Honey & Mustard Ice Cream – A Unique, Sweet & Savoury Scoop!

Learn all about our bold & creamy Honey & Mustard Ice Cream! A unique sweet-savoury dessert made with Dijon, floral honey & dairy-free swaps. Buzzing with flavour!

Move over salted caramel — there’s a bold new flavour combo taking centre stage.

Honey & mustard may sound like it belongs on your sandwich, not your sundae… but stay with us. This surprisingly balanced scoop is rich, creamy, sweet, and just the right amount of tangy — a flavour fusion that’s both elegant and adventurous.

Perfect for foodies, flavour chasers, and anyone craving a break from the usual suspects, this ice cream blends floral honey and mellow mustard for a velvety treat that’s bold but not brash. It’s the kind of scoop that raises eyebrows and spoons.

And with World Bee Day buzzing ever closer, what better way to celebrate honey in all its golden, delicious glory?

In This Article, You’ll Find:

• Why honey & mustard is a surprisingly perfect pairing
• The best types of honey and mustard for ice cream
• Health benefits of honey (and mustard!)
• Tables comparing flavour, heat, and ideal use
• How to make our honey & mustard ice cream step-by-step
• Add-ins, toppings, and spicy twists to customise your creation
• Dairy-free and Vegan alternatives
• Storage tips for keeping it fresh

If you’d like to go straight to our full recipe and step-by-step guide, please use the following link, or read along to find out more.

Why Honey & Mustard Flavour Pairing Works So Well

Honey & mustard ice cream works because it balances contrast and comfort surprisingly well – sweet, tangy, creamy — and deliciously unexpected.

Here’s how these two bold ingredients come together in sweet harmony:

Honey – The Sweet, Floral Backbone

Honey is more than just sweet — it brings complexity. Depending on the variety, it can offer floral, fruity, herbal or woody notes that make it shine in frozen desserts.

Flavour Highlights:

• Floral, mellow and smooth
• Adds depth and shine to the custard base
• Naturally balances the mustard’s tang

Health Benefits:

• Rich in antioxidants, especially flavonoids
• Has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties
• May help soothe sore throats and support digestion
• Low glycaemic index compared to refined sugar

Mustard – A Tangy, Warm Contrast

Mustard might not be a typical dessert ingredient, but in small doses, it brings a lift, cutting through the richness with gentle warmth.

Flavour Highlights:

• Tangy, lightly acidic, with gentle heat
• Prevents ice cream from tasting overly sweet
• Adds complexity and a gourmet twist

Health Benefits:

• Contains selenium and magnesium for anti-inflammatory support
• Rich in glucosinolates, compounds with cancer-fighting potential
• May aid digestion and metabolism (when used modestly)

Ingredients – Choosing the Right Honey & Mustard

The key to success is in the balance. Go for gentle mustard heat and delicate honey to create harmony, not chaos. Here’s what to reach for:

Best Honeys for Ice Cream:

Honey Type	Flavour Profile	Best Use
Acacia	Light, floral, delicate	Letting mustard shine
Wildflower	Balanced, medium floral	Adds complexity
Heather	Bold, aromatic	For a stronger, earthy twist
Clover	Mild, sweet, versatile	Everyday sweetness

A Note on Manuka Honey

You might be wondering — what about manuka?

This famed New Zealand honey is celebrated for its antibacterial properties and rich, earthy taste. While manuka is a powerhouse in wellness circles, we’ve left it out of the main recipe for a few key reasons:

• Strong flavour: Manuka’s bold, medicinal notes can easily overpower the delicate balance of honey and mustard in this ice cream.

• Premium price tag: It’s often quite expensive, making it less ideal for experimenting in larger-batch dessert recipes.

• Heat sensitivity: Manuka’s health-boosting compounds (like MGO) can degrade when heated — so you’d lose many of its benefits in a cooked custard base.

That said: If you’re making a no-churn version or want to drizzle manuka over the top just before serving, it can add a luxurious and earthy depth — especially paired with ginger or citrus.

💡 Try this: For a refined twist, swirl through a spoonful of manuka honey just before the final freeze, or serve a scoop with a drizzle and a few shards of candied lemon peel.

Best Mustards for Ice Cream:

Mustard Type	Heat Level	Texture	Best For
Dijon	Mild	Smooth	Balanced, subtle flavour
Yellow	Mild	Smooth	Bright, mellow taste
Honey Mustard	Mild-sweet	Smooth	Naturally sweet + tangy
Wholegrain	Mild–Medium	Coarse / Textured	Adds crunch (use with caution)

🚫 Avoid English or wholegrain mustard — too punchy or gritty for a smooth scoop.

Now you’ve got an overview of the ingredients to use, here’s our full recipe and step-by-step guide for you to recreate this uniquely delicious homemade ice cream in your own kitchen.

Homemade Honey & Mustard Ice Cream Recipe

Our Honey and Mustard Ice Cream recipe is a churned custard-style ice cream. If you’re team no-churn, we’ve listed a variation for you too (See end of method).

