Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
Fresh, homemade and simple to make, this cherry vanilla ice cream is creamy, sweet, and perfectly with the addition of cherries.
Tested to ensure perfection, you’ll love making sundaes or cones with this sweet treat.
This homemade cherry ice cream is ready to enjoy in just a few short hours.
If you’re looking for more ice cream recipes, you’ll want to try Sprinkles Ice Cream Next.
CHERRY VANILLA ICE CREAM RECIPE
Make this Philadelphia style cherry vanilla ice cream with simple to find ingredients. This recipe has no eggs, so there is no cooking involved.
Cherries are such a delicious fruit to make ice cream with.
Kids love making this homemade cherry vanilla ice cream with me. They like to get involved with mixing everything together.
You can make this cherry vanilla ice cream in any electric ice cream machine, or a hand cranked one if you like. Make sure your ice cream machine bowl is in the freezer so it’s ready to go!
CHERRY VANILLA ICE CREAM INGREDIENTS
Heavy Cream – The basis for any good ice cream is rich heavy cream.
Whole Milk – A mix of both heavy cream and whole milk creates the perfect ice cream texture.
Granulated Sugar – Any good ice cream will have a good amount of sugar in it.
Honey – Honey is added for additional sweetness, and also to help keep the ice cream from freezing too hard.
Vanilla Extract – I always recommend using the best vanilla extract that you can reasonably afford. The flavor really shines in this recipe.
Salt – Balance the sweetness of your ice cream with just a bit of salt.
Canned Cherries – 1 can is the perfect amount for this recipe. Don’t buy cherry pie filling, just plain canned cherries.
If you have any questions about this cherry vanilla ice cream, please leave a comment and I will get back to you.
HOW TO MAKE CHERRY VANILLA ICE CREAM
- In a large bowl, combine heavy cream, whole milk, ½ cup of the granulated sugar, honey, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk until combined.
- In a small bowl, combine chopped cherries and remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Stir until combined. Set aside.
- Pour the heavy cream mixture into the bowl of the ice cream maker.
- Churn the ice cream mixture in the machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions, until it is thick and the consistency of soft serve ice cream.
- Add half of the cherry mixture and churn for two minutes until fully combined.
- Spoon the ice cream into a shallow container or loaf pan.
- Dollop the remaining cherries into the pan and lightly swirl them in. Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze until solid.
- Allow ice cream to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions in this cherry vanilla ice cream, please see the recipe below.
No-Churn Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream
For no-churn cherry vanilla ice cream, chill a shallow container or a loaf pan in the freezer while you mix the ice cream ingredients.
Pour the ice cream mixture into the prepared pan and freeze for 3-4 hours. Stir the ice cream every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours to help add air. This will help create a creamy, smooth texture.
TIPS FOR MAKING CHERRY VANILLA ICE CREAM
Use quality ingredients – When making homemade ice cream, you’ll want to make sure you are using high quality ingredients for the best outcome.
Chill out – If possible, always start with chilled ingredients. This is important for homemade no-churn ice cream recipes and ice cream maker recipes.
Don’t skimp on the fat – High fat milks and creams are essential when making homemade ice cream. Opting for a low-fat option often leads to icy ice creams and inconsistency in the texture.
Don’t go crazy with the add-ins – If you’re adding in additional ingredients, pick one or two and make sure they are chopped into pieces no larger than a blueberry or pea. One idea is to add in 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of pieces of chocolate cherry brownies.
Don’t skimp on the sugar – Sugar not only adds sweetness to homemade ice creams, it also helps with the texture. Sugar is essential for the creamy texture in ice cream.
We love using it in Spumoni.
CAN I MAKE CHERRY VANILLA ICE CREAM WITH FRESH CHERRIES?
While I’ve created this cherry vanilla ice cream recipe using simple to find, canned cherries, you can make it with fresh cherries instead.
This would be an excellent recipe to make use of locally grown cherries when they are in season!
If using fresh cherries, remove the pits and loosely chop them before adding to a bowl with sugar. Allow the fruit to sit in the sugar on the counter for a few hours, or in the fridge overnight.
This will soften the cherries and make them the right consistency to add to ice cream.
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE CHERRY VANILLA ICE CREAM
Store extras of your ice cream in an air tight container (we really like these reusable ice cream containers) in the freezer for up to 2 months.
