Easy As Cookies

  • Recipes
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About
×
Home » Recipes » Desserts

Anise and Honey Ice Cream

Published: Sep 20, 2022 · Modified: Mar 22, 2025 by Leona Konkel · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads

Sharing is caring!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
↓ Jump to Recipe

I love ice cream in every season, so autumn is a fine time for me to share one of my favorite ice cream recipes - this rich yet delicate Anise and Honey Ice Cream.

It's sweet and perfectly scoopable, right out of the freezer! Smooth and refreshing, it's a great alternative to vanilla ice cream.

[This post contains affiliate links. I may make a commission for purchases made through links on this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.]

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Making Ice Cream
  • Storing and Serving
  • Creamy Dessert Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
a bite of anise ice cream, on a spoon over a bowl of ice cream

Ingredients

I've adapted this recipe is adapted, ever so slightly, from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop (affiliate link), which is a great ice cream book. I really hesitated to try it because we don't like licorice that much. However, when I first made this 9 years ago, I recalled how pleasant the Pan de Muerto I made in late 2011 was with the inclusion of anise in the dough. I gave the ice cream a try, and haven't forgotten about it since.

Although I don't make it often enough, I love homemade ice cream. It's so much better than what you buy at the store because you use pure ingredients, and you can make unusual flavors that you can't buy otherwise.

Ingredients for ice cream are, and should be, simple. Sometimes, though, ingredient lists on cartons of ice cream can be very long! Luckily, you know exactly what goes into homemade ice cream!

Anise, or aniseed, is the main flavor here. It's a spice that tastes a little like licorice, but don't let that scare you away. I don't like licorice, but I do like anise. (Fun fact I just learned: anise is not the same plant as star anise. Also, anise is sometimes used to enhance the licorice flavor in candies.)

If you can't find anise in your regular spice aisle, large grocery stores may have it with a section in their international food aisles. There's really no substitute for it here.

jars of anise and honey

This recipe takes honey, which also provides lots of flavor! Use the tastiest honey you can get, but regular grocery store honey will be fine as long as you like the flavor.

Honey, as a liquid sweetener, keeps the ice cream from freezing super hard, which means I can scoop it directly from the freezer. You may be able to substitute an equal amount of corn syrup (which provides no flavor) or agave (which will add a different flavor), but I haven't tried it. Using extra sugar instead will simply make your ice cream harder.

Milk and cream: I've used store-brand dairy milk and heavy cream when making this. Whole, 2%, and 1% milk work fine for this. I would not recommend using skim/fat-free milk, although I have not tried it.

Churning the cream is what aerates the ice cream and provides it with texture. I expect you could use 2 cups of dairy half and half plus 1 cup of heavy cream instead. If you use less cream (and bump up the milk instead, for instance), I expect you will end up with icy instead of creamy ice cream. If you go all cream and no milk, you will churn your ice cream into butter.

Egg yolks help thicken the ice cream mixture as you cook it. This makes your ice cream smoother, and less icy.

Making Ice Cream

Start by toasting the anise seeds in a dry saucepan large enough for your entire ice cream mixture. You can skip this, but toasting them brings out the flavor and makes your ice cream tastier.

dry anise in saucepan
toasting anise seeds

Heat on low-to-medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Watch the seeds to be sure they don't burn! If they smell scorched, pitch them and try again.

Add 1 cup of the cream, milk, sugar, honey, and salt. Heat until warm. Turn off the burner, cover the pot, and steep the mixture for an hour.

toasted anise in milk
anise seeds in milk

After the mixture has steeped, return it to medium heat. Stir it occasionally, until it starts to steam. Pour the other cup of cream into a bowl or measuring cup, and place a strainer over it.

pouring warm milk into eggs

Place your egg yolks in a heat-safe bowl. Once the milk mixture is warm again, carefully drizzle a small amount into the egg yolks while you whisk. This is tempering the eggs. You want to warm them gradually so they don't curdle and you don't end up with bits of scrambled egg in your ice cream. (Luckily, though, the strainer will also be nice backup protection!)

pouring eggs into hot milk mixture

Once your egg yolk mixture is warm, pour it back into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Cook on medium heat, scraping the bottom with a rubber spatula, until the mixture coats a back of a spoon.

ice cream batter thickened enough that it coats the back of a spoon

Remove the mixture from heat. Pour through the strainer into the reserved cream. Use a bigger strainer than I did in the picture below! The strainer will separate out the anise as well as any bits of overcooked egg.

straining cooked custard through a sieve that is a little too small

Give the mixture a stir, then store it in the fridge to chill. Chill it for at least 4 hours before churning it in your ice cream maker.

ice cream batter in measuring cup

Finally, use your ice cream maker to turn this batter into ice cream! As you churn it, the ice cream batter will increase, maybe double, in size. Delicious!

churned ice cream in ice cream maker

Follow the instructions for your machine, of course. I have the Kitchenaid Ice Cream Attachment (affiliate link), which works well for me, but any ice cream maker should work fine.

Storing and Serving

I've saved a couple of plastic ice cream cartons that I use strictly for ice cream. Really, store it in just about any container you wish. Divide it into single serving portions before storing if you prefer.

anise ice cream in the tub

I find that the honey makes this ice cream easy to scoop. However, if you have trouble scooping ice cream from your freezer, you might have trouble with this one too. If that's the case, try to use a thin-sided container so that you can leave it on the counter to soften to a scoopable consistency quickly.

