The Best Butterscotch Ice Cream Recipe| No Special Equipment!

Butterscotch Ice Cream

I considered making a no-churn ice cream, but with the amount of butter in butterscotch, I didn’t want to throw another pint of heavy cream into the mix, or you’d only be able to eat one spoonful.

I settled on making a Sicilian gelato base for the butterscotch extravaganza.

Why This Recipe Works

Sicilian gelato is basically a sweetened, whole milk ice cream base that is thickened with starch rather than egg.

Since it’s a whole-milk base, there is less butterfat than a base made using cream or even half and half, and that’s important since the butterscotch itself already sports a stick of butter.

Almost more important than the amount of butterfat is the lack of eggs in the recipe. Butterscotch is such a pure flavor I didn’t want to muddy it at all by introducing egg yolks.

You’ll note the recipe calls for a touch of cream cheese as well. This is a trick I learned from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

Cream cheese not only adds additional body to the base, but it also acts as a stabilizer, helping to keep the ice cream smooth, creamy, and free of ice crystals.

How does this work? Cream cheese already contains stabilizers in the form of xanthan gum or guar gum, so we can “borrow” them to help stabilize our ice cream.

And as your final bonus, while you can churn this in a traditional ice cream maker, you can also churn it by hand–just a few whisks every hour or so while it’s freezing. Excellent!

How To Make It

Ingredients

Like most homemade ice cream, the ingredient list is pretty short and straightforward:

• butter and brown sugar: the backbone of any butterscotch dessert. Cook the two together until the sugar has caramelized and the butter has browned. You can use light or dark brown sugar, but I prefer dark brown. You can also use salted or unsalted butter, but I prefer to use unsalted and then salt to taste. Even if you use salted butter, it is likely you will need to add some extra salt
• whole milk: provides the volume for the ice cream. You can substitute 2% milk here, but up the cornstarch by an additional teaspoon or you risk having icy ice cream.
• cornstarch: thickens the mixture to provide body to trap air and to keep ice crystals small
• kosher salt: for flavor. Salt is an integral flavor component of butterscotch, so don’t leave it out
• cream cheese: provides a touch of extra fat and richness while not overwhelming the ice cream. It also helps keep it scoopable straight from the freezer
• vanilla extract: rounds out the flavor

Making the ice cream base is a pretty straightforward process. There are actually a number of ways to do it, but this is how I made my butterscotch base:

1. Make butterscotch by cooking together brown sugar (I used sponsor Dixie Crystals Light Brown Sugar although I honestly prefer dark brown sugar for butterscotch) and butter until the butter has browned and the sugar has caramelized.
2. Add half of the milk and stir over low heat until all the butterscotch has melted into the milk.
3. Whisk the cornstarch into the rest of the milk and add to the pot. Bring to a boil and let boil for one minute.
4. Whisk in the softened cream cheese until smooth.
5. Add vanilla. (I used sponsor Adam’s Extract Double Vanilla.)

Can I Make Ice Cream Without an Ice Cream Maker?

Yes you can. I did!

I do have this ice cream maker, and I love using it, but I realize not everyone has an ice cream maker.

And not everyone has a mixer for making no churn ice cream. So for today’s ice cream treat, I decided to make a conventional base (Sicilian gelato) and then freeze it without an ice cream maker.

How To

It is much easier than I thought to make ice cream without an ice cream maker. Wait. What I really should say is I can not tell the difference in texture between my ice cream I make in my churn and ice cream churned “by hand.”

I was afraid the ice cream would end up a little grainy or icy, but it is every bit as smooth and decadent as my traditionally churned and no-churn ice creams. Magic!

All you need is time at home. Here’s how you do it.

1. Make and chill your base until completely cold.
2. Put the base in a large bowl and put it in the freezer. Set a timer for one hour.
3. After the hour is up, take the bowl out of the freezer and whisk it very thoroughly, making sure to scrape all the frozen bits around the edges into the rest. Whisk until it is completely smooth with no lumps.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 at least two more times. It might take three more times depending on your base.

Here’s a collage with photos of what my base looked like as I was in the process of freezing it. Mine took 3 rounds of whisking and freezing.

How Do I Know When My Ice Cream Is Done?

If you’ve ever had soft-serve ice cream or frozen yogurt, that is the texture you’re looking for.

After 3 or possibly 4 rounds of freezing and thorough whisking, your base will hold its shape fairly well and will look like soft serve. (See Video)

And then you’re done.

Once you get to soft-serve consistency:

• pack the ice cream in whatever container you’d like
• press plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream (if not using a container with a tight-fitting lid)
• freeze at least four more hours or overnight.

Thanks to whisking in some air, the cornstarch, and the cream cheese, your ice cream won’t be rock hard straight from the freezer, but it will be a bit easier to scoop if you let the container sit on the counter for five minutes or so before serving.

PRO TIP: If you forget about your base and it freezes solid before you’ve whisked enough air into it, cut it into chunks and blend it up in your blender or food processor. Then pack into your container and freeze.

Butterscotch Ice Cream Q & A

A Note About Measurements

For convenience, consistency, and accuracy, almost all my recipes are written by weight, either in ounces and/or grams, even the liquids.

I strongly encourage you to purchase a kitchen scale and learn to use it.

