Rum Raisin Ice Cream

Look no further for the creamiest, dreamiest rum raisin ice cream. This one is the best. This rum raisin ice cream recipe uses alcohol in two ways. First, soak and plump the raisins in the homemade ice cream custard for a double hit of boozy, creamy, brain-freeze-inducing rum ice cream that you can scoop straight from the freezer.

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Rum raisin ice cream has been a favorite of mine since I was four years old. My grandmother tells a story that I would always ask for “wum wayzin” whenever she and Grandad treated me to a cone from Baskin Robbins.

My love of rum ice cream with sweet rum-infused raisins hasn’t dampened in the years since (maybe it’s gotten stronger), and this rum raisin recipe is the best I’ve ever had. I think you’ll agree.

Ingredients for rum raisin ice cream

Wait. Where are the eggs?

You’ll notice that there are no eggs in this rum raisin recipe, which makes the custard even easier to prepare.

Instead of tempering eggs for a standard ice cream custard (a fickle process that can sometimes lead to scrambled eggs instead of smooth, creamy ice cream base), this easy blend uses a different process and thickening agent.

Is this no-churn ice cream?

No. You’ll need an ice cream maker for this rum raisin ice cream recipe.

That said, you don’t need any fancy equipment to make this. I use an inexpensive Cuisinart ice cream machine {affiliate link}. The kind with the freeze-able canister.

You can typically find them for $50-$70. I’ve had mine for 5 years and it still works like a champ.

Jeni Britton Bauer (of Jeni’s Splendid fame) has an ice cream cookbook I’ve read from cover to cover. I used her basic method to make this rum raisin confection.

If you try this and like it, I’d encourage you to get her book {affiliate link}, which has tons of inspirational ice cream flavors.

I’ve found her method to be easier, more foolproof and it makes the BEST ICE CREAM I’ve ever had. Here’s how it works:

Foolproof ice cream method

1. Make a slurry with water and cornstarch and set aside.
2. Add cream cheese to a mixing bowl and beat until smooth with a hand mixer. Set aside.
3. Heat the milk, whipping cream, sugar, corn syrup and sea salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil so the sugar dissolves. Cook for 4 minutes.
4. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until the mixture thickens.
5. With the hand mixer running, add about ¼ cup of the hot cream mixture to the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Continue to beat in the remainder of the hot cream until you have a smooth “custard”.
6. Add the rum to the ice cream mixture and cool to room temperature.
7. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight before churning.

Make the rum soaked raisins

While the rum ice cream custard is chilling, macerate the raisins.

What’s macerate? Macerate simply means “to soak in a liquid to soften” (and in this case, plump) the raisins.

Just heat water, sugar and rum together until the sugar is completely dissolved and pour the mixture over the raisins to soak. The raisins will soften and plump in the rum syrup. They also take on a glacée effect and become a little chewier.

Churn the rum ice cream

1. Churn the ice cream custard according to your manufacturer’s instructions.
2. About 2 minutes before the rum ice cream is ready, add the drained raisins.
3. Churn for 2 minutes until the rum soaked raisins are well combined with the ice cream.
4. Transfer the icy confection to a storage container and freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up before serving.

Be sure to strain the raisins from the simple syrup BEFORE adding them to the ice cream maker.

Note: The raisins don’t get added to the rum ice cream until the last 2 minutes of churning, just to blend them evenly into the mixture.

What to do with the leftover rum raisin simple syrup?

Macerating the raisins in the simple syrup not only plumps the fruit, it also infuses the syrup with a distinct rum raisin flavor. It’s too good to toss, so here’s some ways to use the leftover simple syrup:

• Add it to ice tea as a sweetener.
• Make a Rum Raisin Old Fashioned Cocktail.
• Toss with chopped fruit to sweeten a fruit salad.
• Brush it onto sponge cake before icing to keep the cake moist.
• Swirl into your morning yogurt, farina or steel cut oatmeal.

Why you’ll love it

This is real ice cream. Not “nice cream” or a wannabe. Not a low-cal version of the real deal. It’s classic, authentic, churned, eggless, rum ice cream that melts in a creamy puddle on your tongue. The chewy, glacéed raisins spiked with more of that smooth rum are the BOMB dot COM!

Unlike many homemade ice creams, this one is velvety smooth and not at all grainy or icy.

Because this recipe includes a shot of rum in the cream custard, the ice cream won’t freeze into a rock-solid pack.

In fact, it’s easily scoop-able right from the freezer. Just based on THAT FACT alone — I recommend adding alcohol to every ice cream you make in the future.

My tasters couldn’t get enough. The ice cream is velvety smooth with a noticeable rum flavor. The macerated raisins are chewy, sweet and add another layer of boozy goodness.

This recipe makes a solid quart of rum ice cream, instead of a measly pint.

Have I sold you yet? Go on. Make it for yourself. See what the fuss is about.

What goes with rum raisin ice cream:

• Spiced Cider Rum Sauce
• Southern Pecan Caramel Sauce
• Crispy Small Batch Sugar Cookies
• Toasted Butter Pecan Cookies

More homemade ice cream recipes:

• Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
• Strawberry Rum Daiquiri Ice Cream
• Stout Caramel Pretzel Ice Cream
• Hazelnut Nougat Ice Cream
• Decadent Dulce De Leche Ice Cream

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