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!
Made this recipe today ummm yummmy but needs a less scotch bit too strong by yummy
I used to occasionally enjoy a B52 (Bailey’s, kahlua and a float of Grand Marnier) but, the last time I had one, it tasted really “chemically” to me. At first, I thought my tastes had just changed. But I traced the unpleasant flavor to the Bailey’s ( I believe it is what changed), so I looked for a recipe to make my own. This is delicious! I was making a double-batch so, being mindful of comments others had left, I started with a bit less coffee and chocolate. For me, that was perfect. I will still get lots of coffee coming through w/ the kahlua. Am going to enjoy some after dinner tonight!
What quantity of whisky is used?
Substitution of 1 heaping tsp of maxwell house french vanilla instant coffee for last 2 ingredients. FABULOUS
Absolutely love this recipe, and every Christmas my friends and family greet me with glee when I gift them their bottle! Thanks for a fabulous recipe!!😁
So authentic
Turned out wonderfully
Has anyone tried using vanilla bean in place of vanilla extract?
Taste great. Although I used 2 teaspoons powdered unsweetened special dark cocoa. It’s delicious and worth the $ savings
wonderful recipe, been making it for years. only additional comment is in the beginning occasionally running blender at high speed partially curdled cream so I run it much slower now 5 stars
We did this recipe as described and it split. Would recommend using a whisk instead
To prevent splitting, keep your whiskey in the fridge and make sure it’s chilled when you add it. This solves the problem for us – Cheers!
This recipe is a family favorite at Christmas. I don’t change the recipe at all. It’s especially delicious to us when served over coffee ice cubes.
I use a can of evaporated milk instead of heavy cream it taste really great
OMG! recipe is perfect! Thank you so much. I have a few hints for readers. #1 – go to Dollar Tree and get a box of 6 hot cocoa mix. If it includes marshmallows, just strain them out and throw away. The measurement of one packet is exactly what the recipe calls for (2T). #2 – Look for Folgers instant coffee in little box. It has several little sleeves of coffee inside. Each sleeve of instant coffee is the exact measurement the recipe calls for (1 tsp). Love this recipe!
Real Bailey’s does not have ANY coffee in it.
Can I ommit the coffee .
I have never used coffee and its delicious
Followed recipe to a T but I have coffee grounds- will they eventually dissolve once bottled?
I’m not the author but no coffee grounds will not dissolve. If you don’t have instant coffee just make some really strong coffee and add that.
You can use instant espresso powder (ie: Delallo) instead of coffee if you like a bit more “kick” without having to worry about any coffee grounds. Cheers!
Have made this several times & experimented with ingredients: Never use a blender! Mix by hand or use a handheld motorboat! Blend everything then add my alcohol last. I use a smooth Canadian whiskey plus rum usually! Rum brings on more original flavor! For a tad bit almond flavor, I’ve used almond milk along with half n half and or heavy cream, sometimes all three. Awesome results!
i made this with cream that was at its best before date. will it still last a while in the fridge or should i freeze?
I was never a fan of Baileys, I always found it very sweet. I made a couple of modifications to kill the sweetness. I didn’t have chocolate syrup or instant coffee crystals so I melted an once of unsweetened chocolate into 2 table spoons of brewed espresso. It was delicious, the condensed milk added just the right amount of sweetness to the mix. Some may find it a bit on the bitter side but this is what I prefer.
I found that after letting the Bailey’s mix sit in the frig for a couple+ weeks, it mellows out and taste more like Bailey’s and less like Whiskey.
It’s close, but the excess chocolate syrup ruined the taste. I mught try 2 tsp of chocolate instead of 2tbsp next time
Way too strong! It looks like Bailey’s, but doesn’t taste like Bailey’s at all. My guess, 2/3 to 3/4 cup of whiskey would be plenty. As is, I had to add more cream, chocolate, instant coffee and sugar to be able to drink it.
Bailey’s is 17% alcohol, or that is what they claim. This recipe is 15% alcohol. Math never lies. If you want less alcohol, fine, but this recipe is pretty spot on.
Letting the mix sit in the frig for 2 or 3 weeks mellows it out and it taste like Baileys.
This is right on delicious I compared to the real Baileys Irish cream ..said by said you can’t taste 😋 the difference at all it spot on but I think the recipe taste better to me differently going to make this now on its that GOOOD!!!!!! Give it a try
Great recipe!! I use Canadian Club whiskey, and follow the rest of the recipe as written. Whisk it up in a bowl, no blender. And there is no curdling.
Tasty, but the recipe is a little off in my opinion. Has too much chocolate and too much coffee.
We made it – used the chocolate flavored sweet drops b/c that’s what we had. Spot on!
Okay Michelle, I needed a cheaper way to make My Bailey’s Irish Cream Cake in March, so I gave this recipe a try. I made it along with my Christmas Eggnog and made everyone who had eggnog have some of this too, so we have a large test group. It is a winner for sure! Good job! Now I’m looking into Kahlua recipes and wishing you had one of those too. Think about it Michelle ……. smiles ….
This method curdled the cream
So. Very. Good. I took off one star as there is no need to use a blender and I would believe that may be the reason some are experiencing curdling (or the beginning of butter). No need to spend the money on Jameson when it’s getting adulterated with so many ingredients. I used an Irish whiskey that cost half the price…I used heavy cream and stirred that together with the sweetened condensed milk, coffee powder (I had espresso powder), and chocolate syrup. If you use regular instant coffee, which has bigger granules, just give it a few minutes to dissolve completely. Then I stirred in the 1 2/3 cup of Irish whiskey. Husband did a blind taste test (he didn’t believe the homemade would taste better!). He much preferred the homemade! Score! I have never fully liked the stuff in the bottle. To me it had a funny aftertaste… BTW if you have a Britta water pitcher you can put in a clean filter and run an inexpensive hard alcohol through it and end up with a smoother alcohol. Not necessary for this recipe, but I just did that with some cheap vodka that I am infusing with pear and ginger. Could taste the difference after the filtering with another blind taste test.
I like this recipe. Being lactose intolerant, it was easy enough to substitute using coconut sweetened condensed milk and Silk Soy heavy cream. My only issue is the amount of alcohol. I seriously think 1 cup would have been plenty. My question is, what can I add to tone it down? More heavy cream? Thanks!
200ml is the perfect amount. The author’s suggestion of almost 400ml is way too much! Cheers!
You could even make it with 150ml of whiskey, which would allow you to make this recipe 5x with one 750ml bottle.
This is SO good, and I love that I can have it fresh! I’ve made the recipe as written, and have also substituted vegan options (coconut condensed milk, almond half&half) for my dairy-allergic friends. Perfect for Christmas and St. Patrick’s Day!