Creamy, soft serve, scoopable homemade ice cream… the stuff of summer dreams! Here’s how to make perfect ice cream that ISN’T icy or soupy!
“I hate the heat. When it gets above 65° F, I get cranky,” says my friend Jessica.
No doubt about it. When summer hits, a big ole’ need to stay cool tops the list of dietary concerns!
Right?
And if you or your kiddos, like Jessica, get cranky in the heat and need to eat cold foods a lot during the summer to keep your cool…
… then you’ll find lots of reasons to make your own homemade ice cream, like: you can work around allergies, you can save money over buying it, and you’ll create healthier homemade ice cream (and other frozen desserts).
Jessica, author of the new eBook, The Splendid Scoop, joins me on today’s podcast (print transcript, audio, and video below) to share tips and tricks for healthy homemade ice cream. Enjoy!
Table Of Contents
How to Make Homemade Ice Cream
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Why Make Homemade Ice Cream?
Jessica shares her top three reasons for making homemade ice cream…
1. It’s healthier.
“The number one thing for me has always been that it is healthier. I get to control my ingredients. I get to make sure there’s no refined sugars, artificial colors, or artificial flavors.
Castoreum is a natural flavor found in ice cream that comes from a beaver’s castor sacs which are near its anal glands. Yes, that’s in our ice cream. It’s pretty disgusting.
‘Natural flavors’ can be a catch-all way to put questionable things on ingredient labels. Even some of the natural colors come from bugs.
I feel weird about stuff like that. Now, there are a lot of great brands that have cleaned up their ingredients, but they tend to be expensive. Which leads me to my next point…”
2. It’s cheaper.
“At my local health food store, a little pint of high-quality specialty ice cream can run anywhere from $5.50 to $10.50 for a pint. If I’m going to spend $10.50 on something, it’s not going to be one pint of ice cream!
So, it’s a lot cheaper to make it yourself.”
3. It’s more fun.
“I love being able to customize my flavors. If I want to combine two of my favorite flavors into one, I can. I am in complete control and can make whatever concoction I would like!”
9 Ice Cream-Making Tips
I’ve made my fair share of mediocre ice cream, either too soupy or too icy. In fact, I was an under-achiever with my ice cream maker for a year and a half before I finally mastered a scoopable, soft serve ice cream.
Here are my and Jessica’s best tips for perfect ice cream at home!
A few of these tips apply to the kind of ice cream maker with an insulated freezer bowl — not the old-fashioned kind. I love my Cuisinart!
1. Start with a good base recipe (pssst…we have one for you, below!).
Truly good ice cream consists of three things:
- tiny ice crystals for solidity and smooth texture
- liquid cream, milk and sugar mixture for creaminess and to stick everything together
- air to provide light, fluffy volume
To achieve this, you need the right ratio of cream, milk and sugar. Not enough cream, it’ll be icy. Too little air, it’ll be dense. And so on.
You can find my and my daughter Haniya’s super simple, 5-ingredient ice cream recipe below. Once you have a really good basic recipe, you can tweak it however you want. Endless flavor variations!
2. Don’t fear the fat!
Ice cream without enough cream (in proportion to milk) will turn rock-hard in the freezer. More fat in your ice cream means less water and less ice crystals for a smoother, less icy end result.
Jessica is dairy-free and loves the coconut cream from Aroy-D for its super rich, super thick fat. If you can tolerate dairy, use heavy cream instead of straight milk or half-n-half in your ice cream.
3. Use a solid sweetener.
Whereas a liquid sweetener such as honey will increase iciness with its water content, a crystalline sweetener such as Rapadura or Sucanat, evaporated cane juice, coconut sugar, etc. will not.
Powder your coarse solid sweetener in a food processor or blender. This yields a fine and creamy, instead of grainy, ice cream texture.
4. Add vanilla extract to your ice cream base.
In addition to its lovely background flavor, vanilla extract helps with scoop-ability of leftovers. Its alcohol base lowers the freezing temperature. This provides an ice cream that isn’t super hard when pulled from the freezer the next day.
If you plan to eat all of your ice cream, feel free to reduce the amount of vanilla. (Source.)
5. If you’re dairy-free…
Dairy-free folks can make creamy ice cream too with dairy-free milks! They naturally have less fat and a higher water content (=icier ice cream) than dairy milk, but here are some ways to compensate for that.
Coconut milk is the creamiest of the dairy-free free milks, and so results in the creamiest ice cream. Here’s how to choose the best coconut milk for your needs.
