Churn up this delicious recipe of root beer float ice cream. Deep caramel notes and creamy, soft vanilla come together to create a flavorful easy to make ice cream recipe.

How to Make Homemade Ice Cream

When my husband and I met several years ago, I loved to bake, he loved sweet treats.

It was a match made in heaven.

Over the last several years, I discovered the joy of making ice cream. Initially I was intrigued by the creativity of homemade ice cream. French style or American. Classic flavors or rich, indulgent recipes. Toppings, ice cream sandwiches and homemade ice cream cones. The flavor combinations were endless.

Of course my husband preferred vanilla (boring). Thankfully his pallet has expanded since we married and he is willing to try all sorts of ice cream recipes.

I have enjoyed experimenting with a variety of recipes like cinnamon ice cream, pumpkin spice, raspberry oatmeal, coffee and butterscotch. I even delved into the frozen yogurt realm a couple of times.

One day is occurred to me that I could try making a root beer flavored ice cream. Everyone loves a root beer float, right? Why not turn that into an ice cream? No high fructose corn syrup filled soda required. Just two great tastes – creamy, velvety soft vanilla and pure, rich root beer – come together in one fabulous ice cream.

And the best part of this homemade treat? No guilt … or at least minimal guilt. I like to use local dairy and less sugar in my ice cream recipes. The local milk and whipping cream is much more nutritious for you. And the lower sugar allows the flavor to shine rather than being overly sweet.

There is nothing quite like homemade ice cream. So go ahead, try making this root beer float ice cream recipe. You won’t regret it!

Homemade Root Beer Float Ice Cream Recipe

Makes: about 11/2 quarts

Ingredients to Make Homemade Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk
2/3 fructose or sugar
2 cups heavy cream
Pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp root beer concentrate extract

Measure out the whole milk, sugar, 1 cup of the cream and salt. Add ingredients to a medium saucepan over medium low heat and whisk to combine. Warm over heat until the sugar has dissolved. 

Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a large bowl. Set a strainer on top.

In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Slowly, pour about half of the warm milk and sugar mixture into the eggs yolks, whisking constantly until combined. Return the warm egg yolks to the saucepan. Over medium low heat stir the mixture constantly with a whisk or spatula until the custard has thickened. The consistency should be like a thin pudding and be able to coat the back of a spoon. Do not overcook or you will end up with scrambled eggs.

Remove the custard from heat and pour through the strainer. Mix the custard with the cream. Add the vanilla and root beer extracts.

Refrigerate the ice cream mixture until chilled. Approximately 5-6 hours. When it is ready to churn, freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Homemade Ice Cream Tips

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. In any case, I only link to products we actually use on our homestead and that I believe can truly benefit to you. See my full disclosure here. 

• Always keep the heat on low to medium low. Making ice cream is not a race. The higher the heat, the more likely you’ll run into problems like overcooking the custard.
• Keep an eye on the custard as it thickens. One minute it is thin, the next it can become scrambled eggs. If you end up getting a few chunks at the bottom, no worries. You can strain it out using the mesh strainer in step 4.
• I freeze all of my ice cream in the KitchenAid ice cream maker but my Mom has had great success with the Cusinart electronic ice cream maker.
• I love keeping my ice cream in small, stackable containers. Tovolo ice cream tub is my favorite. 
• I prefer using fructose in my recipes for two reasons. Fructose has a low glycemic index. It also prevents the ice cream from becoming rock hard. But if you prefer to use sugar, just sit the ice cream out on the counter to thaw for a few minutes before you scoop it into a bowl.

Have you ever made ice cream at home? What is your favorite flavor? Share in the comments below.

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