Caramel Swirl Ice Cream

Easy, homemade, no-churn caramel swirl ice cream – no ice cream maker required!

It was a hot summer day in Seattle.  After walking from the Ballard Locks to the Nordic Museum we were in the Ballard neighborhood when we stumbled across Salt & Straw, a local ice cream shop serving “handmade, deliciously interesting ice cream”.  A scoop of sea salt with caramel ribbon ice cream in a sugar cone was the perfect afternoon pick me up.

Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbon Ice Cream from Salt & Straw, Seattle, WA

This caramel swirl ice cream recipe features a creamy, sea salt ice cream base with caramel ribbons from homemade salted caramel sauce and brings back the flavors and memories of my trip to Seattle.  It’s the perfect recipe for a hot summer day.

How to Make Caramel Swirl No-Churn Ice Cream

No-churn ice cream is so simple – the hardest part is being patient enough to let it set before digging in.  You’ll need caramel sauce to make this recipe.  You can either make your own (try this Homemade Caramel Sauce recipe) or pick up a jar of caramel sauce from the grocery store.  If you have regular caramel sauce, mix in a teaspoon of sea salt to make salted caramel.

Start by whipping the cream.  You’ll know the cream is ready when the peaks hold firm.  Then drizzle in the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt and continue to whip.  When the sweetened condensed milk is fully mixed in, spoon half of the mixture into a metal pan.  You can use pretty much any freezer-safe dish for this recipe, metal pans and a larger surface area will freeze more quickly.

Drizzle half of the caramel sauce on top.  If you want a bit of crunch, add some toffee bits on top of the caramel.  Repeat with the rest of the mixture.  Then swirl the caramel and ice cream mixture together using a chopstick or knife.

Freeze for about four hours before serving.  This ice cream is fantastic in a cone, served with warm apple pie, or in an ice cream sundae.

Helpful Tools & Ingredients

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High-quality sea salt makes this ice cream shine.  My favorite finishing salt is this Jacobsen sea salt, most grocery stores will stock sea salt flakes as well.

You can make this ice cream with any stand mixer or hand mixer will work. If you’re good with a whisk, you could even make this without a mixer.  I’ve had a Kitchen Aid mixer for years and it makes this ice cream in a snap.  A proper ice cream scoop will help you get nice round scoops.