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four scoops of melon ice cream in a glass ice cream dish. There are slices of cantaloupe in the background.

Melon Ice Cream

Ice Cream From Scratch
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.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chilling/Freezing Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 45 minutes
Course Ice Cream Recipes
Cuisine Dessert
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 416 kcal

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.
Keyword melon ice cream, melon ice cream recipe