Coffee Ice Cream – Barefeet in the Kitchen

Irresistibly rich, Coffee Ice Cream is a dessert that captures the morning joy of a freshly brewed cup of your favorite java. Perfect at any time of day!

Best Coffee Ice Cream

I’m something of a fan of coffee and ice cream. I like my ice cream with coffee, my coffee with ice cream. I’m not picky about the order! But, in a perfect world, I get them both in the same amazing dish. Well, this is that dish.

This is the best coffee ice cream recipe I’ve ever tried. And, full disclosure–I’ve tried a lot of coffee ice cream recipes. Get ready to dig into a robust blend of freshly brewed coffee with just enough creamy sweetness to take the edge off.

With over 70 ice cream recipes here to choose from, there’s sure to be an ice cream for everyone! If you’re new to making ice cream, the best and easiest vanilla ice cream is a great place to start.

These are my favorite inexpensive containers for storing ice cream. They’re perfect for gifting (who doesn’t love homemade ice cream?) storage, re-using, etc. I write the flavors on the lids with a sharpie and it washes off with dish soap.

I have more ice cream scoops than I can keep track of at this point and I definitely play favorites. This ice cream scoop does the best job ever of cutting through firm ice cream and still delivers a pretty scoop. It gets bonus points for being one of the least expensive scoops I own as well.

Don’t miss our Ice Cream Maker Review for all the information you need to find the BEST Ice Cream Maker for your needs! Spoiler alert – our top-rated machine under $50 just might surprise you. It sure surprised me!

Coffee and Ice Cream

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe for coffee ice cream:

• coffee beans
• whole milk
• sugar
• kosher salt
• heavy cream
• egg yolks
• vanilla extract
• instant coffee powder

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Coffee Ice Cream Recipe

Combine the coffee beans, milk, sugar, salt, and ½ cup of cream in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, but do NOT boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar and remove from the heat when the mixture is warm. Cover with a lid and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a large bowl and place a fine mesh strainer over the bowl. Set the bowl next to the stove. If the coffee mixture has cooled, re-warm it briefly.

In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Very slowly drizzle about 1 cup of the liquid from the warm coffee mixture into the eggs, just a tablespoon or so at a time, while whisking constantly.

Pour the warmed egg yolks into the saucepan and warm over medium-heat while stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats a spatula, about 5 minutes.

Then, pour the entire mixture in the pan through a fine mesh strainer, pressing down on the coffee beans to extract as much of the custard as possible. Discard the coffee beans, and add the remainder of the cream.

Add the vanilla and the coffee powder to the ice cream mixture and stir to combine. Chill COMPLETELY before processing in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Homemade Coffee Ice Cream

If you enjoyed this homemade coffee ice cream, then you should definitely check out some other coffee desserts. Peppermint Mocha Ice Cream is a great way to get your favorite Christmas flavors year round.

Cafe con Leche Ice Cream is an ultra-rich, creamy, coffee-flavored ice cream inspired by the Spanish drink we’ve grown to love so much. Just sweet enough to take the bitterness out of the coffee, without so much sweetness as to be overwhelming and cancel the richness of the coffee.

This Easy Espresso Ice Cream is quite easily one of my favorites. I love a simple, smooth, yet rich and creamy authentic flavor.

I’ve also been eyeing this Coffee Chocolate Bark – doesn’t it sound good? And, would any ice cream recipe be complete without a recommendation to make Homemade Chocolate Sauce? I think not. It’s seriously good.

While it may not be coffee, Chai Ice Cream is another incredible flavor that I stand wholeheartedly behind. It’s a surprisingly refreshing ice cream with so many rich flavors in the tea.