Butter Pecan Ice Cream - The Recipe Rebel [VIDEO] (2024)

This Butter Pecan Ice Cream requires just 7 ingredients and 25 minutes! It’s rich, creamy, and loaded with brown sugar and vanilla flavor and toasty pecans!

There’s something about the soft, buttery, nuttiness of pecans that just takes desserts to the next level. We’ve got Pumpkin Caramel Pecan Naked Cake, Brown Sugar Pecan Blondies, Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies, and of course this Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream!

This ice cream recipe could not be simpler to make and definitely could not be more delicious.

It’s made with a rich and creamy base flavored with brown sugar and vanilla extract, then finished with toasted pecans.

It’s buttery (of course), rich, creamy, and insanely delicious!

This recipe is based off of my homemade frozen custard recipe — it’s a good place to start if you want to make your own flavors!

Ingredients Needed:

• Heavy Whipping Cream and Whole Milk: makes up a rich and creamy base for our homemade butter pecan ice cream. The higher the fat content, the creamier the ice cream will be!
• Brown Sugar: adds a warm, buttery flavor to the ice cream.
• Egg Yolks: egg yolks stabilize the ice cream which gives it a creamier texture and helps it last longer in the freezer.
• Vanilla Extract: vanilla extract is what gives the ice cream its flavor!
• Salt: cuts the sweetness and brings out other flavors.
• Pecans: chopped and toasted!

How to Make Butter Pecan Ice Cream

1. Cook the base: First, freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker according to instructions. In a large saucepan, whisk together cream, milk, sugar, and egg yolks. Place the pan onto the stove and cook over medium heat until thickened. Add in vanilla and salt.
2. Refrigerate: Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl and cover with a piece of plastic wrap so it’s just touching the surface. Chill in the fridge until completely cold.
3. Churn: Place the now chilled mixture into the cold bowl of your ice cream maker and churn for 20 minutes, adding pecans after 15 minutes or stirring in at the end.
4. Freeze: Pour the mixture into a glass loaf pan and freeze until firm.

Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream FAQs

Tips and Notes

• When you cover with plastic wrap, be sure that the wrap is just touching the surface of the cream mixture. This helps prevent a skin from forming.
• You can speed up the initial chilling process by placing the cream mixture into the freezer instead of the fridge. If you decide to freeze it instead, be sure to stir it every 10 minutes!
• For a richer ice cream, you can use 2 cups of cream and 1 cup of milk instead of equal parts of each.
• Toast the pecans! Toasting the nuts before adding them into the ice cream gives them a crunchier texture and brings out their buttery, nutty flavor.
• Let it sit before serving. I recommend setting the ice cream out on the counter for 5-10 minutes before scooping and serving it for a creamier texture.

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