If you love tiramisu and ice cream you've got to try this Tiramisu Ice Cream with Mocha Ripple. It transforms the classic flavors of tiramisu into the perfect frozen treat. Enjoy it on a hot summer day or any time of year!
(This recipe was originally published in July 2014, but was updated with new photos and content in 2021).
Traditional Italian tiramisu (meaning "pick me up") features sweetened mascarpone cream layered with booze-and-coffee-soaked lady fingers, and usually finished with shaved chocolate or cocoa. This incredible ice cream is a fun spin on those classic flavors!
A silky ice cream base features both coffee and boozy flavors. Meanwhile, a coffee and chocolate infused fudge ripple swirls throughout the ice cream, giving it a bittersweet kick. Enjoy the best of both worlds with this crossover frozen treat.
Ingredient notes
- Cream & Milk: You will need heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) and whole milk to make this tiramisu ice cream. Do not use lower fat content milk because the results won't be as creamy. Fat content is very important in ice cream, particularly homemade!
- Booze: Traditional tiramisu includes a bit of booze, namely marsala wine, coffee liqueur, rum, or brandy (or a combination). Unsurprisingly, this tiramisu ice cream also contains alcohol. In this case you'll need Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur) and dark rum. Honestly, this is what gives the ice cream base much of its flavor and I personally wouldn't recommend omitting either lest you end up with a very basic tasting ice cream that is not reminiscent of tiramisu.
- Agave Syrup: A small quantity of agave syrup helps give the mocha ripple the perfect texture for swirling into your tiramisu ice cream.
- Espresso: Use espresso or strong instant coffee to make your mocha ripple. I use this instant espresso powder mixed with boiling water, and it works great!
How to make it
Make the tiramisu ice cream base by pouring heavy cream, milk, and sugar into a saucepan. Bring slowly to the boil then remove from the heat and allow to cool a little for about 5 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and salt. Slowly pour the slightly cooled milk and cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and slowly heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk, until it has reached 185°F (85°C) but doesn’t boil. Continue stirring at this temperature for 4 minutes.
Remove from the heat, transfer the mixture to a bowl set over an ice bath and stir occasionally, over the ice bath until completely cool. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use. You can make the base a day in advance.
Meanwhile, make the mocha ripple. Whisk sugar, agave syrup, espresso, and cocoa powder together in a small pan over medium heat until it starts to bubble, then lower the heat to low and whisk for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Cool, and keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Whisk Kahlua and rum into the ice cream base, then pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions (PHOTOS 1-2). For my Cuisinart ice cream maker, it takes about 25 minutes to freeze to the right texture.
Remove the tiramisu ice cream from the machine. Transfer half into shallow freezer-safe container with a lid. Drizzle or dollop half the mocha ripple over the top.
Top with the remaining half of the ice cream, spread it evenly, and finish with the remaining mocha ripple drizzled or dolloped on top (PHOTO 3). Use a knife to carefully swirl the ice cream and ripple with curvy lines (PHOTO 4).
Cover and transfer to the freezer until firm, then scoop and enjoy!
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips and FAQs
Adding alcohol to ice cream inhibits it from freezing to a certain point. In this case, I think the inclusion of alcohol actually helps the ice cream from freezing rock hard. Homemade ice cream sometimes suffers from freezing too hard in the freezer as it lacks the stabilizers found in store-bought ice cream, the purpose of which are to maintain that perfect scoopable texture consistently.
There are many different types of ice cream makers on the market, and you should follow the instructions on yours to ensure you freeze the ice cream properly. Just note that in most cases you will need to freeze the vessel of your maker for 24 hours or longer before you're able to use it for freezing ice cream, so plan ahead.
To cool food quickly you can place the food in a bowl or other container and then carefully set it in an ice bath to speed up the cooling process.
Partially fill a bowl or container larger than your bowl of food with ice cubes and cold water. Then set your bowl of food into the bowl of ice water and ensure that the water doesn't spill over the top and into the food bowl. It should just come up the sides of the food bowl partway to start cooling the food within. If the ice water is very shallow, carefully pour a little more water down one of the sides into the ice bath.
Hold the edge of your food bowl so it doesn't tip over, and stir the food periodically. As the food mixes around and touches the cold surface of the bowl it will cool faster than if you had left it on its own to cool at room temperature.
