The Best Homemade Salted Caramel Ice Cream Recipe

Instructions:

1. Make the Salted Caramel: Combine 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook without stirring until a deep amber colour is achieved (about 350°F/177°C). Carefully whisk in the warm 1/2 cup heavy cream (it will bubble fiercely!), then whisk in the cubed butter and 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt. Set aside to cool completely.
2. Prepare the Custard Mix: Gently heat the whole milk, 2 cups heavy cream, and 1/2 cup base sugar in a saucepan until steaming (do not boil).
3. Temper the Eggs: In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until pale and creamy. Slowly drizzle about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly to temper them.
4. Cook the Crème Anglaise: Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spatula (reaching 170°F/77°C). Do not let it boil.
5. Chill the Base: Strain the custard immediately into a clean bowl set over an ice bath. Stir until cooled down, then cover and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, but preferably overnight. The base must be thoroughly chilled before churning.
6. Churn: Pour the chilled base into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions (usually 25-35 minutes) until it resembles soft-serve consistency.
7. Swirl & Freeze: In the last 2 minutes of churning, drizzle in about half of the cooled salted caramel. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, swirling the remaining caramel randomly on top. Cover tightly and freeze for at least 2 hours to fully firm up.