Peach Ice Cream
Delicious, homemade Peach Ice Cream is a summertime must-have, made with fresh, juicy peaches and a French custard style ice cream base.
If you’ve never had a rich, sweet, creamy ice cream made with peaches, you are in for a spectacular treat!
This creamy and bright flavored sweet peach ice cream is naturally gluten free and nut-free.
Peach ice cream is not a very common ice cream flavor, but it is one of the best ice cream recipes you can make from scratch. Peaches and cream are a classic combination and are always delicious.
Summer is peak peach season, especially if you live in the South where peaches are especially delicious. Peach pies, cobblers, and other baked goods are great, but what’s a better dessert in the summer than a big bowl of ice cream?!
During the winter months, you can use frozen peaches to make this peaches and cream ice cream. Just make sure to thaw the peaches first.
If you like this fruity and creamy ice cream recipe, you should also try making fresh Strawberry Ice Cream, or tropical Mango Ice Cream.
Why You’re Going to Love this Peach Ice Cream Recipe
Fresh, Juicy Peach Flavor. The flavor you’ll get from using fresh peaches in this sweet and creamy ice cream is unmatched by anything else. It’s like summer in a bowl. If peaches are in season, I suggest getting some from your local farmer.
No Unnatural Ingredients. This homemade ice cream recipe is made with fresh milk and cream, a handful of other simple ingredients, and doesn’t contain any preservatives, chemicals, or artificial colors.
Simple Step by Step Instructions. French style ice cream can seem intimidating, but I promise it’s not difficult. I’ll guide you through each step so that you are successful at making a delicious homemade peach ice cream, egg yolks included.
Ingredients in Homemade Peach Ice Cream
Peaches – You’ll need about 2 cups of peeled and chopped peaches for this recipe. We will be sweetening them and blending them to create a peach puree to add to the ice cream base. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned peaches.
Granulated Sugar – For sweetness and amazing ice cream texture, plain, white, granulated sugar is the perfect choice.
Lemon Juice – When making ice cream with a fruit like peaches, a bit of lemon juice amplifies the flavor in the best way.
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.
Whole Milk – Milk is cooked with the egg yolks and sugar to create our custard base.
Kosher Salt – Just a bit of salt balances the sweetness and makes everything taste a bit brighter.
Heavy Cream – Making peach ice cream with both heavy cream and whole milk is what gives us the perfect creamy texture.
Vanilla Extract – Vanilla is a must for almost all of our ice cream recipes. It elevates the simple flavors of milk, sugar, and cream.
If you have any questions about Peach Ice Cream, leave a comment below and I will get back to you.
How to Make Peach Ice Cream from Scratch
Start the day before by making sure that the bowl for your ice cream maker has at least 24 hours to freeze solid.
- Place the peaches, lemon juice, and ¼ cup of the granulated sugar in a bowl. Mix together. Let sit for 30 minutes, until the peaches have released their juices. Add the peach mixture to a food processor. Blend until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining ½ cup of granulated sugar until smooth and pale yellow in color.
- Add the milk and salt 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 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.
- Add in the peach puree and stir until incorporated. 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.
- 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, please see the recipe below.
How to Store Peach Ice Cream
Store this homemade peach 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 Fresh Peach Ice Cream Recipe
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.
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.
Change the Texture: To make a peach ice cream without any peach chunks in it, run the puree through a sieve before adding it to the ice cream base. You can also puree the peaches slightly less to leave more chunks. It’s up to you!
No food processor? A high-powered blender or a handheld blender will do the job just as well.
How Do You Peel Peaches?
For sweet peach ice cream, you want to remove the skin from the peaches first. It’s easy to do.
First cut a small “x” on the bottom of each peach. Then place the peaches in boiling water for about 1 minute. Remove and place in ice water to cool for one minute. The peels should slide right off!
How Do You Know If a Peach is Ripe?
Unripe peaches aren’t nearly as sweet and juicy as you want them to be for this ice cream recipe, so be sure that they are ripe when you’re ready to make this.
Ripe peaches will be soft when you squeeze them gently, and they will smell amazing.
If you need to ripen peaches fast, place them in a paper bag on the counter for a day or two.