This is the one I used for years. I love it and highly recommend it:

Best for Home Use

Escali Primo Digital Food Scale

$26.95

Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.

Purchase Now

How & Why to Use a Kitchen Scale

This is an affiliate link which means I earn from qualifying purchases. Your price is unaffected.

12/04/2023 10:50 pm GMT

It would be so helpful to me and to other readers that, when you make a recipe, you rate it and leave a comment. Whether it’s a recipe or an informational post, your feedback helps others decide if the post is helpful or if the recipe works as advertised.

If you could leave a star rating, that would be very helpful. Thank you for being here!

Butterscotch Ice Cream Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Jennifer Field

This rich and creamy butterscotch ice cream starts with a cooked butterscotch added to a Sicilian gelato base. No ice cream maker? No problem! As long as you have a freezer and a whisk, you'll be able to make ice cream every bit as rich and decadent as the best premium churned ice cream you've ever had!

4.50 from 46 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Freeze Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course Ice Cream Recipes

Cuisine American

Servings 5 cups

Calories 235 kcal

Equipment

• OXO Good Grips 3.5QT Covered Saucepan
• 4.5 Quart Glass Bowl
• OXO Balloon Whisk
• Bread Pan
• 1.5 Quart Insulated Ice Cream Container
• Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoops

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 1 cup well packed brown sugar 8 oz, by weight
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 quart whole milk divided
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 oz cream cheese softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Melt butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
• Add the brown sugar, and cook over medium-high heat until the sugar caramelizes and the butter browns, stirring constantly. First it will be hard to mix the butter and sugar, then it will smooth out. After a few minutes of stirring, it will break again, and the butter and sugar will be separate. Keep cooking and stirring until the mixture comes back together for a second time and darkens in color. You may see a few wisps of smoke.
• Once the butterscotch has finished cooking, carefully add 2 cups of the whole milk. The butterscotch will harden into a clump. Worry not. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until the butterscotch melts.
• Whisk the cornstarch and salt into the other 2 cups of milk and then whisk into the butterscotch.
• Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and allow the mixture to boil for about 1 minute.
• Turn the heat off and whisk in the softened cream cheese until completely incorporated and smooth. Stir in the vanilla.

To Churn with an Ice Cream Maker

• Let the base cool for an hour on the counter, whisking occasionally, and then chill the ice cream base at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions and pack into a container to freeze throroughly.

To Churn without an Ice Cream Maker

• Pour the finished base into a large bowl.
• Cool the base for an hour on the counter, whisking occasionally, and then chill the ice cream base at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Whisk the base thoroughly to incorporate a bit of air and freeze for an hour.
• Remove the base from the freezer and whisk very well, being sure to scrape the frozen parts around the edges into the whole.
• Return to the freezer and repeat steps 3 and 4 at least 2 more times and possibly 3, until the base is the consistency of soft serve ice cream.
• Pack into an airtight container to freeze thoroughly, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Did You Make Any Changes?

Click here so you can remember what you did!

Video

Notes

Make butterscotch by cooking together brown sugar (I used sponsor Dixie Crystals Light Brown Sugar) and butter until the butter has browned and the sugar has caramelized.

Add half of the milk and stir over low heat until all the butterscotch has melted into the milk.

Whisk the cornstarch into the rest of the milk and add to the pot. Bring to a boil and let boil for one minute.

Whisk in the softened cream cheese until smooth.

Add vanilla. (I used sponsor Adam’s Extract Double Vanilla.)

MAKING ICE CREAM WITHOUT AN ICE CREAM MAKER

It is much easier than I thought to make ice cream without an ice cream maker.

I can not tell the difference in texture between my ice cream I make in my churn and ice cream churned “by hand.”

Here's how to do it.

• Make and chill your base until completely cold.
• Put the base in a large bowl and whisk it really well to aerate it as much as possible.
• Put it in the freezer. Set a timer for one hour.
• After the hour is up, take the bowl out of the freezer and whisk it very thoroughly, making sure to scrape all the frozen bits around the edges into the rest. Whisk until it is completely smooth with no lumps.
• Repeat Steps 2 and 3 at least two more times. It might take three more times depending on your base.

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN MY ICE CREAM IS DONE?

If you’ve ever had soft-serve ice cream or frozen yogurt, that is the texture you’re looking for.

After 3 or possibly 4 rounds of freezing and thorough whisking, your base will hold its shape fairly well and will look like soft serve. (See Video)

And then you’re done.

Once you get to soft-serve consistency:

• pack the ice cream in whatever container you’d like
• press plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream (if not using a container with a tight-fitting lid)
• freeze at least four more hours or overnight.

Thanks to whisking in some air, the cornstarch, and the cream cheese, your ice cream won’t be rock hard straight from the freezer, but it will be a bit easier to scoop if you let the container sit on the counter for five minutes or so before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 235kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 4gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 225mgSugar: 23g

Keyword butterscotch ice cream, ice cream

Did you make this recipe?Please tell us what you loved!

What are my qualifications to teach you baking and pastry? As a former working pastry chef and special educator, I marry my passions for both teaching and for baking into explaining techniques, methods, and developing the best possible recipes. For more info, you can read more about me.

If you’d like to receive new recipes and the occasional newsletter, I’d love for you to sign up for my Inbox Pastry Chef.