Sea Salt Ice Cream

Waves of salty and sweet churn together in a luscious creamy base in this Sea Salt Ice Cream. Yeah, I’ll admit I could wax poetic on this one.

The salt and sugar enhance one another instead of competing for your attention. It’s exactly like one rolls in while the other rolls out, over and over again. This is one of those flavors that makes you pause mid-bite and wonder how is this so good?

I first tried a salted ice cream while in Santa Fe with my sisters earlier this year. As soon as the first bite hit my tongue, I knew I’d be working on a sea salt ice cream to share with you.

I’ll tell you now that salt and ice cream isn’t a combination for everyone. I went crazy over it and my younger sister did as well. My older sister? She wants nothing to do with anything remotely salted with her desserts.

The salt in this ice cream is very subtle, verrrrrry subtle. It mostly enhances the sweetness and flavor. However, if you look closely at the photos, you’ll see that I generously sprinkled additional salt over the servings and am now a very happy convert to salting every scoop of ice cream. It’s transformative.

A top down image of a freezer safe container of ice cream on a wooden tabletop.

Salt and Ice Cream

Salt and ice cream may sound like a strange combination. I get it. But, let’s talk about salt for a second. See, I come from a long line of low sodium cooks. My mom and grandma each had their reasons for skimping on salt. Nevertheless, I grew up with very little first-hand experience for how salt actually works in cooking. So, I’m making up for lost time!

In a nutshell, salt increases our ability to taste four of the five primary flavor categories: salty, sweet, sour, and umami (savory). And, as an added bonus, salt actually decreases our ability to detect bitterness. This is why a teeny pinch of salt in your coffee can make even a basic brew taste noticeably better.

This dynamic is one reason why recipes like salted caramel sauce are all the rage. Yes, there is saltiness. And, if you’re not expecting it, that might be off-putting. But, that saltiness then gives way to an incredible, boosted experience across the rest of the flavors. So, yes. Use the salt. It’s great.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

A top down image of a scoop of ice cream in a blue bowl on a wooden tabletop.

Salted Vanilla Ice Cream

I’m thrilled with how this salted ice cream turned out. I’ve worked on a lot of ice cream flavors, and after a bit of trial and error, salted ice creams are now some of my favorites. So, color me happy to finally add this one to the long list of flavors I’ve published.

With over 160 ice cream recipes here to choose from, there’s sure to be an ice cream for everyone! If you’re new to making ice cream, the best and easiest vanilla ice cream is a great place to start.

These are my favorite inexpensive containers for storing ice cream. They’re perfect for gifting (who doesn’t love homemade ice cream?) storage, re-using, etc. I write the flavors on the lids with a sharpie and it washes off with dish soap.

I have more ice cream scoops than I can keep track of at this point and I definitely play favorites. This ice cream scoop does the best job ever of cutting through firm ice cream and still delivers a pretty scoop. It gets bonus points for being one of the least expensive scoops I own as well.

Don’t miss our Ice Cream Maker Review for all the information you need to find the BEST Ice Cream Maker for your needs. Spoiler alert – our top-rated machine under $50 just might surprise you. It sure surprised me!

A vertically aligned image of a bowl of ice cream in front of a floral tea towel.

Salty Desserts

I’ve got plenty of other neat salted dessert flavors like this salty ice cream. So, if you’re feeling adventurous, consider me the conductor on your next trip into the oddly beautiful wilderness of sweet and savory desserts.

Sea salt pecan toffee is the answer to your snacking and sweet tooth dreams. The end. Do I exaggerate? Sometimes, yes. But right now? Not really. People go more than a little bit crazy over this toffee.

The ultimate chocolate chip cookies are giant bakery-style cookies with crisp edges and a perfectly chewy center, filled with chocolate chips and sprinkled with flaked sea salt. This is a cookie you absolutely must taste to believe.

Rich and buttery homemade salted caramel is transformed to frosty perfection in this irresistible salted caramel ice cream. And, probably my favorite weird ice cream flavor has to be popcorn ice cream. It’s got all that buttery, hint of salt, flavor from the movie theater packed into creamy smooth ice cream.

Pour 1 cup of the cream into a saucepan and add the sugar. Warm the mixture over medium heat, just until the sugar dissolves.
Remove from the heat and add the remaining cream, milk, and vanilla. Whisk to combine and then stir in the salt. Refrigerate until cold.
When ready to churn, whisk the mixture again, and pour it into the ice cream maker. Process according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Pour into the ice cream machine and process according to your machine’s instructions. When the ice cream is finished, it will be soft serve consistency. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and chill for a few hours for firmer ice cream.
Top each serving with additional flaked sea salt, if desired.