If you don’t tolerate coconut milk, cashew milk (here’s how to make cashew milk) tends to be the next best option as it is a little thicker and creamier than other dairy-free milks like almond milk or hazelnut milk.
You can also melt coconut oil or use a liquid oil such as macadamia nut oil or avocado oil to increase the fat content in dairy-free ice cream. Simply drizzle it into your ice cream while churning. It’s especially easy to do if you’re making blender ice cream.
Just make sure whatever oil you add is liquid (or melted), and drizzle it in while the ice cream is churning, or you’ll end up with congealed fat clumps.
Finally, dairy-free ice cream is best served immediately or popped in the freezer for about an hour first, then served. It will freeze solid if you leave it in the freezer for too long.
Here are our favorite dairy-free ice cream recipes!
- 40 Deliciously Dairy-Free Ice Cream Recipes (THM options!)
- Dark Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream (recipe from Jessica)
- Quick Dairy-Free Ice Cream (just 5 minutes & no machine!)
- Dairy-Free Almond Joy Coconut Ice Cream (Paleo)
- No-Churn Mango Turmeric Ice Cream (Dairy-Free, Paleo)
- Dairy-Free No-Churn Blackberry Ice Cream (Paleo, GAPS)
- Dairy-Free Chocolate Mint Ice Cream With Essential Oils
6. Freeze the freezing container for 24 hours before making ice cream.
It needs to be frozen solid or it won’t have enough freezing power to turn cream into ice cream!
7. Fill your ice cream maker 1/2 to 2/3 full.
The frozen tub in which the filling gets churned has only so much freeze to give before it is no longer cold. If there’s too much filling, there’s not enough chilling.
8. Chill the filling and any utensils (bowl, spoon) thoroughly.
This also maximizes the freezing power of your ice cream maker.
9. Choose a cool place in the house to churn.
Don’t set the ice cream maker next to a wood stove, slow cooker, or working oven. Conserve the freezing power.
Chocolate or Vanilla Ice Cream
A homemade ice cream recipe that yields soft, scoopable, creamy ice cream... every time!
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1-1/2 cups raw whole milk or best milk you can buy
- 1/2 + 1/8 cup natural crystalline sweetener of choice*
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder optional, for chocolate
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract feel free to reduce if you plan on eating all of your ice cream right away
Instructions
-
Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend on medium-low until smooth, but not too much to whip the cream.
-
Pour into a 1/2-gallon glass jar and chill in the back of the fridge until cold (at least 3 to 4 hours).
-
When ready to churn, put large bowl (I use my 6-cup glass Pyrex) and wooden spoon in the freezer to chill. This ensures that your ice cream doesn’t melt when you transfer it from the ice cream maker to a storage container!
-
Proceed with churning ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. I use a Cuisinart ice cream maker; it takes about 20 to 25 minutes to churn.
-
Add any add-ins during the last few minutes of churning, which is when the ice cream is almost firm.
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Once ice cream is thick, use chilled spoon to transfer ice cream into chilled bowl.
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Enjoy as soft serve, or let freeze for a few hours to harden up. Drizzle with homemade chocolate syrup or add a dollop of homemade whipped cream for an extra treat! Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Grind the Rapadura or Sucanat in a food processor or blender to a more fine consistency.
Feel free to add up to 3 egg yolks for extra creaminess.
You can also adjust the cream to milk ratio depending on how thick your heavy cream is. If your cream is very thick (more of a solid, like a sour cream consistency), you can get away with using a little more than half cream and a little less than half milk. The more liquid-y your cream is, the more you should use. You might even be able to get away with 100 percent cream!
Variations: Looking for a creative twist on good old chocolate or vanilla? Try adding 1/4 to 1/3 cup natural, instant coffee alternative such as Dandy Blend for mocha ice cream.
Homemade Ice Cream FAQs
How long does it take to make homemade ice cream?
It depends. My Cuisinart ice cream maker takes about 20-25 minutes to churn a batch of ice cream.
How to store homemade ice cream?
Store in an air-tight container in the freezer. Eat within a day or two for best results. The longer it stays in the freezer, the harder it will get.
Dairy-free ice cream is best eaten immediately, or frozen for just an hour or two.
Best ice cream machine?
I love my Cuisinart!
Do I need an ice cream machine to make homemade ice cream?
No, you can make no churn ice cream using your blender, food processor, or simply a few Ziploc bags instead.
