Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ice Cream (no-churn option)
Perfectly textured ice cream with the warm and wintery flavors of brown sugar and cinnamon. Perfectly soft and creamy, thanks to the brown sugar, this delicious treat is perfect for enjoying by the fire or in a holiday sundae!
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Okay, I may have stolen the idea for this ice cream from Disneyland. However, I came up with the ratios myself, so that makes it pretty much original, right?
Whatever, Disneyland has amazing ice cream.
Lately, I have not been a fan of their holiday flavors. Peppermint? That’s it? But this year, they brought out a new one that was to die for. Eating their brown sugar cinnamon ice cream in a chocolate dipped holiday sprinkle waffle cone on Main Street while it “snowed” gingerbread scented soap around us was a pretty magical moment.
So, as soon as I got home, I started brainstorming how best to recreate their amazing flavors.
The key was in using just enough cinnamon. I didn’t want to overwhelm the brown sugar flavor, so I did the whole add and taste bit until it tasted perfect. I was happy to take one for the team and taste cinnamon flavored custard repeatedly until it was perfect.
And it was. This may just be my favorite holiday ice cream flavor.
Why this recipe works
The real stars here are the obvious: brown sugar and cinnamon. Brown sugar has molasses, which helps keep the ice cream soft and perfectly creamy—not hard or icy. It also has that rich, warm holiday flavor. Using quality cinnamon is also important, as it packs a much more vibrant flavor.
I’ve also found that making the custard myself (which takes less than 10 minutes) and slow churning the ice cream makes a very noticeable difference in both flavor and texture. The custard is very simple. Heat the milk. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar. Combine the two and heat until thick. Add cream. It’s really just a lot of pouring and mixing. It tastes a thousand times better than condensed milk ice creams. And I also found it’s just less work to use my churner. We have a KitchenAid attachment that’s actually very easy to freeze (I just filled it with frozen food to maximize space). Then you just pour and wait. That’s it. No adding rock salt or ice. No whipping cream and folding it into the custard. Just pouring and waiting. I can do that.
Between how easy this recipe was and how delicious it tastes, it’s one of my new favorites.
Key ingredients
Egg yolks. Don’t be intimidated! Using egg yolks is fairly quick and makes the ice cream just so, so creamy and delicious.
Brown sugar. When you whisk it with the yolks, it will be lumpy at first, but keep whisking, as the sugar will melt and become fluffy.
Whole milk. Try to use regular whole milk instead of nonfat. You won’t actually save very many calories per serving using nonfat here, and it’s much creamier with whole.
Vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla, not imitation.
Heavy cream. Make sure you have heavy whipping cream (also known as double cream), not whipping cream.
Cinnamon. Using a quality cinnamon helps ensure you get a vibrant flavor.
How to make brown sugar cinnamon ice cream
1. Whisk egg yolks and brown sugar until light in color and fluffy. At first it’ll be goopy and lumpy and seem like it can’t be whisked. Just keep going and the brown sugar will melt then it’ll all turn fluffy and lighter in color. You should be able to pull the whisk up and create ribbons that stay visible for a few seconds.
2. Heat milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Heat over medium, until steam comes off and bubbles begin to form along the edges.
3. Temper the milk into the eggs. I always temper all of my milk to be safe. Pour slowly and whisk the eggs quickly. Then pour it all back into the saucepan.
4. Heat until thickened. It should be able to coat the back of a spoon (meaning if you run your finger on the custard on the back of your spatula, it leaves a distinct line that doesn’t fill in). I usually cook it until it resembles instant pudding before it’s been chilled.
5. Add cream and chill. Adding the cream right away helps cool the custard and stop the cooking process, meaning no eggy taste. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the custard to prevent a film forming while it cools. It needs at least an hour to chill.
6. Churn*. Churn according to your manufacturer’s directions. Be sure you have enough ice or have frozen your insert long enough, per directions. (*See note below for making this without an ice cream maker, i.e. no-churn.)
7. Freeze. Generally, it needs at least 3-4 hours to freeze, ideally overnight.
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
*How do I make this a no-churn ice cream?
