Homemade Pralines and Cream Ice Cream Recipe (2024)

Pralines and Cream Ice Cream is our favourite homemade frozen dessert to scoop when a craving for pecans hits.

The popular flavour was originally invented by the founders of Baskin Robbins. Our homemade copycat recipe is quick and easy to make using an Ice Cream & Gelato Maker.

This quick & easy recipe features a creamy vanilla flavoured ice cream base, sweet praline-coated pecan pieces and a rich caramel sauce ribbon.

Enjoy as a cool scoop on a hot day or serve as a special dessert like an ice cream sundae, ice cream sandwich or ice cream cake!

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What Is Pralines and Cream Ice Cream?

Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from dairy milk or cream and is flavoured with sweetener such as sugar, and flavourings such as cocoa or vanilla.

The mixture is stirred to incorporate air and is cooled below the freezing point of water to prevent undesirable ice crystals from forming. The result is a smooth, semi-solid foam that is stored at very low temperatures.

The meaning of the name “ice cream” varies from one country to another. Terms such as frozen custard, frozen yogurt, sorbet and gelato are used to distinguish different varieties and styles.

Ice cream may also be served in dishes, for eating with a spoon, or licked from edible cones. Ice cream may be served with other desserts, such as pie, or as an ingredient inice cream floats,sundaes,milkshakes,ice cream cakesand eye-popping Baked Alaska.

Pralines and Cream Ice Cream is one of the world’s most famous ice cream flavours, invented by the founders of Baskin Robbins.

Following a trip to New Orleans, Irv Robbins, and his wife Irma, were snacking on souvenir pralines at home when culinary inspiration hit. They rushed into the kitchen, pulled a tub of vanilla ice cream out of the freezer, tossed in chopped pralines and added a caramel ribbon. Pralines ‘n Cream was born!

Originally available in 1970 as a Flavour of the Month, this new ice cream flavour was such a success, it caused an uproar across America when stores quickly ran out.

With franchise locations running out of the new flavour fast, Baskin Robbins started receiving pleas and petitions from ice cream lovers begging for more Pralines n Cream Ice Cream. Dear Abby’s famous advice column in the national newspaper even joined in, begging for more! Students at UC Santa Barbara even staged a sit-in to bring the popular new flavour back.In the end, Baskin Robbins made a special production run to give fans what they wanted, and the flavour has been a favourite ever since.

History Of Ice Cream

The origins of frozen desserts are unknown, though there are several often repeated legends dated as early as the3rd millenium inancient China. According to one legendary origin myth, the Roman EmperorNerohad ice collected from theApennine Mountainsto produce the firstsorbetmixed with honey and wine.Other legends say ice cream originated in theMongolian empireand first spread to China during itsexpansion.

Its spread throughout Europe is sometimes attributed to Arab traders, but more often toMarco Polo. Though it’s not mentioned in any of his writings, Polo is often credited with introducing sorbet-style desserts to Italy after learning of it during his travels to China.

The Italian duch*essCatherine de’ Mediciis said to have introduced flavoured sorbet ices to France when she brought some Italian chefs with her to France upon marrying theDuke of Orléans in 1533. One hundred years later,Charles I of Englandwas reportedly so impressed by the “frozen snow” that he offered his own ice cream maker a lifetimepensionin return for keeping the formula secret, so that ice cream could be aroyals only treat.

Snow was used to cool drinks in Greece around 500 BC andHippocratesis known to have criticized chilled drinks for causing “fluxes of the stomach”. Snow collected from the lower slopes of mountains was unsanitary and iced drinks were believed to cause convulsions,colicand a host of other ailments. Senecacriticized the extravagant costs associated with iced desserts in an era without refrigeration.

Ice cream was made possible only by the discovery of theendothermiceffect. Prior to this, cream could only be chilled but not frozen. It was the addition of salt, that lowered the melting point of ice, which had the effect of drawing heat from the cream and allowing it to freeze. The first known record of this comes from the Indian poemPancatantra, dating to the 4th century AD.

My Family Loves Pralines and Cream Ice Cream

What family doesn’t love ice cream?

I spent months researching . In search of the city’s most drool-worthy frozen desserts, I found endless inspiring flavour combinations.

As a kid my parents used to take me to local ice cream parlours all the time in Toronto, Markham, Oakville and Muskoka.

Over the years each family member has developed a penchant for a particular Baskin Robbins ice cream flavour. I love Chocolate Peanut Butter, Dad hearts JamocaAlmond Fudge, Mom adores Mint Chocolate Chip and my sister raves for Pralines and Cream Ice Cream.

It’s funny as my sister and I never knew what pralines were when we were kids. We just understood that Pralines n Cream Ice Cream featured a creamy vanilla ice cream, thick caramel sauce and crunchy nuts.

