Honey-Scented Buttermilk Ice Cream (Egg-Free)
Tangy, floral, and a super creamy churn: this easy, egg-free honey buttermilk ice cream is the perfect pairing for warm pies or fresh fruit.
Having a good homemade ice cream recipe up your sleeve is the culinary equivalent of owning that one everyday dress: classy enough to wear out in style, cozy enough for wrangling groceries and keys at the same time. It needs to be dependable, fabulous, and reassuring.
And homemade buttermilk ice cream is exactly that! It’s cozy enough to enjoy by yourself on a weekday, either plain or topped with fruit or sprinkles. But it’s also impressive enough to casually grab a box from the freezer and serve to friends and family. Use it to top off a slightly fancier, hot-from-the-oven dessert—and watch it transform into a downright show stopper.
Why You’ll Love This Honey Buttermilk Ice Cream Recipe
Tools You May Need
Ice Cream Maker: If your model requires it, make sure to freeze the bowl 24 hours in advance!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Buttermilk For the best buttermilk flavor, I use a 1% fat store-bought buttermilk in this recipe. (I normally make my own buttermilk at home from milk and lemon juice for baking, but it wouldn’t taste or behave quite the same here.)
Honey Use a runny, milder floral honey here. It’s supposed to be the supporting act, not take center stage. If you have access, raw honey will add extra health benefits, as it can safely withstand the cold of the freezer.
How to Make Honey Buttermilk Ice Cream
01
Dissolve sugar:
To a small pan, add cream and sugar. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
02
Add Honey and Buttermilk:
Add the honey to the sweet cream and whisk to fully dissolve the honey. Whisk in the buttermilk to combine.
03
Churn:
Move the mix to the fridge until completely cool, if your machine requires it.
Churn according to your machine’s instructions. Serve straight away as soft serve, or transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for at least two hours (or until set).
Tips
- The cream and sugar don’t need to come to a boil. The hotter the cream, the longer the wait until it’s cool enough to churn.
- To keep honey raw, let the cream cool down to below 42°C (108°F) first.
- If the cream mix isn’t super hot, you can add cold buttermilk straight from the fridge. It’ll help cool down the mix quickly without curdling anything.
- No need to set it out before scooping. Thanks to the honey, it scoops like a dream straight from the freezer.
- Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two weeks.
How to Serve
Homemade honey buttermilk ice cream pairs beautifully with all kinds of toppings, from fresh chopped fruit, chocolate shavings, or caramel sauce. Or try one of my fruit compote recipes—they’re great ice cream toppers!
- Easy Oven Baked Fruit Compote with Rhubarb, Strawberries & Maple Syrup
- Cherry Cardamom Compote (This is my favorite combo!)
Buttermilk ice cream is also a great topping in itself! A scoop or two put a perfect finish on warm slice of Rhubarb, Strawberry and Almond Sourdough Galette, Fresh Strawberry Sourdough Sheet Cake or your favourite homemade pie.
More from the Grains & Greens Kitchen
If you make this Honey-Scented Buttermilk Ice Cream…
I’d love to hear how it turned out!
P.S. If you’re into ice cream, you might also want to try my Blueberry Ricotta Ice Cream recipe!
happy Churning!
Creamy Homemade Honey Buttermilk Ice Cream (Egg-Free)
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker - (If your model requires it, make sure to freeze the bowl 24 hours in advance!)
Ingredients
- 420 ml cream - 1¾ cups
- 80 g raw cane sugar - ⅓ cup
- 65 g runny honey - 3 tbsp (optional: use raw honey for extra health benefits)
- 300 ml buttermilk - 1¼ cups
Instructions
- To a small pan, add cream and sugar. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the honey to the sweet cream and whisk to fully dissolve the honey. Whisk in the buttermilk to combine.
- Move the mix to the fridge until completely cool, if your machine requires it. Churn according to your machine’s instructions. Serve straight away as soft serve, or transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for at least two hours (or until set).
Notes
- No need to boil the cream and sugar. Just heat and stir to dissolve the sugar, so the mix cools down quicker afterwards.
- Let the cream sugar mix cool down to below 42°C (108°F) first, if you prefer to keep the honey raw.
- If the cream mix isn’t super hot, you can add cold buttermilk straight from the fridge, to help cool down the mix quickly without curdling.
- Thanks to the honey, it scoops like a dream, straight from the freezer!
- Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two weeks.
Recipe FAQs
){kind=link}