Cinnamon Ice Cream
I love cinnamon, so this cinnamon ice cream is a 10/10 for me! It’s so creamy and yummy, and the best part (in my opinion) is the mini cinnamon chips! They add even more cinnamon flavor and a subtle crunch that I absolutely adore. I know we often associate cinnamon with fall and winter, but incorporating it into ice cream means we can enjoy it in the summer, too!
After you make this ice cream, use your leftover mini cinnamon chips to make Cinnamon Chip Pancakes or Apple Cinnamon Scones. If you want to get really crazy with cinnamon flavor, serve this cinnamon spice ice cream alongside Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake, Cinnamon Roll Cake, or sandwiched between Cinnamon Roll Cookies or Snickerdoodle Cookies for an extra special treat!
Why This Recipe Works
- Homemade cinnamon ice cream recipe. Cinnamon-flavored ice cream can be hard to find. It’s either only a seasonal flavor, or you’ll find ice cream that’s close-but-not-quite it, like churro ice cream. Now, there’s no need to wait for fall or winter holidays. You can get your cinnamon fix anytime you want with this cinnamon chip ice cream!
- Delicious creamy ice cream. Homemade ice cream starts with custard, which contains a lot of egg yolks and a few other simple ingredients. But don’t worry, this cinnamon spice ice cream doesn’t taste “eggy” at all.
Ingredient Notes
- Egg yolks: In a custard, and in ice cream, egg yolks serve to thicken and bind ingredients together. They also give ice cream a rich taste, making it irresistible.
- Granulated sugar: Plain old white sugar is my sweetener of choice. It adds sweetness without adding additional competing flavors, so we get pure cinnamon goodness in every bite. Did you know, adding the right amount of sugar is also important for getting a creamy texture!
- Salt: Everything sweet tastes better with just a little dash of salt!
- Heavy cream: The secret to great ice cream is the fat content. Heavy cream, also known as whipping cream, provides much-needed fat to this homemade cinnamon ice cream recipe.
- Milk: I find that mixing a little bit of milk with the cream makes for the best flavor and texture.
- Vanilla extract: While I wouldn’t say the vanilla is strong enough to call this cinnamon vanilla ice cream, vanilla is a great complement to cinnamon and enhances the flavor overall.
- Ground cinnamon: No need to steep cinnamon sticks and take them out later. We get enough cinnamon flavor from ground cinnamon, and it’s going to add lovely little flecks throughout homemade cinnamon ice cream. I found that two teaspoons is the perfect amount.
- Mini cinnamon chips: What really takes this recipe over the top for me, and makes it the best cinnamon ice cream recipe, is these mini chips. They add even more cinnamon flavor and just a little bit of texture and crunch that I love!
How to Make Cinnamon Ice Cream
- Whip egg yolks. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add 6 large egg yolks, 1¼ cups of granulated sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Beat on medium speed until the egg yolks are pale yellow and fluffy. This takes my mixer 4-5 minutes.
- Heat milk and cream. While your egg yolks whip up (or after they’re done), heat 3 cups of heavy cream and 1 cup of milk in a large pan over low heat. Stir occasionally until the mixture reaches 155-160°F. If you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, you want the mixture hot but not boiling.
- Combine hot milk mixture with eggs. Turn your mixer to low and slowly, carefully, pour the hot cream and milk mixture into the bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined, just a couple of minutes.
- Heat egg and cream mixture. Carefully pour the egg and cream mixture back into your large pan and place it back on the stove over medium-low heat. Stir constantly and bring the heat back up to 155-160°F, or until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Don’t let it boil, but it’s okay if a few bubbles pop up around the edge of the pan.
- Add vanilla and cinnamon. Once your custard has reached the desired temperature and/or thickness, remove it from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
- Strain and chill. Set a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the hot mixture through the strainer into the bowl to remove any clumps. Cover and place the custard in the fridge to chill completely. This took my custard about 4 hours.
