Melon Ice Cream
A flavor that you aren’t likely to find in a grocery store, Melon Ice cream is a fruity, fresh, and delicious gourmet ice cream flavor that you can make at home.
This French-style churned ice cream recipe is made with heavy cream and egg yolks and is naturally gluten-free.
If you like fruity ice cream flavors, like melon ice cream, you will also love our smooth Black Raspberry Ice Cream. This mango ice cream is also amazing.
Pineapple Ice Cream is another option with a tropical spin.
You might also like this apple pie ice cream.
WHY YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE THIS MELON ICE CREAM
Unlike an icy watermelon sorbet, which is delicious in it’s own way, Melon Ice Cream packs all the flavor of cantaloupe, encased in a rich, creamy, French-style ice cream base.
You are not likely to find melon ice cream at the grocery store, and you may only get to enjoy it at a small local ice cream shop. Making it at home is much simpler.
Use your choice of dense melons. Here we’re using canteloupe, but green honeydew melon works just the same.
Check your store or farmer’s market for specialty melons that are generally a hybrid of cantaloupe and honeydew, such as orange honeydew, galia, or canary melons.
You can make this melon ice cream recipe all year long, but it’s an especially delicious way to use up a summer or fall melon harvest.
It uses similar ingredients to Blueberry Ice Cream, and we love it so much.
MELON ICE CREAM INGREDIENTS
Cantaloupe – You’ll need two cups of diced melon for this recipe.
Egg Yolks – These create the base for our ice cream custard. We’ll gently heat the egg yolks to pasteurize them, but you can also purchase pasteurized eggs if you prefer.
Granulated Sugar – This is our sweetener, and helps to create the silky texture of this ice cream.
Whole Milk – A mix of both heavy cream and whole milk creates the perfect ice cream texture.
Heavy Cream – The basis for any good ice cream is rich heavy cream.
Kosher Salt – A bit of salt balances out the sweetness from the sugar.
Vanilla Extract – a nice, high quality pure vanilla extract will give the right amount of warm vanilla flavor.
If you have any questions on how to make this melon ice cream, please leave a comment and I will get back to you.
HOW TO MAKE MELON ICE CREAM
- Add the cantaloupe to a food processor and blend until smooth. Strain the cantaloupe with a sieve, reserving the liquid, and discarding the fibrous pulp.
- In a medium bowl, add the the egg yolks and granulated sugar.
- Whisk until smooth and pale yellow in color.
- Add the milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the milk to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Be sure not to boil. Add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk to the egg and sugar mixture and whisk constantly until combined. Then, add the tempered egg mixture back to the saucepan with the remaining hot milk. Heat the saucepan on low. Stirring constantly, heat until the base has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Strain the mixture into a bowl to remove any pieces of egg that may have cooked. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and stir until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap making sure to have the plastic wrap touching the surface of the ice cream base. This will help keep it from forming a skin while chilling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until cold.
- Before churning, add in the cantaloupe puree and stir until incorporated.
- 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.
- Spoon the ice cream into a shallow container or a loaf pan. 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.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions in this melon ice cream, please see the recipe below.
HOW TO STORE MELON ICE CREAM
Store this Melon ice cream in the freezer in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper pressed on top for up to one month.
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS MELON 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.
Don’t add extra melon – You might think that more melon would make this recipe more delicious, but actually adding more than 2 cups will result in an icy ice cream since melon has a high water content.
Add the Melon to the Mixture when it’s chilled – If you add melon to warm milk, it will make the ice cream bitter.
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.
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.
NO CHURN MELON ICE CREAM
To make this melon ice cream without an ice cream maker, 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.
MELON ICE CREAM ADD-INS
Try adding fresh berries, pineapple, or sweetened coconut flakes to melon ice cream to emphasize the summery, tropical flavor.
If you want to get extremely gourmet, add some fresh chopped basil to this melon ice cream recipe.
MORE HOMEMADE ICE CREAM RECIPES
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Melon Ice Cream
A flavor that you aren't likely to find in a grocery store, Melon Ice cream is a fruity, fresh, and delicious gourmet ice cream flavor that you can make at home.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cantaloupe, diced
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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.
- Add the cantaloupe to a food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Strain the cantaloupe puree with a sieve, reserving the liquid, and discarding the fibrous pulp. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth and pale yellow in color.
- Add the milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the milk to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Be sure not to boil.
- Add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk to the egg and sugar mixture and whisk constantly until combined.
- Then, add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk.
- Heat the saucepan on low. Stirring constantly, heat until the base has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take a few minutes.
- Strain the mixture into a bowl to remove any pieces of egg that may have cooked.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap making sure to have the plastic wrap touching the surface of the ice cream base. This will help keep it from forming a skin while chilling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until cold.
- Just before churning, add in the cantaloupe puree to the chilled ice cream mixture and stir until incorporated.
- 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.
- Spoon the ice cream into a shallow container or a loaf pan. 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
- If your melon isn't fully ripe or sweet, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice during churning to counter the bitterness.
- Don't add the pureed melon to the ice cream mixture until the mixture has cooled. Adding melon to warm milk will cause a reaction that creates a bitter flavor.
- It may be tempting to add more than 2 cups of melon to this recipe, but I’ve found that adding anything more will result in an icy ice cream due to the water content in the melon.
- You can also use honeydew in this recipe instead of the cantaloupe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 416Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 228mgSodium: 153mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 0gSugar: 34gProtein: 9g
Hi Brandy,
It can depend on the type of melon and ripeness of melon. If you decide to make it again and use the same type of melon, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice during churning.
The Ice Cream From Scratch Team