Best Spanish Ice Cream Recipe with Turron Flavor

If you have one of those sweet cravings, but you don’t want to turn on the oven, then you should start making cold and easy Spanish desserts.

One of them is the Spanish ice cream, an Andalusian twist on the beloved homemade ice cream.

Keep reading this article and find out how you can make at home one of the most popular Spanish desserts.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish dessert recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Recipe for Torrijas
• Pestinos
• Spanish Flan Recipe

Background of the Dish

When it comes to Spanish desserts origins, this is the one that we know less about.

What we do know is that it was a Southern Spain alternative to the classic ice cream flavor: it is easier to make at home, and it has the flavor of the fantastic turron de jijona.

If you aren’t the biggest fan of Spanish ice cream, you can also try other easy desserts from Spain like the Spanish Milk Cake Recipe and the Spanish Custard Dessert.

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Ice Cream

Spanish ice cream is one of the best Spanish dessert recipes that you will find because you just need milk, heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, and turron de Jijona as the main ingredients.

Similar to other desserts from Spain with a base of ice cream you don’t need any machine or ice cream maker to prepare this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 turron de Jijona tablet (nougat – refined or granulated)
• 1 11/4 cups (300 ml) milk
• 1 2/3 cups (400 ml) whipping cream
• 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
• Lemon zest
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 egg yolks

How to Make Spanish Ice Cream – Step by Step Guide

1. The first step in the Spanish ice cream recipe is as easy as peeling one lemon (without reaching the white part). Then grab a pot and put the milk, the cinnamon stick, and the lemon peel (or zest). Cook over medium heat.

2. Continue heating until the milk boils, then turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes so it incorporates the flavors (after that remove the cinnamon stick and lemon peel).

3. Now you have to grab a saucepan and add the cream, then mix it with the infused milk, and heat over low heat.

4. While it is heating up, separate the egg yolks from the whites. Add the sugar to the egg yolks and beat until you get a whitish mixture.

5. Then cut half of the nougat with a knife into small cubes and add to the yolks. Mix these pieces to get as homogeneous a mixture as possible. (in a mixer it takes 2 or 3 minutes, by hand 5 to 7 minutes).

6. Now you can combine the milk and cream mixture with the yolks and the nougat. Beat everything until you get a homogeneous mixture.

7. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then place it in a freezer-safe container and put it in the fridge for at least 3 hours. After 3 hours, put it in the freezer for 2 more hours.

8. After that time, leave the whipped ice cream mixture for 2 more hours, stirring occasionally to avoid the crystallization of the liquids.

9. When you take it out for the first time to stir the mixture, you have to add the rest of the nougat bar as roughly chopped as possible to leave crunchy pieces in the mixture.

10. Once it reaches the right ice cream texture and temperature, serve the Spanish dessert cold.

Substitution of Ingredients

The Spanish ice cream is one of the most unique ice cream recipes due to its turron flavor, but still, you can make some changes to the ingredients.

For example, other desserts ice cream recipes are made without egg yolk, and you can do that, but that ingredient does give an extra creaminess to the dish.

If you are looking for other ice cream flavor ideas, then some that work pretty well are Nutella and dulce de leche (you add the spreads to the mixture), or the classic vanilla.

For a desserts ice cream, you can make an ice cream base with frozen bananas and honey as the sweetener, then add the chopped turron de Jijona for the texture.

Another perfect recipe for summer that I encourage you to try is the Spanish fruit salad, with a refreshing and flavorful taste.

Tips on Serving Spanish Ice Cream

The Spanish ice cream is one of the most popular desserts in Spain, which means that you can serve it after lunch or dinner.

You can grab a small bowl (or a nice glass if it is for a party or you have some guests over) and put some scoops of this Hispanic dessert (about 2 per serving).

As well as other traditional Spanish desserts, you can add different toppings to these Spanish sweets if you like.

For example, you can chop some walnuts, add sprinkles, or even some chocolate chips.

The Spanish Ice Cream also goes well with sauces like chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, or even fruity sauces.

You can combine the best of both worlds and serve this ice cream as the topping of another famous dessert in Spain: the torrijas.

How to Store Spanish Ice Cream

The Spanish ice cream is meant to be stored in the freezer, but it can’t last forever.

You can store the ice cream for 10 days in the freezer because otherwise the liquids crystalize and it gets a weird texture.

Other easy Spanish dessert recipes that you can make and can be stored in the fridge or even at room temperature are the Spanish Custard Tarts and the Dulce de Leche Cupcakes.

Recipe Card: Spanish Ice Cream

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