Nourishing Honey Ice Cream

This homemade honey ice cream recipe features a rich, creamy texture with the natural sweetness of real honey and no added refined sugars. This is such a nourishing ice cream recipe with dried milk powder and egg yolks for extra protein and rich custard flavor. This Walt’s Dream Ice cream is healthier version of homemade ice cream!

Oh, I have a good one for you! This brand new nourishing ice cream recipe is my new obsession and I make it weekly for our family. I am so excited to share this healthier homemade ice cream recipe with you!

This Walt’s Dream Ice Cream is so rich and creamy, perfectly smooth, with just the right amount of natural sweetness. Walt’s Dream Ice Cream adds non-fat dry milk powder to make it extra creamy but I switched out the sugar for honey.

Since my cancer diagnosis, I have been trying to make classic desserts a tad healthier. This homemade ice cream recipe is filled with extra protein (thanks to the dried milk powder and egg yolks), uses NO refined sugar, and only uses honey as a sweetener. I like to use Fairlife whole milk for extra protein and less carbs. If you like ice cream less sweet, you can reduce the honey to 3/4 cup, which would lower the carbs and calories.

I have recipe tested this nourishing ice cream recipe more times than I could count. I was inspired by Walt’s Dream famous ice cream recipe using non-fat dried milk powder as a base since it takes the liquid out of the milk to make this even richer and creamier. A big shout out to TikTok recipe creator _lizajoan and her Dad for inspiring me as well. He is known for healthifying a lot of recipes and he makes this ice cream often.

As I was recipe testing it, I played around with ratios and used different products to see how the ice cream would turn out. Since I wanted more protein in my ice cream, I opted for Fairlife whole milk but I recipe tested it with classic whole milk as well and they both turned out super similar.

The biggest player was the honey. I tried 3 different types of honey — Wildflower Honey from Costco, a local honey bought from a local beekeeper, and a popular honey at the grocery store, Nate’s honey. They did affect the creaminess and richness of the ice cream.

I found that the thinner, more liquid honey (Nate’s) created a slightly less creamy version of this ice cream. It seemed to change the texture of it and it wasn’t as thick and creamy. So, I went back to the drawing board!

The first two times that I made this healthier ice cream, I used honey from my local beekeeper which wasn’t too thick but wasn’t super thin either. It was perfect! I ran out of that so I ended up trying the Nate’s and I was a little disappointed. So, I decided to try the wildflower honey from Costco. It had been in my pantry for a bit and was a little more solidified so I gave it a try. It was much, much better! My only suggestion when making this ice cream is to look for a honey that isn’t too thin.

Let’s talk sweetener options. This recipe calls for honey as the natural sweetener but if you prefer, you can also use half 100% maple syrup and half honey. The maple syrup gives it a little more deeper flavor. I found that I prefer using all honey but it is still super delicious using half maple syrup and half honey.

Nourishing Ice Cream Ingredients:

You only need 6 ingredients to make no-refined sugar ice cream at home! No crazy gums or fillers but just all-natural ingredients.

• Whole Milk: Use your favorite type of whole milk. I like to use Fairlife whole milk for the extra protein content but any whole milk works great.
• Heavy Cream: This is what adds the rich, creaminess to the ice cream.
• Non-Fat Dry Milk Powder: Find this in the grocery aisle (usually brands such as Carnation or Bob’s Red Mill) but you can also find it in the bulk section at Winco.
• Honey: I suggest using a slightly thicker honey. I don’t suggest using super runny, thin honey as it may affect the texture of the ice cream.
• Egg Yolks: This adds protein and healthy fats and creates a real vanilla custard flavor.
• Vanilla Bean Paste: I love to use scraped vanilla beans or Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste for real vanilla flavor but you can also use real vanilla extract.

How to make Honey Ice Cream:

1. In a saucepan, combine honey, whole milk, and milk powder. Whisk until completely smooth. Stir in heavy cream.
2. Cook over medium heat for about 6-10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, put egg yolks in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture to temper the egg yolks, a little at a time.
4. Pour the egg and milk mixture back into the pot and return to heat and cook for 5-10 minutes, whisking often.
5. Prepare an ice bath by placing ice in a large bowl. Pour the ice cream mixture through a strainer and place in a bowl. Put the bowl on top of the ice bath to cool. Whisk in vanilla bean paste.
6. Once it has set in an ice bath for about 1 hour, transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 1-2 hours.
7. Transfer to an ice cream maker. I use the Whynter Ice Cream Maker and I absolutely love it! It uses a compressor so you can make ice cream at any time. Another favorite is the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. Follow the ice cream maker instructions.
8. For soft serve, you can eat it right away. If you want scoopable ice cream, transfer to ice cream containers and freeze for several hours. Serve with your favorite toppings!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why temper egg yolks?

Tempering slowly heats the yolks, preventing them from cooking too fast and scrambling. This ensures a smooth, silky custard base.

Can I skip the dry milk powder?

The dry milk powder adds protein and a creamy texture. If you skip it, your ice cream might be a bit icier.

Can I use regular whole milk instead of Fairlife?

Absolutely! Fairlife just adds extra protein and creaminess, but any whole milk works.

What’s the best type of honey to use?

Use high-quality honey with a flavor you love. Clover, wildflower, or even orange blossom honey work beautifully. I suggest a slightly thicker honey and to definitely avoid runny, thin honey.

More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes:

Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

No-Churn Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream