This luxurious caramel crunch ice cream recipe transforms simple ingredients into a decadent, indulgent dessert. It's the perfect make-ahead dessert for all your summer entertaining, and with a quick prep time, it's a recipe you want to save.
I love making homemade no-churn ice cream! It's easy, tastes delicious, and is so easy to customize. While traditional ice cream methods require constant churning to incorporate air and prevent ice crystals, this recipe combines condensed milk and whipped cream to achieve the perfect consistency.
The beauty of this caramel crunch ice cream lies in its perfect balance of textures and flavors. The velvety smooth base provides the ideal backdrop for the crunchy caramel crunch, and the salted almonds help balance the sweetness.
For more ice cream inspirations, check out my vanilla bean ice cream, quick kulfi recipe, easy mango kulfi, and ice cream sundae recipes.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- No ice cream maker needed: While traditional ice cream methods require constant churning to incorporate air and prevent ice crystals, this recipe combines condensed milk and whipped cream to achieve the perfect consistency without the need for any special equipment.
- Simple ingredients: You need four simple ingredients to make the ice cream and sugar, almonds, and water to make the crunch. It doesn't get any easier than this.
- Make-ahead convenience: This dessert is perfect for entertaining. It can be prepared days in advance and stored in the freezer until needed.
- Customizable: The basic recipe is an excellent foundation for endless variations and mix-ins according to your taste preferences. Check out my suggestions below!
Ingredient notes
- Heavy whipping cream: This is the key to achieving a light, airy texture in no-churn ice cream.
- Condensed milk: Always use sweetened condensed milk for lovely, creamy ice cream free of ice crystals.
- Caramel sauce: I use store-bought Ghirardelli sea salt caramel sauce for this recipe.
- Salt: A pinch of salt helps balance the flavor and prevents the ice cream from tasting too sweet.
- Salted roasted almonds: based on recipe testing, these are the best almonds for this recipe. This recipe has lots of sugar, and the salt helps balance that, while roasted nuts add a crunchier texture and more depth of flavor.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is mixed with water and cooked to create the caramel crunch.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and recipe instructions.
Substitutions & variations
- Add different nuts: Toasted pecans or walnuts make a fun change from the almonds.
- Try different mix-ins: Add crushed pretzels, Biscoff cookie pieces, chocolate chips, or coconut in addition to or instead of the caramel crunch.
- Make caramel ribbons: Instead of mixing the caramel sauce with the condensed milk and ice cream, create beautiful ribbons by gently folding and layering them throughout the mixture.
- Use the leftover caramel crunch: I always make extra crunch to use as toppings for cakes, trifles, and other desserts.
Step-by-step instructions
- Step 1: Mix the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil on high heat.
- Step 2: Once the sugar is bubbling, don't stir it, as this can cause the sugar to crystalize! Watch it carefully until it turns medium brown.
- Step 3: Pour the caramel immediately on a greased baking sheet and set it aside to cool and harden.
- Step 4: Once the caramel is ready, place it in a Ziploc bag and crush it into pieces using a rolling pin. Then, place it in a bowl and mix it with the chopped almonds.
- Step 5: Mix the caramel sauce, condensed milk, and salt until you have a uniform mixture.
- Step 6: Whip the cream until it has stiff peaks and stays in place when you flip the bowl.
- Step 7: Gently fold in the condensed milk mixture with the whipped cream until combined.
- Step 8: Place your ice cream in a shallow metal container, add the caramel crunch and chopped nuts, and swirl gently with a fork to mix in. Seal your container tightly with foil and plastic wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Expert Tips
- Don't stir the sugar: Once the sugar is completely dissolved in the water and the mixture starts to bubble, don't stir. This can cause the sugar to crystalize and ruin the crunch.
- Grease your baking sheet: This step is essential. If you don't grease the sheet, your caramel won't come off once it hardens.
- Chill your cream and mixing bowl: For best results, ensure the cream is cold before whipping and place your mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 15 minutes before whipping. This will improve volume and texture.
- Don't overwhip: Stop whipping the cream when it peaks stiff; overwhipping can lead to a grainy texture in the final product.
- Cover with plastic wrap: Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream before freezing to prevent ice crystals from forming.
- Allow time for the ice cream to soften before serving: Remove the ice cream from the freezer 5-10 minutes before serving to reach the perfect scoopable consistency.
Recipe FAQS
A shallow, wide container allows the ice cream to freeze more evenly, making it easier to scoop. Metal containers conduct cold better than plastic and help the ice cream freeze faster, but any airtight container will work. Just ensure it's freezer-safe and seal it tightly before placing it in the freezer.
Yes! Substitute the heavy cream with full-fat coconut cream and use dairy-free condensed milk. The result will not be identical to the original, but it will still be delicious.
This ice cream keeps well in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. After that, it may develop ice crystals and lose some of its creamy texture. Store it in the back of the freezer for best results, where the temperature is most consistent.
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Caramel Crunch Ice Cream Recipe
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Ingredients
Caramel Crunch
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2¼ tablespoon water
Caramel Ice Cream
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (1 pint)
- 2 tablespoon sea salt caramel sauce (see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup salted and roasted almonds
Instructions
Caramel Crunch
- Add the sugar and water to a sauce pan, stir to mix, and cook on high heat.
- Once the sugar dissolves and starts to bubble don't stir it.
- You will see the edges start to turn brown within 5 minutes. Give the saucepan a gentle swirl at this point and continue to cook the sugar until it's a medium brown color (usually 1-2 minutes). (see notes)
- Pour the liquid caramel on a greased baking sheet and set it aside to cool and harden (about 20 minutes).
- Remove the hardened caramel from the sheet, place it in a Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin or other hard object to crush it into small pieces.
Caramel Ice Cream
- Grind the almonds into small pieces and mix with the prepared caramel crunch.
- Mix the caramel sauce, condensed milk, and salt in a bowl.
- Whip the cream until you have stiff peaks. (see notes)
- Gently fold in the condensed milk mixture. (see notes)
- Add the crunch and almonds and gently swirl with a fork to mix in.
- Place your ice cream in an airtight container and freeze for a minimum of 6 hpurs before serving.
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