WATCH: How to make your own Irish cream for Christmas

Homemade Irish cream liqueur is the perfect Christmas treat for you and your loved ones this holiday season

You'll be the toast of all your Christmas parties if you whip up a batch of this delicious Christmasy treat!

Warm, velvety, and faintly boozy, homemade Irish cream has a way of turning any ordinary moment into something distinctly celebratory. This recipe invites readers into a small kitchen ritual where rich cream, smooth Irish whiskey, a touch of coffee and cocoa, and just enough sweetness come together to make a liqueur that tastes like a cozy Irish hearth in a glass. Whether you are making it to gift in jars, to float over hot coffee on a chilly evening, or to fold into chocolate desserts, the result is comfort with a kick and a story in every sip.

Making Irish cream at home is surprisingly simple and endlessly adaptable, so that you can tune it to your taste and your pantry. 

Homemade Irish cream liqueur recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 1 can of sweetened milk 
• 1 2/3 cups Irish whiskey 
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee grains 
• 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend. Then store in an airtight container.

Irish cream can be served on its own, on the rocks, or as an alcoholic substitute for milk/cream and sugar in a hot coffee (sometimes with whipped cream on top).

Follow along with this video while you make your own homemade Irish cream liqueur:

* Originally published in 2018 and updated in Dec 2025.

What's your favorite Christmas recipe? Let us know in the comments!