This homemade honey ice cream is smooth, creamy, and lightly floral with a mellow sweetness that feels a little more interesting than traditional vanilla. The honey gives the ice cream a soft texture and subtle flavor that pairs beautifully with toasted nuts, fruit, or even a drizzle of extra honey on top.
It’s a classic custard-style ice cream, meaning egg yolks are used to create a rich, silky base. The result is an ultra creamy scoop that stays soft and scoopable thanks to the natural sugars in honey.
I adapted it from this French Vanilla Ice Cream recipe, which was lightly adapted from The Perfect Scoop. I thought it was too eggy with 5 yolks, so I reduced it to 3. And instead of 3/4 cup (150 grams) of granulated sugar, you use 2/3 cup (213 grams) of honey (honey is much denser than sugar, so the weight is higher!).
Honey ice cream has been getting a lot of attention lately, especially after Blue Bell announced honey as one of their newest ice cream flavors. It’s a simple, classic flavor that lets the natural sweetness and floral notes of honey shine without needing lots of extra ingredients or mix-ins.
If you’re curious about the new Blue Bell flavor but can’t find it near you, or you simply prefer making ice cream at home, this recipe is an easy way to enjoy a similar honey-forward flavor.
- Simple ingredients – you only need a handful of simple staples.
- Ultra-creamy texture – the custard base creates a rich, silky scoop.
- Unique flavor – honey adds subtle floral sweetness you don’t get with regular sugar.
- Soft and scoopable – honey helps prevent the ice cream from freezing rock hard.
- Great with toppings – try it with nuts, fruit, or another drizzle of honey.
Ingredient Notes
Scroll down for the full recipe. These are just a few notes on select ingredients.
- Honey – use any runny honey you have on hand. There’s no need for anything fancy here. Basic grocery store honey works perfectly and keeps the flavor mild and balanced. I haven’t tried this recipe with maple syrup but assume it’s too thin for this specific recipe.
- Egg yolks – these create the custard base and give the ice cream its rich, creamy texture. There’s unfortunately no sub here.
- Heavy cream – I really don’t recommend using half-and-half or more milk in place of all the heavy cream. Because of all the liquid you’re adding with the honey, you need the full amount of fat in the cream to keep the ice cream rich and creamy and to help prevent it from becoming icy once frozen.
- Whole milk – I’ve also tested this with cashew milk, and it came out great!
- Vanilla extract – this rounds out the honey flavor. I don’t recommend omitting this unless you must!
How To Make It
This is a classic custard-style ice cream, just like almost all of my other ice cream recipes.
You’ll start by heating the milk, honey, and salt until warm and fully combined. The mixture is then slowly whisked into the egg yolks to temper them before everything is returned to the saucepan and cooked gently until the custard thickens.
Once thickened, the custard is strained into cold heavy cream, stirred with vanilla, and chilled thoroughly. After chilling, churn the mixture in an ice cream maker until it reaches a soft-serve consistency, then freeze until firm.
Honey naturally helps keep this ice cream softer than many homemade varieties because it lowers the freezing point. That means the texture tends to stay smoother and scoopable, even after several days in the freezer.
- Use runny honey. Thick or crystallized honey can be harder to dissolve smoothly into the milk.
- Don’t boil the custard. Keep the heat moderate and stir constantly so the eggs don’t scramble.
- Strain the custard. Even if it looks smooth, straining ensures a perfectly silky texture.
- Chill the base completely before churning. A cold base freezes faster and creates a smoother ice cream.
- Freeze your ice cream maker bowl thoroughly. Ideally for at least 24 hours. If you’ve got something like a “super freeze” function – use it!
If you’ve ever made homemade ice cream, then you know how annoying it is when it gets rock-hard after freezing. That’s definitely not an issue with this honey ice cream!
Preventing Ice Crystals
Homemade ice cream is best enjoyed within about two weeks. Egg yolks act as a natural stabilizer, but homemade ice cream doesn’t contain the gums and additives that allow store-bought ice cream to stay soft for months.
