Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts

Honeycomb Ice Cream (No Machine)

4.91 from 10 votes
Enjoy a crunchy, creamy, and sweet dessert this summer with my Homemade, No-Machine Honeycomb Ice Cream using my 2-Ingredient Ice Cream Base!
Honeycomb Ice Cream in a glass bowl

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHAT YOU GET: Cold and creamy ice cream topped with utterly delicious, crunchy honeycomb. My Homemade, No-Machine Honeycomb Ice Cream recipe is a creative twist on a classic summer dessert. This recipe looks and tastes amazing, but you can make it in under 35 minutes using just 5 ingredients.

As you may know, we never shy away from creative desserts here at Bigger Bolder Baking. Today isn’t any different. We’ve taken my 2-Ingredient, No-Machine Ice Cream Base recipe to the next level by mixing in and topping it with my Homemade Honeycomb. It’s a crunchy toffee caramel that you can incorporate into your Homemade Ice Cream or even coat it in chocolate to make your own Chocolate-Covered Honeycomb similar to Cadbury Crunchie Bars.

Making Homemade Ice Cream and Honeycomb may seem like daunting baking challenges, but trust me, it doesn’t get simpler than this. Show up to summer picnics or parties with this ice cream, and it’s guaranteed to be an impressive crowd favorite. I have 50+ more tasty ice cream flavors and dozens of frozen desserts at my Gemma’s Freezer Section Ice Cream Destination that are just as delicious, so make sure to check those out after making this fun recipe!

Scoops of honeycomb ice cream in a glass bowl

What Is Honeycomb Candy?

Honeycomb candy comes in different variations, but they all relatively taste and feel very similar in the end. Some other names include honeycomb toffee, honeycomb candy, sponge toffee, cinder toffee, seafoam, or hokey pokey to name a few. But at its core, it’s a crunchy, sugary toffee-type treat with deep caramel flavors. It’s also known for its brittle and airy cross-sections from adding baking soda.

Homemade Honeycomb Ice Cream was one of the most requested flavors to make in my No-Machine Homemade Ice Cream video. It even became a hit after the Netflix series Squid Game (2021), sending my Honeycomb TikTok video towards 1 million views in less than a week!

2-Ingredient Ice Cream Base

The base for my Homemade Honeycomb Ice Cream is the master recipe for my 2-Ingredient, No-Machine Ice Cream. This incredibly simple recipe only consists of heavy whipping cream and Sweetened Condensed Milk whipped up to yield a creamy, customizable canvas. How does this recipe work without an ice cream machine? The heavy whipped cream alongside the chilled sweetened condensed milk forms the creamy base that is perfect for scooping ice cream even after it’s been sitting in the freezer.

The cream you must use for my 2-Ingredient Ice Cream Base is high-fat whipping cream. Heavy whipping cream with 38% fat content or higher is perfect for this recipe. It will double in volume and hold soft and stiff peaks. You can find fat percentages on the carton of cream. You can easily find this cream in grocery stores in the United States. It’s also called whipping or double cream in Britain, Slagroom in the Netherlands, and whipped cream or heavy cream in the Philippines.

Like the heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk is very crucial and cannot be substituted in this recipe. Luckily, it’s very easy to make if you aren’t able to buy some locally or you would prefer to make it from scratch. Note: You cannot make condensed milk with Truvia or Stevia sugar.

Tools You Need To Make Homemade Honeycomb Ice Cream (No Machine):

2-Ingredient Ice Cream Base:

  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Stand mixer with whisk attachment (alternatively, hand mixer with medium-sized bowl)
  • Silicone spatula

Honeycomb:

  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Heavy bottom saucepan
  • Whisk
  • Silicone spatula
  • Wire rack

A tub of homemade honeycomb ice cream

How To Store Homemade Honeycomb Ice Cream

Like store-bought ice cream, you can keep your Homemade Honeycomb Ice Cream for quite a while. Store your ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.

If you’ve got a few pieces of honeycomb left after making this ice cream, you can also keep them for a very long time. Just like honey, honeycomb can last forever. These treats do well in dry environments, so if you live somewhere humid, make sure to freeze them to maintain their form and flavor.

How To Make Dairy-Free Homemade Ice Cream

You can make any of my Homemade Ice Cream recipes completely dairy-free using full-fat coconut milk and vegan condensed milk. Check out my ‘Dairy-Free Coconut Homemade Ice Cream (2-Ingredients/No-Machine)’ recipe for more information. Mix in and top this dairy-free ice cream with honeycomb just as you would for this recipe, and it will taste just as great!

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making The Best Homemade Honeycomb Ice Cream:

2-Ingredient Ice Cream Base:

  • In countries where there is no dairy industry, heavy whipping cream may be difficult to find. If available, you can use Buffalo milk in this recipe. It’s a really good high-fat cream and will whip well.
  • Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold cream on medium/high speed for about 3 minutes until soft peaks form. Look out for thickened cream that isn’t too firm at this point.
  • Make sure to chill your sweetened condensed milk before mixing it in with your cream. The cold temperature forms your base and makes the ice cream softer and scoopable.
  • To make your ice cream less sweet, you can use low-fat or fat-free sweetened condensed milk. If you make Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk, you can replace sugar with alternatives such as honey, agave nectar, and maple syrup. Other sugar alternatives may not work if they are unable to caramelize.
  • After you add the sweetened condensed milk, whip the mixture on high speed until stiff peaks form. Stiff peaks mean that the mixture will hold its shape and be firmer than before. Take care not to over whip at this stage or else your cream will curdle.
  • Add a splash of vanilla extract to your ice cream base. The alcohol in the extract will lower the freezing point making your ice cream a little softer and easier to scoop.

Honeycomb:

  • Honeycomb comes together very quickly, so make sure to prepare your greased parchment paper and tools in advance. 
  • Prevent soft and malleable honeycomb by cooking your sugar and honey mixture thoroughly. Don’t take it off the heat too early.
  • Baking soda cannot be substituted in this recipe, so DO NOT use baking powder. Baking soda and baking powder do completely different things in baking. 
  • Take care not to touch or handle your honeycomb until it cools down completely.
  • Don’t add too much honeycomb into your ice cream base. Otherwise, it will make your ice cream too soft.

Get More No-Machine Ice Cream Here!

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Honeycomb Ice Cream Recipe (No-Machine)

4.91 from 10 votes
Enjoy a crunchy, creamy, and sweet dessert this summer with my Homemade, No-Machine Honeycomb Ice Cream using my 2-Ingredient Ice Cream Base!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 2 pints
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Enjoy a crunchy, creamy, and sweet dessert this summer with my Homemade, No-Machine Honeycomb Ice Cream using my 2-Ingredient Ice Cream Base!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 2 pints

Ingredients

  • 14 ounces (1 Can/ 400ml) sweetened condensed milk (fat-free or regular) (cold)
  • 2 cups (16oz/450 ml ) whipping cream (cold)
  • 2 cups crushed honeycomb candy

Instructions

  • Place sweetened condensed milk in the fridge to keep cold
  • Beat cold heavy cream on medium in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer) until stiff peaks form.
  • Turn down the speed a little and pour the condensed milk into the whipped cream. (Stir in vanilla extract now if desired).
  • Then, turn up the machine speed again and whip until your mixture is thick and at stiff peaks.
  • Mix in the honeycomb into your ice cream base.
  • Transfer your ice cream to container of your choice and freeze for 6 hours to overnight.
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Mohhika
Mohhika
1 year ago

I read no-machine and I was like ‘Finally! No Mixers!’, but alas………………it meant no ICE CREAM MACHINE. Was sorta disappointed, but I guess ice cream needs a LOT of air incorporated into the cream.

becs M.
becs M.
1 year ago

I make sugar-free sweetened condensed milk using allulose. It melts & caramelizes just fine. I’m going to try this recipe, including the honeycomb candy, with allulose. Thanks!

About Us

Meet Gemma

About Us

Meet Gemma

Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.

 

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