Sweet Potato Butter Pecan Frozen Custard

Sweet potato butter pecan frozen custard is a frozen dessert that combines all the flavors of classic butter pecan ice cream with a rich, creamy blend of sweet potato flavor. Take the classic ice cream flavor of butter pecan and fold in fresh sweet potato puree, and you have a frozen custard for the gods.

This Sweet Potato Butter Pecan Frozen custard makes the beloved ice cream richer with a brown butter and egg base. Sweet potatoes, tender from roasting, fold into the base to create a creamy, earthy flavor combo. All of this tastiness gets a generous handful of buttery pecans, freshly toasted to bring out their flavor.

Where Does the Butter Pecan Flavor Originate?

It’s unclear who created butter pecan as an ice cream flavor. The most commonly told story is that because Black Americans weren’t allowed to eat vanilla ice cream except for Independence Day, they opted for one of the few flavors they could enjoy, butter pecan. 

Pecans are a common crop in the American South, and butter is like their manna, so it only makes sense that this flavor is a Southern creation. Among African-Americans, especially, butter pecan is most certainly a favorite.

What Do I Need to Make This Sweet Potato Butter Pecan Frozen Custard?

Sweet potato butter pecan frozen custard contains sweet potato puree, egg yolks, heavy cream, whole milk, salted butter, chopped pecans, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and bourbon (which is optional). 

An ice cream maker is also a must. This recipe makes one and a half quarts of sweet potato butter pecan ice cream, so you’ll need two quart-sized containers to store it in. 

What’s the Difference Between Ice Cream and Frozen Custard?

The difference between ice cream and frozen custard is egg yolks. Ice cream contains dairy– most often milk and cream or half-and-half. When you add the egg yolks to the milk and cream mixture, they thicken it to create a custard. 

Taste-wise, frozen custard is richer and fuller-tasting than ice cream. You’re going to love frozen custard if you’re into decadent desserts. 

How Do I Brown the Butter for the Sweet Potato Butter Pecan Base?

This recipe begins with brown butter. Brown butter has a nuttier flavor than plain melted butter. It adds more depth of flavor to the frozen custard. 

Heat the butter over medium-low heat in a saucier. The sloped sides of the saucier help you get to all of the butter as you slowly stir it. It takes 7 to 8 minutes to brown the butter. The butter will foam up during the start of cooking. You will notice flecks of brown on the bottom of the pot at around 6 1/2 minutes of cooking. Those are the fat solids toasting and developing that nuttier flavor.

Stir the brown sugar into the butter in the pot once the fat solids are the color of a cup of coffee with cream. The mixture will look like sludge as you stir the two together. Heat this mixture for 1 1/2 minutes while stirring to encourage the sugar crystals to dissolve slightly. 

Pour in the whole milk, heavy cream, and bourbon and bring it to a steaming point while stirring to dissolve the sugar completely. This usually takes 10 minutes. 

Can I Use Canned Sweet Potatoes for this Recipe?

Swap out your spoon or rubber spatula for a french whisk/whip. A french whip is narrower than a balloon whisk, so it helps you get closer to the sides of the pot to ensure all of the custard is cooking evenly. 

Whisk the sweet potato puree into the milk and sugar mixture in the pot. I prefer to use fresh sweet potato puree in my recipes because it has a richer flavor without too much water. You can replace fresh sweet potato puree with canned sweet potatoes that you mash with a fork or potato masher. Be sure to drain any liquid from the can before you mash them. 

Can I Replace the Sweet Potato Puree with Pumpkin?

You can replace sweet potato puree with the same amount of pumpkin puree. But it won’t be a sweet potato butter pecan frozen custard. 

How Do I Temper the Eggs for the Custard Base?

Tempering eggs prevents them from curdling when you add them to a hot liquid. To temper eggs, use a ladle to remove a cup of the hot custard base from the pot. Slowly drizzle the hot liquid into the beaten egg yolks while whisking constantly. Pour the now-tempered eggs back into the pot of hot liquid in the same way. 

Increase the cooking temperature to medium. Bring this mixture in the pot back up to the steaming point while constantly stirring to avoid clumps. 

How Do I Know When My Custard Base is Ready?

As the mixture in the pot heats, it begins to thicken. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to test if your custard is thick enough. Dip the spatula into the custard base and see that it coats the spatula evenly; this is called nappe. Use your fingertip to draw a line down the middle of the spatula. The custard is done when the edges of that line hold without running. 

Cook the custard for 5-8 minutes longer if it’s too runny. If the mixture is super-thick, like pudding, stir in 1/2 cup of milk into the mixture to thin it out. 

Why Do I Have to Strain the Sweet Potato Butter Pecan Base?

Because the sweet potato contains fibers, you must strain the custard base through a fine mesh sieve. If not, the frozen custard can turn out stringy. 

