Caramel Corn Ice Cream is a decadent Salt & Straw inspired homemade, sweet ice cream base infused with the juice of fresh corn kernels that are sautéed in brown butter and then simmered in heavy cream for a subtle sweet corn flavor. Then we add a velvety Caramel Sauce swirl throughout. Plus, a little more caramel sauce on top for good measure.
Hello my friends. This is our third week celebrating ice cream month(s), and the featured recipe is Caramel Corn Ice Cream. This is an exceptional combination because all the ingredients marry together beautifully. This is another of Geoffrey’s favorite ice cream flavors.
This Caramel Corn Ice Cream is adapted from an ice cream recipe found in the Salt & Straw cookbook called "caramel corn on the cob." Their inspiration was from one of the carnival & state fair snacks: caramel-coated popcorn. But instead of popcorn, this ice cream recipe calls for fresh corn to infuse the corn flavor into the ice cream base.
As always, I like to add a twist to the original recipe to improve the flavor and add my own touch?. The few changes that I made are:
- They did homemade brown butter to cook the fresh corn kernels. I use our newest gourmet product by Black & Bolyard, their original flavor Brown Butter. This is a fantastic organic brown butter already made, shelf-stable, and doesn’t need refrigeration after opening.
- After they cooked the corn with the brown butter and cream, in the Salt & Straw cookbook they strain the corn in a fine mesh, pressing the corn to extract as much liquid as possible. But I found that there was so much flavor still in the kernels. So I blended the whole thing using a hand stick blender, and then I strained.
- They made the vanilla caramel sauce, and I used Vanilla Bean Goat's Milk Caramel Sauce. This caramel sauce is based on the Mexican confection "Cajeta."
Steps to Make Caramel Corn Ice Cream
- Ice Cream Base: The first step is to make your ice cream base and refrigerate it for 24 hours. In the recipe card below, you will find the detailed instructions for a homemade base. This ice cream base is easy to follow and has the perfect ingredient ratio combination for a beautiful creamy texture. Read more about why the ideal ratio of the ingredients is vital for a creamy base in our recipe for homemade Raspberry Jalapeño Ice Cream.
- Corn Flavoring: In a small saucepan, heat the brown butter over medium heat. Add the corn kernels and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the milk, sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes. Blend the mixture using a hand stick blender and strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a container, pressing on the blended mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Let the liquid cool down, then chill until cold.
- Corn Ice Cream: Take the ice cream base and corn flavoring out of the refrigerator and mix to combine. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and turn on the machine. Churn just until the mixture has the texture of soft-serve, but before you turn off the machine add two tablespoons of Caramel Sauce. Turn off after it is mixed.
- Caramel Corn Ice Cream: In this last step, use an ice cream container or a freezer-friendly container. In alternating layers, spoon a layer of the soft-serve corn ice cream, and layer of dollops of the Caramel Sauce. More information is in the recipe card.
This Caramel Corn Ice Cream has such fantastic flavor with a subtle taste of sweet corn along with nutty brown butter flavor. Next your palate hits you with Caramel Sauce, which is reminiscent of dulce de leche but with more depth.
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Caramel sauce is versatile and crowd-pleasing. You can use this caramel sauce in so many ways including with rich, spicy blue cheeses, drizzle over roasted carrots, drizzle it over ice cream or fresh red fruits, use it as a dip for apple slices, spread it over a cake or cheesecake, or just eat a spoonful out of the jar like Geoffrey will do.
About Black & Bolyard Brown Butter
Brown butter has all the great characteristics of regular butter, plus a nutty, toasted flavor that makes baked goods and sauces taste that much richer... Black & Bolyard Brown Butter is deeply toasted, caramelized, and made in small batches with milk from American farm grassfed cows. It adds an incredible depth of flavor to both savory and sweet recipes. Try it on toast, roasted vegetables, steamed fish, and in cookie dough.
Ice Cream Recipes to end the hot summer on a refreshing note
Some of these recipes are semi-homemade using store-bought vanilla ice cream and adding the flavor with jam, fruit spread, preserve or even chutney. Another is a vegan ice cream popsicle recipe using coconut cream. Some of these recipe use a homemade ice cream base. Have fun exploring through the ice creams.
- Homemade Goat Cheese & Raspberry Jalapeño Ice Cream
- Honey Labneh Ice Cream with Leatherwood Honey
- Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream with White Balsamic Vinegar
- Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream
- Vanilla Fig Almond Ice Cream
- Coconut Cream Lingonberry Pops
- Easy Vanilla Ice Cream (you can use this as a base for other flavors too)
- Coconut Ice Cream with Hazelnut Brown Butter Sage Sauce
- Pistachio Ice Cream with Rosewater & Saffron
- Peppers in Paradise Pineapple Jalapeno Ice Cream
- Pear & Blue Cheese Ice Cream with Pear Preserves, Apricots & Honey
I hope you get to make this summer treat of Caramel Corn Ice Cream with Vanilla Goat Milk Caramel Swirl or one of the above recipes. Drop me a comment below with what you think about this recipe, and let me know if you are willing to give it a try. When you share this recipe with your social media friends, tag us @spoonabilities on Instagram and use the hashtag #Spoonabilities. Thank you.
