Smooth Caramel Popcorn Ice Cream

Finding a dessert that brings back those fun childhood memories while still feeling grown-up can be tricky. After all, we want something that hits that sweet spot between nostalgic comfort food and sophisticated flavors, and it gets even more complicated when you’re trying to impress both kids and adults at the same dinner party.

Luckily, this caramel popcorn ice cream checks all the boxes: it’s creamy yet playful, simple to make at home, and perfectly balances that salty-sweet combination we all crave.

What Kind of Popcorn Should I Use?

For this ice cream, you’ll want to use salted caramel popcorn, and honestly, store-bought works just as well as homemade. Look for popcorn that has a good coating of caramel and isn’t too hard or stale – you want pieces that still have some crunch but won’t break your teeth. If you’re making your own, aim for a nice balance of sweet and salty since that contrast really shines in the creamy ice cream base. Just make sure whatever popcorn you choose isn’t too heavily salted, as you don’t want it to overpower the other flavors in your ice cream.

Options for Substitutions

This ice cream recipe has some room for swaps, though a few ingredients are pretty important to keep:

• Whole milk: You can use 2% milk if that’s what you have, but the ice cream won’t be quite as creamy. Avoid skim milk as it’ll make the texture too icy.
• Heavy cream: This is really important for texture, so try not to substitute it. If you must, you can use half-and-half, but add an extra 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to help with consistency.
• Honey: Maple syrup or corn syrup work well here. You might need to adjust the amount slightly since maple syrup is a bit less sweet than honey.
• Cornstarch: You can swap this with arrowroot powder using the same amount, or use 4 1/2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour instead.
• Cream cheese: This helps with texture, but you can skip it if needed. The ice cream will just be a little less smooth and creamy.
• Salted caramel popcorn: Regular caramel corn from the store works fine, or you can make your own with plain popcorn and store-bought caramel sauce. Just make sure it’s not too sticky or it won’t mix well.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

The biggest mistake when making popcorn ice cream is burning the caramel, which happens fast once the sugar starts to turn golden – keep the heat at medium and watch it closely, swirling the pan gently instead of stirring with a spoon.

Another common error is not straining the popcorn-infused milk mixture well enough, which can leave you with chewy bits in your smooth ice cream base, so use a fine-mesh strainer and press the solids to extract maximum flavor.

Make sure your cream cheese is truly at room temperature before whisking it into the hot mixture, or you’ll end up with lumps that won’t blend out smoothly.

Finally, wait until the ice cream is almost done churning before adding the caramel popcorn pieces – adding them too early will cause them to get soggy and lose their crunch.

What to Serve With Caramel Popcorn Ice Cream?

This ice cream is pretty amazing on its own, but it’s also fantastic served alongside warm desserts like apple pie, chocolate brownies, or a simple pound cake. The sweet and salty flavors pair really well with anything chocolate, so try it with chocolate chip cookies or a fudgy brownie sundae. For a fun movie night treat, serve it in waffle cones with extra caramel sauce drizzled on top and a handful of fresh popcorn for crunch. You can also make it the star of an ice cream sundae bar with toppings like whipped cream, chopped nuts, and more caramel sauce for guests to customize their own bowls.

Storage Instructions

Keep Fresh: Your homemade caramel popcorn ice cream will stay creamy in the freezer for up to 2 months when stored in an airtight container. I like to press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface before putting the lid on to prevent ice crystals from forming on top.

Scoop and Serve: Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes before scooping to make it easier to serve. If it gets too hard in the freezer, this little trick makes all the difference for getting those perfect scoops without breaking your ice cream scoop!

Make Ahead: This ice cream actually tastes better after sitting in the freezer overnight, as the flavors have time to meld together. You can make it up to a week ahead for parties or special occasions, and it’ll be ready to impress your guests with that perfect popcorn flavor.

