Homemade Baileys Irish Cream
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!
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Watch How to Make Homemade Baileys Irish Cream:
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
Ingredients
- 1⅔ cups (393.33 ml) Jameson Irish whiskey
- 1 cup (238 ml) half & half or heavy cream
- 14 ounce (396.89 ml) canned sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree on high speed for 30 seconds.
- 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.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Anyone tried to make it dairy free?
The recipe tasted terrific. Only problem was it seemed thicker and sweeter than Baileys. Seems like too much sweetened condensed milk. Will have to experiment some more. Tough job…
To stop it from curdling… make sure everything is cold…. from the fridge…. even the whiskey. Room temperature whiskey may make it cuddle
CUDDLE????…. would be nice…but meant curdle
I linked to this in my March Real Food Meal Plan. I tried this without the alcohol and it was tasty. Now I need to buy some whiskey.
This is a fantastic recipe! I’ve made others similar to it, but what I like about yours is the teaspoon of instant coffee. A word of caution: you should remove “Baileys” from the name of this recipe for legal reasons—The BAILEYS word and associated logos are trade marks © R&A Bailey & Co. I work for an advertising agency and therefore know a bit about brands and their legal stuff.
i cant find chocolate syrup!! i have choc sauce that has gluclose fructose syrup??
Hi Tracey, That might work, but you want to ensure it’s something that’s not too terribly thick, so that it actually dissolves in the mixture.
i used an a choc sauce that was bit more pricey, i put in microwave for 10seconds, YUM! its lovely!!
I made this at Christmas and found it to be absolutely DELICIOUS…I’m only sorry it DOESN’T freeze or I would have to make it ALL the time and then I would have to join AA because I wouldn’t be able to stop!!! Love this…thanks for the recipe…
I can’t figure out what happened. Whisky is an acid so that would have caused cream to curdle immediately. Might try Adding whisky last this time… Other option is I blended for too long and it heated up.. Might try to blend with a hand whisk..
Fingers crossed! I saw a couple of similar comments on your blog so if I find the solution i can let you know!!
G.
i made this baileys today….but my cream curdled……would you know why?
Oh no! I am not sure why, were any of the ingredients particularly warm? If you blended everything together, I don’t know why any curdling would have happened.
For the curdling it looks like its happening if you blend for too long using the whipping cream. That’s what happened with one of my batches. Then I stopped blending at about 30 seconds and it came out perfect.
I’m going by the store to pick up the ingredients to this tonight, to make as Christmas presents. Thank you so much!
would like to hear about the cream curdling issue & how to prevent it…thanks!
I think the trick is to avoid the whiskey hitting the whipping cream straight. I mixed the whiskey with the condensed milk and other ingredients first. Then added whipping cream. No problems with curdling.
Where do you get the bottles to put it in? I want to give as Christmas gifts. Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait to try! : )
Hi Lynn, I got them at Specialty Bottle: http://www.specialtybottle.com
homebase sell bottle’s 1 litre £2.99
This might be a stupid question but can you drink this immediately or do you have to let it sit. I’m thinking of doing some of this for a hostess gift, any suggestions on the perfect time to make it? (A day/week before the party?)
Hi Teresa, You can drink this immediately. It should be shaken if it’s been sitting for awhile, otherwise it’s fine. You could make it up to a week before.
Make sure to do on high puree or you will get a lot of lumps in it. I had a blender that couldn’t go high enough speed the first time I made it. It was still good just had to strain it.
I made used this recipe. The condensed milk made is way to sweet. Baileys isn’t that sweet. I substituted the condensed milk for evaporated milk. It worked better for me. But. The is recipe was a good place to start.
Hi everyone, this recipe was given to me in 1980; I have made it many times and is always a succes. as my”specialday” is approaching, I just finished my batch of Irish cream as my friends 9and I) love it so much. This one differs a little bit;( do not count calories…!). Here it is:
IRISH CREAM.
375 ml whisky
4 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
300 ml thickened crean
1tblsp caramel topping
1tblsp choc. topping1/2 teasp. almond essence 1/2 tblsp instant coffee.
Put all together into mixmaster beat for approx. 10 minutes.