For maximum freshness, cover the exposed top of the ice cream with plastic wrap so that no air is touching the ice cream. Before serving, allow the ice cream to sit at room temperature until soft enough to scoop.
If you love cherry ice cream, you’ll want to try this cherry cordial ice cream next.
WHY DO I ADD HONEY TO HOMEMADE ICE CREAM?
Honey added to this recipe for cherry vanilla ice cream adds both sweetness and texture. Using honey in place of some of the sugar keeps the ice cream from getting too hard and icy in the freezer.
You can substitute corn syrup for the honey if you wish. You can also use all granulated sugar.
The cherry vanilla ice cream will still taste delicious, but it will need more time to soften up before scooping.
Some of our favorite things for making homemade ice cream:
- Cuisinart 2QT Ice Cream Maker – Works with ice cream, sorbets, and frozen yogurt.
- Ice Cream Scoop – Make sure you have a good ice cream scoop. This is one of our favorites.
- Ice Cream Containers – We love keeping a couple of ice cream containers on hand for when we make homemade ice cream.
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Did you make this Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream? Please leave a comment below letting me know what you thought.
Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
Equipment
- Set of 2 Reusable Ice Cream Tub Containers For Homemade Ice Cream 1.6 Quart
- Cusinart ICE-70P1 2-Quart Cool Creations Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, Gelato and Sorbet Maker, LCD Screen with Countdown Timer, Makes Frozen Treats in 20-Minutes or Less, Stainless Steel
- KitchenAid KO117OHAQA Gourmet Ice Cream Scoop, One Size, Matte Aqua Sky
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar divided
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 15 oz. can of cherries (about 1.5 cups), drained and roughly chopped
Instructions
- Chill the ice cream bowl for at least 24 hours or until solid. You should not hear any water sloshing around when you shake the bowl.
- In a large bowl, combine heavy cream, whole milk, ½ cup of the granulated sugar, honey, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk until combined.
- In a small bowl, combine chopped cherries and remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Stir until combined. Set aside.
- Churn the ice cream mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions (mine took about 20 minutes), until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
- In the last two minutes, add half of the cherry mixture and churn until it is fully combined.
- Spoon the ice cream into a shallow container or a loaf pan.
- Dollop the remaining cherries into the pan and lightly swirl them in. Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid.
- Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Your ice cream bowl and ice cream base need to be very cold before starting the ice cream machine.
- If using fresh cherries instead of canned, allow the cherries to sit in the granulated sugar until they get soft.
- Substitute agave syrup or corn syrup for honey if desired.
Should the canned cherries be tart or sweet?
Thank you!
You can use either, but we recommend sweet cherries. Just make sure not to buy cherry pie filling, just plain canned cherries.
Ice Cream From Scratch Team
Thank you!
Do you have to drain the cherries or do you use the liquid as well?
If you are using canned cherries, you’ll want to drain the liquid out. You can always make a syrup with the leftover liquid, for toppings, if you like.
Ice Cream From Scratch Team
Can you use the cherries in the jar as well thanks
Hi Rhonda,
Yes, you can use cherries in a jar. They need to be cherries in juice or syrup, but not maraschino cherries. Make sure to drain the juice first. You can always make cherry syrup with the juice, if you like.
The Ice Cream From Scratch Team
Can I use frozen cherries?
Yes, you can use frozen cherries.
The Ice Cream From Scratch Team
Can I use frozen cherries? I assume I do not have to thaw them first.
You can use frozen cherries. You don’t need to thaw them but we recommend it so that some of the juice churns into the ice cream when it’s churning.
The Ice Cream From Scratch Team
Yummy! Made as directed except I started with 16 oz/1 lb of frozen sweet cherries, which I macerated/thawed in 2 TB sugar before draining. Total cherry yield (after sampling) is about 1 cup chopped, maybe a couple TBs more? I used my ice cream churned to mix in the final addition of cherries briefly, then decanted ice cream into two pint (2-cup) containers, plus a bowl for the remainder.
My only suggestion is a note in the recipe for how many cups of ice cream the recipe yields (4.5 cups total yield based on 6 servings at 3/4 cup). However, I have an 8-cup ice cream maker and would LOVE to see this recipe converted for that size machine. *I might just do this myself, since the ice cream is delicious!