No Churn Peach Ice Cream Directions
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.
Peach Ice Cream Add-Ins
I haven’t yet tried adding anything extra to this homemade peach ice cream, but I have some ideas. If you come up with some of your own, leave a comment and let me know!
Cookies like Golden Oreos, shortbread cookies, or gingersnaps would give tasty texture to peach ice cream.
A drizzle of caramel sauce or white chocolate chunks would be delicious too!
Is it Safe to Eat Ice Cream Made with Eggs?
Yes, this recipe is safe to eat. The egg yolks are very gently cooked when the hot milk is added to them. If you have any concerns about food safety, simply use pasturized eggs in this recipe rather than fresh ones.
Why is Homemade Ice Cream so Hard to Scoop?
Because our homemade ice cream recipes don’t include any preservatives or additives to keep them soft at freezer temperature, they will be very solid when you first take them out.
Make things easy on yourself by letting the ice cream sit on the counter for a few minutes before you try to scoop it. Usually 5 minutes is enough time for homemade ice cream to soften up perfectly.
More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes
We have so many ice cream flavors for you to make at home!
LET’S GET SOCIAL, you can follow us on Pinterest or leave a comment below if you have any questions.
Did you make this Homemade Peach Ice Cream recipe? Leave a comment below letting us know what you thought and if you added any additional add-ins.
Peach Ice Cream
Homemade Peach Ice Cream is a summertime must-have, made with fresh, juicy peaches and a French custard style ice cream base.
Ingredients
- 2 cups peaches, skin removed and chopped (approximately 8.5 oz./250g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon 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 peaches, ¼ cup of the granulated sugar, and lemon juice to a medium bowl. Mix to combine.
- Let the peaches sit for 30 minutes to let their natural juices release. Add the peach mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining ½ cup of granulated sugar until smooth and pale yellow in color.
- Add the milk and salt 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. Add in the peach puree and stir until incorporated.
- 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.
- 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
- For best results, start with chilled ingredients and tools.
- Don't make adjustments to the amounts of types of sugar or dairy products. The success of this creamy ice cream depends on lots of sugar and high-fat dairy.
- You can also use frozen peaches in this recipe. Let them thaw before macerating with sugar.
- If you prefer a smoother peach ice cream with no chunks, you can strain the peaches after blending them to remove any pieces.
- If you do not have a food processor, you can use an immersion blender or a high-speed blender to puree the peaches.
- Plan ahead by making sure that your ice cream maker bowl is in the freezer at least 24 hours before you're going to make ice cream.
- This ice cream can be stored in the freezer for up to one month. Keep it in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper pressed to the surface of the ice cream to keep ice crystals from developing.
- Homemade ice cream should be easy to scoop if you let it soften at room temperature for 5 minutes after removing it from the freezer.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 415Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 228mgSodium: 196mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 1gSugar: 34gProtein: 9g
I have a question. I have a peach ice cream recipe from the 1940s. For the base it says to cook 3 qts powdered milk, 3 cups sugar and 2 whole eggs and 5 yolks until thick. It never gets thicker. I’ve cooked it for an hour and it’s the same. Do you have any idea how long I need to cook it and would it still work if it isn’t thick? I’m next supposed to let it cool then add peaches, cream and vanilla. Any help is appreciated…I need it for tomorrow night. Thanks!
Hi Kathy,
When working with eggs to create a custard base ice cream, you typically heat the milk and sugar together, then slowly add a small amount of the hot milk to the eggs, a little at a time, until you use half of the milk mixture. Then you pour the milk egg mixture slowly back into the pan, then reheat. This tempers everything, without cooking the eggs. We haven’t worked much with powdered milk.
If it isn’t thickening, I’d let it cool to room temp, cover it and chill it. Once its chilled, churn it in our ice cream maker for 30 minutes, or per your manufacturers instructions. The churning will add air as it freezes.
The Ice Cream From Scratch Team
Have you ever used brown sugar for the peach ice cream? I’d so, do you adjust the amount?
Hi Guy,
You can use brown sugar, you’ll use the same amount but don’t pack it in too tightly. Just note that it will taste a touch sweater because of the molasses in the brown sugar.
Ice Cream From Scratch Team