It wasn’t until I visited Savannah and Louisiana as a food writer that I came to fully appreciate the sweet Southern staple. Pralines are popular confection that resemble fudge and contain nuts (usually almonds, pecans or hazelnuts), sugar and cream.

Many North American ice cream shops sell Praline Ice Cream and due to Baskin Robbins global success it can be enjoyed around the world, from Korea to Switzerland and Egypt!

Other Homemade Ice Cream Recipes…

• Tropical Coconut Mango Ice Cream Sundae
• Espresso Coffee Java Chip Ice Cream
• Maple Black Walnut Ice Cream
• Blueberry Cream Cheese Earl Grey Ice Cream
• Buttered Popcorn Ice Cream with Caramel
• Chocolate Chip Caramel Banana Nut Ice Cream

Join Dobbernationloves founder Andrew Dobson in the kitchen by signing up for a fun virtual cooking class! Classes begin with a co*cktail that you can sip while preparing 2-3 recipes that are curated around a unique culinary theme. Check out our current Cooking Class Schedule!

Best Ice Cream Makers

Looking for the best ice cream maker to make homemade gelato, granita, sorbet and sherbet?

You don’t have to own a gelato shop or ice cream parlour to enjoy decadent gourmet ice cream scoops or soft serve at home.

Affordable ice cream makers typically sell for under $100 dollars and include a main base with on/off switch, frozen bowl, paddle attachment and lid. The box usually includes instructions on how to use the ice cream maker and a few easy recipes to get you started.

• Hamilton Beach Ice Cream Maker: 1.5 quart ice cream maker is fully automatic and features a compact bowl that freezes in less than 4 hours. Available in white and red.
• Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker: 2 quart ice cream maker features brushed stainless steel exterior and handy spout for adding mixins.
• Whynter Ice Cream Maker: splurge on this premium professional quality product that has a capacity of 2.1 quarts.

Homemade Ice Cream Recipe Tips

If it’s your first time making homemade Pralines and Cream Ice Cream we suggest reading our step by step recipe from top to bottom. Familiarize yourself with each step before you start cooking in the kitchen.

Here are some helpful tips and tricks for first time ice cream makers:

• Use organic whole milk and whipping cream if you can find it.
• Purchase high quality candied pecan pralines and caramel sauce.
• Don’t rush the recipe. Ensure the ice cream base is fully cooled before adding it to your ice cream maker to churn or it will not thicken properly.
• Serve your homemade ice cream immediately out of the machine for soft serve texture, or store in the freezer and scoop for a harder more authentic ice cream parlour experience.
• You can serve Praline Ice Cream simply on a cone or as a fun sundae with your favourite nuts, muffins, cookies or Fall fruit like sliced pears and apples.

Serving Suggestions

If you’re an ice cream traditionalist you’ll likely want to lick our Pralines and Cream Ice Cream off a cone or scoop out of a bowl all on its own.

If you’re celebrating a special occasion, or simply live your life with the mantra YOLO, dress up your homemade ice cream by serving it as a sundae or between two homemade cookies as a gourmet ice cream sandwich.

We love serving this ice cream recipe smushed between Oat Flour Cookies, Dark Chocolate Lindt Lindor Cookies and Oatmeal Chocolate Toffee Walnut Cookies.

You can also scoop homemade ice cream over muffins, cupcakes, pancakes and more!

Try pairing a scoop or two with Banana Muffins, Sticky Toffee Banana and Date Muffins, Banana Carrot Muffins, Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins, Banana Oat Flour Pancakes, Apple Fritter Muffins or Baileys French Toast.

Storage Tips

Once you’ve mixed the freshly churned vanilla ice cream base with chopped pralines and caramel sauce store it in the freezer overnight to harden so you can scoop it easily.

If you’re makingice cream sandwiches, form them when the ice cream is soft then immediately store them upright in the freezer in a container or freezer bag.

Our homemade Pralines n Cream Ice Cream can be stored in the freezer for up to a month. But, I really doubt it will last much longer than a few days!

You May Also Enjoy These Dessert Recipes…

• Gianduja Lindt Lindor Chocolate Cake
• Fresh Fig Frangipane Pistachio Tartlets
• Caribbean Coconut Rum Banana Bread Bundt Cake
• Sweet Lebanese Sesame Tahini Rolls
• Swedish Ricotta Oatmeal Rhubarb Bars
• Baileys Banoffee Cake
• Flaky Swedish Rhubarb Cherry Pie
• Skittles Sugar Cookies
• Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies
• Toffee Cadbury Mini Egg Cookie Bars
• Turmeric Pumpkin Spice Indian Cake
• Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
• Gevulde Speculaas Dutch Cherry Almond Spice Cookies

How To Make Homemade Pralines and Cream Ice Cream

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