By Sarah Ozimek
This homemade Irish Cream recipe is much simpler than other recipes. And the result is an Irish Cream with perfect flavor and texture!
Irish Cream is a cream and whiskey liqueur. (You may have heard of one of the most popular brands, Baileys®.) The liqueur also has hints of chocolate, and some say coffee, that rounds out the flavors.
Many people simply drink it on the rocks. But it can also be mixed into a number of different drinks or used in desserts as well.
Packaged up in some pretty swing-top bottles, homemade Irish cream liqueur is a fun and unique gift to give family and friends. (And even yourself!)
Typical Homemade Baileys Irish Cream Recipe
A homemade Baileys® or homemade Irish Cream recipe typically includes sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, chocolate syrup, and instant coffee all blended together with some Irish whiskey.
More natural versions have you make your own sweetened condensed milk by reducing milk with a sweetener. While this works, it also means you’re stuck standing over your stove for nearly an hour waiting for milk to reduce.
Other versions call for eggs as a thickener, similar to making homemade eggnog. And while this method works, the texture of your end product has hints of custard that may or may not be to your liking.
This Irish Cream recipe is much more simple than either of these methods, and the result is spot-on in flavor and texture!
Homemade Irish Cream Recipe
This homemade Irish Cream recipe is much simpler than other recipes. And the result is an Irish Cream with perfect flavor and texture!
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Active Time
- 20 minutes
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Servings
- 20 ounces
- Course
- Beverage
- Cuisine
- Irish
- Estimated Cost
- $8
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¾ tsp cocoa powder
- 1 cup Irish whiskey
- ¾ tsp coffee grounds (coarse grind)
- ½ cup honey
- ¾ tsp pure vanilla extract (or make your own)
Instructions
-
To begin making this Irish cream recipe, mix the cream with the coffee grounds, cocoa powder, and vanilla, and place into a large wide-bottomed saucepan. Heat the cream over medium heat until it begins to steam (but before it begins to simmer). Reduce the heat as necessary to hold the cream at this temperature for 20 minutes, stirring often. (The color of the cream will darken as it infuses with the coffee and chocolate.)
-
After 20 minutes of steeping, remove the cream from the heat. Strain the cream through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a few layers of cheesecloth, to catch all the coffee grounds.
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Stir the honey into your strained cream. Then stir in the Irish whiskey.
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Stir the Irish Cream occasionally as it cools, uncovered, on the counter. Once cool, transfer it to a sealed container. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
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Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur should be used within 2 months. If you won’t use it within that time, I’d recommend freezing it to make some tasty Irish Cream ice cream. It will last a bit longer that way!
Notes
This homemade Irish Cream recipe will yield between 2½ – 3 cups of liqueur (depending on how much the cream reduces during the steeping stage).
Nutrition:
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Using Your Homemade Baileys
The traditional way to drink Irish cream is to simply serve it over ice but there are so many more ways to enjoy Irish cream liqueur.
Try mixing your Irish cream recipe into these treats for something really special:
- Hot cocoa
- Milkshake
- Coffee
- Ice cream (in or on top)
- Whipped cream
- Fudge
- Chocolate mousse
- Cheesecake
Do you have a favorite homemade Irish Cream recipe? How does it compare to this recipe?
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Can cane sugar be substituted for the honey?
Hi Sue, You could definitely substitute cane sugar for the honey. I would mix the can sugar in with the cream as it is heating, to dissolve the sugar. You may also need a touch more cane sugar than the recipe calls for honey because honey tends to be a bit sweeter than sugar. Enjoy!
Thank you for this recipe!
Any way to make it dairy free, for my vegan and lactose intolerant friends?
Hi Jennifer. While I haven’t tried it myself, I would suggest trying a full fat coconut milk or coconut cream in place of the heavy cream to make this dairy free.
Sounds like a great, easy recipe. For convenience and to eliminate a step, couldn’t you use instant coffee?
Hi Elizabeth. I bet you could, we just typically don’t have instant coffee around. I might decrease the amount too, since you will probably get a stronger flavor from the instant than you would from steeped grounds. Enjoy!
This looks really good. I may have to give it a try, and maybe even gift some!
Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you! It makes such a fun gift! Enjoy!
If I add the whiskey with the liquid prior to steeping will it kill the alcohol?
Yes, I add the whiskey after heating so you don’t lose any of the alcohol. (Although, if you didn’t want it as alcoholic, you could add the whiskey before and let some of the alcohol cook off.)