Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

This rich and creamy Dulce de Leche Ice Cream is the perfect treat! Dulce de leche is a popular Latin American confection has a sweet and milky caramel taste.

When mixed with a luscious custard base then frozen you end up with a crazy delicious ice cream! Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream is another summer favorite!

Enjoy this ice cream by itself, in a cone, or on top of pies like my Dutch Apple Pie and Southern Pecan Pie!

I like to add toppings like crushed Pirouttes sprinkled with cinnamon, caramel popcorn, peanuts or pretzels!

Even just a little sprinkle of cinnamon is delicious! Whichever way you have it, you're sure to love it.

Dulce de leche is a versatile ingredient. It can be used in cakes, cupcakes, blondies, ice cream and even on toast. Heck, I eat it straight from the can on a spoon!

You can buy store bought or make your own for this recipe. If you're buying it from the store, I generally find it in the Hispanic section.

It is SUPER SIMPLE to make your own. It does take a little bit of time though. 2-3 hours.

You simply remove the label from a can of sweetened condensed milk then submerge the can in water and boil. The result is an even sweeter, caramelized milky caramel.

Jump to:

• What is dulce de leche?
• Is dulce de leche the same as caramel?
• What flavor is dulce de leche?
• What is Dulce de Leche Ice Cream?
• Churning ice cream
• Ingredients for Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
• Equipment needed
• Tips for Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
• Storing ice cream
• How to make Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
• Please leave a rating and/or review!
• Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

What is dulce de leche?

Dulce de leche is a sweetened milk or candy milk. It is similar to caramel sauce but not made the same way.

It is made with just one ingredient! Sweetened condensed milk.

Dulce de leche or Lechera is extremely popular in Latin America. It's not quite as popular here in the US.

Once you taste it you won't understand why it's not as popular yet! So good!

Is dulce de leche the same as caramel?

Dulce de leche is similar in taste and appearance to caramel. However, it is not the same thing.

Dulce de leche is made from one single ingredient, sweetened condensed milk.

Caramel is made from sugar, butter, heavy cream and salt. There are alternative recipes to make caramel that may contain corn syrup and/or water.

Dulce de leche is very thick. Caramel is generally thinner and more of a smooth consistency.

What flavor is dulce de leche?

If you had to flavor profile dulce de leche, it is closest to a caramel flavor. It has a rich caramelized milky taste.

Just think creamy thick caramel!

What is Dulce de Leche Ice Cream?

Dulce de leche ice cream is a churned ice cream that is sweetened with dulce de leche. It's a basic vanilla base with a can of dulce de leche added to it.

It tastes similar to a caramel ice cream. This ice cream recipe is super smooth and creamy.

It has a brown nutty color to it and swirls of dulce de leche on top.

Churning ice cream

Churning ice cream is one of my favorite things to do! Especially in the summer and around the holidays.

There is something so special and comforting about homemade churned ice cream. Let's address some of the most common questions about churning your own ice cream.

Is churning ice cream hard?

No, it's not hard at all! It is however, time consuming. Churning ice cream takes multiple steps, none of which are particularly quick.

The steps are easy though! You just need a little time and patience!

How do I churn ice cream?

There are a few different recipe types you can follow when churning ice cream. I like to use a recipe with lots of egg yolks so my ice cream is extra creamy and custard-y.

Egg yolks play several other important rolls in ice cream, if you'd like to check out a more in depth explanation you can read this post by Serious Eats.

Essentially you will mix your milk and cream together with the sugar then bring it to a simmer. Temper the egg yolks by adding just a little of the warm cream mixture at a time.

Then the yolks can be added back into the hot cream mixture and brought to a simmer once again. The mixture is then strained and cooled.

From there you add the mixture to your ice cream machine, turn it on and watch the magic happen. I suggest freezing the ice cream overnight after it is churned.

That will give it a thicker ice cream consistency where it's more of a soft serve consistency when it comes out of the ice cream machine.

Want to try a no churn ice cream? Try my No Churn Honey Vanilla Ice Cream and No Churn Salted Caramel Pretzel Ice Cream!

