Lucky Charms Ice Cream

Lucky Charms ice cream is a creamy cereal milk ice cream made by soaking Lucky Charms cereal into the base and folding the crunchy marshmallows in at the end.

Lucky Charms Ice Cream with Cereal Milk, the Official Breakfast of Our Leprechaun Trap Campaign

This Lucky Charms ice cream exists for one reason: cereal milk. The sweet milk left in the bowl after the cereal and marshmallows have been sitting there for a while. In this Lucky Charms ice cream recipe I used toasted Lucky Charms cereal to create a cereal milk ice cream base, then folded the marshmallows in at the end so they stay colorful and chewy.

And, unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for my boys, this also became the official breakfast of our multi-year campaign to catch leprechauns.

The couch was on its side, the dining room chairs were overturned, rugs were half rolled up, side tables turned, lampshades off and I made sure every toilet in the house was glowing an alarming shade of green.

Which, if you’re three and five years old and had spent the entire night trying to trap a leprechaun, made perfect sense.

The traps had been elaborate. We tied strings to chair legs and used gold coin candies as bait. I remember one very ambitious contraption involving a mixing bowl, a wooden spoon, and what I can only describe as engineering optimism. The boys had scattered them all over the house the night before, totally convinced that if we set enough traps, one of those little green freeloaders would finally slip up.

The plan, obviously, was to catch one and take him to preschool for show and tell. Makes sense.

Instead, I made sure what they woke up to looked like the aftermath of a very small, very furious home invasion had happened overnight.

I made flour footprints marching across the wood floors. The milk in the fridge had magically turned green. The toilets looked like something medically concerning had happened overnight. And the living room, great room, dining room and kitchen furniture had been flipped over or turned sideways like the leprechauns had staged a tiny riot after discovering the traps.

I may have gone a little too hard into the theatrics. But if I’m doing something, I’m going all the way. If you’re going to antagonize leprechauns, you should expect retaliation. The boys would be in disbelief when they came downstairs to see it.

The only thing left to do before school that morning was serve breakfast.

Which is how this Lucky Charms ice cream became our St. Patrick’s Day tradition.

Because when you’re the kind of mom who stages a full overnight leprechaun uprising, regular cereal or eggs isn’t going to cut it.

Over the years I kept tinkering with the ice cream itself, trying to make it taste like the best part of a bowl of Lucky Charms.

That sweet cereal milk at the bottom after the toasted oats and marshmallows have had time to work their magic. This Lucky Charms ice cream is now essentially a cereal milk ice cream.

This year I finally pushed it even further and did a lot of research on getting the most flavored cereal milk and the creamiest version of this ice cream. I found that toasting the cereal first lets the toasted grain flavor develop before it ever touches the cream. Then the cereal soaks in the dairy so the milk absorbs every bit of that classic cereal milk flavor before the custard base is cooked, along with a couple of other additions and methods that really upgraded the final result.

The outcome is the most accurate Lucky Charms ice cream I’ve made yet, creamy and packed with cereal milk flavor, with the marshmallows mixed in at the end where they belong.

What Is Cereal Milk?

• Cereal milk is the milk left in the bowl after cereal has been sitting there long enough to soften and surrender its whole personality.
• With Lucky Charms, this means the milk slowly absorbs the toasted oat flavor from the cereal and the sweetness from the marshmallows.
• By the time you get to the bottom of the bowl, the milk tastes nothing like plain milk anymore. It tastes like the entire cereal flavor has dissolved into it.
• Kids definitely discover cereal milk accidentally. As adults, we know it’s the best part of the bowl and drink it on purpose.
• This ice cream exists because cereal milk is too good to leave behind in a bowl. And this cereal milk ice cream tastes exactly like the milk left at the bottom of a bowl of Lucky Charms.
• And if you grew up eating Lucky Charms, you already know exactly what I’m talking about.
• Cereal milk has become a flavor on its own in bakeries and dessert shops, showing up in everything from ice cream to cakes and cookies. It’s just the norm now.

