Two things that have helped with my anxiety (deep for a recipe post, I know…) are ice cream and cutting caffeine completely out of my life. Unfortunately, the lack of caffeine means that I have to be very careful about anything coffee flavored. Beers, candy, liqueur and, yes, coffee ice cream all can contain residual caffeine that messes up my day. So I decided to make my own dessert, caffeine free. Here’s a fun recipe for my favorite rich and creamy decaf coffee ice cream. (Note: You can make this with regular, full-caffeine coffee, and I’m sure it’s just as tasty!)
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When it comes to ice cream, I like having a go to vanilla base. I use this to build all the fun flavor ideas that I develop. My strawberry sundaes started from here, and I wanted to use a similar base with this coffee ice cream. My base is adapted from Joy the Baker’s book Homemade Decadence. I use it so often, that book basically falls open to the right page!
What You Need to Get Started
- Pantry: Ground decaf coffee, Sugar
- Fridge: Milk, Heavy cream, Egg yolks
- Equipment: Pour Over Coffee Brewer, #2 Coffee Filters, KitchenAid Stand Mixer, KitchenAid Ice Cream Attachment, Ice Cream Sundae Glasses, Ice Cream Scoop
The challenge with coffee ice cream is how to get the coffee flavor. I saw many recipe that used coffee grounds, reduced coffee, or other techniques. I didn’t want to add a lot of work. Ice cream is already pretty labor intensive. So I decided to try infusing the milk with coffee. It worked perfectly, and the materials needed are pretty cheap.
How to Serve Decaf Coffee Ice Cream
Try this coffee ice cream smothered in hot fudge, as part of a mudslide milkshake, or on top of some banana boats or mini skillet cookies!
Personally, I like to drizzle it in warm caramel sauce and top with a squirt of whipped cream. It tastes just like a caramel macchiatto! Or just eat it by itself, because it’s that creamy and wonderful. Even my coffee hating husband loves the stuff.
Rich and Creamy Coffee Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole or 2% Milk
- 1 tbsp Ground Decaf Coffee
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 5 Egg Yolks
- 3/4 cup Sugar, separated
Instructions
- Heat the milk in the microwave for 2 minutes, until hot but not scalded. Add the coffee grounds to a pourover coffee system and pour the milk over the coffee grounds to brew as you normally would with water.
- In a medium saucepan, add the coffee-infused milk, cream, and half a cup of sugar. Heat on medium high, stirring constantly but gently until the sugar is dissolved. Continue heating and stirring occasionally, until it just begins to boil. Turn off the heat.
- In a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the five egg yolks with the rest of the sugar for about 2 minutes until they have paled slightly and the sugar is fully incorporated.
- Whisking the eggs constantly, slowly ladle the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the eggs. Once most of the milk has been added, add everything back into the pot.
- Heat on low, stirring the custard constantly but gently for 10 minutes, until it has thickened enough to coat a wooden spoon. Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap, touching the top of the custard.
- Allow the custard to chill for at least four hours. Churn according to your ice cream machine's instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe container and chill overnight to harden slightly.
Notes
- You can absolutely use fully caffeinated coffee in this recipe, but it will contain residual caffeine. Each serving will have about 1/8 the caffeine of a cup of coffee.
- The higher quality coffee you use, the better the flavor will be. You can even use flavored coffee beans for a fun twist!
- Every ice cream maker is different. I use a KitchenAid Ice Cream Attachment. If you are using something different, your results may be harder or softer ice cream than mine.
This sounds absolutely incredible. Adding it to my “must make” list immediately! I am such a sucker for anything coffee-related, and while my husband won’t be joining in on this treat (he’s keto) it just means more for me! 😉
Thank you! I agree on being a sucker for anything coffee. I love the flavor so much! My sister is keto as well. I should ask her for some tips on how to convert some of my recipes so more people can enjoy them. For now though, less to share!
Oh my gosh this looks so amazing! I love coffee flavored everything! I have to try and make this!
Kileen
cute & little
Thanks! I totally agree that coffee flavor is one of the best. I hope you love it.
MMMM This looks really good. We are huge icecream eaters in my home. Love the fact that it is decaf as well. Yummy!
Thank you! We are huge fans of ice cream around here too. And the decaf is perfect for an after dinner treat.
Yum! This sounds delicious. I love coffee, but limit my caffeinated beverages after the morning. This being a decaf option is perfect!
Thanks! Limiting caffeine is a great idea but can be difficult. I hope you get to enjoy this as an evening snack!
OMG you’re speaking to my soul! Now I’m craving this. Since I’m pregnant, I do still have my daily caffeinated coffee but gosh, I love coffee ice cream – I need to try your decaf recipe!
Haha thanks! I love that it being decaf means not having to worry about it at all. I hope this ice cream fills your craving.
Can verify this was delicious. Perhaps our best yet.
Thanks! I agree we’ve made some pretty good ice cream, but this one is up there.
We were on a homemade ice cream kick last summer. Thanks for giving us another idea for this coming season. Sounds delicious!
Homemade ice cream is the best! We eat it a lot in the summer, but honestly, I’ll eat it all year.
Yum!!! Saved this on Pinterest and am very anxious to try your recipe! Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you! I hope you love it 🙂
Just made this and it is soooo good. I only do decaf also and it tastes fantastic. Yum! I needed something to use up extra egg yolks and this came up in a search. Excited to check out your other stuff.