Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream

Warm and fragrant cinnamon spice blends perfectly with cool, velvety ice cream to create an irresistible treat with caramelized pieces of cereal in this Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream.

a horizontally aligned photo of a bowl of ice cream with Cinnamon Toast Crunch pieces on top

What is Cereal Milk?

There is a certain nostalgia for me in playing with a recipe that uses cereal milk. What is cereal milk? Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like–pretty much the best part of eating a bowl of sugary cereal.

There weren’t a lot of sweets in our house growing up. So, I have some very fond childhood memories of slurping up the sweetened milk that remained in the bowl after finishing my cereal.

bowls of ice cream and a tub of ice cream visible in the background on a wooden tabletop, topped with Cinnamon Toast Crunch

It was extremely rare that my mom purchased a sweetened, name-brand cereal. She was far more likely to return from the store with a giant bag of puffed rice. But, we kids used the sugar bowl with reckless, gleeful abandon at breakfast.

I don’t eat cereal very often, these days. But, that nostalgia still hits hard. So, if you’ve never enjoyed this treat, PLEASE do yourself a favor and add it to your bucket list. You won’t regret it.

a close up shot of a scoop of ice cream topped with cinnamon toast crunch on a wooden tabletop

Cereal Milk Ice Cream

A normal vanilla base could be mixed or topped with cereal pieces and still be delicious. But, making cereal milk ice cream enhances the ice cream itself with all of the wonderful flavors you want.

Cinnamon and sugar are a classic flavor combination. I’ve loved to sprinkle cinnamon sugar on toast for as long as I can remember. But, to be honest, I’m that big of a fan of this cereal.

cereal steeps in the milk used to make this ice cream recipe within a clear glass pyrex measuring cup

So, please hear me when I tell you that this one is FABULOUS. Caramelized pieces of cereal added the perfect texture to the ice cream, and all of the flavors simply work.

I came so close to hiding this one in the back of the freezer, but generously decided to share because my brother was visiting. Well, he and my kids devoured it all in a single sitting. So, share this at your own risk!

pouring the soggy cereal and milk through a strainer into a mixing bowl

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream Recipe

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

cinnamon toast crunch cereal
milk and heavy cream
sugar
ground cinnamon
kosher salt
vanilla extract
butter and brown sugar

the cereal in the strainer is to be thrown out after getting the milk out of it

Combine 2 cups of cereal with the milk in a bowl. Let it soak for 30 minutes, then pour it through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the soggy cereal.

Add the cream, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla to the cereal milk. Whisk to combine. Then, pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and process it according to your machine’s instructions.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Cinnamon Toast Crunch is caramelized with butter and sugar in a non-stick skillet

While the ice cream is churning, melt the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir, letting the mixture cook for a few minutes, until a thick caramel-like sauce has formed.

Add the rest of the cereal to the pan and stir to coat well. Transfer the coated cereal to a sheet of parchment paper. Working quickly with two forks, separate the pieces and spread them out across the parchment to cool.

When the ice cream has finished churning, scoop it into a freezer-safe container. Sprinkle the caramelized cinnamon toast pieces throughout the ice cream as you fill the container. Save any remaining pieces for serving.

two forks separate the individual pieces of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal on a piece of parchment paper

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream

With over 70 ice cream recipes here to choose from, there’s sure to be an ice cream for everyone! If you’re new to making ice cream, the best and easiest vanilla ice cream is a great place to start.

These are my favorite inexpensive containers for storing ice cream. They’re perfect for gifting (who doesn’t love homemade ice cream?) storage, re-using, etc. I write the flavors on the lids with a sharpie and it washes off with dish soap.

I have more ice cream scoops than I can keep track of at this point and I definitely play favorites. This ice cream scoop does the best job ever of cutting through firm ice cream and still delivers a pretty scoop. It gets bonus points for being one of the least expensive scoops I own as well.

Don’t miss our Ice Cream Maker Review for all the information you need to find the BEST Ice Cream Maker for your needs! Spoiler alert – our top-rated machine under $50 just might surprise you. It sure surprised me!

a cyan handled ice cream scoop plunges into a tub of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream with cereal pieces on top

If you love cinnamon and sugar on toast the way I do, then I highly recommend you try this cinnamon toast cake. It’s divine at any time of day.

Or, give these cinnamon toast bars a go. They are both perfect with a cup of coffee for a late-night conversation. I have my eye on these snickerdoodles to try, too.

For those who are looking for their next flavor after cinnamon toast crunch ice cream, stop right here and check out this copycat chunky monkey ice cream recipe. It has all the classic flavors, fresh from the ice cream machine.

This strawberry cheesecake ice cream is a sweet dream come true. And, this classic rocky road ice cream always gets rave reviews.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream

Warm and fragrant cinnamon spice blends perfectly with cool, velvety ice cream to create an irresistible treat with caramelized pieces of cereal.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 481kcal

Ingredients

2 cups cinnamon toast crunch cereal divided
1¼ cup milk
1¾ cups heavy cream
⅔ cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramelized Cinnamon Toast Crunch

1 tablespoon butter
⅓ cup light brown sugar
1½ cups cinnamon toast crunch cereal

Instructions

Combine 2 cups of cereal with the milk in a bowl. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes.
Pour the cereal and milk through a fine mesh strainer and discard the soggy cereal. Add the cream, sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla to the cereal milk and whisk to combine.
Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and process according to your machine's instructions.

Caramelized Cinnamon Toast Crunch

While the ice cream is churning, combine the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir to melt the sugar and the butter together. Let it cook for a few minutes, until a thick caramel-like sauce has formed.
Add 1½ cups of cereal to the pan and stir to coat well. Transfer the coated cereal to a sheet of parchment. Working quickly with two forks, separate the pieces and spread them out across the parchment to cool.
When the ice cream is finished churning, scoop it into a freezer-safe container. Sprinkling cinnamon toast pieces throughout the ice cream as you fill the container. Save any remaining pieces for serving.
Place in the freezer until ready to serve.