Easy butter pecan ice cream has a no churn ice cream base and is filled with chunks of candied pecans. Candied pecans are easy to make and are the perfect addition to an easy ice cream recipe to give it fancy finish.

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Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Hi! Just popping in to share the recipe for this super easy butter pecan ice cream with you. I hadn't had butter pecan ice cream until I moved to the states, and the first time I tried it, I was hooked.
I have a few homemade ice cream recipes here on the site - making your own ice cream at home does take a little bit of work, but it is so fun to do, and means that you can add as many or as few mix-ins of your choice to your homemade ice cream.
This butter pecan ice cream is a super easy no churn ice cream base, which I filled with chunks of candied pecans. If you haven't made candied pecans before I highly suggest it - they are great on this ice cream, but also can be used to add a delicious crunch to recipes such as my vegan cinnamon rolls.
Easy No Churn Ice Cream
I used a no churn ice cream base for this butter pecan ice cream recipe. No churn ice cream is made of whipped heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk, and the cream mixture can be mixed up and put straight into the pan to freeze - no ice cream maker needed. Often ice cream recipes use egg yolks - this is made with just cream and condensed milk so is a great egg free ice cream recipe if you need one!
If you wanted to do a more traditional style ice cream base for this butter pecan ice cream, you could use a philadelphia style ice cream base, which uses an ice cream maker but is a super simple egg free recipe that will still let the pecan flavour shine through.
How to toast nuts
There are a bunch of ways to toast nuts - my preferred method is to do them in the oven. Toasting nuts for any recipe gives an amazing, toasty depth of flavour. Nuts can also be toasted in a pan or a skillet on the stove, but doing it in the oven means that the nuts get fully toasted throughout without burning.
I make toasted pecans for my candied pecan recipe by toasting them on a baking sheet lined with silicone or parchment paper for about 10 minutes at 350°f / 180°c. Watch them carefully as they can go from toasty to a little too toasty quite fast.
How to make Candied Pecans
Candied pecans are super easy to make - It just involves making a quick caramel mixture. I do this all at once in the pan so the nuts get evenly coated. Heres how to candy pecans:
- Toast your nuts. This is important as it adds to the caramel flavour of the butter pecan ice cream.
- Have a pan ready to go - once these are done you want to remove them from the heat quickly.
- Combine sugar, butter, and salt in a saucepan, stir together, then add the toasted pecans.
- Cook the mixture, stirring constantly and adjusting the heat as necessary. You want to cook the candied pecan mixture until the sugar melts and coats the nuts.
- Once the candied pecans are done, turn out onto the prepared pan and spread out the pecans so that they aren't touching and don't clump together.
- Leave to cool before chopping and using.
Candied pecans are also amazing in salad or chopped up for ice cream topping - so you can make extra and store in an airtight container at room temperature for a later time.
FAQ for Butter Pecan Ice Cream
What tools and equipment do you use?
You can find a full list of the tools and equipment I use on my products page
Which pan did you use?
I set my ice cream in a regular sized 9"x5" loaf pan - you can put it in whatever you want as long as the container is freezer safe.
What is heavy cream?
Heavy cream is the cream that you would use to make whipped cream.
For more easy ice cream recipes, check out:
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Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Recipe For Butter Pecan Ice Cream
PrintButter Pecan Ice Cream
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 12 hours
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Ice Cream
- Method: No Churn
- Cuisine: American
Description
Easy butter pecan ice cream has a no churn ice cream base and is filled with chunks of candied pecans. Candied pecans are easy to make and are the perfect addition to an easy ice cream recipe to give it fancy finish.
Ingredients
Candied Pecans
- 125g pecan halves
- 50g granulated sugar
- 15g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge is fine
- ½ tsp salt
No Churn Ice Cream Base
- One 395g can sweetened condensed milk
- 480g heavy whipping cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
CANDIED PECANS
- Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Spread the pecan halves out on a baking sheet, and toast for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown (you can snap one open to check they are toasted throughout). Leave to cool.
- Line a small baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or some parchment paper. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, butter, and salt.
- Add the toasted pecan halves and cook, stirring frequently and adjusting the heat as necessary, until the sugar has melted and the nuts are evenly coated in the sugar mixture. Tip out onto the prepared baking sheet and spread the nuts out with a spatula so they aren’t clumped together.
- Leave to cool, then break up any lumps and coarsely chop
BUTTER PECAN NO CHURN ICE CREAM
- To make the no-churn ice cream base, combine the condensed milk, heavy cream and a pinch of salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium speed until stiff peaks form, then remove the bowl from the mixer and add the chopped candied pecans and incorporate with a spatula.
- Transfer the ice cream base into a 9”x5” loaf pan, smooth off, and place a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap directly against the surface of the ice cream.
- Freeze overnight or until completely frozen, minimum 6 hours
- Store leftovers well covered in the freezer for up to a week.
Keywords: no churn ice cream, ice cream recipe, easy ice cream recipe
Comments
looks perfect!
★★★★★
so so good!!
★★★★★
Love this recipe! So easy and delicious!
★★★★★