The first time I had a scoop of dark chocolate gelato alongside a pint of dry Irish stout, a lightbulb went off. I realized that the roasted barley used in brewing stouts shares the exact same aromatic DNA as roasted cocoa beans. It’s not magic, it’s flavor science. Today, we’re taking that discovery to the next level with this stout ice cream recipe. It is the dish I pull out when I want to prove to wine drinkers that beer has just as much—if not more—complexity to offer the culinary world.
The Flavor Bridge: Why Stout Ice Cream Works
The flavor bridge here is all about the “Maillard reaction”—that glorious browning process that happens when grains are roasted and cocoa beans are toasted. In a good stout, you get notes of coffee, chocolate, and toasted bread. By combining those with a dark chocolate base and a hit of malted milk powder, we’re creating a triple-threat of maltiness that makes for one of the most satisfying beer dessert recipes.
This is gastropub desserts eating at its finest, but we’re doing it in your kitchen. No snob zone here—whether you’re using a craft milk stout or a classic can of Guinness, the result will be spectacular.
Cooking with Stout: The Secret is in the Reduction
For this recipe, we aren’t just pouring beer into cream. If we did that, the water content in the beer would turn your ice cream into a block of ice. Instead, we’re creating a “syrup” by reducing the stout first.
Think of this as distilling the stout down to its very soul. By simmering off the water and alcohol, we leave behind the pure, concentrated malt sugars. This ensures a scoop-shop texture while intensifying those coffee and chocolate notes without watering down the custard base.
Jacob’s Pairing Pro-Tip for Stout Ice Cream
To truly elevate this experience, serve your scoop in a chilled glass with a “sidecar” pour of the same beer you used in the recipe. The carbonation of the fresh beer cuts through the richness of the cream, while the cold ice cream highlights the hidden sweetness in the brew.
If you’re feeling adventurous, try an Oatmeal Stout for the reduction; it adds a silkier mouthfeel that plays beautifully with the malted milk powder. If you enjoy these deep flavors, you’ll also love my Stout-Infused Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies. Now for the fun part—let’s get churning. This is what beer was made for!
Stout-Infused Chocolate Malt Ice Cream
Ingredients
Instructions
In a small saucepan over medium heat, simmer the stout until it reduces to approximately 1/3 cup (about 15-20 minutes). It should be syrupy and coat the back of a spoon. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of the sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the heavy cream, milk, remaining sugar, malted milk powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Heat over medium until it just begins to simmer.
Slowly temper the eggs: Whisking constantly, drizzle 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolks. Gradually add another 1/2 cup of hot cream, then pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan.
Cook the custard over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula, until it thickens and reaches 170°F (77°C), or coats the back of a spoon (nappe consistency).
Remove from heat. Place the chopped dark chocolate in a bowl and pour the hot custard through a fine-mesh sieve over the chocolate. Let sit for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
Whisk in the cooled stout reduction and vanilla extract.
Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight.
Churn the chilled base in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.