Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
Homemade Hokey Pokey Ice Cream is a frozen treat from down under! New Zealand’s most popular ice cream flavor is vanilla with crunchy honeycomb caramel toffee.
This French-style custard ice cream is made with milk, cream, and egg yolks and is super rich and creamy.
This recipe for Hokey Pokey ice cream uses our favorite vanilla ice cream base and plenty of homemade crispy honeycomb candy. It is gluten-free, nut-free, and completely delicious!
If you like to try new and exciting ice cream flavors, the best way is to make them yourself!
Unless you live in New Zealand, you likely won’t find Hokey Pokey Ice Cream at your local grocery store, but it’s well worth it to make up a batch at home using your ice cream maker, and we’ll show you how.
We’ve even included instructions for making sponge toffee from scratch, in case you can’t find that where you live too!
Looking for more internationally and regionally popular ice cream recipes? Learn to make Italian Semifreddo or Huckleberry Ice Cream using wild berries from the American southwest.
In Canada, Butterscotch ice cream is one of the top 5 most popular flavors, and in Japan, you’ll likely find Matcha Ice Cream.
What is Hokey Pokey Ice Cream?
Hokey Pokey (when we’re talking about food and not a dance where you turn yourself around) is the term used in New Zealand for honeycomb toffee.
If you don’t know what honeycomb toffee is, it’s also known as sponge candy, sponge toffee, cinder toffee, fairy food, puff candy, or seafoam candy. It’s made by adding baking soda to toffee while it’s cooking to produce a light, airy, crunchy candy.
Hokey Pokey Ice Cream is made by adding hokey pokey candy to a vanilla or sometimes toffee-flavored ice cream base.
In New Zealand this ice cream flavor is considered “Kiwiana“, or one of the country’s iconic cultural elements.
Another fun fact: The term “hokey pokey” was used as a slang term for ice cream, particularly ice cream sold by street vendors in New York City and London in the 19th century. Apparently, these ice cream sellers (often of Italian descent) used sales pitches that involved the term, or something that sounded similar.
Ingredients in Homemade Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
Honeycomb Toffee – You can buy this from a local candy maker, or make your own using granulated sugar, golden syrup (or light corn syrup), and baking soda. Since honeycomb doesn’t travel well, it’s difficult to order online. If you do find it, it will be covered in chocolate (to make it more delicious, but also keep it fresh!)
Egg Yolks – These create the base for our ice cream custard. We’ll gently heat the egg yolks to pasteurize them, but you can also purchase pasteurized eggs if you prefer.
Sugar – For sweetness and amazing ice cream texture, plain, white, granulated sugar is a perfect choice.
Whole Milk – Milk is cooked with the egg yolks and sugar to create our custard base.
Salt – Just a bit of salt balances the sweetness and makes everything taste a bit brighter.
Heavy Cream – Making ice cream with both heavy cream and whole milk is what gives us the best creamy texture.
Vanilla Extract – Vanilla is a must for almost all of our ice cream recipes. It elevates the simple flavors of milk, sugar, and cream.
How to Make
Start the day before by making sure that the bowl for your ice cream maker has at least 24 hours to freeze solid.
You can have your honeycomb toffee prepared before you start mixing up the vanilla ice cream base, or make it while the ice cream is churning. The full recipe for making honeycomb from scratch is in the recipe card below!
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth and pale yellow in color.
- Add the milk and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the milk to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Be sure not to boil. To temper the egg yolks, add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk to the egg and sugar mixture and whisk constantly until combined.
- Then, add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk. Heat the saucepan on low. Stirring constantly, heat until the base has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take a few minutes.
- Strain the mixture into a bowl to remove any pieces of egg that may have cooked. Then, add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap making sure to have the plastic wrap touching the surface of the ice cream base. This will help keep it from forming a skin while chilling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- To make the honeycomb for hokey pokey ice cream: Add the granulated sugar and golden syrup to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir for about 4-5 minutes until the mixture is completely melted and darker in color and has reached a temperature of 300°F/150°C. Remove from the heat and pour in the baking soda. (it will foam up!) Stir vigorously and immediately pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let the honeycomb harden for 20 minutes before breaking into pieces.
- Churn the ice cream mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions, until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
- In the last two minutes of the churning process, add the honeycomb pieces to the ice cream.
- Spoon the ice cream into a shallow container or a loaf pan. Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions for hokey pokey ice cream with honeycomb, please see the recipe below.
