Sweet Potato Ice Cream Recipe (2024)

November 20, 2014 by Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) · Updated November 15, 2023

This decadent, perfectly spiced and deliciously creamy Sweet Potato Ice Cream tastes almost like the pie! It is taken over the top when stuffed with toasted marshmallows making it the perfect fall (or anytime) dessert.

I find the sweet potato endearing in every possible form especially in this sweet potato ice cream with toasted marshmallows. It is such a wonderful recipe to blend summer ice creams with fall flavors.

What Is Sweet Potato Ice Cream?

So it all started this past May in Miami at Blogher Food when my pal Julianne told me about this delicious sweet potato ice cream with torched marshmallows she had at Swine Southern Table and Bar Restaurant. It has been haunting me every since.

It continued and became a fixation a couple of weeks ago when I went to Nashville and stopped by Jeni’s Ice Cream, and they had a rendition of this ice cream on the menu (which I ordered and adored).

I just had to make my own recipe for this sweet potato ice cream, which is changing lives around the country, namely mine. So I will start by saying that this might be one of the very best ice cream recipes I have ever created. It is seriously addictive in every sense of the word. It will become all you think about whether you are at work, sleeping or even showering. It will consume your mind so be warned.

Ingredients

To make this recipe truly stand out, there are a few key ingredients that make the texture unbelievable:

• Eggs and Egg Yolks
• Heavy Cream
• Sweet Potato
• Half and Half

For the eggs, we use them to make a velvety custard. The large amount of them help make the custard very scoopable when placed in the freezer for long periods of time. It also makes the custard super indulgent when combined with granulated sugar and brown sugar.

Here the addition of the brown sugar gives that nice hint of molasses to the ice cream.

The creaminess of the recipe definitely comes from the addition of both heavy cream and half and half. It makes the custard so rich. It has a wonderful texture like this Corn Ice Cream recipe.

Important Tip: For the sweet potato, which is the most important ingredient, I prefer to roast them in the oven at a high temperature of about 400-425 degrees (pierce them, oil them then cover in foil before roasting) for about an hour or so or until totally tender. It makes them so soft and just the perfect texture. To speed this up, you can always do this in the microwave but you ha

How to Make Sweet Potato Ice Cream

• Whisk eggs and egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Next add both sugars, mashed sweet potato, vanilla extract and cinnamon to the bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
• Add heavy cream and half and half to a medium pot and heat to boiling level. Remove from heat.
• Slowly add three tablespoons of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture to temper it and whisk together to combine. Then slowly add in the rest of the milk mixture and continue whisk the entire time to make sure it doesn’t scramble.
• Pour the entire mixture into a blender and blend until sweet potato is smooth.
• Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours to chill completely.
• Add mixture to your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Once ice cream is done churning, alternate adding ice cream and toasted marshmallows to freezer safe container.
• Freeze for at least 3-4 hours then serve.

Tips

Tip 1: Make Sure You Temper the Eggs!

You need to drip in the hot milk mixture in slow increments whisking vigorously as you drip. This will avoid your eggs scrambling.

Tip 2: Cool Your Custard Completely!

It will need to be completely cold in order to go into your ice cream maker and freeze correctly. If not, you will be making ice cream soup.

How to Store

To store homemade sweet potato ice cream, place it in an airtight, freezer-safe container and smooth the surface. Press a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals from forming. Then, seal the container and store it in the back of your freezer where the temperature is most consistent. When you’re ready to serve it again, let the ice cream sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly for easy scooping. This method helps preserve the creamy texture and rich flavor of your sweet potato ice cream.

Favorite Ice Cream Recipes to Try

• Coffee Ice Cream
• Raspberry Ice Cream
• Mocha Fudge Swirl Ice Cream
• Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
• Pecan Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream
• Cookies and Cream Ice Cream