Learn how to make homemade butter pecan ice cream from scratch. Enjoy rich and buttery, southern churned ice cream with perfectly soft, skillet-toasted pecans in every scoop! This old fashioned treat is perfect for your next ice cream social or family get-together.
Ever since I got my freezer bowl ice cream maker, I’ve enjoyed making so many fun ice cream recipes. My favorites include butterfinger ice cream, gooey butter cake ice cream, cookies and cream ice cream, and lately, this yummy homemade butter pecan ice cream.
Why You’ll Love My Butter Pecan Ice Cream Recipe
- This recipe uses toasted pecans that are soaked in heavy cream before mixing up the ice cream. This way, the nuts will stay perfectly soft even after your ice cream hits the freezer.
- It also uses an eggless, Philadelphia-style ice cream base, which allows the sweet and salty butter pecan flavor to shine through with tons of caramelized brown sugar notes.
- My homemade butter pecan ice cream is velvety smooth and ultra creamy. I’ll show you how to get perfect results with no ice crystals every single time.
Ingredients & Substitutions Notes
- Unsalted Butter – Since this recipe uses sea salt, I like to use unsalted butter to keep it from getting too salty.
- Pecans – You can buy chopped pecans from the store. Then I’ll show you how to toast them in a frying pan for the best flavor.
- Sea Salt – Any regular sea salt will work just fine for butter pecan ice cream.
- Light Brown Sugar – I use a little bit of light brown sugar to caramelize the pecans in a skillet.
- Heavy Cream – Heavy whipping cream is what makes homemade ice cream ultra creamy and velvety smooth after freezing without turning into a block of ice.
- Whole Milk – Whole milk is best for authentic southern butter pecan ice cream. You can use skim milk, but it may become a little bit more “icy”.
- Vanilla Extract – Any pure vanilla extract will do the trick, but I always use my favorite Mexican vanilla.
How to Make Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Before you start to mix the ice cream, be sure you’ve pre-frozen the ice cream canister that goes with your ice cream maker. If you don’t, your ice cream won’t freeze.
Toasting the Pecans
- Start by measuring out the cream and set aside on the counter.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over low to medium heat.
- Add the chopped pecans, sea salt, and brown sugar to the melted butter.
- Cook over low to medium heat, about 3-5 minutes, or ’til the pecans are toasty and the butter is golden brown.
- Stir the butter pecan mixture directly into the cream, and let sit for about 20 minutes on the counter.
- Place the cream and pecan mixture into the fridge and chill completely, about 2-3 hours.
I prefer this method because the pecans will kinda soften in the ice cream and give the ice cream a really nice toasted pecan flavor; they still give a good crunch, but they become the softer consistency of candied pecans. However, if you prefer a really crunchy pecan in your ice cream, you can strain out the pecans at this point. Then save them in the fridge, and add them within the last 5 minutes of freezing the ice cream.
How to Make Old Fashioned Southern Churned Ice Cream
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk and sugar ’til the sugar dissolves, about 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk the heavy cream pecan mixture, vanilla extract, and sea salt into the milk mixture.
- Turn on the ice cream maker, and pour the mixture into the pre-frozen freezer bowl with the churn paddle in place.
- Place the cover on top, and freeze the ice cream ’til it thickens, about 20-25 minutes.
When the ice cream has a soft, creamy texture, turn off the machine, and scoop the soft-serve ice cream into an airtight container, and place it in the freezer for 3-4 hours, or overnight, to firm up more. Then serve when ready. You can scoop it into a bowl or, my personal favorite, a waffle cone.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
No, this recipe was made for a churn-style ice cream maker. If you don’t have an ice cream maker and you don’t want to buy one, here is a no-churn butter pecan ice cream recipe instead.
Praline pecan ice cream usually includes a caramel flavored base as well as a thick swirl of caramel sauce that’s layered throughout the ice cream. Southern butter pecan ice cream is more simple, relying on the browned butter, caramelized brown sugar and a pinch of salt for its rich, buttery flavor.
This usually happens because the freezer bowl for your ice cream maker was not frozen enough before making the recipe. To be safe, place it in the freezer at least 24 hours in advance so that it has plenty of time to freeze before you mix up your homemade ice cream.
Homemade butter pecan ice cream is best eaten within 1-2 weeks of making it. The best way to store it is in an airtight container in the freezer. After 1-2 weeks, it’s still perfectly fine to eat, but it may start to form some ice crystals.
More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes
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Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
Butter Pecan Mixture:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup pecans chopped in halves and pieces
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 3 cups heavy cream
Ice Cream:
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/8 cups cane sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Butter Pecan Mixture:
- Start by measuring out the cream and set aside on the counter.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over low to medium heat.
- Add the chopped pecans, sea salt, and brown sugar to the melted butter.
- Cook over low to medium heat, about 3-5 minutes, or 'til the pecans are toasty and the butter is golden brown.
- Stir the butter pecan mixture directly into the cream, and let sit for about 20 minutes on the counter.
- Place the cream and pecan mixture into the fridge and chill completely, about 2-3 hours.*
Ice Cream:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk and sugar 'til the sugar dissolves, about 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk the heavy cream pecan mixture, vanilla extract, and sea salt into the milk mixture.
- Turn on the ice cream maker, and pour the mixture into the pre-frozen freezer bowl* with the churn paddle in place.
- Place the cover on top, and freeze the ice cream 'til it thickens, about 20-25 minutes.
- When the ice cream has a soft, creamy texture, turn off the machine, and scoop the soft-serve ice cream into an airtight container, and place it in the freezer for 3-4 hours, or overnight, to firm up more. Then serve when ready.
