Hot Sauce On Ice Cream (Is It Worth Trying?)
If you love wacky ice cream flavors, then wait until you try hot sauce on ice cream!
Yes, you read that right. It’s a unique flavor that can take on a surprisingly pleasant profile! And of course, different hot sauces bring out different flavor notes in different ice creams.
Hot sauce on ice cream, is it worth trying? Yes, hot sauce and ice cream can work well together because the heat from the hot sauce can be mitigated by the presence of dairy, which acts as an anti-capsaicin. You can also try different types of hot sauces for a different flavorful kick!
Read below to learn more about this seemingly unbelievable pairing, what it tastes like, and how you can make it at home!
Hot Sauce + Ice Cream = Disaster Or Delicious?
Ice cream has been paired with just about every fruity and sweet ingredient there is, but there is still an undiscovered horizon where few have boldly gone before — fiery food and ice cream.
Before you bounce off, hear us out!
Ice cream can be made with virtually any type of ingredient that can pair well with dairy — and of course, being the curious creatures that we are, people have been experimenting with ice cream flavors for decades.
There are already a lot of whacky flavors in the market like oyster ice cream, curry-flavored ice cream, pizza-flavored ice cream, and more — so, a hot sauce ice cream doesn’t feel that far-fetched.
Sure, there is a certain ominous ring to it; we’ll give you that much! But even though it doesn’t seem appetizing, hot sauce and ice cream are truly a genius pairing from both a scientific and flavor point of view.
Justifying Hot Sauce Ice Cream
Think about it — what are you usually told to drink after accidentally (or intentionally) biting down on a hot chili? Milk!
Ice cream happens to be chock full of this stuff, which means that theoretically, the presence of casein, which is a protein found in milk, would easily break down capsaicin, the compound responsible for the hot reaction that you get.
This process works in the same way as when you use soap to wash your hands. It might take a few swirls and gulps, but milk will easily deactivate the heat response from any type of chili.
So, when you combine hot sauce and ice cream, it actually makes sense and can be worth it! You get to enjoy the savory, sweet flavors from the ice cream in a smooth, creamy texture complemented by just the right amount of heat.
The best part about hot sauce is that it is also available in different varieties — and most of them offer a unique flavor that can range from savory, sweet, spicy, or fiery hot.
How To Use Hot Sauce With Ice Cream
Hot sauce can be used in several ways.
The first method involves using hot sauce as an ingredient for making ice cream — which sounds terrible, but with the right type of hot sauce, it will not be that bad. In fact, you might just end up loving it!
The second method is what you’d expect — drizzling hot sauce over ice cream. Don’t worry; we have tips on which ice creams we’d recommend as well as how much hot sauce to start with!
Stick with us — we’ll discuss each method in detail.
Homemade Hot Sauce Ice Cream
Making hot sauce ice cream is perhaps the best way to enjoy the flavors of the hot sauce and the underlying ice cream!
It’s a really difficult flavor to describe, but we think that it is perhaps the best way to shake things up, especially if you are bored of trying out the same old 31-flavors at Baskin Robins.
We recommend using gochujang for this method because it provides a rich, hot flavor along with a lot of umami and savory notes.
Perhaps the biggest reason why we think gochujang makes for a great ice cream ingredient is that it also contains added sugars and it pairs extremely well with strawberries!
Yes, you read that right! The combination of strawberries and gochujang is a common treat in Korea and is beloved by many foodies. We obviously had to transform that flavor into ice cream.
Hot Sauce Ice Cream
Ingredients
- Ice cream maker
- Sugar
- Milk
- Cream
- Hot Sauce (we recommend gochujang)
- Strawberry Jam
Instructions
- Begin by mixing gochujang and strawberry jam in a bowl. You need to fully incorporate both ingredients until you get a homogenized paste. The easiest way to do this would be to use room-temperature ingredients to quickly mix both ingredients.
- You can also add in a liquid-based gochujang to make a slightly runnier paste. Do not add water to the mixture because there will be plenty of moisture in the rest of the ingredients to mix everything.
