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a footed, fluted glass dish filled with scooops of rum raisin ice cream. raisins are on the counter next to the bowl. in the background is an ice cream cone and a metal loaf pan.

Rum Raisin Ice Cream

Ice Cream From Scratch
Rum Raisin Ice Cream is a decadent homemade ice cream flavor made with a rich cinnamon vanilla custard base and rum-soaked raisins that burst in your mouth!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 13 hours
Total Time 13 hours 45 minutes
Course French Style Custard Base Ice Cream Recipes
Cuisine Dessert
Servings 6 servings
Calories 516 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup spiced rum
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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. Add the raisins and spiced rum to a bowl. Let the raisins soak up the rum until plump, about 4-6 hours.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth and pale yellow in color.
  • Add the milk, salt, and ground cinnamon 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.
  • 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 churn, add the raisins and any remaining rum 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

  • To save time, you can start soaking the raisins and let them sit while your ice cream custard is chilling in the refrigerator. This will cut down on the inactive time of the recipe. 
  • I love to use a spiced rum for this recipe, but you can use any rum that you like. 
  • The raisins should soak up the majority of the rum but you will still have a few tablespoons of rum left over. Be sure to pour that into the ice cream with the raisins for extra flavoring. 
  • If you want a more molasses type of flavor in the ice cream, you can use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar in the ice cream base.
  • 1/2 cup water plus 2 or more tablespoons of rum extract can be used in place of the rum in this recipe.
  • Keyword raisin ice cream, rum and raisin ice cream, rum and rasin ice cream, rum raisin ice cream