Homemade Baileys Irish Cream
60 comments » 
It’s the week of St. Patrick’s Day, and I’m bringing you three straight days of festive recipes perfect for your March 17th celebrations! In years past, I’ve enjoyed using Baileys Irish Cream in recipes such as Car Bomb Cupcakes and Guinness Chocolate Cake with Baileys Irish Cream Cheese Frosting. A few weeks ago, I started thinking about what types of recipes I wanted to make for St. Patrick’s Day and began thinking about the possibility of creating Irish cream liquor at home instead of buying a bottle. I did some Googling and found a ton of recipes that already existed… I narrowed them down to the ones that began with a base of Irish whiskey (versus vodka, which some recipes called for) and went from there. In the end, I couldn’t believe how insanely easy it was to whip up this popular liquor at home with ingredients that I already had on hand. Five minutes is all you need!
Start with Jameson whiskey (or your favorite brand of Irish whiskey), then throw in some cream, sweetened condensed milk, instant coffee, chocolate syrup and vanilla and give it a whir in the blender for a few minutes until blended and creamy. Funnel it into pretty bottles and refrigerate for up to 2 months! You can use it in recipes or give it as a gift for holidays or special occasions.
The drink is smooth, creamy and definitely packs a little bit of a punch!
What’s your favorite recipe using Baileys Irish Cream?
One year ago: Irish Whiskey Soda Bread with Irish Whiskey Butter
Two years ago: Irish Brown Bread and Guinness-Milk Chocolate Ice Cream
Three years ago: St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Cookies
Four years ago: Braised Beef with Mushrooms and Cabernet Sauce
Five years ago: Russian Grandmothers’ Apple Pie-Cake
Six years ago: Mexican Rice
Homemade Baileys Irish Cream
Yield: 34 ounces
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
An incredibly easy recipe for making your own Baileys Irish Cream at home!
Ingredients:
1⅔ cups Jamison Irish whiskey
1 cup half & half or heavy cream
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffeeDirections:
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree on high speed for 30 seconds.
2. Transfer mixture to an airtight container or glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Shake well before using.
(Recipe adapted from Cupcake Project)
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I love this stuff!
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I want to INHALE this. Or guzzle it! I have seen this homemade recipe floating around, done on many blogs, and every time I see it, I kick myself for not making it. Pinning! You outdid yourself!
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Hi. Silly question, but, I guess this is good as long as the cream doesn’t expire? Usually cream has 1 week before it expires here. Perhaps I could freeze this? Because of the alcohol, it won’t get solid anyways. Thanks!
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Penny on March 12th, 2013 at 6:58 am
When I make it I keep it in the freezer. You are correct it doesn’t freeze and it’s just like a WENDY’S FROSTY! Really yum!!
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jeanne on March 12th, 2013 at 12:16 pm
Oh dear God, an alcoholic frosty….
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Lisa on March 13th, 2013 at 1:16 pm
And who doesn’t love an alcoholic frosty?
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This recipe sounds delicious! Can’t wait to make it!
Thanks for the post.
Gina
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Omigosh. I adore a glass of Bailey’s on the rocks. And then another glass. so good. This recipe could be dangerous on multiple levels!
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I have been wanting to try homemade Irish Cream for two years. And (funny coincidence), now that i just stoped brestfeeding, you post this recipe. Thanks!
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I suppose for MLK Day you’ll feature “lynching” cupcakes? What’s wrong with you?
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julie on March 12th, 2013 at 6:56 am
???????????
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Diane W. on March 12th, 2013 at 10:17 am
Huh?
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Beth on March 12th, 2013 at 11:07 am
If you’re going to get on your high horse, at least post on the correct recipe. She’s complaining about “Irish Carbomb Cupcakes”. It’s just a name based on a drink, not a political statement.
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jeanne on March 12th, 2013 at 12:17 pm
So glad to have a translator to help weed out the crazy. I’m Irish, and still didn’t get around to being offended by the name.
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Steph in Lex on March 12th, 2013 at 10:53 pm
Good God–hasn’t that poor dead horse been beaten enough already?
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Marla on March 13th, 2013 at 2:18 am
Oh Beth – Where’s a “like” button when ya need one?!? I’ve been stewing about her comment all day. Thank you for taking care of it!!
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Lauren on March 12th, 2013 at 2:49 pm
Holy Smokes… I think I’ll have a drink (of bailey’s) on that note!
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Denise M. on March 13th, 2013 at 10:52 pm
No one is forcing you to view BeB…give it a rest already.
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bianca on March 18th, 2013 at 5:34 pm
WTF?
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Homemade “Baileys” always kicks off the holiday season in my home. I make it on a Saturday morning and my husband and I taste test until it’s just right!
my recipe has a longer ingredient list but I’ve had several over the years and they are all good!
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Wow Amy, way to ruin the party.
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My recipe also has almond extract, eggs & you don’t need expensive whiskey. I make it evey year as Christmas gifts for my neighbors. They love it!!
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Carol on March 19th, 2013 at 11:20 am
my recipe has eggs too , and makes it soooo good .
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This looks amazing!
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Ahhh, such nostalgia. When I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador, I made just about everything from scratch at friends’ requests – English muffins, cinnamon buns, pizza, etc. etc. I had forgotten that we also made our own Baileys!
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Homemade Bailey’s?! Uh oh…
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Are you kidding me? This is incredible! Baileys is so delicious, especially in coffee or hot chocolate. I CANNOT wait to try this!!
