Eating ice cream is just as delightful as making it at home. And with an ice cream maker sitting on your benchtop, all you need is a few ingredients and an ice cream recipe. To help you decide which ice cream flavour to try, here are a few ideas from the featured ice cream makers in my review. These homemade ice cream recipes are sure to keep you and your machine busy this summertime!
Cuisinart Pure Indulgence: Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe
Plain ice cream is an absolute treat. But it’s even better when you bite onto surprise mix-ins like fresh, juicy strawberries. With this recipe, you’ll be making enough frozen dessert for everybody (hopefully, with leftovers for midnight snacking!). You can check out the Cuisinart recipe booklet to start making yoghurt, gelato, sorbet and slushies, too.
Notes: This ice cream recipe makes fourteen 125ml (½-cup) servings and works with practically any fresh fruit of your choice. Here’s an idea: try substituting the strawberries in the recipe with 3 cups of sliced fresh peaches.
Ingredients
- 750g fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed and sliced
- 60ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 375g sugar, divided
- 300ml whole milk
- 680ml heavy cream
- 7ml pure vanilla extract
Procedure
- In a small bowl, combine the strawberries with the lemon juice and ½ cup (125g) of the sugar.
- Stir gently and allow the strawberries to macerate in the juices for 2 hours. Strain the berries, reserving the juices, then mash or purée half the berries.
- In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer on low speed to combine the milk and remaining granulated sugar. Mix for about 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar.
- Stir in the heavy cream, reserved strawberry juice, mashed strawberries and vanilla.
- Turn the machine on then pour the mixture into the freezer bowl, and churn until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Five minutes before mixing is complete, add the reserved sliced strawberries. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture.
- If you want a firmer consistency, transfer the ice cream to an airtight plastic container and freeze for about 2 hours.
- Remove from the freezer about 15 minutes before serving.
- This ice cream will have a “natural” or pale pink appearance. For a deeper pink shade, add red food colouring sparingly by drops until you get your desired colour.
Nostalgia PICM4BG: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe
Peanut butter and chocolate are a perfect match, be it in sandwiches or ice cream. And for this recipe, why not put the two together for an extra yummy dessert? The addition of eggs in the ice cream base guarantees rich and decadent results! For other ideas, the Nostalgia instruction manual has easy chocolate and vanilla ice cream recipes, too.
Notes: It’s best to prepare your cooked base a day in advance to give it ample time to cool and expand. Also, for food safety, using pasteurised eggs is ideal. But if you’re using fresh raw eggs, heating the mixture at 71C should prevent health risks.
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 6 cups of milk
- Four eggs, beaten
- 1 cup peanut butter or melted peanut butter morsels
- 7ml vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups half and half
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Procedure
- Mix the sugar, salt and corn starch in a large saucepan over medium heat. Slowly pour in the milk while stirring constantly.
- Very slowly, add the beaten eggs and continue to stir. Reduce heat to low and cook until mixture thickens slightly.
- Slowly stir in the peanut butter, and whisk until everything is smooth and combined.
- Slowly add vanilla, half and half, and heavy cream. Pour mixture into a large glass bowl and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours or until mixture has chilled.
- Remove mixture from the fridge then pour it into the chilled ice cream canister.
- Follow the directions on how to operate the ice cream machine.
- When the mixture has finished churning, add chocolate chips and stir evenly.
Zoku Ice Cream Maker: Lemon Ice Cream Recipe
A tangy, frozen dessert is what you need to beat the summer heat. So, here’s another custard-based mixture for you to try at home. We’re using fresh lemon juice and zest this time to turn creamy ice cream into a refreshing treat. Also, check out Zoku’s Blog for more recipes.
Notes: This recipe makes about 946ml of ice cream mixture, good enough for six individual Zoku servings. To make your dessert extra festive, you can use fresh berries or sprinkles as toppings. Cookie or cake crumbs sound delicious, too!
Ingredients
- Six large egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup half and half
- Zest of 2 large lemons
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Procedure
- Set up your cold-water bath. Fill a large bowl halfway with cold water and ice. Prepare a strainer and a small bowl that can fit inside your ice-filled bowl.
- In another bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together then set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, half and half, and lemon zest over medium heat. Wait until small bubbles form around the edges of the pan before turning off the stove.
- Gently pour in about a cup of your cream to your yolk mixture. We call this step tempering. Make sure to stir continuously while pouring. Add the rest of your hot cream mixture.
- Pour the custard back to your saucepan and cook it over medium heat. Stir until thickened. The custard is ready when you run your finger down the back of a coated wooden spoon, and it leaves a line, about 77C.
- Place your small bowl in the centre of your ice-filled bowl. With a strainer over it, pour your cooked custard.
- Chill the mixture for about 30 minutes before stirring in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Cover the ice cream mixture with plastic wrap, and chill it for 8 hours or overnight.
- Pour about 148ml of your mixture into your frozen Zoku ice cream maker. Follow the churning and freezing instructions from the manual.
Love everything homemade but don’t how to make ice cream from scratch? Here’s a handy guide for making ice cream with a machine from start to finish!