Ingredients

• Lucky Charms cereal (marshmallows removed) – Separate the marshmallows first. The cereal pieces soak in the dairy and turn it into cereal milk.
• Lucky Charms marshmallows – These get stirred in later, so they stay colorful and slightly chewy instead of disappearing into the base.
• Heavy cream – Ice cream starts here.
• Whole milk – Keeps the base from turning into something that requires a chisel to scoop.
• Buttermilk – A small amount keeps the sweetness from taking over.
• Granulated sugar – Ice cream without sugar would be a frozen life lesson.
• Nonfat dry milk powder – Adds extra milk solids, which helps the ice cream stay creamy. Don’t skip it.
• Corn syrup (light) – Keeps the ice cream smooth and not icy in the freezer.
• Egg yolks – Turn the base into a custard, otherwise you’d just have frozen cereal milk.
• Kosher salt – A small pinch so the cereal flavor doesn’t disappear.
• Vanilla extract – Because vanilla and ice cream have been working together peacefully for a very long time.

How to Make This Lucky Charms Ice Cream Recipe

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

• Step One (toast the cereal and freeze the marshmallows)
  Heat the oven to 325°F. Spread the Lucky Charms cereal on a baking sheet, leaving the marshmallows behind in the box, and toast it for about 8 minutes until it smells like cereal warming up in milk. Let it cool for a few minutes. At the same time, toss the marshmallows in the freezer so they stay chewy when they go into the ice cream later.
• Step Two (make the cereal milk)
  In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, and buttermilk, then add the toasted cereal and let it soak for about 15 minutes so the dairy turns into cereal milk. Pour the mixture into a blender and blend until the cereal breaks down into very small pieces, then strain it into a saucepan, pressing gently to get every last bit of that cereal milk out of there.
• Step Three (cook the custard)
  Add the sugar, milk powder, corn syrup, and salt to the saucepan and warm it over low heat while stirring. In another bowl whisk the egg yolks, then slowly whisk in a little of the warm milk mixture so the eggs don’t panic. Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook it slowly, stirring the whole time, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Then strain it into a clean bowl and stir in the vanilla.
• Step Four (chill the base)
  Set the bowl in an ice bath and stir until the custard cools down, then move it to the refrigerator and chill it completely, preferably overnight. Cold base equals smoother ice cream.
• Step Five (churn and freeze)
  Churn the cold base in your ice cream maker according to the machine’s instructions. During the last minute of churning add the frozen Lucky Charms marshmallows so they mix through the ice cream, then transfer it to a container and freeze for about 4 hours, or until it’s firm enough to scoop.

More “Irish” Desserts Worth the Trouble

• Baileys Irish Cream Tiramisu – Baileys mascarpone cream and cocoa.
• Guinness Stout Chocolate Layer Cake – stout chocolate cake and currant jam.
• Baileys Irish Cream Bundt Cake – Irish cream in batter and glaze.
• Chocolate Guinness Doughnuts – bourbon cream glaze and bacon.

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Print Recipe

5 from 18 votes

Lucky Charms Ice Cream

Lucky Charms ice cream is a creamy cereal milk ice cream made by soaking toasted Lucky Charms cereal into the base and folding in the crunchy marshmallows at the end.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Chill, Churn and Freezing:12 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Total Time13 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cereal milk dessert, cereal milk ice cream, homemade Lucky Charms ice cream, Lucky Charms Dessert, Lucky Charms Ice Cream, Lucky Charms ice cream recipe