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Ohhhh, I love this recipe! It is so perfect for St. Patty’s day!!! Thank you so much for sharing.
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FYI, the recent 2 recipes that I printed (including this yummy looking Irish Cream) have printed with weird fonts and letters in all of your pink headings. They are actually unreadable. Does anyone else have this problem?
On another note, do you have a DIY recipe for sweetened condensed milk? I would like to make this recipe non dairy using soy milk et al but don’t know of a good substitute for the sweetened condensed milk.
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Michelle on March 12th, 2013 at 5:20 pm
Thank you so much for letting me know about the printing issues, I will definitely look into that. As for a sweetened condensed milk substitute, I did a quick Google search and there were tons of results for making your own at home. I’m not sure what you have available, so you may want to check out some of the different recipes. Good luck!
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Is the instant coffee prepared or just the powdered granules?
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Michelle on March 12th, 2013 at 5:20 pm
Not prepared, just the granules.
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I don’t buy instant coffee — can I use regular coffee and/or expresso as a substitute? Hate to buy a whole jar of instant coffee if I can sub strong coffee?
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Michelle on March 12th, 2013 at 5:20 pm
Hi Christine, If you have instant espresso powder, you could use that. You don’t want to use the non-instant, as the granules may not dissolve.
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Steph in Lex on March 12th, 2013 at 10:51 pm
Buy a whole jar of instant coffee!! Then you’ll have a good excuse to make a TON of homemade Bailey’s Irish Cream…
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Karla on March 14th, 2013 at 7:34 pm
You can get a box that contains 7 (I think) individual servings of instant coffee. Here the brand is usually Taster’s Choice and you can get it at the grocery store or drugstore. It can often be found for $1.00.
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Always wanted to make this! Although, I’m concerned that the instant coffee granules won’t disolve?
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Michelle on March 12th, 2013 at 5:21 pm
Hi Karla, They definitely dissolve! I had no issues.
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You are the QUEEN of Irish themed recipes! I always go to you for inspiration, and posted a recipe of yours this morning on my blog actually. I can’t wait to try this!
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You’re seriously making me drool over my screen this morning! Looks so delectable! And not to mention, extremely easy to whip up! (=
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I had no idea you could make this at home, love that you use Jameson, the real irish whiskey! Happy St. Patty’s Day Michelle! Also I love those jar-like glasses!
xoxo M
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This looks fantastic! But can it really be kept in the fridge for 2 months? Brilliant if it can but then again let’s face it, it will never last that long!
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I love this stuff made with Jameson Irish Whiskey!!
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Ok. Another party pooper here. But what if you made this without the alcohol? For us very un-Irish teetotalers who still have a fondness for the sweet stuff? Would it just be cold mocha cocoa?
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Michelle on March 13th, 2013 at 12:06 am
Hi Charm, I’m not sure what you’d replace the alcohol with, but you could play around with some other ingredients and experiment!
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Thirsty…Tuesday? lol… doesn’t sound quit as rhythmic as ‘Thirsty Thursday’ but totally what your pictures and recipe are making me
I tried to make a home made Bailey’s, but the recipe called for an almond liquor, which was WAY to strong of a flavor… excited to try this out1 Thanks for modivation to get throug the day 
Happy Tuesday 
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What a delicious idea!
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LOVE Baileys! And Jameson is my whiskey of choice, so this just screams “make me on Sunday!!!”
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I made this Bailey’s recipe this afternoon and it turned out delicious! I couldn’t help but the continued sampling with amazement how tasty this turned out. I used instant expresso powder and some regular whiskey and fudge topping with the end results much finer than the my purchased bottle. Thanks so much for sharing.
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What’s the difference in Irish whiskey and Kentucky or Tennessee whiskey? I have some Crown and Jim Beam and wondered if they would work?
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Michelle on March 21st, 2013 at 2:01 pm
Hi Lisa, There are multiple differences among all the different types of whiskey (Irish, Scotch, Canadian, Kentucky Bourbon, Tennessee, etc.) – how they’re distilled, for how long, the type of vessels that are used. If you Google you’ll find all sorts of information. That being said, I’m sure you could make this with another type of whisky; I had Jameson already and using an Irish whiskey just makes it feel more authentic
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I just whipped up a batch of this and shared some with my neighbor. This certainly doesn’t have the same proof as Bailey’s!
Looking forward to indulging over the next few days.
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Oh wow homemade sounds dangerous! Your recipe looks and sounds so good
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Just whipped some up with the Johnnie Walker Black that I had on hand and WOW! Holy Smokes, so good! Definite kick! I can see how different whiskeys will be fun to experiment with. Thanks for posting this!
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I love the original “Bailey’s” of course. My favourite is the version with chocolate and mint. In fact, I had some today in honour of St. Patrick’s. This recipe makes indeed a lovely present. Great idea.
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my cousin makes everyone in our family home made irish cream for christmas…. I wonder if she’s seen this recipe… I will be sending it her way!!
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How do you prevent the cream from curdling?
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Michelle on April 13th, 2013 at 12:35 pm
I’m not sure why the cream would curdle?
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I lust absolutely love Irish recipes.. (being Irish myself..) I also love your webpage, looks like I will be visiting you alot in the future..
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Jaime on April 13th, 2013 at 7:07 pm
*JUST SORRY FOR THE TYPO..
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