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Dulce de leche ice cream being scooped out of container
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Easy Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

This simple no churn caramel ice cream has sweet toasted pecans and is a delicious homemade ice cream!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Chill Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 257kcal
Author: Dorothy Kern
Cost: $5

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon (14g) butter
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 cups (474ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 1 13.4 ounce can dulce de leche (I used Nestle la Lechera brand)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  • Melt butter and brown sugar together in a small pan over low heat. Cook until butter is melted, then add the pecans. Cook over low heat for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to cool.
  • Beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
  • Place dulce de leche in a large bowl. Stir to break it up a little. Add vanilla and whipped cream and fold gently until almost combined (there will still be a few swirls of dulce de leche showing). You don’t want to over-stir or it won’t set up in the freezer. Fold in pecans.
  • Place in a airtight container and freeze until semi-firm (it won’t be as firm as regular ice cream), at least 4 hours or overnight.
  • Try sprinkling it with a little sea or kosher salt before serving. It's amazing!

Video

Notes

  • For this recipe, you can use store-bought dulce de leche or make my easy slow cooker dulce de leche.
  • The nuts are totally optional, but they do add a nice crunchy texture to the ice cream.
  • Substitute 2 containers whipped topping: I like whipped topping because it’s easier, but also fat-free topping makes a little less guilty.
  • When making whipped cream: whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks. Then fold it into the dulce de leche carefully so it doesn't break.
  • No churn ice is not as firm as regular ice cream. It’s closer to soft-serve in texture, so let it freeze long enough to firm up. Also, store it in the coldest part of the freezer, which is usually in the back.
  • For bonus ice cream points, sprinkle some sea salt over the topping before serving. I love some salted caramel dulce de leche ice cream!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 756IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg