Grandma knew a thing or two about a celebratory tipple, and Bailey’s Irish cream was always her favorite. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to make DIY Bailey’s at home with our homemade Irish cream recipe. If you’re new to Irish cream, welcome to the creamiest, dreamiest, sweetest way to sip whiskey! Irish cream was dreamt up in the early 1970s as a celebration of the two most delicious things to come out of the Emerald Isle: fabulously rich heavy cream, and Irish whiskey. The key to making a great homemade Baileys is to invest a little in high-quality ingredients. You want your homemade Irish cream to sing with the flavors of fiery whiskey and indulgent cream, complimented by gently sweet hints of coffee and cocoa. For another creamy cocktail, give our easy White Russian a spin.
What’s In Homemade Irish Cream
To make our easy Irish cream recipe, you’ll simply blend together:
Irish whiskey: Make your homemade Irish cream with an Irish whiskey that tastes good on its own. You don’t have to spend a ton, but if you use whiskey that doesn’t have a good flavor, your Irish cream won’t have a great flavor either. You’ll want to pick something with a bit of flavorful, boozy heat to cut through the creamy sweetness of the other ingredients. We suggest Jameson Irish whiskey, because it’s delicious and widely available, but feel free to use your favorite brand of Irish whiskey.
Heavy cream: Just to be sure that the Irish cream is truly rich and silky.
Coconut Cream: It’s just what it sounds like—the cream layer of coconut milk. If you can't find (unsweetened coconut cream, simply skim the solid layer of coconut cream from the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk and use that.
Chocolate syrup: If you don’t have chocolate syrup on hand, you can use 1 teaspoon cocoa powder instead. Just whisk a bit of the heavy cream into the cocoa powder to make a paste before adding it to the blender to make sure the Irish cream is silky, not grainy.
Sweetened condensed milk: This gives the Irish cream just the right viscosity and sweetness — it’s kind of our secret ingredient!
Instant coffee grounds: Just a little hint of coffee flavor helps to balance out the sweetness of Irish cream. Trust us! And don’t worry too much about the caffeine, it’s pretty minimal on a per-drink basis.
What To Do With Irish Cream
Here are a few of our favorite ways to enjoy this homemade liqueur, although there really is no wrong way to drink Irish cream. If you’re gifting your homemade Irish cream, you may want to go the extra mile (‘tis the season, after all) and include a few of these ideas along with your gift.
Serve a 1-2 ounce pour of homemade Irish cream on the rocks.
Pour it over ice cream. Chocolate? Vanilla? You pick! You can’t go wrong. It’s the easiest dinner party dessert ever, and so, so good.
Serve it in coffee. A wee pour of Irish cream in my Christmas morning coffee? Don’t mind if I do.
Three words: Spiked. Chocolate. Milkshake.
In our Bailey’s Chocolate Bundt Cake would be just as good (or even better?) made with this easy DIY Bailey’s.
Cozy up with your partner, your favorite holiday movie and a few mugs of Spiked Hot Chocolate—featuring a generous splash of homemade Irish cream! Date night in has never been more festive. Sláinte!
Turn Homemade Irish Cream Into A DIY Gift
The perfect gift for just about anyone on your list (who's 21 or over of course), homemade Irish cream is a quick and easy holiday DIY you can handle, no matter how busy the season may feel. We promise! A few thoughts on how to present this particular present:
This recipe makes about 32 ounces of Irish cream, or 1 quart, making it the perfect fit for your favorite brand of canning jars. Ball, Kerr and Weck all have great options in a 32 ounce size. (Note: Weck jars are measured in metric, but 1 liter is nearly equivalent to 1 quart.)
Include a hand-written recipe card! Whether it’s a suggestion to enjoy over ice or in a cup of coffee, it’s nice to offer your friend a jumping off point in case they’re new to the goodness that is Irish cream liqueur.
Be sure to keep your homemade Irish cream refrigerated until the last minute, and let the recipient know that it needs to stay cold. You may even include a tag that suggests an “enjoy by” date. Your homemade Irish cream will keep for about 6 weeks.
More Holiday Drink Recipes
Let Us Know How It Turned Out!
For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!
