No Churn Butterscotch Ice Cream
You don’t need an ice cream maker to create this wonderful no churn butterscotch ice cream at home. You don’t need any special ingredients and you won’t have to mix it every hour while it’s freezing to make it smooth. You simply create a butterscotch flavoured base, an easy praline for added texture, layer into a container and freeze. Your next step is to simply enjoy it!
What Ingredients do I Need to Make No Churn Butterscotch Ice Cream?
You only need a few simple ingredients to create your no churn butterscotch ice cream They are:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Brown sugar
- Milk
- Butter
- Butterscotch or vanilla extract
- Xanthan gun (optional)
What Makes This Ice Cream Butterscotch?
There are actually 2 main components of this ice cream that makes it truly butterscotch. For starters, the ice cream base begins with actual butterscotch in its purest form. A real butterscotch is simply brown sugar and butter cooked together into a caramel or candy. And this is exactly what you do for this ice cream base! Then you add the milk and cook it down until it thickens into a condensed state.
The second part of this recipe that makes it truly butterscotch is–the butterscotch praline! While this is an optional addition, cooking a butterscotch candy, crushing it and dispersing it in layers adds an incredible flavour and texture. The effect is a butterscotch ripple that becomes smooth yet stays slightly crisp here and there.
Can I Use Regular 2% Milk?
Yes you can. While using whole milk gives you a slightly creamier product, you can use 2% milk for the ice cream base and it will still turn out great.
My Milk and Brown Sugar Curdled While Cooking. Is it Ruined?
Definitely not. Brown sugar and milk can sometimes curdle when you cook them together because the brown sugar is slightly acidic. When you introduce acid to a dairy product, a chemical reaction causes the curds to separate from the whey. The extremely high temperature can also make brown sugar and milk curdle.
If this happens, do not worry and just continue cooking the milk mixture until it is 1/3 its original volume. Once cooled completely, Beat it vigorously with a wooden spoon. It will start to become light coloured, creamy and much smoother. The more you beat it, the smoother it will become.
How Long Does No Churn Butterscotch Ice Cream Keep?
The best timeframe to consume your butterscotch ice cream is from 2-4 weeks. It will still be good after that, but like all frozen desserts it can develop ice crystals. Ultimately, you can keep this homemade ice cream in the freezer for up to 4 months.
I really hope you will try out this no churn butterscotch ice cream soon! I love that you don’t need a jar of commercial butterscotch ice cream topping for the ripple, and you will love the slight crunch. I also love that you don’t need to buy a can of sweetened condensed milk to make it, like so many other no churn ice cream recipes. If you do make this, please rate the recipe here and let us know how it came out for you!
Check Out These Other No Churn Ice Cream Recipes!
No Churn Butterscotch Ice Cream
Equipment
- 2 Sauce pans
- Mixing bowl
- Electric beater
- Wooden spoon
- Spatula
- Glass or plastic container
- Small cake pan
- Knife
- Cutting board
Ingredients
ICE CREAM BASE
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- Pinch salt
- 1⅓ cups milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (35%)
- 1 teaspoon butterscotch or vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon xanthan gum optional
BUTTERSCOTCH PRALINE
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Instructions
- *CHILL A LARGE MIXING BOWL AND BEATERS FROM AN ELECTRIC MIXER IN THE FREEZER UNTIL VERY COLD* Also, grease a small cake pan or anything that can withstand very high heat. Set aside.
FOR THE ICE CREAM BASE
- In a sauce pan or skillet, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Once bubbling, remove from heat and cool completely, directly in the pan. The mixture should resemble caramel and will harden like candy.
- Once candy is completely cooled, add milk. Return pan to stove and bring back to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until the hard candy and milk begin to incorporate. It will feel awkward at first but soon the candy will dissolve into the milk and become smooth.
- Once the milk mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens to about ⅓ of its volume. This should take about 10 minutes. If it becomes curdled, do not worry as this can easily be fixed after the mixture cools. Remove from heat and cool completely again. *See notes if mixture becomes curdled*
- Add heavy whipping cream to the chilled mixing bowl and begin beating at low speed until very foamy and slightly thickened. Increase speed and whip until soft peaks form. Add cooled milk mixture and butterscotch or vanilla extract. Once smooth, sprinkle in xanthan gum (if using). You must do this gradually, sprinkling it directly into the running beaters so it does not clump. Beat well then place bowl into the refrigerator while making the butterscotch praline.
FOR THE BUTTERSCOTCH PRALINE
- In a small saucepan melt together the butter and brown sugar the same way as you did for the ice cream base. Once the mixture is smooth and reaches a boil, immediately pour caramel into the greased cake pan. Set aside to cool and harden completely.
- Once the caramel is cooled and completely hardened, remove from pan and chop until it's completely crushed.
- To assemble your ice cream, spread ¼ of the ice cream base into a freezer safe glass or plastic container. Sprinkle with ⅓ of the butterscotch praline. Repeat this 2 more times, finishing with the ice cream base. (There should be a total of 3 layers of praline.)
- Cover ice cream and freeze for at least 6 hours or until you can easily scoop it.