Ingredients for Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

• Sweetened Condensed Milk - If you are making dulce de leche from scratch you will need sweetened condensed milk. You can also buy pre-made from the store. Check the Hispanic section. Use your extra cans for pumpkin pie with sweetened condensed milk!
• Heavy Cream - Heavy cream gives this ice cream a rich and smooth texture.
• Whole Milk - I always use whole milk for a higher fat content and, in my opinion, better final result.
• Brown Sugar - Brown sugar for a little extra molasses taste. It goes so well with the dulce de leche flavor.
• Egg Yolks - We only use the yolks of the eggs.
• Vanilla Extract - Vanilla gives a nice depth of flavor to the ice cream.
• Kosher Salt - Salt really enhances the flavor of the Dulce de Leche Ice Cream.
• Pirouettes (optional) - I love crushing up French Vanilla Pirouettes and mixing them with cinnamon to top the ice cream with.
• Cinnamon (optional) - Cinnamon goes so well with Dulce de Leche Ice Cream. I like to either mix it with Pirouettes or just sprinkle a little on top of my ice cream.

Equipment needed

• Ice Cream Maker - This is a churned ice cream so you will need an ice cream maker. There are lots of options but I'm currently using this one!
• Sauce Pot - You can use a medium sauce pot or a large sauce pot
• Large Mixing Bowl - A large bowl or a medium bowl would work just fine to temper the egg yolks in
• Fine Mesh Strainer - You'll need a fine mesh strainer to strain the mixture before cooling and freezing
• Loaf Pan - You need some kind of container to freeze the ice cream in after it's churned. You can use an airtight container or, I like to use a loaf pan

Tips for Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

• Be sure to remove the wrapper from the sweetened condensed milk can and as much of the glue as you can if making your own dulce de leche
• Tempering the egg yolks is very important. DO NOT SKIP THAT STEP! If you don't temper the egg yolks you will end up with scrambled eggs in your ice cream
• Make sure to strain the ice cream mixture just in case there are small chunks. You want a nice smooth consistency
• DO NOT at any point bring the ice cream mixture to a boil. Simmer only or just before a simmer.
• If you want to use a thermometer to make sure then take it to about 190°F-195°F
• Add the pirouette and cinnamon topping, you won't be sorry!
• I know it's very tempting to eat the ice cream as soon as it's churned but for the best consistency, freeze it overnight
• Let the Dulce de Leche Ice Cream sit on the counter for about 5-10 minutes before serving it

Storing ice cream

After churning the Dulce de Leche Ice Cream you need to store it in the freezer. You can do so a couple different ways.

Use either an airtight container or a loaf pan. If I'm using an airtight container then I still put a layer of plastic wrap under the lid, touching the ice cream.

This helps prevent air from getting to the ice cream and causing freezer burn.

If you're using a loaf pan then wrap the pan tightly in multiple layers of plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap is tight against the ice cream so that no air can get to it.

You can even add an extra layer of protection and cover it with aluminum foil as well.

Either way you choose, the ice cream is good for up to 2 months in the freezer.

How to make Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

Whisk the heavy cream, milk and sugar together in a medium or large sauce pot. Bring the mixture to a SIMMER over low-medium heat, whisking frequently and making sure the sugar has all dissolved.

Meanwhile, add the egg yolks to a medium mixing bowl. Once the cream mixture is at a simmer then remove it from the heat immediately.

Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to add hot cream to the egg yolks. Whisk the egg yolks constantly while doing this.

Repeat the addition of cream 6-7 times then pour the egg yolk mixture back into the cream mixture, while whisking constantly.

Stir in the dulce de leche.

Bring the mixture back to a simmer over low-medium heat, while whisking the entire time. I like to use my digital thermometer and take it off the heat around 190°F - 195°F.

The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove it from the heat and add the vanilla and salt.

Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Chill the mixture.

You can either set the bowl inside a larger bowl filled with ice on the counter or you can set the bowl in the freezer.

Either way, give the mixture a stir every 10 minutes or so. Once it's chilled then add it to the ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturers directions.

Mine takes 20 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a loaf pan then add a little leftover dulce de leche on top and swirl with a butter knife.

Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

Crush 3-4 French Vanilla Pirouettes and sprinkle them with cinnamon. Serve the Dulce de Leche Ice Cream and top with Pirouette mixture.

Scoop dulce de leche ice cream into a bubble waffle cone with my Bubble Waffle recipe!

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