Here are a few recipes for you to try:
- No-Churn Mango Turmeric Ice Cream (Dairy-Free, Paleo)
- Dairy-Free No-Churn Blackberry Ice Cream (Paleo, GAPS)
- Instant Strawberry Ice Cream
- Off-Grid Lime Kefir Ice Cream With Fermented Blueberry Syrup
Do the ingredients need to be cold?
I do recommend chilling your ingredients for best results, yes. If you aren’t using a machine, you’ll need to chill the ingredients individually. If you are using a machine, make your filling and then chill it before churning.
About The Book: The Splendid Scoop
The Splendid Scoop and Other Frozen Treats contains 11 delicious and easy dairy-free recipes plus tips and tricks for homemade ice cream perfection… even if you don’t have an ice cream maker!
You will learn:
- Why making your own ice cream and frozen treats at home is better than buying them at the store (even the organic ones!).
- Tips and tricks for homemade ice cream success.
- How to make ice cream without an ice cream maker (it’s easier than you think!).
- Delicious dairy-free recipes the whole family will love (recipes are also gluten-free and can easily be adapted for the autoimmune protocol as well).
- Extensive resource suggestions for real food, wellness, and beyond.
Here are the recipes:
- Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream
- Dark Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream
- Bananas Foster Ice Cream
- Summer Berry “Ice Cream” Pie
- Frozen Hot Chocolate
- Lemon Banana Coconut Shake
- Strawberry Mint Watermelon Slush
- Red Raspberry Limeade
- Refreshing Water Kefir (or Kombucha) Ice Cream Float
If you’re ready to beat the heat with some tasty treats, look no further than The Splendid Scoop!
Links Mentioned
- The Splendid Scoop — Jessica’s eBook
- Dark Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream — free recipe!
- Coconut sugar
- Evaporated cane juice
- Stevia
- DIY Herbal Coffee — Jessica’s other eBook
- KYF #125 DIY Herbal Coffee — previous podcast with Jessica
- Vitamix
- Blendtec
- Free Traditional Cooking Video Series
I would love to hear from you! Do you have questions for me or comments about anything shared in this episode?
This post is a combination of two posts originally published and written by Wardee Harmon. The posts were combined, updated, and republished on 7/27/22.
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Paula says
My problem is the first layer of ice cream gets FROZEN to the sides and I practically have to chisel it off with a butter knife. Any suggestions for this? I’ve tried non-stick baking spray and it didn’t help.
Usually for my birthday we go to this local ice cream parlor. I refused to go this year as I discovered HFCS and soy in their ice cream. What a bummer.
.-= Paula´s last blog post… Real Food Challenge =-.
Meagan says
Hey Wardee, thanks for sharing! I too have the same ice cream maker and have found that using 90-100% cream and real sugar is VERY important for texture. I usually try with half cream and whole milk with maple syrup and the results are always rock solid and icy.
I do, however, use my ice cream maker to it’s full capacity, filling it until it’s nearly a full 2 quarts. This NEVER affects my end result (though it does make stir ins hard). But I do keep my freezer bowl insert in the big freezer out in the garage that DOES NOT go through the defrost cycle. I keep it in there 24/7 and replace it immediately after cleaning it when I make a batch of ice cream. Sometimes I think that it is almost TOO cold! I had no problem in the summer even with trying to freeze the ice cream.
I wish the maple syrup would work b/c it is so much better than organic cane sugar :/
.-= Meagan´s last blog post… Cinnamon Scones =-.
Joanna says
Meagan I have used maple syrup with success more than once. I’ve noticed that it makes the ice cream freeze more solid, so you have to take it out a few minutes ahead of time before you scoop it, but the flavor is out of this world. I used the recipe in this post and it was exceptional:
http://family2table.blogspot.com/2011/02/sweets-for-my-sweets-no-refined-sugar.html
Martin says
Have you tried using a stabiliser to stop it going hard?
Jessie says
Is there ever a reason that it won’t freeze? Can there be too much fat?
The last time I made ice cream, I made a batch with 1/2 cream & 1/2 milk and 6 egg yolks. It would NOT freeze. The cream was 38% butterfat. Finally, I just stuck the liquid stuff in the freezer & it set up some. This was a Williams Sonoma recipe – I forget what sugar I used.
This is the only time this ever happened to me.
Sarah says
This is great information! I’m hoping to get a Cuisinart ice cream maker this spring/summer and I’m sure to be referring back to these tips often! We LOVE ice cream and I think, homemade, it is a perfect healthy treat for my family. Unfortunately, unless you buy very premium ice-cream (which is also a lot more expensive) you get all of those extra ingredients that I don’t want them to eat. Homemade is perfect for us!
