Black Walnut Ice Cream
This Black Walnut Ice Cream Recipe is a true Southern classic. A homemade vanilla ice cream base is combined with bold and earthy black walnuts. It’s smooth, creamy and filled with crunchy black walnut goodness. Enjoy topped with a dollop of this easy 3-ingredient homemade whipped cream.
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Why This Recipe is So Good
What are black walnuts? Native to North America this variety of walnut is known for its unique, earthy, and almost floral flavor. Compared to regular or English walnuts, the flavor of black walnuts is so much more robust, which is why it’s often used to make ice cream, cookies, pies, or pound cake. You can buy black walnuts in local health food stores or on Amazon.
Depending on how much black walnut flavor you are looking for in your ice cream, you can steep the black walnuts in milk or you can make a plain vanilla ice cream base then mix the nuts in during the churning process.
Making ice cream from scratch involves a several steps, but it’s be very straightforward. Truly the hardest part is waiting for the ice cream to freeze before you can enjoy it. Homemade ice cream is so much better than store-bought and made with better ingredients.
Black Walnut Ice Cream Ingredients
- Chopped black walnuts. The star of this homemade ice cream. Black walnuts have a rich, earthy, and unique flavor that just makes this ice cream the best. Black walnuts should not be confused with regular walnuts which has a much milder nut flavor.
- Whole Milk and heavy whipping cream – the perfect combination of creaminess when combined with heavy cream.
- Pure vanilla extract – gives a nice rich flavor. Use vanilla bean paste for a bolder vanilla flavor.
- Cane sugar – You could also use white granulated sugar or a combination of white and brown sugar to give a nice golden color and light caramel flavor.
- Egg yolks – Used to create a rich custard ice cream base. The eggs will be cooked so there won’t be any raw eggs in your ice cream.
How to Make Black Walnut Ice Cream
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Make sure your ice cream bowl has been frozen for at least 24 hours before starting.
Whisk eggs and sugar until thick and light in color
Step one. In a medium sauce pot add milk, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract or paste, and salt. Stir to combine. Cook on medium-high heat until steamy, but not boiling (5-10 minutes).
Step two. In a large bowl add cane sugar and egg yolks. It’s easier to first crack the whole egg into a separate bowl and then scoop out the yolk with your hands, allowing the whites to fall back into the bowl.
Step three. Whisk the eggs yolks and sugar together until it looks lighter in color with a light and fluffy texture, 5 minutes.
Temper egg/sugar into hot milk and cream
Step four. Reduce the heat to low, then pour 2 cups of the hot milk into a measuring cup. Slowly pour a few tablespoons of the hot milk/cream mixture at a time into the egg mixture while whisking. We don’t want to scramble the eggs but slowly temper them. Once you’ve added about ½ cup of the milk you can pour the rest into the bowl.
Cook ice cream custard until it has thickened
Step five. Pour the egg/milk mixture into the sauce pot with the rest of the milk. Stir to combine. Cook the custard base for 20 minutes or until the mixture has thickened slightly and the temperature has reached at least 170 – 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
Strain custard then allow to chill completely
Step six. Strain your ice cream base into a large mixing bowl. This is to remove any egg chunks. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow the ice cream base to cool for at least 2 hours on the counter then transfer to refrigerator to chill completely. This usually takes 2 – 4 hours.
Churn ice cream with black walnuts
Step seven. Churn the ice cream base according to your machine’s instructions. After 20 minutes it should look soft and fluffy and creamy like soft-serve ice cream. Next, add in your chopped black walnuts then allow everything to mix for another 1 – 2 minutes.
Step eight. Transfer your homemade ice cream into freezer-safe containers to freeze completely for 6 – 8 hours or overnight.
Step nine. Serve with more chopped black walnuts or homemade whipped cream. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions —
The difference between these two nuts is their flavor. Black walnuts have a distinctively strong flavor that is earthy and sometimes a little bitter. Regular walnuts or English walnuts, on the other hand, are nutty and mild.
No, black walnuts have a very distinct and bold flavor that is so very different from regular walnuts. If you substitute with regular walnuts but your ice cream will miss that intense flavor that black walnut ice cream is known for.
Looking For More Ice Cream Recipes?
- Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream
- Homemade Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe
- Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
- Freshly Milled Flour Brownies with Sprinkles
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Black Walnut Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice cream machine
- Ice cream machine freezer bowl
- whisk
- Medium-sized pot
- Kitchen thermometer
- Fine mesh strainer to strain the egg mixture
- Paper ice cream containers or loaf pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 5 egg yolks reserve egg whites for another recipe
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- ¾ cup black walnuts roughly chopped, about 4 ounces
Instructions
How to Make the Ice Cream Base
- Chill your ice cream bowl for at least 24 hours before starting.
- In a medium-sized pot add the heavy cream, whole milk, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix together. Heat the milk/cream mixture until it starts to steam, but not boiling or simmering. This will take about 10 minutes.2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- Separating your egg yolk from the whites, by cracking the whole egg into one bowl. Using your hands, gently scoop out the yolk. Allow the egg whites to fall down into the bowl through your fingers, then add the egg yolk into a large mixing bowl. Save egg whites for a different recipe.5 egg yolks
- To the egg yolks add sugar then whisk until the egg mixture turns a pale yellow color and light and fluffy in texture with a silky ribbon consistency (3 -5 minutes). This mixture will be chunky at first but keep whisking until smooth.¾ cup cane sugar
Temper the Eggs
- Pour 2 cups of your warm milk mixture into a measuring cup. Add a few tablespoons of the milk to the egg mixture, then whisk to combine. Slowly add milk while whisking until you’ve added 1/2 cup then pour the rest into the bowl.
- Next, pour your egg/ milk/ cream mixture back into the pot, whisking in the remaining milk in the pot. Cook this mixture on low heat until the ice cream base has thickened a little and has reached a temperature between 170 and 175 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. You don’t want this mixture to boil. The ice cream base will look creamy and will start to steam. This will take about 20 minutes.
- Strain ice cream base through a fine-mesh sieve or strainer into a large mixing bowl, to remove any egg chunks. Then cover the bowl with plastic and allow it to cool on the counter for 2 hours, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely for another 2 – 4 hours. It needs to be completely chilled before churning.
Churning the Black Walnut Ice Cream:
- Churn your ice cream according to your ice cream machine’s instructions until it reaches a soft-serve consistency, about 20 minutes. Pour in the chopped black walnuts then churn for another 1 – 2 minutes to combine.3/4 cup black walnuts
- Transfer your homemade black walnut ice cream into freezer-safe containers to freeze completely, about 6 – 8 hours or overnight.
- Serve with homemade whipped cream or topped with chopped black walnuts. Enjoy!
Notes
How To Store/ Make Ahead
You can make the ice cream base up to 2 days in advance. Store covered tightly with plastic wrap in the refrigerator until you are ready to churn it. Homemade black walnut ice cream will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months if stored properly in air-tight freezer-safe containers. These cup-sized reusable ice cream containers are perfect.Homemade Ice cream tips
- If you want a richer black walnut flavor heat the milk/ cream mixture with 1 – 2 tablespoons of black walnuts. Strain and discard these nuts before whisking the milk mixture into the egg/sugar mixture.
- Dairy Cream and Milk: I have only used dairy heavy cream and whole milk for this recipe. I wouldn’t recommend substituting anything else, because your ice cream might not be as rich and creamy.
- Completely Chill Ice Cream Base: Make sure you completely chill the ice cream base before churning.
- Cook the Ice Cream Base Low and Slow Until it Reaches the Right Temperature: Don’t strain and chill your ice cream base until it reaches 170 – 175 degrees Fahrenheit and has thickened. Otherwise the ice cream might not reach the soft serve stage during churning.
- Completely Chill the Ice Cream Bowl: Make sure the ice cream bowl is completely chilled (for at least 24 hours) before churning – a warm bowl can impact the churning process, as well as churning in a hot environment.
- Whisk Eggs and Sugar until Smooth: When whisking the egg yolks with the sugar, it will be chunky at first, but keep whisking until it turns very smooth and pale yellow.
- Ice Cream Base will Thicken as it Chills in the Refrigerator: The ice cream base might be thick when you pour it into the ice cream machine, this is normal.
This recipe looks so good, I’m definitely going to try it…black walnut ice cream is one of my favorites!
It is! I hope you get a chance to try it. 🙂