That said, I’ve kept my ice cream smooth for months by following these simple rules.
- Pressing plastic wrap directly on the surface helps prevent air exposure. While the honey in this recipe keeps it quite soft on its own, this is a great extra step if your freezer tends to run very cold.
- Use a shallow container like a loaf pan rather than a deep container. This allows the ice cream to freeze more evenly.
- Avoid repeated thawing and refreezing. Each time the ice cream softens and refreezes, more ice crystals can form.
Serving Ideas
Sorry that all the photos have honey being drizzled over the top, but it looks so nice. 😄
The photographer used these Glazed Pecans from Diamond on top, but you could use my Maple Walnuts on top, which are super easy to make. But you need to put them on JUST before serving because the candy coating will start to liquefy once it touches the ice cream.
Candied Pecans are also great!
You could add a few berries, but I think they distract a bit from the honey flavor itself. Honey and nuts really let the ice cream shine.
more ice cream recipes
If honey ice cream doesn’t appeal to you, I get it! I wasn’t all that excited about making it, but I found 8 jars of unopened honey in my pantry (it’s a bit of a disaster in there 🙈) and figured why not. I’m so glad I did because this is a new favorite! (but the Raspberry Ice Cream I posted recently is still my #1!).
Here are some other options.
- Paleo Ice Cream – a creamy vanilla-style ice cream made without dairy or refined sugar. This tastes SO much better than you’d imagine when looking at the ingredients.
- Lime Ice Cream – bright, citrusy ice cream with a refreshing tart flavor. One of my favorites for the summer!
- Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream – rich and chocolatey dairy-free ice cream. This might be my richest ice cream and doesn’t taste at all coconutty!
- Black Forest Ice Cream – this one is no-churn! In case you don’t have an ice cream maker.
- Green Ice Cream – a naturally green dessert that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. But it’s only for those who love matcha. 😉
Honey Ice Cream
Servings 9
This creamy honey ice cream is made with a simple custard base and naturally sweetened with honey for a smooth, scoopable texture and delicate flavor.
Prevent your screen from going dark
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At least 24 hours before making the ice cream, put your ice cream machine bowl into your freezer. If you have a super freeze option, turn it on.
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Into a large, heat-proof bowl, pour the heavy cream. Set a fine-mesh sieve over the top and set it aside.
2 cups (473 ml) heavy cream
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Into a medium saucepan, add the milk, honey and salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the honey is fully dissolved and the milk starts to steam. Do not let it boil.
1 cup (236 ml) whole milk, 2/3 cup (213 grams) runny honey, 1/4 teaspoon salt
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In a separate medium bowl, whisk the 3 large egg yolks until they are well combined and smooth.
3 (54 grams total) large egg yolks
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Gradually pour about half of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks in a slow, steady stream, while whisking continuously. This prevents the eggs from curdling.
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Pour this mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Continue stirring, scraping the bottom constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula over medium-low heat.
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Continue stirring until the mixture coats the back of a spoon and registers 170 °F (77 °C) on a thermometer. This should take about 3 to 7 minutes.
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Immediately pour the hot custard through the sieve into the cold heavy cream. This stops the cooking and removes any potential egg bits.
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Stir in the vanilla. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
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Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 4 to 8 hours to firm up. If you use a shallow container (which is best), 4 hours is likely enough. Otherwise, you’ll probably need 8 hours. The ice cream will remain soft and scoopable once frozen.
- Base adapted from David Lebovitz’s vanilla ice cream in The Perfect Scoop.
- The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator. The values were calculated with 1/2 cup (105 grams) per serving.
- Ice cream will yield around 950 grams (about 4 1/2 cups).
Calories: 294.7kcalCarbohydrates: 23.6gProtein: 4.3gFat: 21.4gSaturated Fat: 13.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5.5gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 117.6mgSodium: 111mgPotassium: 124.9mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 23.6gVitamin A: 900.6IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 78.1mgIron: 0.4mgNet Carbs: 24
