Tahini Ice Cream with Dates (Printable)

Nutty tahini combined with sweet dates and a touch of sea salt creates a creamy frozen delight.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Ice Cream Base

01 - 2 cups heavy cream
02 - 1 cup whole milk
03 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1/2 cup tahini, well stirred
05 - 4 large egg yolks
06 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
07 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Date Topping

08 - 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
09 - 2 tablespoons water
10 - 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

→ Garnish

11 - Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

# Steps:

01 - In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream and milk. Heat over medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
02 - In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick. Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly to temper.
03 - Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon (approximately 170-175°F).
04 - Remove from heat. Whisk in tahini, vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt until smooth.
05 - Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.
06 - In a small saucepan, combine chopped dates, water, and lemon juice. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the dates are soft and jammy, approximately 5 minutes. Let cool.
07 - Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
08 - In the last minute of churning, swirl in half of the cooled date mixture.
09 - Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Dollop the remaining date mixture on top and swirl with a knife. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
10 - Scoop into bowls, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and serve.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • That subtle sesame nuttiness tastes indulgent without being heavy, like you've discovered something slightly fancy but completely approachable.
  • The date swirl adds natural sweetness and a jammy texture that keeps every scoop interesting.
  • It's the kind of dessert that makes people pause mid-bite and ask what they're tasting, which honestly never gets old.
02 -
  • The tahini absolutely must be well stirred before measuring, because if you use mostly the thick part that's settled at the bottom, your ice cream will taste overly concentrated and bitter.
  • Don't skip the chilling step between cooking and churning, because warm custard won't churn properly and you'll end up with something closer to a slushie than ice cream.
03 -
  • If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can freeze the churned custard in a shallow pan and stir it vigorously every thirty minutes for about three hours, which actually works better than people expect.
  • Make the date compote the day before so you're not juggling hot cookware and cold custard simultaneously on a busy evening.
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