Thanks Wardee!
Best,
Sarah
.-= Sarah´s last blog post… Real Food Faceoff =-.
Katy says
One more tip:
A tablespoon of liquer (sp?) will go a long way to help texture. Since alcohol doesn’t freeze, it helps keep it smoother and creamier. Add it at the end (i.e., after cooking if you heat your mixture) — I”ve used vodka, grand marnier, and rum, according to ice cream flavor.
Also — I have now found THREE Cuisinart ice cream makers at thrift stores, all of them looking like they’d never been used, and all of them for less than $10. So if you have thrift stores you frequent, and you’re wanting an ice cream maker, keep an eye out!
.-= Katy@ThoughtForFood´s last blog post… At least the company was good =-.
Michelle says
Sounds sooo good! I need to get an ice cream maker, stat!
.-= Michelle @ Find Your Balance´s last blog post… The hunt for real food on the go =-.
Tara McGinnis says
wow, I’ve never found anything that awesome at my thrift stores. I have a cuisanart we use and I LOVE IT! We only use yogurt and coconut milk to make ice cream. The texture is great when it’s done but after I freeze the leftovers it gets to compact and hard. Does the liquor really affect the flavor?
Tiffany says
Can’t wait to try your recipe. I have issues with cream and eggs, so I think I’ll try the avocado. How about coconut milk, does that work as well?
Katy says
Tara, it usually just enhances the flavor, if you use appropriate combinations — so, for heavier ice creams with chocolate or rich fruits like cherries, you could use a kirsch or grand marnier (or triple sec) — flavored liqueurs. For lighter sorbets where the fruit is more delicate, I use vodka (virtually flavorless). Since it’s only a tablespoon for a whole batch of ice cream, you don’t taste alcohol at all (and I don’t mind if the kids eat it!).
.-= Katy@ThoughtForFood´s last blog post… At least the company was good =-.
Mindy says
Great post! I’m looking forward to your recipes…especially the chocolate syrup. 🙂
I will say this: I’ve been really happy with the results since I started using maple syrup as my sweetener of choice. For some reason, I’m happier with the flavor. But then, I wasn’t using egg yolks back when I tried Rapadura. So maybe that could be it…
Raine Saunders says
Ice cream is so delicious! I will have to wait again until we are picking up raw milk again from the local farm where we get meat and milk. It’s so hard to wait for a food that is so nutritious and is one that you use so much in your home, but we are on month 3 with no income due to starting a family business, and things have been really slow these last few months. They are now starting to pick up, so when we get our raw milk again, I’m going to try all of those things I hadn’t gotten around to yet, ice cream being one of them. I still have some yogurt left from my last batch I made in December, but it’s almost gone! Great post, Wardee! 🙂
.-= Raine Saunders´s last blog post… Tired of Dry Skin? Use Traditional Fats And Oils In Your Diet! =-.
Wardee says
Paula – Since I suffered through soupy ice cream for so long, I take the frozen bits on the side as a good sign. If you read through the reviews on amazon.com for the Cuisinart, you’ll see many people not liking this. But, IMO, it is just the way it is. Sorry! I wouldn’t use a metal utensil to scrape the container, though, in case of damaging it. I have a handy bamboo spatula that works great for scraping.
Meagan – You’re blessed! I can’t think why yours works and mine doesn’t with the larger quantity. 😉 My container gets a good deep freeze in a stand-alone freezer, too. I have a friend who totally fills hers, too, it spills out with creamy goodness. I’ve never gotten that great texture until now.
Jessie – I don’t see why that wouldn’t freeze. Were all the ingredients quite cold? Maybe they were too warm and the freezer container couldn’t bring them to the right temp before it lost freezing power.
Sarah – Oh, yes, I agree! Not only is it cheaper, but homemade ice cream is a way to avoid yucky ingredients! Hope you get one soon – and I can’t wait to see what you do with it. You’re a creative cook with admirable gourmet tastes.
Katy – Thanks for that tip! I bet it would give a nice flavor enhancement. I can’t believe you’ve found these ice cream makers at thrift stores. And three of them!
Michelle – Yes, you do. 🙂 Stat!
Tara – When I used to use coconut milk, the ice cream would get very hard. It is a downside. I always had to get my husband to scoop it, which still seemed impossible.
Tiffany – Coconut milk would work, but like Tara pointed out, it freezes really hard. I haven’t tried doing coconut milk ice cream with less quantity, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t give a scoopable rather than soupy texture, just like with cream. It is when you put it in the freezer when it really hardens up (and not in the best way). Make sure to use regular coconut milk with lots of cream.