Pour the custard base into the strainer and use your rubber spatula to stir it around in the sieve. Once the custard is fully strained, allow the base to cool, uncovered, to room temperature.

Why Do I Have to Age the Frozen Custard Base?

Aging ice cream or frozen custard bases gives the proteins in the milk fat a chance to hydrate or plump up. Because of this, I recommend aging the base for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. The frozen custard churns up fluffier, and the mouthfeel is much better when you age the base. 

Once the custard comes to room temperature, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Though, again, I strongly recommend aging it overnight. 

How Do I Make the Butter Pecan Part?

The buttered pecans are easy to make. 

Melt the remaining butter in a sauté pan over medium-low heat and add the chopped pecans. Stir the pecans frequently and toast them for 10 minutes or until fragrant. 

Can I Replace the Pecans with Another Nut?

You can replace the pecans in this butter pecan recipe with chopped walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts. Just use the same quantity.

After toasting the nuts, transfer them from the pan to a container and allow them to cool completely. I usually do this an hour before I plan to churn the custard base. 

How Long Do I Need to Churn the Sweet Potato Butter Pecan Base?

You don’t want to add hot ingredients, like nuts, fruits, or chocolate, to a frozen custard base, or it will take longer to churn. The longer you churn your ice cream or frozen custard base, the likelier it is to curdle. 

Give the aged custard base a good stir. It’ll be considerably thicker than before. Pour the base into your ice cream maker and churn it for 20 minutes. Once the mixture thickens to a soft serve consistency, add the buttered pecans to the ice cream maker while it churns. Churn the frozen custard for another 5 minutes. 

What’s the Best Container to Store Frozen Custard in?

Scoop your churned custard into plastic quart-sized ice cream containers. Plastic containers are best for storing frozen custard or ice cream because they don’t promote freezer burn as metal does. I avoid using glass containers to store my ice cream because of the danger of them breaking and glass shards getting into the ice cream. You can also use cardboard ice cream containers if you have them. 

This recipe makes 1 1/2 quarts of sweet potato butter pecan frozen custard, so you’ll need two containers. 

How Long Do I Freeze the Sweet Potato Butter Pecan Frozen Custard After Churning It?

After packing the frozen custard into the containers, store them upside-down in the freezer for at least 2 hours before scooping it. Storing ice cream containers upside-down eliminates air pockets in the container, which leads to stale-tasting ice cream or frozen custards. 

How Do I Serve the Frozen Custard?

Before scooping your frozen custard, allow it to warm up on the countertop for 10 minutes to make scooping easier. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the sweet potato butter pecan frozen custard into bowls, ice cream cones, or waffle cones. 

If you find that the frozen custard is breaking apart while you’re scooping, it’s still too cold. Allow it to warm up a little while longer. Gritty frozen custard results from churning while the custard base was warm or adding sweet potato puree that was too watery. 

Sprinkle chopped pecans over the frozen custard or serve it by itself. 

Which Desserts Go Well with Sweet Potato Butter Pecan Frozen Custard?

Serve this sweet potato butter pecan frozen custard a la mode. Here are some of the desserts I like to serve it with:

• Apple Cranberry Dumplings
• Apple Cinnamon Pie
• 7Up Pound Cake

Any plain poundcake, angel food cake, or brownie tastes amazing with this sweet potato butter pecan frozen custard.

How Long Can I Store This Sweet Potato Butter Pecan Frozen Custard in the Freezer?

Store sweet potato butter pecan frozen custard in the freezer for up to 3 months. After that, the custard begins to form ice crystals and taste stale.
I was tempted to call this the Soul Food Queen of Frozen Custard and the World, but the title would’ve been too long. As it stands, this flavor combo will become legendary in history. Be sure to pin this post to your ice cream board and share it with your family and friends.

Sweet Potato Butter Pecan Frozen Custard

Marta Rivera at Sense & Edibility

5 from 19 votes

A brown butter sweet potato custard is flecked with buttery pecans in an epic mashup of flavors.

Begin a day ahead for best results.

Servings: 12 servings

Print Pin Recipe SaveSaved!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

cooling and aging time 4 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Total Time 5 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Equipment

• 4-quart saucier
• ice cream maker
• fine mesh sieve
• 10-inch sauté pan
• 2 1-quart ice cream containers

Ingredients

  

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For the Custard Base

• 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) salted butter separated
• 1 cup, packed (120 grams) brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt optional
• 2 1/2 cups (750 milliliters) whole milk
• 2 cups (500 milliliters) heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) bourbon optional
• 1 1/2 cups (398 grams) sweet potato puree
• 7 large egg yolks lightly beaten

For the Buttered Pecans

• 1 cup (130 grams) chopped pecans

Instructions 

Begin the Sweet Potato Custard Base (Begin 5-24 hours ahead)

• Slowly melt 7 tablespoons of the salted butter over medium-low heat in a 4-quart saucier. Reserve the remaining tablespoon for buttering the pecans.