How to Store Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
Store this homemade Hokey Pokey Ice Cream in the freezer in an airtight container (I love this set of two, and they are the perfect size).
Be sure to press waxed paper or parchment paper to the surface of the ice cream to prevent crystallization. Store for up to 1 month.
Tips for Making This Hokey Pokey Ice Cream Recipe
Use quality ingredients – When making homemade ice cream, you’ll want to make sure you are using high-quality ingredients for the best outcome.
Chill out – If possible, always start with chilled ingredients. This is important for homemade no-churn ice cream recipes and ice cream maker recipes. Since this ice cream base is cooked, it’s very important to let it chill completely before churning it.
Don’t skimp on the fat – High-fat milk and cream are essential when making homemade ice cream. Opting for a low-fat option often leads to icy ice creams and inconsistency in the texture.
Don’t go crazy with the add-ins – If you’re adding in additional ingredients, pick one or two and make sure they are chopped into pieces no larger than a blueberry or pea.
Don’t skimp on the sugar – Sugar not only adds sweetness to homemade ice creams, but it also helps with the texture. Sugar is essential for the creamy texture of ice cream.
Can I Buy Hokey Pokey Ice Cream in the US?
If you live in a place where honeycomb toffee or sponge candy is popular, you may be able to find a similar ice cream, although the name might be different.
In Western NY and surrounding areas (including Ontario, Canada), look for Sponge Candy Ice Cream or Sponge Toffee Ice Cream.
If you live anywhere else, your best bet for enjoying this New Zealand ice cream flavor is to make this recipe at home.
How to Make Dairy Free Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
Instead of the vanilla ice cream base used here, make Oat Milk Ice Cream using our recipe, and stir in honeycomb pieces at the end.
If dairy is okay, but you’d like to reduce the calories in the recipe a bit, try hokey pokey ice cream made with Frozen Yogurt!
No Churn Hokey Pokey Ice Cream Directions
Chill a shallow container or a loaf pan in the freezer while you mix the ice cream ingredients.
Pour the ice cream mixture into the prepared pan and freeze for 3-4 hours. Stir the ice cream every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours to help add air. This will help create a creamy, smooth texture.
Stir in the sponge toffee honeycomb pieces at the end of the two hours. This will keep the candy from absorbing too much liquid and turning soft.
Hokey Pokey Ice Cream Add-Ins
I suggest that you don’t mess with a good thing when it comes to Honey Pokey ice cream! It’s already perfect, and a Kiwi fave.
If you just have to add more mix-ins, try chopped milk or dark chocolate, or a swirl of homemade caramel sauce.
More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Red Velvet Ice Cream
- Peach Ice Cream
- Black Licorice Ice Cream
- Cannoli Ice Cream
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Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the ice cream base:
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the honeycomb toffee:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup golden syrup or light corn syrup or honey if you can’t find golden syrup
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
Instructions
- Chill the ice cream bowl for at least 24 hours or until solid. You should not hear any water sloshing around when you shake the bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth and pale yellow in color.
- Add the milk and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the milk to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Be sure not to boil. Add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk to the egg and sugar mixture and whisk constantly until combined.
- Then, add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk. Heat the saucepan on low. Stirring constantly, heat until the base has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take a few minutes.
- Strain the mixture into a bowl to remove any pieces of egg that may have cooked. Then, add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap making sure to have the plastic wrap touching the surface of the ice cream base. This will help keep it from forming a skin while chilling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- While the ice cream is churning, make the honeycomb toffee. Add the granulated sugar and golden syrup to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir for about 4-5 minutes until the mixture is completely melted and darker in color and has reached a temperature of 300F. Remove from the heat and pour in the baking soda. Stir vigorously and immediately pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let the honeycomb harden for 20 minutes before breaking into pieces.
- Churn the ice cream mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions, until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
- In the last two minutes of the churning process, add the honeycomb pieces to the ice cream.
- Spoon the ice cream into a shallow container or a loaf pan. Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If you can find honeycomb toffee or sponge candy at your local store, you can use that instead of making your own. Use 1 ½ – 2 cups of small honeycomb pieces.
- If you cannot find golden syrup, you can use light corn syrup or honey in its place. Golden syrup is more available in the UK, and less so in the US.
- Baking soda is what gives the toffee its crisp, holey texture. When you add it to the hot sugar mixture, it will foam up, so be prepared. Stir briefly but not too much, or you'll stir out all of the bubbles.
How many quarts does this recipe make?
Hi Caroline,
This recipe makes about 1.5Qts.
The Ice Cream From Scratch Team