Creamy Cajeta Ice Cream Recipe

By
Stella Parks
Stella Parks
Stella Parks
Editor Emeritus
Stella Parks is a CIA-trained baking nerd and pastry wizard, dubbed one of America's Best New Pastry Chefs by Food & Wine. She was the pastry editor at Serious Eats from 2016 to 2019.
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Updated February 08, 2025
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Photograph: Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Protein-rich cajeta keeps this ice cream silky-smooth without any eggs at all.
  • Thanks to its concentrated flavor, cajeta packs a punch despite the addition of milk and cream.
  • No need to ripen this eggless ice cream; it's ready to churn as soon as it's cold.

Back when I first developed my recipe for cajeta, I stumbled onto this ice cream as a way to polish off my infinite supply of leftovers. "Leftover" cajeta may not be a thing in your world, but it's well worth making a batch for the sole purpose of churning up this silky eggless ice cream.

Recipe Details

Creamy Cajeta Ice Cream Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Active 10 mins
Refrigerate and Churn 4 hrs 30 mins
Total 4 hrs 35 mins
Serves 6 to 8 servings
Makes 1 quart
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe Cajeta Casera

  • 7 ounces milk (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons; 195 g); any percentage will do

  • 7 ounces heavy cream (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons; 195 g)

  • 1/2 ounce vanilla extract or dark rum (1 tablespoon; 15 ml)

Directions

  1. After preparing Cajeta Casera according to the recipe, whisk in milk, cream, and vanilla or rum. Refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or up to 1 week. Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions (see note). This ice cream can be frozen up to 1 month in an airtight container with a layer of plastic wrap pressed firmly against the surface.

Notes


My Girmi ice cream maker churns this base into a full quart of ice cream. You can expect comparable results with other stand-alone machines from brands such as Cuisinart or Breville, but in my experience, stand mixer–based attachments can yield as little as 3 cups.

Special Equipment

Ice cream maker

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
128Calories
10gFat
7gCarbs
3gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories128
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g13%
Saturated Fat 6g32%
Cholesterol 32mg11%
Sodium 51mg2%
Total Carbohydrate 7g2%
Dietary Fiber 0g0%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg1%
Calcium 87mg7%
Iron 0mg0%
Potassium 109mg2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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