Mindy – Just put them both up today. And I’m with you – I love the flavor of maple syrup as sweetener. We all do. I think you could use the dry maple sugar in this recipe. I’d like to try it myself. If it is coarse, grind it up a bit.
Raine – I’m sorry things have been tough for your family recently. It is hard to cut back on foods that you know are incredibly good for you. What is your new family business – do you mind me asking? I’m glad things are picking up.
Everyone – I added an 8th tip. 🙂 Shouldn’t have missed it in the first place – to make sure your filling is thoroughly chilled.
Cherilynne says
We put our ice cream maker down in the bathtub to help keep it cool and then wrap one or more heavy towels around it. I am using an older style ice-cream maker that requires salt and ice. Usually when you are making Vanilla, and even chocolate ice cream you add Vanilla flavoring which has alcohol in it. That is usually enough alcohol. I grew up making our own dairy products so I get such a kick out of seeing them come up in topics. Love your page.
Jessie says
Hi Wardee – yes everything was chilled – including the freezer container. I’ve not made ice cream since then – so next time I will try it with a recipe that’s worked before. I wonder if something is wrong w/my maker.
Karen Kelbell says
Hi! I realize this post is a little late, but I just wanted to mention that I use homemade vanilla (made with vodka) in my ice cream and it seems to do the trick of keeping it from freezing too hard. It doesn’t take much alcohol to get that effect. ~ Karen
.-= Karen Kelbell´s last blog post… Biscuits and Sausage Gravy =-.
Kelly Cook says
I decided to see if you had any ice cream recipes before I made my husband’s favorite dessert. We have dairy goats and use the milk whole and raw, but it’s difficult to separate the cream, so we just use the milk and end up with rock hard ice cream. My husband has grown to enjoy it, but I read through your tips to see if I could make it more scoopable so I might enjoy it too. I’m trying the bit of alchohol in a recipe right now, but as I took the freezer insert out to start the batch, I realized one more tip-make sure it’s completely dry before it goes into the freezer! I think my husband put it away wet and now there are ice crystals all over the interior, sure to make the batch more icey and less creamy. Thanks for the posts though!
Cherilynne says
You can separate cream from goat milk, but you may have to let the milk sit a bit longer to separate. How long do you let your milk sit? By longer I mean 2 or 3 days. Cow milk will separate decent in 24 hours and continue for longer. Goat takes more time. I’ve skimmed cream and let it set in my fridge and 2 days later had milk at the bottom of the container when I was sure I had not over skimmed.
Jen says
Oh oh! another secret to add to your list – putting previously frozen ice cream in the fridge for a few hours before serving time yields scoopable, yet still frozen ice cream! I make my ice cream with about half milk and half cream, or make frozen yogurt, and it is really hard out of the freezer, but if I remember to put it in the fridge before I fix dinner, then we have easily servable ice cream for dessert. Hurray!
PS. Peanut butter kefir ice cream is wonderful – I use 3:1 cream to kefir and the tang/buzz is barely noticeable and it’s so delicious!
Sally Stellberg via Facebook says
Thats it! I’m buying an ice cream maker!!
Leesie Bruzzo via Facebook says
Going to have my husand read these tips, thanks! 😉
Laura Young via Facebook says
This is so awesome! I just bought a brand new ice cream maker at the trift store yesterday 🙂
Laurie Burt Jones via Facebook says
We stopped buying commercial ice cream some time ago. We don’t want beaver anal gland and antifreeze in our ice cream. It tastes great without those nasty additives.
Becki Garner Wright via Facebook says
PERFECT timing for me, brand new in the box maker at a garage sale yesterday, thank you for the great tips!
Attainable Sustainable via Facebook says
No cow for us; we buy a gallon of milk each week. Happy to have that, but bummed to not have this much cream, and thus ice cream!
Sara Webber via Facebook says
We make icecream in the sink. Its so easy and really fun. Lowers our carbon footprint too
nacmacfee says
Why not try making icecream in your kitchen sink. It is easy and you can find vids on how to do it on youtube. Save your wallet.
All you need is cheap salt and ice and a stainless steel stockpot!
Oh and your icecream ingredients of course..lol
Most of all the kids and you can have so much fun!
