Bacon Ice Cream is made with thick-cut bacon, real maple syrup, and a deeply creamy custard base. It comes together fast, churns easily, and tastes like breakfast, dessert, and genius all at once.
Why yes, yes I am sharing a recipe for ice cream today. In October. I’m such a rebel, I know. I can just picture you shuddering in intimidation.
Or maybe that’s because we’re talking about cold ice cream in cold October? I dunno.
Here’s the real reason I made ice cream this time of year: BECAUSE IT’S ICE CREAM. OK, that’s only part of the reason. Another, more legitimate reason involves the fact that my darling husband, who has never undergone surgery in his life, is getting his wisdom teeth pulled today. And that means he may or may not require copious amounts of TLC in the form of copious amounts of this candied bacon maple walnut ice cream. I hear that candied bacon especially works wonders on the recovery process.
I know in my case, a big part of my recovery is thanks to ice cream. When I got my wisdom teeth pulled in high school, my best friend came over with a pint of coffee ice cream and it was the bomb.com. It could have been a combination of that plus the drugs, but still — I ate that whole pint in lickety-split and I’ll never ever forget it. It was the best ice cream in the whole world.
Because I’m so fancy like a food blogger, when it came time for the hubs to do his time in the oral surgeon’s chair, I went big with a homemade ice cream filled with delicious, cozy, fall-ish flavors like pure maple syrup and toasted walnuts and candied bacon. It’s like a hug in ice cream form. A very chilly hug. That metaphor totally failed. Let’s rewind.
Maple. Walnuts. Bacon. Ice Cream. You don’t need the excuse of surgery to make this recipe soonest.
On that note, I’m off to the oral surgeon’s office with my phone in hand because YES, I am totally recording what my husband is like on laughing gas (best wife ever, I know). Head over to the KitchenAid blog, The Kitchenthusiast, for the recipe!
Bacon Ice Cream
Ingredients
- ½ cup walnuts, fine-chopped, toasted
- 5 strips bacon, thick-cut
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- 1 ¼ cups maple syrup, preferably Grade B, divided
- 6 egg yolks
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks and 3/4 cup of the maple syrup until combined. Place over medium heat on the stove; stir in the half and half and heavy cream. Continue whisking 10 to 15 minutes until a smooth custard forms that is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat; stir in the salt, then strain the custard into a bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Meanwhile, make the candied bacon: Heat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil, then place the bacon in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes until nearly done and crispy. Drain the fat, then pour the remaining 1/2 cup maple syrup over the bacon; flip over the bacon to coat in the syrup. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake the bacon another 20 minutes until cooked through and crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon to a parchment paper-lined plate to cool completely. Once fully cooled, chop the bacon into small pieces.
- When the custard is fully chilled, pour it into your Ice Cream Maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Stir in the bacon pieces and toasted walnuts, then transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Cover tightly and freeze at least 4 hours before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
The base came together faster than I expected, and the whole kitchen smelled like maple. The crispy bacon bits in that creamy scoop? Absolute magic.
Wow that candied bacon maple walnut ice cream looks amazing! The colors are so vibrant – your photography is fantastic Stephanie! I am obsessed with desserts and will definitely try it!
Oh my! Where have you been all my life with this ice cream!