This Homemade Maple Ice Cream kinda tastes like your favorite vanilla ice cream went to Canada for the winter and hooked up with a super sappy maple tree. The deeply soothing maple flavor and the rich, creamy texture from the custard base will have you coming back to this recipe again and again.
Feel Good Vibes
- Contains trace amounts of minerals like manganese and zinc thanks to the maple sugar.
- Made with satiating whole dairy, which helps with fat-soluble vitamin absorption.
- We’re using unrefined sugar, because highly processed sweeteners are just empty calories, and honestly don’t taste as good.
Ingredient Substitutions
- No vanilla paste? Vanilla extract or a scraped vanilla bean make great subs.
- I don’t recommend making any other substitutions to this recipe. I’ve fooled around with it a little in the past, for instance, I made a version where I used cane syrup to try to highlight that unrefined sugar. Things did not go well. It pretended it was going to work, but even after chilling it for several hours, it melted completely on the journey from the counter to the dining room table. I had to call it a cane syrup creme anglaise and keep it moving.
Recipe Tips & FAQs
- Please make sure you use maple sugar, not maple syrup in this recipe. Maple syrup will not freeze correctly because it’s got more moisture than maple sugar.
- I buy Crown Maple Sugar online or at Whole Foods.
- There are many different ice cream makers out there, in a range of budget options. I love my Cuisinart because it has a built-in compressor, meaning there’s no waiting around for 48 hours for the bowl to freeze, using up precious freezer space. Obviously, at $375, this is the bourgiest option, but what can I say? I’m a personal chef, so it was a tax write-off. Don’t judge!
- If you’re trying to figure out what to do with your 6 egg whites, try this meringue cookie recipe by Danielle Walker over at Against All Grain. They make a great crunchy counterpoint to the creamy ice cream.
- After turning your base in your ice cream maker, it helps to chill it in the freezer for a couple of hours. Especially if you want a firmer texture. I prefer soft serve so I could eat it straight out of the machine!
Serving Suggestions
- Why not double down and make some homemade ice cream sandwiches with my Salty Maple Butter Cookies?
- Serve this recipe à la mode with these Sweet Potato Blondies with Pecan Pie Glaze.
- Make an extra rich Fruit Parfait by subbing the yogurt with Maple Ice Cream.
Storage and Shelf Life
Make Ahead: Ice cream base can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated.
Refrigerate: Base can be refrigerated for up to 3 days until ready to turn in the ice cream maker.
Freezer: Can hold for 48 hours in the freezer. This might seem short, but because our ice cream doesn’t have stabilizers and additives, it will harden and crystallize faster than store bought.
Final Thoughts
I’ll be honest here. I try not to eat a whole lot of sweets. Diabetes runs in my family; and anyways I have very sensitive teeth, so super cold ice cream is rarely the first thing I reach for.
So when I indulge in sweet treats, it’s usually because I’ve made something for my husband or one of my clients. I have a couple bites and I move on.
With the exception of this Homemade Maple Ice Cream. I let it temper a little bit to knock the chill off, and then I dive in. I’m a sucker for the rich, soothing maple flavor and the smooth, creamy texture.
Knowing I used wholesome ingredients makes me feel so much better about indulging. And it’s cool that the thing that makes it more wholesome (the unrefined sugar) is also what makes it taste so good. Because we all know there’s a lot of “healthy” recipes out there where the substitution is a design defect, not an upgrade. I love discovering recipes that buck that trend, and this Homemade Maple Ice Cream is definitely one of them.
Have you tried this recipe yet? If so, please share your experience in the comments below. I honestly cannot wait to hear from you about this one! And don’t forget to sign up for the Everyday Alchemy newsletter here.
Homemade Maple Sugar Ice Cream
Special Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 6 large egg yolks
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup maple sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla paste
Instructions
- Set up an ice bath with two mixing bowls. The ice should go in the larger bowl.
- Pour 2 cups of heavy cream into the smaller, empty bowl and set a strainer on top.
- Mix the 6 egg yolks, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt and 1 cup maple sugar together in a different medium sized mixing bowl.
- Heat 1 cup of milk in a saucepan to just below a simmer.
- Gradually pour the warm milk into the yolks while you whisk constantly, then pour the mixture into the pot, using a spatula to scrape the bowl clean.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. The temperature will be between 170˚F and 175˚F.
- Strain the custard into the bowl with heavy cream, add 1 tablespoon vanilla paste and mix well. Nestle the bowl in the ice bath, and chill thoroughly for about 1 hour.
- Follow the ice cream maker’s instructions to churn ice cream.
Hi, I’m Julia.
I’m a chef and wellness advocate passionate about helping others live well through nourishing food. I trained at the Culinary Institute of America and now work as a personal chef and community food advocate in Atlanta.
Want to know what inspired me to start Everyday Alchemy? Click the link icon below to read more.