But, you can certainly omit the coffee if you wish.
I just realized I asked my question as part of my review so I’ll ask again but here. What would happen if I whipped the cream that I add to the custard mixture (at least partially)? Based on what I know about ice cream making my theory is that this would make it smoother because of the extra air, no?
I’m not sure. The only time I’ve whipped the cream was to make a no-churn recipe. I think the churning process would knock out the air and essentially deflate the whipped cream. But again, I don’t know since I’ve never tested this. You could always give it a try and see if you like the results.
Thank you for this recipe. I really love how you’ve added pictures. I’ve made this recipe three times so far and wow! First time I followed instructions to the letter. It was great, but I was curious how it would taste if I used real coffee instead of instant. Holy s__t! It rivaled, if not better than any commercial coffee ice cream I’ve tried. I do want to mention that I used 6 rounded tablespoons of a very expensive high quality coffee bean, medium grind, used a French press for 4 minutes and used milk instead of water (yes, I know that’s coffee blaspheme, but I didn’t want to use water).
The third time I made it I took a tip from another comment (thanks Saron!) and added a cup of cocoa, but didn’t forgo the coffee. Best mocha anything I’ve ever tried!
Question, what would happen if I whipped the cream that I add to the custard mixture? Based on what I know about ice cream making my theory is that this would make it smoother because of the extra air, no?
Hi there,
After trying out this recipe a few times, I was curious as to why you add in the heavy cream after making the base as other many other recipes tend to add into the heated milk mixture. Does it change creaminess? Would love to hear what you think ! Such a great recipe.
I think you can do it either way and get the same results. I just don’t like to heat the cream so I wait to add it until I’m ready to churn the ice cream.
What should i do with it if I dont have a churn Ice cream maker?
The recipe requires an ice cream churner. I do have no-churn coffee ice cream you can dry. This one doesn’t need an ice cream maker.
Am I able to use soy milk or almond milk instead of whole?
I haven’t made this ice cream with either of those so I’m not sure if the texture will be the same.
@Emilie Reeves, Any time I have made ice cream with soy milk or almond milk, it comes out just fine as long as you use coconut cream or heavy cream in equal measure as it calls for in the recipe
Can you make this without an ice cream maker?
No this recipe but I do have a no-churn coffee ice cream.
Hello, can i use espresso powder instead and would you have a close ratio. Thanks
Espresso powder would be great. Use the same amount called for in the recipe.