- Churn ice cream. Once your custard is completely chilled, set up your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Add the mixture and churn according to your ice cream machine’s instructions.
- Add cinnamon chips. After your ice cream has finished churning, while it’s still soft, add 1½ cups of mini cinnamon chips.
- Freeze. If you like a soft serve consistency, you can enjoy your ice cream now, but I prefer it a little more solid. Transfer your ice cream to a freezer-safe ice cream container and freeze until solid.
- Enjoy. Remove your ice cream from the freezer, scoop some into a bowl, and dig into the sweet, creamy, cinnamon goodness.
Recipe Tips
Mini cinnamon chips are a specialty item that I have personally never found in stores. I order mine online. If you can’t find mini cinnamon chips, I think a yummy substitute would be Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal! Just be warned that the texture of the cereal will soften with time. Another variation that could be tasty is swapping out the cinnamon chips for chocolate chunks or chips.
If plain cinnamon isn’t your thing, you can substitute it with pumpkin pie spice seasoning, or even throw in a little ginger for ginger cinnamon ice cream. In fact, I may have to try that next, it sounds delicious!
I used 2% milk when I made this and it turned out great. Whole milk will work as well. I do not recommend using anything lower than 2%, however, as the lower fat content can lead to an icier texture.
Make sure to read your ice cream maker instructions thoroughly. If your machine uses a freezing bowl, you’ll want to make sure it’s thoroughly frozen before you start the process to make your ice cream.
Completely chill your custard. You can speed up the process by nestling your custard bowl in a second bowl filled with ice, but you cannot pour warm custard into your ice cream maker. Cold custard is key to smooth and creamy ice cream. For better cooling, I recommend storing your custard in a glass or metal mixing bowl.
To keep your ice cream creamy and delicious while storing, invest in some freezer safe containers. These are the ones I use.
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing
Make Ahead: Stored properly, homemade ice cream will last for up to a month in the freezer. However, it tastes best the first week it’s made, so if you’re making it for a special occasion I would aim to make it the same week.
Storing: Store leftover cinnamon chip ice cream in the freezer for up to a month.
Freezing: Please freeze your ice cream! I like these freezer-safe containers from Amazon.
Recipe FAQs
Homemade ice cream doesn’t necessarily “go bad,” but it will lose flavor and texture after the first few weeks and not taste as good.
Hard ice cream can be caused by low fat content or not enough sugar. If you use skim milk or you reduced the amount of sugar in this cinnamon ice cream recipe, it can result in hard ice cream.
Anything that goes with cinnamon goes with cinnamon ice cream! You can pair it with another cinnamon-flavored dessert like Cinnamon Baked Apples or Cinnamon Swirl Bread, or any kind of cake or pie.
More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes
- Birthday Cake Ice Cream
- Ice Cream Nachos
- German Chocolate Ice Cream
- Fried Ice Cream
- Cookie Monster Ice Cream
Cinnamon Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk - I used 2%
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cup mini cinnamon chips
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer add the egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until pale yellow and light and airy. About 4-5 minutes.
- In a large pan heat the cream and milk over low heat, stir occasionally. If you have an instant read thermometer the mixture will reach 155-160°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, the mixture will be hot but not boiling!
- Turn the mixer to low and add the heated cream in a slow, steady, stream. Mix until thoroughly combined, about 1-2 minutes. Pour the cream/egg mixture back into the pan and heat over medium-low heat stirring constantly. Heat to 155-160°F. If you don’t have a thermometer heat until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. It should NOT boil, however, a few bubbles may come up along the edges. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract and 2 tsp ground cinnamon.
- Set a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the warm ice cream mixture into the bowl (through the fine mesh strainer). Cover and place the mixture in the refrigerator until completely chilled about 4 hours.
- Once the ice cream mixture is cold, set up your ice cream machine according to the manufacturers directions. With the machine running, add the mixture in a slow steady stream. Churn according to the directions.
- Once it’s done churning stir in the mini cinnamon chips. Transfer to a freezer-safe air-tight container and freeze until fully firm.
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