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Brown Sugar Cinnamon Ice Cream

Brown sugar cinnamon ice cream with a caramel-deep custard base—cooked to 175F for a dense, scoopable frozen texture. Warm-spice cinnamon and nutmeg turn it into snickerdoodle-style cinnamon custard ice cream.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chill + freeze time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Brown sugar cinnamon ice cream base
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 fine mesh sieve
  • 1 ice cream maker

Method
 

Make the custard
  1. Heat the heavy cream, whole milk, and packed brown sugar together in a Dutch oven until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture steams.
  2. Slowly whisk the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks, then return everything to the saucepan.
  3. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175F (about 10–15 minutes), and it should coat the back of a spoon.
  4. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve, then stir in the cinnamon, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and salt until smooth.
  5. Cool completely over an ice bath, then refrigerate at least 4 hours so the custard is thoroughly chilled.
Churn and freeze
  1. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker until thickened, about 20–30 minutes.
  2. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm, about 2–4 hours, so it scoops cleanly.

Notes

For the smoothest custard, keep the heat at medium-low and stir constantly so the base thickens evenly to 175F. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days; freeze for up to 2 months (best texture within 1 month). Dietary swap: use lactose-free milk in place of whole milk for a lactose-reduced version (texture will remain custard-like).