  The butter will foam up during the start of cooking and you will begin to notice flecks of brown on the bottom of the pot at around 6 1/2 minutes of cooking.

  The browning of the butter should take 7 1/2-8 minutes.
• Stir the brown sugar into the butter in the pot once the fat solids are the color of a cup of coffee with cream. The mixture will look like sludge as you stir the two together.

  Heat this mixture for 1 1/2 minutes while stirring to encourage the sugar crystals to dissolve slightly. 
• Pour in the whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and bourbon and bring the mixture to a steaming point while stirring to dissolve the sugar completely, or approximately 10 minutes. 

  Swap out your spoon or rubber spatula for a french whip, which helps you get closer to the sides of the pot to ensure all of the custard is cooking evenly. 

  Whisk the sweet potato puree into the milk and sugar mixture in the pot.

Temper the Eggs and Thicken the Custard Base

• Use a ladle to remove 1 cup of the hot custard base from the pot.

  Slowly drizzle the hot liquid into the beaten egg yolks while whisking constantly.

  Pour the now-tempered eggs back into the pot of hot liquid in the same way. 
• Increase the cooking temperature to medium. Bring this mixture in the pot back up to the steaming point while constantly stirring to avoid clumps. 

  Use a rubber spatula or spoon to test if your custard is thick enough. Dip the spatula into the custard base and see that it coats the spatula evenly.

  Use your fingertip to draw a line down the middle of the spatula. The custard is done when the edges of that line hold without running. 

Strain, Then Age the Custard Base

• Pour the custard base into a fine-mesh sieve, using a rubber spatula to stir it around in the sieve.

  Once the custard is fully strained, cool it, uncovered, until it reaches room temperature.

  Once the custard comes to room temperature, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Butter the Pecans (Begin One Hour Before Churning the Frozen Custard)

• Melt the remaining tablespoon of salted butter in a 10-inch sauté pan over medium-low heat and add the chopped pecans.

  Stir the pecans frequently and toast them for 10 minutes or until fragrant. 

  After toasting the nuts, transfer them from the pan to a container and allow them to cool completely.

Churn, then Store the Sweet Potato Butter Pecan Frozen Custard Before Serving

• After aging the custard base, stir it very well.

  Pour the base into your ice cream maker and churn it for 20 minutes.
• Once the mixture thickens to a soft serve consistency, add the buttered pecans to the ice cream maker while it churns.

  Churn the frozen custard for another 5 minutes. 
• Scoop your churned custard into plastic quart-sized ice cream containers.

  After packing the frozen custard into the containers, store them upside-down in the freezer for at least 2 hours before scooping it.
• Before scooping your frozen custard, allow it to warm up on the countertop for 10 minutes to make scooping easier.

  Serve this sweet potato butter pecan frozen custard on its own scooped into bowls or ice cream cones or a la mode style on your favorite desserts.

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:

• You can replace fresh sweet potato puree with mashed canned sweet potatoes. Be sure to drain any liquid from the can before you mash them. 
• You can replace the sweet potato puree with the same amount of pumpkin puree. But it won't be a sweet potato butter pecan frozen custard. 
• Replace the pecans in this butter pecan recipe with the same amount of chopped walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts.

Tips and Techniques:

• Tempering eggs prevents them from curdling when you add them to a hot liquid.
• Cook the custard for 5-8 minutes longer if it's too runny. If the mixture is super-thick, like pudding, stir in 1/2 cup of milk into the mixture to thin it out.
• If you don't strain the base, the frozen custard will come out lumpy and stringy. 
• I strongly recommend aging the custard overnight. 
• The aged custard base will be considerably thicker after chilling.
• You don't want to add hot ingredients, like nuts, fruits, or chocolate, to a frozen custard base, or it will take longer to churn. The longer you churn your ice cream or frozen custard base, the likelier it is to curdle. 
• This recipe makes 1 1/2 quarts of sweet potato butter pecan frozen custard, so you'll need two containers. 
• Storing ice cream containers upside-down eliminates air pockets in the container, which leads to stale-tasting ice cream or frozen custards. 
• If the frozen custard is breaking apart while you're scooping, it's still too cold. Allow it to warm up a little while longer.
• Gritty frozen custard results from churning while the custard base was warm or adding sweet potato puree that was too watery. 

Storage Instructions:

• Store sweet potato butter pecan frozen custard in tightly-sealed containers in the freezer for up to 3 months. Any longer and the custard begins to form ice crystals and taste stale.

Nutrition

Calories: 510kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 7gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 179mgSodium: 162mgPotassium: 375mgFiber: 3gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 6743IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 143mgIron: 1mg

Course Dessert

Cuisine African American, Soul Food

Keyword frozen custard, ice cream, pecans, sweet potato

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