Homemade Gingerbread Ice Cream ~ my latest ice cream obsession is bursting with the warm spicy flavor of the best gingerbread!

gingerbread ice cream is the unexpected sweet treat you need this season!
Every once in a while I create a recipe that surprises even me. That’s the case with this amazing gingerbread ice cream. I was expecting to love it because I love gingerbread, I love molasses, and I’ve made spiced ice creams before (they’ve been some of my very favorites!) But this particular combination blew me away ~ it’s one of the most unique ice creams I’ve ever tasted, and every single person who I allowed to take a taste agreed. I really really hope you try it before the season’s out, I think you’ll be as enchanted as I am.
so many ways to enjoy gingerbread-spiced ice cream
The flavor of this gingerbread ice cream is so bold that you don’t need anything but a bowl and a spoon to enjoy it, but I can’t help fantasizing about topping it with a hot fudge or caramel sauce. You can see I’ve already sandwiched it between gingersnap cookies for an extra special frozen treat, and I think it would be great as the base of a holiday affogato. There are so many possibilities!
gather your ingredients
The ingredients list is very simple here, with no eggs to cook, making it very a satisfyingly quick recipe, too. The gingerbread flavor just works so well in the creamy base- if I had to guess, it’s the molasses that makes the magic happen, so don’t skip it!
- heavy cream
- milk
- sugar
- molasses
- vanilla extract
- ginger
- cinnamon
- allspice
- clove
- nutmeg
what I learned about adding molasses to an ice cream recipe
One interesting discovery is that the molasses in the mix kept the ice cream from freezing rock hard like most homemade ice creams do. It froze to the perfect consistency and then stayed that way. Love that! I discovered a similar effect with my homemade honey ice cream. Honey, like molasses, has very little water content so helps ice creams to not freeze quite so solid.
Some of my all time favorite homemade ice creams are spice flavored, here are a few recipes to try:
- CARDAMOM ICE CREAM
- NUTMEG ICE CREAM
- PUMPKIN SPICE ICE CREAM
- CHAI GELATO
- CINNAMON ICE CREAM
- MEXICAN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
I know when I’ve got a winning recipe when I can’t even look at the photos without my heart starting to beat a little faster. Excuse me while I go make another pint…
Which ice cream machine do I recommend?
I get asked all the time about what machine I use. I use and recommend Cuisinart. I’ve had my machine for years without any issues, I think because there are no fussy electronic parts to break down ~ it’s a simple motor that turns the freezer bowl for churning the ice cream and it works quickly and perfectly every time.
- The machine I use, and itโs the base model. It works great for ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbets, and makes all of them in about 2o minutes. Click HERE for more info.
variations to try
- You can play with the spice combination a bit, but don’t leave out the molasses if you want this ice cream to taste like gingerbread.
- I’d be tempted to try a chocolate version…add cocoa powder along with the spices, or heat the cream mixture on the stove and add finely chopped chocolate, stir until everything is smooth. Then chill the mixture thoroughly before processing.
- MAKE IT NO-CHURN ~ whip the heavy cream, and substitute sweetened condensed milk for the lowfat milk. Eliminate or reduce the sugar, and blend everything together. Pour it into a loaf pan and freeze until scoop-able.
Homemade Gingerbread Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup low fat milk
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp molasses
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients. Stir long enough so that the sugar is dissolved and the molasses has been completely incorporated.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to your machine’s directions. For me the ice cream takes about 25 minutes.
- Turn the soft ice cream into a container, cover with plastic wrap, and put in the freezer to firm up, this will take a minimum of 4-6 hours, or overnight.
Nutrition
Magic is in the molasses indeed here! What a wonderful idea. You know, I just found myself dreaming of an affogato with this ice cream, and it was a beautiful vision.
I think we need to make some affogato tonight ๐
I can see why you went so crazy over the flavors! It really does sound delicious. I bet the molasses really puts it over the top.
Sue…I’m in love with this idea! And your photog does it ALL the justice. Can’t wait to try this out…what a perfect holiday treat!
I love the flavours of ginger and molasses combined together – it’s quite comforting to me which leads me to think that this will definitely blow my socks off because my tastes buds will be shocked by the cooling sensation of the ice cream. You are brilliant. The ripples in your ice cream look fantastically creamy too – I am dying to try this. Happy Holidays Sue! ๐
Thanks for the nice words, Joyce, and happy holidays to you too!
Whoah! My husband would love this! He can’t get enough gingerbread this time of year.
It’s such an addictive flavor!
What a fun way to sneak gingerbread flavor into a dish! Love the idea of this ice cream — very creative. Thanks. And Happy Holidays!
Thanks John, I thought it was rather brilliant myself ๐ Happy Holidays!!
Love everything about this! So fun and festive and I can just imagine those flavours ๐ Have a wonderful Holiday Sue!
Thanks Jennifer, I’m so in love with this ice cream ๐ Have a lovely holiday too ๐
Yes indeed, this is going on my list of must make recipes! I know I would love it with all those warm spices in a creamy cool treat. Very yummy ๐
It’s too cold for me to have ice cream in deep winter, but I do love the idea of warming spices and molasses in ice cream. Really unique, creamy and delicious.
I always make one or two (or three!) homemade ice creams on the blog every winter, I think there are certain flavors that just scream to be made this time of year. Happy Holidays Angie <3
Excuse me if I stop right in the middle of this comment and run to the kitchen! Oh my, this looks crazy delish! ๐