Wishing your Tasty Happenings,
Carlos Leo
Your Recipe Concierge!
Caramel Corn Ice Cream with Caramel Sauce Swirl
- Total Time: 6 hours 47 minutes
- Yield: 2 Pints 1x
Description
This heavenly Caramel Corn Ice Cream has such fantastic flavor with the subtle taste of sweet corn with nutty brown butter notes, swirled with Vanilla Goat’s Milk Caramel Sauce. The ice cream base is infused with fresh corn kernels that are sautéed in brown butter, and then simmered with heavy cream, blended and strained to get a concentrated corn flavor.
Original recipe from Salt & Straw Cookbook and modified by Carlos Leo
Ingredients
- 3 cups eggless ice cream base, very cold (see recipe)
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Butter by Black & Bolyard
- 1 cup raw corn kernels (from 1 to 2 ears of corn)
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons Caramel Sauce for the swirl
Instructions
- Make the corn flavoring: In a small pot, heat the brown butter over medium heat. Add the corn kernels and cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Add the milk, sugar, and salt, and increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
- Blend the corn mixture using a hand stick blender and strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a container, pressing on the blended mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solid mixture. Let the liquid cool to room temperature, then chill until cold. Before using, scrape any solidified butter off the top.
- Put the ice cream base and corn flavoring into a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and turn on the machine. Churn just until the mixture has the texture of soft serve ice cream. Before you turn off the machine, add 2 Tablespoons of the Caramel Sauce. Turn off as soon as it is mixed.
- Alternate spooning layers of the mixture and thick swirls of the vanilla caramel sauce into freezer-friendly containers.
- Cover with parchment paper, pressing it to the surface of the ice cream so it adheres. Then cover with a lid. It’s okay if the parchment hangs over the rim. Store it in the coldest part of your freezer (farthest from the door) until firm - at least 6 hours. It will keep for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 22 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: churning
- Cuisine: Ice Cream
Hey there, I'm Carlos, a food and drink enthusiast, recipe blogger and 
Sophie Goel
Love a good sweet & salty combination! Will be trying soon!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Very true Sophie. Salty and sweet are a perfect combo for any dessert.
Kushigalu
What a creative and interesting recipe this is. I will try this ice cream soon.
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
So happy to hear you are going to try this recipe. Let us know how it goes.
Traci
Just in time for warm weather and I'm in love with this easy recipe! Thanks for sharing another winner!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
You're welcome Traci. Thanks for coming back to Spoonabilities again to check out our recipes.
Biana
This ice cream sounds delicious, such a fun flavor!
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
Yea Biana, it's hard to go wrong with anything with caramel sauce, especially ice cream.
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
I am loving the sound of this ice cream! With summer approaching, I am looking for all of the ice cream recipes that I can. This one sounds like a winner! Thanks for the recipe :)
Geoffrey @ Spoonabilities
You are very welcome Cathleen. We have a few ice cream recipes here, so feel free to browse them all.
Caroline
That sounds so my kind of flavor! At first when I saw the name I had an image of candy corn as I read it quickly but this is SOOO much better sounding :)
Carlos Leo
Thank you so much, Caroline, for coming over to our site. I understand why you got confused with the name because when I was googling the title for this recipe, I saw a lot of recipes out there with popcorn. I can tell you that this flavor combination is matched in heaven. I will go a little bit further the next time and add more corn to the corn flavoring to add an even deeper flavor. Thank you,
Courtney | Love & Good Stuff
Sounds delicious! What a creative ice cream!
Carlos Leo
Thank you, Courtney! Ice cream making is an open field to be creative and experiment with different flavors. This one is a winner combination!
Andrea Metlika
OMG! This is divine, heavenly and amazing! What a great idea infusing the corn in this with the caramel sauce.
Carlos Leo
It's amazingly delicious this ice cream. You should give it a try. Thank you
Beth Pierce
What a great tasting ice cream! Perfect way to cool down after a hot summer day!
Carlos Leo
Thank you, Beth! Yes, there is no better way to cool down this hot weather.
Lauren M Vavala | Delicious Little Bites
My fiance and son are obsessed with this caramel corn flavor ice cream! Great recipe!
Carlos Leo
Thank you, Lauren! I'm pretty sure if you try this recipe your family will love this ice cream. The recipe looks long, but it's effortless to make