I generally prefer single-flavor ice creams, without add-ins. I adore the texture of ice cream. However, Lebovitz suggested having it alongside biscotti or almond cookies, or using it to fill eclairs or cream puffs. These are solid ideas.

melty anise ice cream, on a spoon

Truly, I am still a little surprised at how much I enjoy this ice cream. It's rich from the honey and anise, but still delicate. I love how smooth and sweet and refreshing it is - a great alternative to vanilla. I don't get tired of eating it.

Creamy Dessert Recipes

Want more creamy dessert recipes to try?

  • a bite of chocolate pie on a fork
    Aldean's Chocolate Pie
  • A slice of coconut cream pie with whipped cream on top.
    Coconut Cream Pie

Interested in other recipes? I save and share recipes I like or want to try on my Pinterest page - follow me there! You can also check out my Facebook page for more recipes and helpful tips. I'm also happy to try to help troubleshoot my recipes there.

Have you tried this recipe? Or have a question about it? Rate it or leave a comment below! (PS: rating my recipes helps other people find them, too!)

📖 Recipe

a scoop of anise ice cream
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!

Anise and Honey Ice Cream

A delicious, smooth homemade ice cream flavored with anise and honey. Rich and creamy, it's a refreshing alternative to plain vanilla!
Prep Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Chilling Time4 hours hrs
Total Time5 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: anise and honey ice cream, anise ice cream
Servings: 8
Calories: 329kcal
Author: Leona Konkel

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons anise seeds (5 grams)
  • 1 cup milk (227 grams)
  • ⅔ cup sugar (133 grams)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons honey (33 grams)
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 cups heavy cream (454 grams; divided)
  • 5 egg yolks

Instructions

  • Toast anise seeds in a medium saucepan over low-to-medium heat for about 3 minutes, until they smell fragrant. Be careful to not let them burn.
  • Add the milk, sugar, honey, salt, and 1 cup of the cream. Heat until warm (I let mine start to steam), then remove from heat. Cover, and let steep for 1 hour.
  • Pour the other 1 cup cream into a 4-cup measuring cup or bowl. Place a strainer on top.
  • Whisk egg yolks in a heat-proof bowl that's large enough to hold about 2 cups.
  • Return the anise mixture to heat and warm gently. Slowly drizzle a small amount of the warm milk into the egg yolks while you whisk constantly; this is tempering them by warming them gradually.
  • Repeat this by whisking the warm milk in the saucepan while you pour the egg yolk mixture back into it. Heat the custard over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
  • Strain the custard through the mesh strainer (affiliate link) into the cream and stir to combine. Cool the mixture in an ice bath (optional), then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until cold.
  • Churn ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the machine's instructions. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Notes

You may use any dairy milk, although non-fat milk is not recommended.
Agave or corn syrup may be substituted for the honey, although the flavor will change. Be sure to use a liquid sweetener, rather than additional sugar, as this keeps the ice cream from being too hard.
If you scorch the anise seeds, start over.
Straining the custard removes the anise seeds from the mixture, as well as any overcooked egg. Think of it as insurance that you have a delicious ice cream. Do not skip.
 
Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop (affiliate link)
Originally written May 2013.

[Originally posted May 2013. Completely rewritten in July 2022.]

More Desserts

  • A piece of Tres Leches Cake in a small, flattened bowl surrounded by a puddle of sweetened milk. The pan with the rest of the cake is in the background.
    Tres Leches Cake
  • a square of tiramisu on a plate, seen from the side so you can see the layers.
    Chocolate Espresso Tiramisu
  • a slice of pumpkin pie on a plate, with a bite on a fork
    Grandma Ruth's "Spicy" Pumpkin Pie
  • chocolate yule log, dusted with powdered sugar, with swirl showing
    Chocolate Yule Log

Sharing is caring!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Leona Konkel, November 2020

Hi, I'm Leona!

I love homemade sweets and baked goods, using real ingredients, not mixes. I also share easy-to-make meals - so that I can spend the rest of my time baking, not making dinner.

About Me

Popular

  • A slab of focaccia, seen close up along the cut side.
    Focaccia
  • A lemon bar on a plate, with another lemon bar on a plate in the background.
    Lemon Bars
  • slice of brownie cheesecake, with a bite on a fork
    Brownie Cheesecake
  • shortbread cookie heart, on its side, resting on a stack of cookies
    Shortbread Cookies

Cozy Soup Recipes

  • baked potato soup in a bowl, topped with bacon and scallions
    Baked Potato and Bacon Soup
  • jambalaya soup, in a bowl, with rice along the side
    Weeknight Jambalaya Soup
  • bowl of bean and bacon soup
    Slow Cooker Bean and Bacon Soup
  • sweet potato peanut stew, in a bowl, topped with peanuts
    Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2010-2025 Leona Konkel and Easy As Cookies (easyascookies.com).  

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this website’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Leona Konkel and Easy As Cookies (easyascookies.com) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

scoop of anise honey ice cream, with text overlay - pin for Pinterest
scoop of anise honey ice cream, with text overlay