Butter Pecan Ice Cream Recipe

This smooth and creamy Butter Pecan Ice Cream Recipe is rich and decadent, and great for special occasions. The BEST Butter Pecan incorporates brown butter, tempered eggs, dairy, brown sugar, and toasted pecans for the ultimate dessert experience!

We love our homemade ice cream recipes that use an old-fashioned electric mixer or our newer KitchenAid attachment. Simple to make and prepping ahead is key. Your guests will be impressed! Join my Ice Cream of the Month Club to get all the details!

Butter Pecan

This is yet another ice cream in my series. I’ve been loving dreaming up new recipes to share with ya’ll, because is there really anything better than homemade ice cream? I say no. 

The flavors in this amazing ice cream remind me of fall. Browned butter and pecans together with the normal dairy and eggs equals perfection. I really hope you give it a try soon!

More recipes in this series include Homemade Peach Ice Cream, Double Chocolate Ice Cream, Coffee Toffee Ice Cream, Blueberry Ice Cream, and Mint Chip Ice Cream.

Let’s make ice cream!

Ingredients needed:

• Eggs – I used four egg yolks for this recipe.
• Sugar – A cup of brown sugar is needed for this recipe.
• Butter – Some unsalted butter is browned for the best Butter Pecan Ice Cream.
• Dairy – Three cups of heavy cream and Two cups of whole milk for an extra creamy ice cream.
• Vanilla – Use vanilla bean paste for a special treat!
• Pecans – Use a cup of chopped pecans.
• Salt – A pinch of salt can be added, but it’s optional.

How to make brown butter:

This process is very easy. You just have to be patient while browning, and watch it very closely. You want browned butter – NOT burnt butter.

1. Place the butter in a pan on the stove, over medium heat.
2. Let the butter melt, and when it starts sizzling, start stirring with a spatula. 
3. Keep the heat at medium, and stir gently, keeping the butter moving in the pan.
4. After about 15 minutes, you should see some brown bits starting to form on the bottom. When you see this, stir for a few seconds longer, and then remove the pan from the heat.
5. For cookies, I let the butter completely cool and solidify. For the ice cream, I let it cool just slightly before using it in the tempered eggs.

How to temper eggs:

You’ll want to temper your eggs so that they are safe to eat. You can also use pasteurized eggs instead if you can find them in the grocery store.

1. In this recipe, we start with browning some butter (as noted above). When the butter is browned, I set it aside for about 20 minutes so it can cool just slightly. Then add the whole milk and heat (stirring often) until it reaches 165 degrees on a digital thermometer. Do not boil.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs and brown sugar and whisk well.
3. When milk reaches 165 degrees, take a small measuring cup and pour into the egg mixture, whisking vigorously as you pour it in. Do not stop whisking, and continue to pour about a cup of hot milk into the eggs.
4. Then pour the contents of the bowl into the saucepan and place back on heat. Continue whisking and heating until the mixture reaches 165 degrees.
5. Remove from heat and let cool. Refrigerate.

How to make butter pecan ice cream:

1. Prep. If using KitchenAid attachment, place the bowl into the freezer a full day in advance (or at least 15 hours) before churning.
2. Brown the butter. See instructions above.
3. Temper the eggs. See directions above.
4. Combine ice cream ingredients. In a large measuring bowl, combine the tempered egg mixture (browned butter, whole milk, eggs, and brown sugar), the heavy cream, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least four hours before churning. The mixture should be VERY COLD!
5. Toast the pecans. Use a non-stick skillet and heat to medium heat. Add chopped pecans and toast until just browned. You will smell it when they start to brown. Don’t burn! Let cool completely and then place in the freezer until the ice cream is churned.
6. Churn. If using a KitchenAid attachment (as pictured below), start the mixer with the attachment so that it’s turning BEFORE you pour the liquid in. Then pour in whisked ingredients and let it churn until finished. You’ll know it’s done when the mixer starts slowing down and it rises to the top of the bowl, approximately 25-30 minutes.
7. Remove. Use a rubber scraper to pour the ice cream out of the bowl into a freezer safe container. 
8. Add toasted pecans. Then add the toasted pecans to the ice cream and mix well.
9. Freeze. Freeze the ice cream until ready to serve. The ice cream will be a bit soft so it needs a couple of hours to firm up.

This is officially my sixth ice cream recipe I’m sharing that uses a KitchenAid attachment. SO simple to use, and it’s nice being able to mix it up quickly and without going outside (like we do when we use our four-quart mixer). 

If you can’t find a Kitchen Aid Attachment, you can use another two-quart mixer for this recipe and others.

Tips for using a KitchenAid Attachment:

1. Place bowl attachment in freezer. You’ll want to be sure to store the bowl in the freezer for AT LEAST 15 hours before using. Since we have an extra freezer in our laundry room, I keep ours in there all the time. That way we can make ice cream on a whim!
2. Run mixer in advance. Attach bowl to the KitchenAid mixer and add the attachments. Start mixer on the lowest setting BEFORE adding ice cream mixture. This will prevent the bowl from freezing up.
3. Add liquid while mixer is running. Then carefully pour the liquid into the bowl attachment while it’s running.
4. Let it slow down slightly. The ice cream is done when you see it expanding to the top of the bowl and the mixer starts to slow down.

More delicious Ice cream recipes include Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Strawberry Ice Cream Double Chocolate Ice Cream Very Berry Strawberry Ice Cream and Creamy Peanut Butter Ice Cream!

Pizza Party!

What goes best with ice cream? PIZZA, of course! Check out a few recipes for pizza. More coming soon!

As you may know, I’m also sharing a new pizza recipe each month alongside the ice cream series. So if you want to try a new pizza recipe, I recommend my Taco Pizza Recipe, my Meatball Pizza, or my Homemade French Bread Pizza. All are so good, and perfect for a pizza and ice cream party!

Please let me know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me on Pinterest, and catch me on Instagram.

xoxo ~Sue