Paula Deen Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Paula Deen butter pecan ice cream is a creamy homemade ice cream made with French vanilla pudding mix, evaporated milk and buttery toasted pecans, ready to freeze in 50 minutes. Save this easy homemade ice cream for cookout days, church suppers or the holiday table, because the pudding mix makes it a no-cook custard.

Whisk the sugar until you can't feel any grit in the mixture before it goes into the machine, because undissolved sugar leaves the ice cream grainy. Skip it and each scoop gets a sandy texture instead of that smooth, creamy bite.

Paula browns the pecans in butter first, so they taste toasted and nutty instead of raw and chewy. She also waits until 10 minutes into the freezing to add them, which keeps the nuts crunchy and spread evenly through the batch.

Paula Deen Butter Pecan Ice Cream

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Course: DessertCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

Calories

230

kcal

Instant French vanilla pudding and evaporated milk give this ice cream a thick, custardy base with no cooking at all. Buttery toasted pecans folded in partway through churning stay crunchy in every scoop.

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole milk
  

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  

• 1 (3 3/4 oz) package instant French vanilla pudding mix
  

• 1 cup sugar
  

• 1 (13 oz) can evaporated milk
  

• 2/3 cup chopped pecans
  

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  

Directions

• Toast the pecans: Melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then add 2/3 cup chopped pecans. Cook them about 3 minutes until lightly browned, so they pick up a rich buttery flavor.
• Drain and cool: Spread the toasted pecans on a paper towel to drain the extra butter. Then let them cool completely while you mix the base.
• Mix the base: Combine 3 cups whole milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 package instant French vanilla pudding mix, 1 cup sugar and 1 can evaporated milk in an 8-cup measuring cup with a spout. Whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved, so the finished ice cream stays smooth.
• Start freezing: Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze it according to the manufacturer's instructions. The spout on the measuring cup makes the pour clean and easy.
• Add the pecans: Stir in the cooled pecans 10 minutes into the freezing. That timing keeps them crunchy and spread evenly through the ice cream, and the recipe makes 2 quarts.

Tools for this recipe

• Pyrex 2-cup glass measuring cup, OXO 11-inch balloon whisk, Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 3-quart saucepan, Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract, 8 oz. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I make butter pecan ice cream without an ice cream maker?

The recipe is written for an ice cream maker, so that's the best way to get a smooth texture. Without one, the base will freeze hard and icy, so I'd skip it rather than expect the same creamy result.

Can I use a different flavor of pudding mix?

Regular vanilla pudding mix works if you can't find French vanilla, though the flavor is a little less rich. Make sure it's the instant kind, because cook-and-serve pudding needs heat to set and won't thicken the cold base.

How do I keep the pecans from getting soggy in the ice cream?

Let the toasted pecans cool completely and drain them on a paper towel before they go in. Adding them 10 minutes into the freezing also keeps them from sitting in the liquid base the whole time.

How long does homemade butter pecan ice cream keep in the freezer?

Keep it in an airtight container in the freezer, and it's at its best within a week or two. Homemade ice cream has no stabilizers, so it gets icier the longer it sits.

Why is my ice cream grainy?

Grainy ice cream almost always means the sugar didn't fully dissolve before freezing. Whisk the base until it feels smooth and there's no grit at the bottom of the measuring cup.