- For the best results, taste the strawberry and gochujang mixture and adjust the ingredients accordingly.
- Do not add more strawberry jam to mask the heat. The idea is to get a balance between the hot and sweet flavors!
- Now prepare the milk, cream, and sugar mixture in the ice cream maker. We recommend following the owner’s manual for your particular model to make creamy and smooth ice cream.
- Mix in the strawberry gochujang mixture and let the machine process everything.
- Once ready, scoop it out and let it freeze overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- Try the ice cream and enjoy!
Notes
If it’s made the right way, you should be able to detect a range of flavors like hot, sweet, spicy, tangy, milky, creamy, and more.Â
Hot Sauce Over Ice Cream
Using hot sauce as a condiment might not come as a surprise, but using it as a topping on ice cream will raise more than just eyebrows! With so many different hot sauces to choose from, we’re sure you’ll find your perfect pairing in no time.
The best ice cream flavor to pair this hot and sweet mixture with would be vanilla ice cream. But you can also try going with other flavors to see how the condiment ends up tasting!
You don’t have to empty the bottle over the ice cream either. Start with a small amount and mix in just a bit at a time until you find the sweet spot between tasty and too hot.
Once you find the right hot sauce for the job, we think you’ll find that this odd pairing might even turn out to be a rather pleasant experience!
No matter what you do, be sure to read the back of the label to determine the Scoville rating or heat score of the hot sauce to avoid getting mildly traumatized by this unique ice cream pairing.
Everyone has a different spice tolerance, so we highly suggest that you start with either a mild-tasting hot sauce or small dabs of a spicier hot sauce!
If you want to play around at the higher end of the heat spectrum, try a mixture of strawberry jam and this Carolina Pepper and strawberry jam hot sauce that is guaranteed to knock your socks off!
The combination of hot and sweet notes from the hot sauce along with the majorly sweet and strawberry tones from the jam will work in unison with the creamy, smooth texture of the ice cream for an unforgettable experience.
Tip And Tricks – What To Avoid
We understand that this might seem like a pool you don’t want to dive into. And that’s okay! Spice isn’t for everyone, or maybe you’re not equipped to make ice cream at home — we totally understand.
But if you do want to dip your toes in the water, or go full cannonball, here are some tips and tricks that might help you avoid the worst-case (or hottest) scenario.
- If you want to up the ante by adding chopped chili to your homemade ice cream, you should make sure that you finely chop or blend the pepper in a food processor AFTER removing the seeds. Trust us, you don’t want pepper seeds in your ice cream!
- Try to avoid using simple, pepper-flavored hot sauces when making your ice cream; they won’t have the same flavor variance as other commercial hot sauces. Fermented hot sauces are favored due to their complex flavor.
- We recommend trying the homemade hot sauce ice cream method first so that you can have full control over all the ingredients. Remember, the idea here is for you to understand and enjoy this unique flavor — not to treat it as a challenge or a one-time try!
- Use high-quality ingredients for the best results when putting hot sauce on ice cream. The better the base ice cream, the more flavorful the mixture will be! Avoid overly sweet, cheap vanilla ice cream if you truly want to taste the flavor notes of hot sauce on ice cream.
- Can’t take the heat? Garnish the ice cream with condensed milk or a helping of crushed dried nuts or fruits to level out the flavor.
Related Questions
Hot sauce and ice cream may seem like an idea created by internet trolls, but is truly a very unique flavor that can be enjoyed in different ways.
Now that you know if hot sauce on ice cream is worth it, here are some related questions.
Can you use skim milk instead of regular milk for ice cream?
Yes. Skim milk can be used instead of regular milk when making hot sauce ice cream at home. Don’t worry about its heat-mitigating qualities either; studies show that both milk types perform the same way regardless of the fat content.
Will hot sauce and ice cream make me sick?
No. If you can have hot sauce and ice cream individually without getting sick normally, then you can also try them out together without feeling ill.
However, please be wary of the amount of hot sauce you mix into the ice cream since adding too much may potentially cause stomach problems — just as it would when consuming copious amounts of hot sauce on its own!
