Watermelon Ice Cream

Watermelon Ice Cream is a fun and refreshing flavor to make at home! This recipe is perfectly creamy, a pretty pink color without any food dyes, and the perfect summertime treat.

This Watermelon Ice Cream Recipe is made in an ice cream maker, with a creamy base created using the French Style ice cream method. A rich custard made from egg yolks and cream makes this version silky and amazing.

Homemade Watermelon Ice Cream is gluten-free, nut-free, and made with all natural ingredients.

If you are a fan of fruity ice cream flavors, you are going to love this one!

Watermelon Ice Cream is a delicious and unique flavor made from fresh, juicy, watermelon, and just 4 other simple ingredients.

It might be your new favorite, along with Strawberry Ice Cream and Orange Ice Cream.

Ice cream made with watermelon is perfect for summertime, or whenever you are craving a sweet and creamy watermelon treat!

Why You’re Going to Love This Watermelon Ice Cream Recipe

Watermelon is an unusual ice cream flavor, but it’s totally delicious!

This is one of the fun things about making ice cream from scratch – you can make so many flavors that aren’t available at the store.

If you want to try more ice cream flavors that are out of the norm, check out how we make Pineapple Ice Cream, Ginger Ice Cream, and Cantaloupe Ice Cream!

Aside from being fun and delicious, this recipe for homemade Watermelon Ice Cream is also pretty simple to make, with just 5 ingredients.

It’s a French-style ice cream, which means that we’ll make a cooked base from egg yolks. This might sound complicated, but don’t worry, this post includes full instructions, step-by-step photos, and all the tips and tricks you’ll need.

Ingredients in Homemade Watermelon Ice Cream

Watermelon – Choose a fresh, ripe watermelon that tastes amazing. If you try to use less-than-tasty watermelon, you’ll have less-than-tasty watermelon ice cream! Cut the melon into small pieces, we’ll be blending it up to make juice

Sugar – Granulated sugar sweetens the ice cream even further, and helps to create the perfect creamy texture.

Egg Yolks – Egg yolks add richness and thicken the ice cream. 

Heavy Cream and Whole Milk – The combination of milk and cream results in an ice cream that is rich and creamy and freezes and scoops well. I highly recommend using both! 

How to Make Watermelon 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.

1. Blend the watermelon using a blender or food processor until smooth.
2. Then strain the watermelon juice through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, and set aside. Check to make sure you have about 1 ½ cups of fresh watermelon juice. 
3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until the mixture has lighted in color and is smooth. Set aside.
4. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and cream over medium heat. Cook just until it is steaming and bubbling around the edges. Very slowly pour the milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
5. Transfer the tempered egg mixture back to the saucepan, and place it over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the ice cream base has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. This takes about 5 minutes.
6. Remove the custard from the heat and pour it through a fine mesh sieve into the bowl with the watermelon juice that you made before. Whisk to combine, then cover with plastic wrap, letting the wrap touch the surface of the ice cream base. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours until it is very cold.
7. Churn the watermelon ice cream in the ice cream maker, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When finished it will be thick and like soft-seve.
8. Finally, add the soft serve ice cream to a shallow container like a loaf pan. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until completely set – at least 4 hours.

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 Watermelon Ice Cream

Store this homemade Watermelon 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.

The paper covering will prevent your homemade ice cream from freezer burn.

Tips for Making

Use quality ingredients – When making homemade ice cream, you’ll want to make sure you are using high-quality ingredients for the best outcome. In this recipe, it’s all about the watermelon. Use sweet, juicy, ripe melon for best results.

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 milk and cream 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, but it also helps with the texture. Sugar is an essential ingredient for the creamy texture of ice cream.

How to Make Watermelon Ice Cream Slices

Here’s a super fun way to serve watermelon ice cream!

Watermelon Ice Cream in a Whole Watermelon

Hollow out a whole small watermelon. You can cut it in half and scoop out the insides, or slice off one end and use an immersion blender to “juice” the inside of the melon and then carefully remove all of the flesh.

Use that watermelon juice to make your ice cream following this recipe, then instead of freezing it in a loaf pan, pour the soft ice cream into the hollowed-out watermelon!

Freeze the whole thing overnight, then allow it to thaw for about an hour before cutting into wedges to serve!

Watermelon Ice Cream Slices

This method is a bit simpler and smaller but still very fun. Slice a whole watermelon into round slices, and remove the flesh.

Place the rings on a parchment-lined tray, and fill it with the soft churned watermelon ice cream.

Smooth, decorate with chocolate chip “seeds” and chill for 3-4 hours or until solid.

Slice your watermelon ice cream cake into wedges and enjoy!

No Churn Watermelon Ice Cream Directions

You can make watermelon ice cream without an ice cream maker too!

Chill a shallow container or a loaf pan in the freezer while you cook and mix the ingredients for the watermelon ice cream base.

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 since you won’t be churning it!

Add-Ins

Try adding small pieces of fresh berries, or miniature chocolate chips to your watermelon ice cream!

I like to add chocolate chips when serving scoops of watermelon ice cream in cones or in a dish. They do such a good job of looking like black watermelon seeds.

More Fruity Homemade Ice Cream Recipes

• Tutti Frutti Ice Cream
• Mango Gelato
• Cantaloupe Ice Cream
• Huckleberry Ice Cream
• Lemon Custard Ice Cream

Our Favorite Ice Cream Making Tools:

• Cuisinart 2QT Ice Cream Maker – Works with ice cream, sorbets, and frozen yogurt.
• Loaf Pan – You can use any 9 x 13 loaf pan or a shallow pan, but we like this one.
• 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.

Note: Each of these links will take you to the exact product on Amazon. As an Amazon associate, I earn a little from each qualifying purchase.

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