Makes 2 (750 ml) bottles.
Delicious..!
So good But has lots of calories in it
I also have a Baileys recipe. It is very similar to the above but with 3 exceptions
1) Substitute the half and half for whipping cream
2) Add 1 tsp of coconut extract
3) Add 3 eggs.
These changes will enhance the flavour, richness and make it more creamy. As with the above recipe it must be refrigerated. Give it a try.
OOPS SORRY……………………..1 Tin Condensed Milk
Don’t put in 2.
Serve over ice………………yummmmmm
1 tin condensed milk, 1 tin evaporated milk, 1/4 bottle of scotch (or more for more alcohol) 4 teaspoons of Camp coffee. Job done. Grand total time about 2 minutes and you can make it in front of your friends, If bottling add gelatine. Serve over ice. Perfect for camping.
I meant tablespoons. Camp coffee sold in larger Sainsburys. It is liquid coffee with chicory not coffee with a handbag and high heels on when the wife isn’t watching !
Hi Everyone,
I have tried a different version, mine.
Hope is ok for you all.
INGREDIENTS
250g Milk Chocolate (I used Lindt) coarsely chopped, melted
600ml Thickened Cream
2 Tins Condensed Milk
1 Tin Evaporated Milk (skim or original)
2 Teaspoons Instant Coffee Granules ( I dissolved coffee in a little boiled water)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Btl. 750ml Whiskey (I used Jamieson’s)
This recipe makes 2-1/2 Litres
You could halve.
METHOD
Melt chocolate in heatproof glass bowl, add coffee, add cream gradually, stirring briskly with whisk. Strain, just in case there are pieces of chocolate left, and pour into a large bowl.
Add condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and whiskey, (add 1/2 btl and taste. Depends on how strong you like. I added 1- 750ml btl to mine.
Stir with metal spoon. I used a stick blender to blend all ingredients together.
Pour into sterilised bottles. I used 1 Litre bottles with clip to seal. Place in fridge for 24hrs (if you can wait that long). Will last in fridge for about 4 weeks. That is if hasn’t gone before then.
Hope you all enjoy.
Hi, I am really excited to try this out! Can I just check with you if instant coffee 3-in-1 works too?
Hi Cherie, I’m not familiar with “instant coffee 3-in-1″… what is it? If it’s just an instant coffee, then that’s fine.
Hi Michelle, I’m so glad you replied! Basically, the 3-in-1 coffee over here in Singapore means it’s coffee, sugar and milk. So is it suitable for this recipe? Or should I just get instant coffee that has sugar?
Hi Cherie, Just get instant coffee that is the coffee granules, no added milk or sugar.
I’m not a fan of the original Bailey’s, but my Mum quite likes sweet liqueurs, so I made her a bottle of this for Mother’s Day. When made according to the recipe, the liqueur really packed a punch (at least compared to the original). It would have been OK for me, but as it was to be a gift, I splashed in more cream, so it would be more to Mum’s tastes. Does this drink mellow with time, after it spends a couple of days in the fridge?
Also: I think it would be a good idea to dissolve the instant coffee before adding it to the mix, maybe with a teaspoon of whiskey.
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.. :)
*JUST SORRY FOR THE TYPO..
How do you prevent the cream from curdling?
I’m not sure why the cream would curdle?
Mine just curdled…. the cream hitting the whiskey started it, and by the time it was blended it was a lumpy mess….TASTY! but fully curdled.
i was just here to see what I could do different next time!
Mine curdled, so I strained it through a large strainer into a bowl, then a tea strainer, not perfect but better. The second batch I added the whisky last,as I pulsed the blender trying not to blend for too long and it didn’t curdle. good luck
I think you have to add the whiskey to the cream for it to not curdle. I used to make Brown Cows a long time ago and I think it curdled a few times when I forgot. Has anyone tested this? I could be wrong.
I mixed the whiskey with everything except the whipping cream first. Then added the whipping cream at the end. No problem with curdling.
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!!
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.
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!
Oh wow homemade sounds dangerous! Your recipe looks and sounds so good :)
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! :-D Looking forward to indulging over the next few days.