A recipe for S’mores Ice Cream! This homemade toasted marshmallow ice cream is packed with graham crackers and layered with a milk chocolate hot fudge sauce for quite the decadent treat.
I first came across the inspiration for this S’mores Ice Cream over on Brown Eyed Baker over ten years ago and am updating the recipe today with a few small adjustments and new photos.
A fantastic option for S’mores lovers, this decadent ice cream has a toasted marshmallow base with swirls of a homemade milk chocolate hot fudge sauce and little bits of graham cracker scattered throughout.
Start by forming the vanilla custard. Heat milk and cream with sugar and a pinch of salt until steaming, but not yet boiling. Slowly whisk the hot cream into the egg yolks to gently heat them, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan to continue to lightly cook until thickened.
After removing from heat, blend the custard with toasted marshmallows and refrigerate until well chilled, 4 hours to overnight.
Once ready, churn the custard in your ice cream maker and add the chopped graham crackers during the last few minutes. Finish by layering the creamy mixture in a loaf pan with the milk chocolate hot fudge sauce and freeze to the desired consistency before serving.
I often like to add an extra drizzle of the hot fudge sauce and chopped graham crackers over the top.
A Few S’mores Ice Cream Tips
After adding the eggs to thicken the cream, do not increase the heat to try to speed up the process. Stir constantly (especially the bottom and sides) and heat just until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Otherwise, you may end up with cooked, curdled cream.
If the mixture does curdle, I have been able to save ice cream by blending it until smooth in a stand blender or with an immersion blender as a last resort. The result won’t be perfect, but it helps enough to not waste all the ingredients.
I usually skip this step, but to help get a creamier texture and chill the mixture faster you can place the bowl of custard over an ice bath for a few minutes right after it is removed from the stove. Be careful not to get water into the custard. Stir occasionally if you want to speed up the process a bit.
Along with that notable toasted flavor, the addition of the marshmallows directly into the vanilla ice cream base creates a bit of a stretchy quality due to the gelatin. This resulting texture reminds me a little of the Mediterranean-style Mastic Ice Cream.
I have made this recipe with both large and miniature marshmallows. The miniature marshmallows will create a more toasted flavor.
Keep a close eye on the marshmallows while they are under the broiler. They will quickly go from perfectly toasted to burnt/on fire.
If the marshmallows are too sticky to remove from the baking sheet and foil after cooling to room temperature, place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This will make them easier to handle.
Make sure the custard base is well-chilled before churning in the ice cream maker.
Place the loaf pan in the freezer before assembling the ice cream. This will keep it from melting so quickly while layering with the hot fudge sauce.
Add the chopped graham crackers during the last 5 minutes of churning. If you add them before the mixture has thickened, they may all fall to the bottom of the machine.
Milk Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce
Golden syrup is a thick, amber colored cane sugar syrup found in the international/British section of some larger grocery stores. For those in Northern Virginia, I was able to find it at Wegmans in Chantilly. If unavailable, this hot fudge sauce can also be made with equal parts light corn syrup.
Once the hot fudge mixture is simmering, stir often to keep the bottom and sides from burning. If the butter and remaining chocolate won’t melt into the sauce, place back on very low heat and stir just until smooth.
Do not mix the ice cream and fudge swirl together. They should be layered and not blended. You will probably have about 1/2 of the hot fudge mixture leftover. I like to save it (refrigerate and heat lightly as needed) to drizzle over the top of the ice cream immediately before serving.
For serving the leftover hot fudge sauce- reheat in the microwave until pourable, about 10-20 seconds, or on the stovetop in a double boiler. The sauce should be warm and pourable, but not so hot that it immediately melts through the ice cream.
Don’t want to make your own hot fudge sauce? I have made this recipe a couple of times by layering with a chocolate hazelnut spread (homemade, Nutella, or another favorite brand- as shown in my Strawberry Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream) and also love the results.
Looking for more S’mores inspired recipes?
Try my:
This recipe was originally posted in March 2015 and updated in September 2026.
S’mores Ice Cream Recipe
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
S’mores Ice Cream
Ingredients
Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream:
- 2 cups (475 milliliters) whole milk
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 8 ounces (227 grams) large or miniature marshmallows
Milk Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce:
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) heavy cream
- 8 ounces (227 grams) milk chocolate roughly chopped and divided
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) golden syrup or light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (25 grams) Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To assemble:
- 3 ounces (85 grams) chopped graham crackers roughly 6 sheets
Instructions
To make the Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream:
- In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream, sugar, and salt over medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks.
- Once the milk mixture is steaming, but not yet at a boil, slowly pour about 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) into the eggs while constantly whisking.
- Once incorporated, slowly stream in and whisk another 1/2 cup (120 milliliters).
- Slowly pour the mixture back into the saucepan over medium-low heat while whisking. Cook while continuing to stir until just thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, 170-180˚F (77˚C-82˚C). Be careful not to overcook or it will curdle.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla bean paste.
- Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl.
- Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Arrange the marshmallows in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler set to low and toast until golden brown. Set aside and cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, transfer the marshmallows to a large blender. If they are too sticky to remove, place the cooled baking sheet in the freezer for a few minutes.
- Add the cooled custard mixture to the marshmallows in the blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Transfer to a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate until chilled, 4 hours to overnight.
To make the Milk Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce:
- In a medium saucepan, stir together the cream, 4 ounces (113 grams) of the milk chocolate, golden syrup, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer.
- Continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is starting to thicken.
- Remove from heat, then whisk in the remaining 4 ounces (113 grams) milk chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract.
- Allow to cool to room temperature before assembling with the ice cream. Store any leftover hot fudge in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Reheat leftover hot fudge slightly for 10-20 seconds in the microwave or on the stovetop in a double boiler until pourable to enjoy again.
To Assemble:
- Place an 8.5 x 4.5 inch (22 x 10 centimeter) loaf pan in the freezer.
- Freeze the chilled custard in the ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Five minutes before the ice cream is finished churning, slowly add in the chopped graham crackers.
- Place 1/3 of the churned ice cream into the cold loaf pan.
- Drizzle or gently pour in a layer of the hot fudge sauce over the ice cream.
- Cover with another 1/3 of the ice cream.
- Drizzle or pour in another layer of the hot fudge sauce.
- Cover with the remaining ice cream and smooth the top gently with a spatula.
- If desired, garnish the top with another drizzle of the hot fudge sauce and some chopped graham crackers.
- Cover the loaf pan with freezer safe plastic wrap and freeze until the desired consistency is reached, about 4 hours to overnight, before serving.
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