This homemade dulce de leche ice cream could not be easier. With just four ingredients it's simple to make and full of luscious dulce de leche flavor.
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This easy homemade ice cream with dulce de leche is made with an easy egg-free Philadelphia-style ice cream to let the flavor shine through. Make it with store-bought dulce de leche for a super easy option, or kick things up a notch with homemade dulce de leche, yum!
Recipe tips and frequently asked questions
What is the difference between caramel and dulce de leche?
The difference between caramel and dulce de leche comes down to what you add to the sugar.
Caramel: made with water and sugar
Dulce de leche: made with milk and sugar, or sometimes just sweetened condensed milk
What sort of dulce de leche should I use?
Dulce de leche comes in a couple of different forms. You can buy jars from the store or you can make your own with a can of sweetened condensed milk. You can use either store-bought or homemade, but there are a few differences to be aware of that may affect your ice cream.
Store-bought dulce de leche can have other ingredients added such as glucose syrup. This helps keep it smooth and scoopable straight from the jar but also has the added bonus of helping to keep your ice cream nice and soft and scoopable.
If you are using store bought dulce de leche without any glucose syrup in it or homemade dulce de leche I recommend adding a little glucose syrup (½ flat tablespoon or 15gms) to help prevent your ice cream from freezing as solid and keep it scoopable straight from the freezer.
Can I make this without an ice cream maker?
You sure can. To make a no churn version without an ice cream machine make the base as per the recipe until you get to the churning part. Put the ice cream into your chilled container and freeze for one hour. Working quickly remove the ice cream from the freezer and whisk it, taking care to scrape the edges which will start to freeze first.
Return to the freezer for another hour. Remove and whisk again. Repeat for another two to three times or until the ice cream resembles soft-serve ice cream. Then allow it to continue freezing until firm.
What to serve with dulce de leche ice cream
So many things! But try it with one of these perfect pairings:
- As the base of an epic ice cream sundae
- Keep it classic with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream
- Complement the flavors with a scoop of Biscoff Ice Cream
- Keep it fresh with a scoop of caramelized pear ice cream
- Choc it up with a scoop of no churn chocolate ice cream
Have I missed your favorite? Tell me what you eat yours with in the comments below!
Is this gluten-free?
The particular brand of dulce de leche is made with wheat glucose syrup, so it not gluten-free. Depending on the brand or if you are using homemade dulce de leche is it's possible to make this ice cream gluten-free, so always check the label.
Looking for more delectable ice creams? Check out my full collection of churned Cuisinart ice cream maker recipes (that work well in other brands ice cream makers too!). Delicious!
Ingredients
Dulce De Leche: I used store-bought dulce de leche for a quick and easy option. The brand I used already has glucose syrup which helps keep the ice cream scoopable. If you are using homemade dulce de leche I highly recommend adding ½ flat tablespoon (15gms) glucose syrup to help the text of the ice cream and prevent it from freezing so hard.
Thickened cream: I use thickened cream which has a fat content of about 34%. You could also use heavy cream or heavy whipping or whipping cream which is similar.
Milk: this recipe uses full-fat milk with a fat content of about 3.5%.
Tapioca starch: is a natural and accessible way of both thickening and stabilizing the ice cream. If you can't get tapioca starch you can use arrowroot powder or cornflour in the same volume.
How to make dulce de leche ice cream
See the full recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient amounts and instructions.
Measure the tapioca starch into a small bowl. Measure out the milk, then add a couple of tablespoons of the milk into the bowl with the tapioca starch. Mix well to form a slurry and get out all the lumps.
Add the milk and cream to a small pot on the stove. Heat until warm but not hot.
Add tapioca starch slurry and stir well for a few minutes on medium-low heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about a few minutes. Add the dulce de leche and blend well until smooth. Chill in the fridge for at least four hours, ideally overnight.
Put your ice cream storage container into the freezer to chill. If you are using a self-chilling churner turn it on ten mins before to chill. Churn the ice cream. It will be the consistency of soft-serve when done. Transfer to the chilled ice cream container, cover and freeze for at least four hours, or until firm.
How to serve
To serve remove from the freezer, scoop and enjoy. Fabulous on its own or with some extra dulce de leche drizzled over the top. Delicious!
How to store
You can store this ice cream in an air-tight container in the freezer for two up to weeks for the best texture. It will still taste good after this but may become icier over time.
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📋 Recipe
Dulce De Leche Ice Cream
Equipment
- ice cream maker/churner
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons (5gms) tapioca starch
- 1 & ¼ cups (310mls) full fat milk
- 1 & ¾ cup (435mls) thickened cream
- ¾ cup (280gms) Dulce de leche
Instructions
- Measure the tapioca starch into a small bowl. Measure out the milk, then add a couple of tablespoons of the milk into the bowl with the tapioca starch. Mix well to form a slurry and get out all the lumps.
- Add the milk and cream to a small pot on the stove. Heat on medium and stir well until the mix ix warm.
- Add tapioca starch slurry and stir well for a few minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about few minutes.
- Add the dulce de leche and blend well until smooth. Chill in the fridge for at least four hours, ideally overnight.
- Put your ice cream storage container into the freezer to chill. If you are using a self-chilling churner turn it on ten mins before to chill. Churn the ice cream. It will be the consistency of soft-serve when done.
- Transfer to the chilled ice cream container, cover and freeze for at least four hours, or until firm.
- To serve remove from the freezer, scoop and enjoy. Fabulous on its own or with some extra dulche de leche drizzled over the top. Delicious!
Notes
- I used store-bought dulce de leche for a quick and easy option. The brand I used already has glucose syrup which helps keep the ice cream scoopable. If you are using homemade dulce de leche or one without glucose syrup I highly recommend adding ½ flat tablespoon (15gms) glucose syrup to help the text of the ice cream and prevent it from freezing so hard.
- If your ice cream does freeze to hard to scoop, put it in the fridge for about ten minutes to make it soft enough to scoop (this is better than leaving it on the bench because it will soften uniformly).
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online database. The nutritional content of ingredients may vary by brand. If you require accurate nutritional information, you should calculate this based on the specific brands and products you are using.
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