Servings: 8

Calories: 306kcal

Author: Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• measuring cups and spoons For accurate ingredient amounts so everything turns out just right.
• mixing bowls (medium). Used for tempering the egg yolks.
• Saucepan (medium). Gently cooks the custard base.
• ice cream maker Churns the custard into creamy ice cream.
• baking sheet (rimmed). Used to toast the cereal and intensify its flavor.
• Blender or food processor. Blends the soaked cereal into the dairy to create the cereal milk base.
• large fine mesh sieve Removes cereal solids and makes sure you have a perfectly smooth custard base.
• whisk Incorporates the eggs smoothly into the custard.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (55 g) Lucky Charms cereal (marshmallows removed)
• 1½ cups (360 ml) heavy cream
• 1½ cups (360 ml) whole milk
• ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsps (14 g) nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 tbsp (20 g) light corn syrup
• ¼ tsp (1.5 g) kosher salt
• 4 large (72 g) egg yolks slightly beaten
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 1 cup (25 g) Lucky Charms marshmallows

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Spread the Lucky Charms cereal without the marshmallows on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes until fragrant. Allow the cereal to cool slightly.
  1½ cups (55 g) Lucky Charms cereal
• Place the Lucky Charms marshmallows in the freezer for about 30 minutes before churning the ice cream.
• In a large bowl combine the heavy cream, whole milk, and buttermilk. Add the toasted cereal and allow it to soak for about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice so the cereal softens evenly.
  1½ cups (360 ml) heavy cream, 1½ cups (360 ml) whole milk, ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk
• Transfer the soaked cereal mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until the cereal is broken down into very small pieces and the mixture appears slightly frothy.
• Pour the blended mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a medium saucepan, pressing gently with a spoon to extract as much cereal milk as possible. Discard the remaining cereal solids.
• Add the granulated sugar, milk powder, corn syrup, and kosher salt to the saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is warm and small bubbles begin forming around the edges.
  ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 2 tbsps (14 g) nonfat dry milk powder, 1 tbsp (20 g) light corn syrup, ¼ tsp (1.5 g) kosher salt
• Place the egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in about ¼ cup (60 ml) of the warm milk mixture. Repeat with another ¼ cup (60 ml) to gradually bring the eggs up to temperature.
  4 large (72 g) egg yolks
• Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
• Pour the cooked custard through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl to make sure you have a completely smooth base. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
• Place the bowl in an ice bath and stir until the custard cools to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until completely cold, preferably overnight.
• Churn the chilled base in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. During the final minute of churning add the frozen Lucky Charms marshmallows and allow them to mix in evenly.
  1 cup (25 g) Lucky Charms
• Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

Video

 

Notes

• Toasting the cereal first deepens the toasted grain flavor before it infuses into the dairy.
• Blend the soaked cereal mixture so more cereal flavor transfers into the cereal milk before straining.
• Strain the base gently and do not force the soggy cereal through the strainer or the texture can become gritty.
• Cook the custard slowly over low heat while stirring constantly to prevent the egg yolks from scrambling.
• Chill the base completely before churning. An overnight chill produces the smoothest texture.
• Freeze the marshmallows before adding them to the churn so they stay chewy instead of dissolving.
• The ice cream will be soft immediately after churning. Freeze for several hours to firm before scooping.

Additions For When You're Extra (I see you):

I think this Lucky Charms ice cream is perfect as is, but it can be fun to add a few extra toppings.

• Marshmallow fluff - Add it right on top. It goes perfectly with the marshmallow bites.
• Rainbow sprinkles - Mix them into the ice cream while churning or sprinkle them over the top.
• Whipped topping - A simple dollop on top works well here.
• Edible gold glitter- A little sprinkle makes it feel extra festive.
• Extra Lucky Charm marshmallows - You can buy the marshmallows by themselves if you want even more mixed in.

 

If you’re making this Lucky Charms Ice Cream recipe, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card

 

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

 

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Lucky Charms Ice Cream

Amount Per Serving (130 g)

Calories 306 Calories from Fat 171

% Daily Value*

Fat 19g29%

Saturated Fat 11g69%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 5g

Cholesterol 138mg46%

Sodium 96mg4%

Potassium 210mg6%

Carbohydrates 30g10%

Sugar 25g28%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 650IU13%

Calcium 150mg15%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Have you made this Lucky Charms Ice Cream? I’d love to hear how it turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

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