Grape Nut Ice Cream

Enjoy this unique homemade brown sugar grape nut ice cream that you can’t find in stores! Popular in New England and Jamaica, but worthy of a world takeover, this frozen treat gets a bit of crunch from Grape Nuts cereal and a special swirl of honey to finish it off.

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Are you familiar with Grape Nuts breakfast cereal? How about grape nut ice cream? While Grape Nuts are marketed as a health food, they add a really lovely flavor and texture to ice cream. 

Grape nut ice cream has grained popularity in the New England as well as Jamaica. I became familiar with it from an ice cream shop here in Wisconsin. Have you ever had it where you live?

What makes this grape nut ice cream special?

Grape nuts are made primarily from barley, which gives the ice cream a slightly malty flavor. They’re also insanely crunchy, making each bike like having a waffle cone (you know I love a waffle cone!). The cereal does soften up a bit as it sits in the frozen custard, making a great texture combo.

Frozen honey, meanwhile, takes on a caramel-like taste and texture. It makes a lovely pair for the crunchy cereal and adds a little extra natural sweetness.

Grape nut ice cream ingredients

• Egg yolks
• Dark brown sugar
• Heavy cream
• Whole milk
• Salt
• Honey
• Grape Nuts

How to make grape nut ice cream

• Whisk egg yolks and ¼ cup brown sugar in a medium bowl.
• In a medium sized saucepan, stir together cream, milk, salt, and remaining ¼ cup brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium.
• Slowly add a ladle-full of the hot cream mixture to the egg mixture, whisking the eggs constantly. Repeat with two more ladles of cream, then use a rubber spatula to stir the cream mixture in the saucepan as you slowly add the egg mixture.
• Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and able to coat the back of the spatula.
• Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean zip top food storage bag. Place in an ice-water bath until cooled, then refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
• Freeze the ice cream base in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• While the ice cream is churning, combine honey and grape nuts in a small bowl. Once the ice cream is done churning, fold in large chunks of the cereal mixture.
• Transfer the ice cream to a covered container and freeze a minimum of 2 hours.

Top tips and questions

What are grape nuts?

Grape Nuts Cereal (sometimes called “grain nut” is neither grapes nor nuts. It’s a crunchy little breakfast cereal made from wheat and barley.

What is the best ice cream maker?

I used the KitchenAid ice cream mixer attachment for years to make ice cream, and it worked fine. After a few years the bowl cracked a tiny bit and the blue freezing liquid in the bowl started to leak out.

I replaced it with this countertop Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and I love it. I feel like it freezes the ice cream better and more consistently.

Tips for making homemade ice cream

Temper the eggs – Make sure you’re whisking your eggs as you slowly add the hot cream so they don’t curdle. Running the finished custard through a fine mesh strainer will help remove any eggs that may curdle, but you really want all those eggs making your ice cream richer instead of getting strained out.

Stir the custard as it thickens – If you don’t stir, it will thicken from the bottom up, burn, and get lumpy.

Open your zip top food storage bag inside a glass measuring cup – This will allow it to stay open and hold its structure while you’re pouring the liquid in.

Chill more than you think you need to – Ice cream will be at its best if you chill as long or even more than recommended. All freezers perform differently, so use your senses to make sure your ice cream is frozen and ready to eat.

How long will homemade ice cream stay good?

You can enjoy this homemade ice cream for up to one week, but it is best enjoyed within a few days of making it.

Tips for customizing brown sugar grape nut ice cream

• Leave out the honey for more of a classic grape nut ice cream
• Use your favorite vanilla vegan ice cream base to make this dairy-free and vegan
• Sprinkle extra grape nuts over the top of ice cream before serving for extra crunch
• Add a handful of mini chocolate chips with the grape nuts

More ice cream recipes

• Pistachio Ice Cream
• Cherry Crisp Ice Cream
• Salty Caramel Ice Cream
• Butter Pecan Ice Cream
• Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream
• Vegan Cookie Dough Ice Cream
• Goat Cheese and Honey Ice Cream

If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!

Grape Nut Ice Cream

Sweet and creamy brown sugar ice cream with ripples of gooey honey and crunchy grape nuts cereal!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 55 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Chilling and Freezing: 6 hours

Total Time: 7 hours 2 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 353kcal

Author: Lindsay Moe

Ingredients

• ▢ 5 large egg yolks
• ▢ ½ cup packed dark brown sugar, divided
• ▢ 1 ¾ cup heavy cream
• ▢ ¾ cup whole milk
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ cup raw honey
• ▢ ¾ cup grape nuts cereal

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and ¼ cup brown sugar until combined.
• In a medium sized, heavy bottomed saucepan, stir together cream, milk, salt, and remaining ¼ cup brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium.
• Carefully and slowly add a ladle-full of the hot cream mixture to the egg mixture, whisking the eggs constantly. Repeat with two more ladles of cream, adding slowly and whisking constantly. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, stir the cream mixture in the saucepan as you slowly add the egg mixture to the pan.
• Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick, coats the back of a spatula, and holds a clear path when you run your finger across the spatula, about 2 minutes.
• Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a zip top food storage bag. Seal the bag and place it in an ice-water bath, moving it around occasionally until cooled. Remove the container from the ice water bath and refrigerate for two hours or overnight.
• Once the base is chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• While the ice cream is churning, make the mix-in. In a small bowl, combine honey and grape nuts. Once the ice cream is done in the ice cream machine, carefully fold in large chunks of the cereal mixture. Transfer the ice cream to a covered container and freeze for a minimum of four hours.
• Homemade ice cream will stay good for about 1 week but is best enjoyed within a few days.

Notes

 

Heavily adapted from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones: 90 Recipes for Making Your Own Ice Cream and Frozen Treats from Bi-Rite Creamery

 

Tips for making homemade ice cream

 

• Temper the eggs – Make sure you’re whisking your eggs as you slowly add the hot cream so they don’t curdle. Running the finished custard through a fine mesh strainer will help remove any eggs that may curdle, but you really want all those eggs making your ice cream richer instead of getting strained out.
• Stir the custard as it thickens – If you don’t stir, it will thicken from the bottom up, burn, and get lumpy.
• Open your zip top food storage bag inside a glass measuring cup – This will allow it to stay open and hold its structure while you’re pouring the liquid in.
• Chill more than you think you need to – Ice cream will be at its best if you chill as long or even more than recommended. All freezers perform differently, so use your senses to make sure your ice cream is frozen and ready to eat.

 

Tips for customizing brown sugar grape nut ice cream

 

• Leave out the honey for more of a classic grape nut ice cream
• Use your favorite vanilla vegan ice cream base to make this dairy-free and vegan
• Sprinkle extra grape nuts over the top of ice cream before serving for extra crunch
• Add a handful of mini chocolate chips with the grape nuts

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 196mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 1157IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 5mg

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