Ingredients:

• 300ml double cream
• 200ml whole milk
• 100g mild honey (acacia, clover or similar)
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard (adjust to taste)
• 4 egg yolks
• 50g caster sugar

Method:

1. Warm the Cream Base: In a saucepan, gently heat the milk and cream until just steaming — don’t boil.
2. Whisk the Egg Yolks: In a bowl, whisk yolks with sugar until thick and pale.
3. Temper the Eggs: Slowly pour the hot cream into the yolks, whisking constantly, then return the mix to the pan.
4. Cook the Custard: Over low heat, stir until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not boil. Remove from heat.
5. Flavour It Up: Once slightly cooled, stir in the honey and mustard. Taste and adjust the mustard depending on your vibe — start with 1 tbsp and work up to 2 if you’re feeling brave.
6. Chill & Churn: Cool the custard fully (at least 2 hours in the fridge), then churn in an ice cream maker. Or freeze in a shallow dish, stirring vigorously every 30 minutes for a few hours.
7. Freeze Firm & Serve: Once churned, transfer to a tub and freeze until scoopable.

👉🏽 Note: If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can still make this recipe;

Simply pour your ice cream mixture into a freezer-safe container and freeze. Every 30 minutes, stir the mixture vigorously with a fork to break up ice crystals, repeating this process for about 3-4 hours or until the ice cream is firm. Please also check out our post – How to Make Homemade Ice Cream: Without an Ice Cream Maker – to learn more.

Add-On Ideas, Spicy Twists & Serving Tips

This isn’t your everyday scoop, so it deserves something a little special. Here’s how to customise, style, and serve your honey & mustard ice cream with flair:

Serving Suggestions

• Drizzle: Extra honey or a mustard-honey glaze
• Crunch: Toasted almonds, pistachios, or ginger biscuit crumb
• Pairings: Sharp cheddar, green apple slices, or figs
• Style It: Garnish with mint, edible flowers, or a swirl of honey on top
• Cheese Board Accompaniment: Honey & Mustard ice cream pairs incredibly well with a classic cheese board selection

🌶️ Try These Spicy Variations

Add just a hint of spice to bring your scoop to life:

• A pinch of cayenne or ground ginger for subtle heat
• Pink peppercorns, crushed for gentle spice and colour
• A dash of smoked chipotle honey for warm, smoky intrigue
• A light swirl of turmeric and maple for a golden glow

These additions can turn your scoop into a ‘spicy’ conversation-starting dessert at any table.

Want more golden goodness? Try our Honey, Yoghurt & Toasted Almond Ice Cream — another naturally sweet scoop to love.

Dairy-Free & Vegan Variations

As with most of our recipes, this one is easily adaptable for alternative diets — no bees or cream required!

To make a plant-based version of Honey & Mustard Ice Cream:

• Swap the cream: Use full-fat coconut cream or oat cream for a smooth, scoopable texture.
• Replace whole milk: Use unsweetened oat milk, almond milk, or soy milk.
• Use vegan honey alternatives: Try agave syrup, date syrup, or apple honey (made from reduced apple juice).
• Egg-free custard? Thicken with 1 tbsp cornstarch + a splash of vanilla extract instead of yolks, or use a vegan custard base.

👉🏽 Note: Dijon mustard is typically vegan, but double-check the label for honey or egg content in speciality blends.

These simple swaps keep the creamy texture and tangy-sweet flavour alive — no compromises required.

Storage Tips

To keep your bee-utiful creation tasting fresh:

• Store in an airtight tub with a layer of cling film pressed to the surface
• Keep it at the back of the freezer to avoid temperature swings
• Best eaten within 1–2 weeks — the mustard mellows over time

👉🏽 For more guidance, hints and tips on the best storage solutions for your homemade ice cream, head over to our article – Ice Cream Storage Solutions – Essential Tips To Keep Your Homemade Ice Cream Fresh!

The Final Scoop – Sweet, Savoury & Seriously Unexpected

If you’re the kind of foodie who finds joy in flavour exploration, this is your moment.

Honey & mustard ice cream is elegant, a little wild, and 100% scoop-worthy.

It’s also a beautiful prelude to our Bee Happy celebration — a selection of honey-inspired frozen treats that we’re working on for World Bee Day (20th May).

So whether you’re hosting a picnic, planning a quirky dessert board, or just craving something out of the ordinary, this ice cream brings both buzz and bite.

👉🏽 Have you tried honey in ice cream before? Or are you bold enough to try the mustard mash-up? Let us know in the comments below or tag us @FrostedFusions with your flavour creations!

Buzzing for More Bee-Inspired Flavours?

We’re celebrating World Bee Day in style this May, and this is just one of the buzzworthy recipes we’ve been working on. Keep your eyes peeled for our full Bee Happy feature — packed with honeycomb crunch, bee-pollinated fruits, wildflower inspiration, and ways to support the pollinators that make dessert possible.

We hope that you have enjoyed our article – Honey & Mustard Ice Cream – A Unique, Sweet & Savoury Scoop! – and that we have inspired you to give this curious, yet delicious recipe a go. If you have any questions, please drop us a comment below, and we will be happy to get back to you.

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