Name: Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 cups heavy cream (use all cream for keto); 1 cup whole milk (or swap for more cream — keto); ¾ cup sugar (or allulose/erythritol — keto); 1 cup pecans (chopped); 3 tbsp butter; 1 tsp vanilla; Pinch of salt

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

This butter pecan ice cream is rich, creamy, and packed with toasted pecan flavor – made with simple ingredients and no eggs. It churns in about 20 minutes and comes out soft, smooth, and ready to enjoy.

Creamy homemade butter pecan ice cream served in a bowl with buttery toasted pecans.

This butter pecan ice cream is the one my kids beg for, and honestly? It’s 100% better than anything from the store.

Toasty, buttery, nutty, and rich — real toasted pecans in real cream, churned into the smoothest homemade ice cream you’ll make all summer.

Store-bought butter pecan is expensive and full of stuff you can’t pronounce.

This one is a handful of simple ingredients, and it costs a fraction of a pint at the shop.

I churn mine in a KitchenAid ice cream bowl attachment I’ve had for years — no fancy machine needed, and no reason to buy one. If you’ve got any ice cream maker, or even just a freezer, you’re set.

The magic is in toasting the pecans in butter first.

That’s the whole flavor — deeply nutty, golden, a little salty.

Skip it and you’ve got vanilla with nuts. Do it, and you’ve got butter pecan ice cream worth making again and again.

You may also like this Strawberry Sorbet, Homemade Custard or Lemon Posset.

Homemade butter pecan ice cream served in a small bowl with buttery toasted pecans.

Why You’ll Love This Butter Pecan Ice Cream

It’s genuinely better than store-bought — toastier, creamier, and made with ingredients you actually recognize.
It saves money: homemade ice cream costs pennies compared to a premium pint. It’s easy — churn and freeze, no custard-cooking fuss.
The kids love it, which makes it a win in my house.
And there’s a low-carb keto option (below) so everyone at the table can have a scoop.

How to Make Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Ingredients needed to make butter pecan ice cream at home.

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat and add the pecans. Toast them, stirring, until deeply golden and fragrant — a few minutes. Add a pinch of salt and let them cool.

Toasted pecans coated in butter for homemade butter pecan ice cream.

Chopped pecans cooking in butter and sweetener for toasted pecan ice cream.

Whisk together the cream, milk (or all cream for keto), sweetener, and vanilla until the sweetener dissolves.

Cream mixture whisked for keto butter pecan ice cream before chilling.

Blended cream mixture for homemade butter pecan ice cream before churning.

Churn in your ice cream maker per the manufacturer’s directions, until thick and soft-serve consistency.

Butter pecan ice cream churning in a KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment.

Add the toasted pecans towards the end.

Adding toasted pecans to churned butter pecan ice cream.

Transfer to a container and freeze for a few hours until firm.

Homemade butter pecan ice cream in a parchment-lined loaf pan ready to freeze.

Homemade butter pecan ice cream in a loaf pan topped with buttery toasted pecans before freezing.

Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping.

Spoonful of creamy homemade butter pecan ice cream with buttery toasted pecans.

Low-Carb Keto Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Making this butter pecan ice cream keto is easy: swap the sugar for allulose or erythritol, and use all heavy cream instead of milk.

Allulose keeps it the most scoopable straight from the freezer; erythritol works too but freezes a little harder, so let it rest a few minutes before serving.

Pecans are naturally low in carbs, so you barely change a thing — you just get a sugar-free scoop that tastes exactly as rich.

Ice cream scoop filled with creamy homemade butter pecan ice cream with buttery toasted pecans.

Tips for the Best Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Toast the pecans in butter until deeply golden — that’s where all the flavor lives. Don’t rush it.
Add a pinch of salt to the pecans. Butter pecan needs that little salty edge.
Save some pecans to fold in at the end so you get whole, crunchy pieces in every scoop, not just flavor.
For keto, use all cream and allulose for the smoothest, most scoopable result.
Let it soften a few minutes out of the freezer before scooping — homemade ice cream sets firmer than store-bought.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream With Cuisinart — Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Serving Ideas

Scoop this butter pecan ice cream on its own, or pile it next to a warm dessert — it melts beautifully over anything chocolate or spiced. A few extra toasted pecans and a pinch of flaky salt on top makes it feel like something from an ice cream shop, for a fraction of the price.

More Ice Cream Recipes

If you love this butter pecan ice cream, here are a few more to churn:

Chocolate Condensed Milk Ice Cream — rich, no eggs, and easy.
Raspberry Mascarpone Ice Cream — creamy and low-carb.
Coffee Ice Cream — bold and smooth.

Variations

Swap pecans for walnuts
Add caramel swirl
Use brown sugar instead of white
Add vanilla bean for deeper flavor

Storage

Let sit 5-10 minutes before scooping
Freeze in airtight container
Best within 3-5 days

Butter Pecan Ice Cream Recipe FAQs

Do I need a special ice cream maker?
No. I use a KitchenAid ice cream bowl attachment I’ve had for years — any ice cream maker works.

You don’t need to buy an expensive machine to make butter pecan ice cream at home.

How do I make butter pecan ice cream keto?
Swap the sugar for allulose or erythritol and use all heavy cream instead of milk.

Pecans are already low-carb, so it’s an easy swap for a sugar-free, keto-friendly scoop.

Why toast the pecans?
Toasting the pecans in butter is the whole flavor of butter pecan ice cream.

It draws out their nuttiness and gives that deep, golden, buttery taste you can’t get from raw nuts.

Is homemade really cheaper than store-bought?
Yes — significantly.

A batch of homemade butter pecan ice cream costs a fraction of a premium pint, and it tastes far better. It’s one of the easiest money-saving swaps in the kitchen.

5 from 13 votes