Preparation Time	30-60 minutes
Cooking Time	20-30 minutes
Total Time	16-48 hours (includes refrigeration)
Level of Difficulty	Medium

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 2200-2400
• Protein: 30-35 g
• Fat: 95-105 g
• Carbohydrates: 320-340 g

Ingredients

For the ice cream base:

• 3 tbsp cornstarch (for thickening the base)
• 2 tbsp unpopped popcorn kernels (for infusing the milk)
• 2 oz cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
• 3 cups whole milk (divided)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3 tbsp honey

For the caramel popcorn layer:

• Extra caramel popcorn for garnish
• 2 cups salted caramel popcorn (I like Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP)

For the caramel sauce layer:

• 1/4 cup caramel sauce (homemade or store-bought, like Ghirardelli), plus more for serving

Step 1: Infuse Milk with Popped Popcorn

• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tbsp unpopped popcorn kernels

Combine 3 cups of whole milk and the heavy cream in a medium saucepan.

Heat over medium until it begins to simmer.

Meanwhile, pop the popcorn kernels using a microwave or on the stove.

Quickly add the freshly popped, hot popcorn to the saucepan with the milk mixture.

Cover and let it steep for about 5 minutes to infuse the flavors.

Then, blend the mixture using an immersion or high-speed blender until smooth.

Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 16 hours, or ideally up to 48 hours, to maximize the popcorn flavor.

I like to leave it for the full 2 days—it really makes a difference.

Step 2: Strain and Sweeten the Infused Base

• popcorn-infused milk and cream from Step 1
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp honey

After the milk and popcorn mixture has fully steeped in the fridge, strain it through a fine mesh strainer into a medium saucepan to remove any solids.

Discard the leftover bits.

Stir in the granulated sugar and honey.

Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a gentle boil, stirring often to prevent scorching.

This step helps dissolve the sugar and develop the sweet base.

Step 3: Thicken the Base with a Cornstarch Slurry

• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 3 tbsp cornstarch

While the sweetened milk base is heating, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup whole milk and the cornstarch in a small bowl to create a smooth slurry.

Whisk this slurry into the boiling milk mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens to a custard-like consistency.

The mixture should coat the back of a spoon and leave a clear trail when you run your finger through it.

Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Step 4: Incorporate Cream Cheese and Chill the Base

• 2 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

Add the room-temperature cream cheese to a medium heatproof mixing bowl.

Whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot custard base from step 3 into the cream cheese until it’s completely smooth and free of lumps.

Then return this cream cheese mixture to the saucepan and whisk to combine with the rest of the custard base.

Strain the mixture again through a fine mesh strainer to ensure a silky texture.

Chill the final ice cream base in the refrigerator until it’s completely cold.

Sometimes I place the bowl over an ice bath to speed up this process if I’m in a hurry!

Step 5: Churn the Ice Cream

Once the base is thoroughly chilled, pour it into your ice cream maker and churn according to your manufacturer’s instructions (refer to your specific model’s manual for guidance).

The Breville Smart Scoop typically takes around 50 minutes.

The mixture should reach a thick, soft-serve consistency.

Step 6: Layer and Freeze the Ice Cream with Caramel Popcorn and Sauce

• churned ice cream from Step 5
• 2 cups salted caramel popcorn (homemade or store-bought)
• 1/4 cup caramel sauce (homemade or store-bought)

Transfer half of the churned ice cream to a freezer-safe container or loaf pan.

Sprinkle half of the salted caramel popcorn and drizzle 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce evenly over this layer.

Repeat with the remaining ice cream, popcorn, and another 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce.

Wrap the container with parchment or cling film and freeze for at least 6 hours, or until the ice cream is firm.

I always let it freeze overnight so the texture is perfect and the flavors meld.

Step 7: Serve with Extra Popcorn and Caramel Sauce

• extra caramel popcorn for garnish
• caramel sauce for serving

When ready to serve, scoop the firm ice cream into bowls or cones.

Top generously with extra caramel popcorn and caramel sauce.

Serve immediately and enjoy the extra crunch and deep caramel flavor.