It’s so simple! Once the custard is thickened, place it in a separate bowl (the one the eggs were in is fine), and place that in a larger bowl filled with ice. Stir until cooled (this step keeps it from continuing to cook and taking on an eggy taste). Once it’s mostly cooled, you can refrigerate it for an hour (or up to overnight).
When the custard is chilled, beat the cream to soft peaks then fold it into the custard in three additions. It will basically be a mousse at this point, so you’ll have to freeze it, unlike slow-churned ice cream that is a soft serve consistency when freshly churned. It may also need to sit on the counter for 5 minutes before scooping.
Can I make this without eggs?
You could try, but I can’t promise how it’ll turn out. You’d just skip the custard step and omit the eggs entirely, basically making a gelato (eggless ice cream with half(ish) milk and half(ish) cream). You’d still heat the milk and add the brown sugar to it to help it dissolve, then add in the cream and let that cool. Don’t try making this with sweetened condensed milk, as that already has granulated sugar, and we obviously want brown.
What if my eggs scrambled?
Sometimes, the eggs scramble just a bit. If they’ve scrambled a lot, with large chunks of egg, you should start over. However, if you’re unsure or think you see some tiny egg bits, just use a large fine mesh sieve to strain the custard before chilling. It’ll remove any egg that didn’t temper properly.
Make this ahead of time
This is just my preference. I made this for Christmas Day (we’re that kind of family). I made the custard one day, churned it the next, then snapped a few (dozen) photos today (December 22). You just want to be sure you churn it the day before you’ll need it, so it can set in the freezer for at least a few hours.
Pairs well with
Honestly, this ice cream is amazing on its own. However, it would pair very well with my very popular dirty chai latte cake, eggnog latte cake, chocolate churro cake, brown sugar spice cake, pumpkin crumb cake, or even my favorite carrot cake, or try it topped with caramel sauce or even my hot fudge sauce!
My tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making ice cream. Affiliate links provided.
Ice cream maker (or stand mixer or handheld mixer)
Ice cream container (or use a 8x4 loaf pan or 9x5 loaf pan)
Mesh sieve (in case some egg scrambles as you temper it)
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ice Cream
- prep time: 10-15 minutes
- chill time: 1 hour
- churn time: 30 minutes
- freeze time: 4-8 hours
- total time: 9 hours, 45 minutes
servings: about 9 (½ cup servings)
Ingredients:
- 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
- ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
- ¾ cup (170g) whole milk
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
- 1 teaspoon (2g) ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups (360g) heavy whipping cream, cold
- ice cream maker, prepped per directions (optional–see note above for no-churn option)*
Instructions:
- Follow your ice cream maker’s directions to prepare it for use, which could include placing the bowl in the freezer for up to 24 hours*.
- Whisk the egg yolks and brown sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until lighter and frothy, 2-3 minutes. At first it may seem thick and clumpy, but keep going until the sugar melts and it becomes lighter in color and frothy. Set aside.
- Combine the whole milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to steam and small bubbles begin to form along the edge of the pan.
- Temper the milk into the eggs by very, very slowly streaming the milk into the eggs while whisking the eggs very quickly. Be sure to whisk constantly and quickly as you do this to avoid scrambling the eggs.
- Once all of the milk has been added to the eggs, scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula (be sure to get to the edges and corners), until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. It should feel thicker as you stir, as well, similar to instant pudding before it’s chilled.
- Remove from stove and pour back into the bowl the eggs were in. Stir for a couple of minutes to cool slightly, then add the heavy cream to stop the cooking process.
- Cover well and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.
- Once the mixture is cooled, follow your manufacturer’s directions to churn the ice cream. Don’t overmix. It should just start looking like ice cream when you stop the mixer.
- Once the ice cream is finished, pour into a 9x5 loaf pan or an ice cream container. Cover well and freeze for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. You may need to let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes before scooping.
Enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Ice cream should last at least 1-2 months, but this can vary depending on your freezer and how well-sealed it is.