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Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Tiramisu Ice Cream with Mocha Ripple
Ingredients
Tiramisu Ice Cream:
- 2 cups (16 fl oz) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 1 ¼ cups (10 fl oz) whole milk
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (75 grams / 3 oz) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- Pinch salt
- 3 tablespoons (1 ½ fl oz) Kahlua or similar coffee-flavored liqueur
- 2 tablespoons (1 fl oz) dark rum
Mocha Ripple:
- 5 teaspoons (20 grams / ¾ oz) granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons agave syrup
- 2 tablespoons (1 fl oz) espresso or strong instant coffee
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons (12.5 grams / ½ oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Make the ice cream base by pouring the cream, milk, and sugar into a saucepan. Bring slowly to the boil then remove from the heat and allow to cool a little for about 5 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and salt. Slowly pour the slightly cooled milk and cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Do not use boiling milk as this can scramble your eggs. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and slowly heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk, until it has reached 185°F (85°C) but doesn’t boil. Continue stirring at this temperature for 4 minutes or so (lower the heat if necessary, or take it off the heat entirely if it gets too hot).
- Remove from the heat, transfer the mixture to a bowl set over an ice bath and stir occasionally, over the ice bath until completely cool. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use. You can make the base a day in advance.
- Meanwhile, make the mocha ripple. Whisk all the ingredients together in a small pan over medium heat until it starts to bubble, then lower the heat to low and whisk for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Allow the mixture to completely cool. You should have about 3 tablespoons. Once it’s cold, it will be thick and viscous. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
- Whisk the Kahlua and rum into the ice cream base. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Remove the ice cream from the machine. Transfer half into a wide and shallow freezer-safe container with a lid. Drizzle or dollop half the mocha ripple over the top. Top with the remaining half of the ice cream, spread it evenly, and finish with the remaining mocha ripple drizzled or dolloped on top. Use a knife to carefully swirl the ice cream and ripple with curvy lines. Don’t overdo it, as you want defined ripples throughout the ice cream, and not to completely mix the ripple into it. Cover and transfer to the freezer for 4 to 6 hours until firm.
Notes
- In most cases you will need to freeze the vessel of your ice cream maker for 24 hours or longer before you're able to use it for freezing ice cream, so plan ahead.
- Do not use lower fat content milk because the results won't be as creamy. Fat content is very important in ice cream, particularly homemade!
- In the mocha ripple, I use this instant espresso powder mixed with boiling water, and it works great!
- Adapted from Ruby Violet’s Ice Cream Dreams
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Patty says
I made the Tiramisu ice cream yesterday and it was incredibly delicious! Actually, I think it was even better today! It was the first time I used my Cuisinart ice cream maker and it was so easy! I will be definitely making this recipe often!
Victoria says
Hi Patty. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! It really is a treat 🙂
Patty Brunkey says
Hi Victoria, thanks for responding to my message. I've actually decided to invest in an ice cream maker, hopefully it won't be too challenging, lol! Your recipe doesn't have any mascarpone cheese in it, which kind of surprised me since that is a big part of Tiramisu. Just curious why it's not included? Anyway I have to wait until my ice cream maker comes in to give this a try.
Thanks,
Patty
Victoria says
That's a great question! This recipe is adapted from a cookbook published by the owner of Ruby Violet, a popular ice cream shop in the UK. Their recipe didn't include mascarpone, and I enjoyed the recipe so much I didn't alter it in that regard. I hope you enjoy your new ice cream maker 🙂
Patty says
I love tiramisu gelato but can't find it in the store anymore, so I decided to try making it myself. Looking through many recipes yours really stands out, it sounds perfect! However I don't have an ice cream maker can this be made with our one? A lot of the recipes can but they don't sound as good as yours!
Thanks,
Patty
Victoria says
Hi Patty. I have actually never made ice cream without an ice cream machine, and I know that "no churn" style ice cream usually has quite a different base (it often includes sweetened condensed milk) from more traditional ice creams like this one. I did find this guide to making ice cream without a machine and it looks like the food processor method might be worth trying. You could swirl in the ripple afterwards and refreeze it until it sets (https://www.thekitchn.com/the-best-method-making-ice-cream-without-machine-23048248). I hope that guide is helpful and you're able to try this recipe without a machine. Let me know how it goes!