Coffee Ice Cream | Guide and Recipes

With the warmer weather of the summer months comes a craving for all things cool! Whether you’re switching from a hot cuppa to an iced coffee or a cold brew, there are still many ways you can enjoy your beloved beans when the sun is out.

One such way is to indulge in a delicious scoop of coffee ice cream! We take a look at what you can expect from coffee ice cream and how you can make it for yourself at home!

Does Coffee Ice Cream Contain Caffeine?

The answer to this question will largely depend on the brand of ice cream you choose or the recipe you use, but generally speaking, most coffee ice creams will contain caffeine.

The biggest determining factor will be whether the ice cream is made from real coffee or using an artificial flavouring to get the coffee taste. If it uses real coffee to create the delicious flavour, then it is likely to also contain caffeine.

How Much Caffeine Does Coffee Ice Cream Contain?

Again, this will hugely depend on the brand of ice cream you choose. For example, Ben and Jerry’s coffee ice cream contains 180mg of caffeine per pint – about the same as two cups of coffee - whereas a pint of Haagen Dazs coffee ice cream will have 120mg of caffeine – the equivalent of two espresso shots.

Other brands of ice cream may not contain much, if any, caffeine at all.

coffee ice cream in a glass bowl next to an espresso

How to Make Coffee Ice Cream

There are two main ways of making coffee ice cream, depending on the equipment you have available and the amount of effort you want to put into it!

Easy Coffee Ice Cream Recipe

If you’re looking for a cheat’s way of making coffee ice cream, then you can make a simpler coffee ice cream using pre-made vanilla ice cream and coffee. This can also work well if you have dietary requirements, such as needing dairy-free ice cream, as this can be an easier method.

To do this, you’ll need to make a coffee syrup by mixing a teaspoon of instant coffee with a teaspoon of water and mixing it into a syrup-like consistency. Then mix this syrup into the vanilla ice cream for an easy ice cream treat!


Fresh Coffee Ice Cream Recipe

To make coffee ice cream from scratch, using fresh coffee beans, you will need:

350ml whole milk
350ml heavy cream
150g sugar
120g whole coffee beans (either decaf or regular depending on if you want your ice cream to be caffeinated)
5 large egg yolks
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp finely ground coffee
Pinch of salt


  1. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, sugar, whole coffee beans, salt and 115ml (1/3) of the cream. Don’t let the mixture boil, only allowing it to be warm and steamy.
  2. Once warm, remove from the heat and leave the mixture to steep at room temperature for an hour.
  3. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks together.
  4. Reheat the milk mixture in the saucepan until hot. Slowly pour the mixture into the egg yolks and whisk constantly.
  5. Pour the combined mixture back into the saucepan and heat again. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens into a custard.
  6. Add ice to a large bowl and place a smaller metal bowl within it. Pour the remaining cream into the metal bowl and set aside.
  7. Put a sieve on top of the metal bowl of cream and strain the custard through it so that the coffee beans remain out of the new mixture. Press on the beans to get as much flavour out as possible, then discard the beans.
  8. Mix in the finely-ground coffee and the vanilla extract and stir until the mixture is cool
  9. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator and then process the mixture in an ice cream maker, following the instructions for your machine.


If you’d rather an even easier way of enjoying coffee and ice cream, then you could also try making an affogato! Simply make a cup of coffee in your AeroPress UK coffee maker and pour it over a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

What’s your favourite way to enjoy coffee in the summer? Leave a comment below to let us know!

Tagged with: Ice Cream Recipes Summer

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