I do this here in Australia in the summertime and it still works a treat
Wardee says
Sara – So cool! I’ll have to look into that! 🙂
Sara Webber via Facebook says
Actually Dom, from Doms kefir makes Kefir Icecream in the sink. I have tried it with regular icecream and it is great fun
Cindy Hailey via Facebook says
Getting icecream maker for my bday next month…Can’t wait to try your recipe(s).
Mary says
Thanks so much for sharing these tips. These are the things I tried last summer when I was trying to make better ice cream. The all cream makes it less icy but boy is it rich. A little bit is very satisfying.
I also found putting in the eggs was a good idea. I use 6 egg yolks and 2 cups of raw cream. I use Rapadura but have also had good success with maple sugar. Quite tasty. And yes, you are right. Stay away from the honey and/or maple syrup for that matter.
Someone mentioned using a bit of arrowroot powder. I tried it but didn’t notice a big distance.
Another thing I found to work well was to not use vanilla extract. The alcohol can be troubling. Vanilla bean paste from the King Arthur Flour Comapny works well.
And yes, a good freeze of the equipment plus well chilled ingredients makes a huge difference. And yes! Do not overfill. The ice cream never comes out well.
Thanks so much for pulling all this advice together. Just wonderful!
Love,
Mary
Denise says
Just starting my research for homemade ice cream & excited to find these tips here at a site I trust for nutritional quality. I’m hoping to replicate something similar to Marble Slab’s sweet cream flavor. Thanks for sharing your experience 🙂
Iain Cox says
I have a sunbeam gelateria – which is usually really good. The recipe I like most requires heating the milk and cream together then blending it with the egg yolks and sugar before heating it again until it starts to thicken. I try to follow the process as closely as I can but sometimes the icecream finishes up being “floury” – any ideas on what I am doing wrong?
Anna ~ Random Handprints says
ok, off to try and make a batch of homemade ice cream again.
last one was of the soupy variety – but i didnt have the ingredients really cold. gonna try that tip and see how it goes 🙂
Karen says
I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker too. I keep it in my big freezer and fill it nearly to capacity when I use it. When I finish the stirring/freezing cycle, though, I transfer the contents to a covered, chilled glass or metal container and put that in the freezer. Then I clean out the Cuisinart tub and put it right back into the freezer, ready for another batch. My refrigerator freezer is not cold enough to freeze the ice cream hard without adjusting it so it also freezes the produce in the fridge part, but is a good place to put the hard frozen ice cream to soften for serving.
Thanks for listing the wierd ingredients in commercial ice cream. I’m showing that to this household’s big ice cream buyer.
MIKE says
AFTER YOU MAKE ICE CREAM AND YOU WONT TO SAVE IT AND PUT IT IN THE FREEZER SOMETIMES IT WILL TASTE GRITTIE, WHAT CAN I DO NOT TO HAVE THIS.
Kelly says
Thanks for this wonderful post, Wardee! I plan to share it with my FB readers this summer! 🙂
Terry says
I used to skip this ingredient, until I realized why it was added….my ice cream (made with 1/2 cream, 1/2 coconut milk) is a much better texture now that I add a bit of sea salt. Salt is a melting agent, so it helps it not too freeze too hard. Hope that helps!
Jen says
The biggest secret I learned for any ice cream is to put it in the fridge for a couple hours after it has solidified in the freezer. It is amazing fresh out of the ice cream maker, but if you make it ahead, it can be hard to scoop straight from the freezer. But if I put the rock-hard ice cream in the fridge before fixing dinner, then when we pull it out for dessert it is perfect!
And salt! You can add quite a bit of salt to the ice cream without ruining the sweetness. That also helps tremendously.
Can’t wait for summer!
Doreen says
Great tips! I have another one to go with #7:
I put my icecream maker into a chilly bag, which keeps it extra cold while the icecream is churning.
Lydia says
Great Tips Wardeh! I didn’t know about the sweetener -I will have to try it with finely ground coconut sugar…..
Another tip I have is to use the cold soluble gelatin if you can’t do egg yolks – 3-4 Tbsp. per quart is what I’m finding works well!
Nina Kilbride Sheehan says
Unfortunately, around these parts, I pay $13.50 for a quart of grassfed, raw cream. Wish I could promote it around here as more cost effective, but only if I get the stuff from the store that is pasteurized, and even then, to get the grassfed, it is around $8 for a quart.
I’ll have to try the sugar when I can get another ice cream machine (starting over in my kitchen and life since I had mold 🙁 and am now out of there). I had always used maple syrup and it still came out icy-ish.
And I heard about Lydia’s tip which I haven’t gotten a chance to try out until I get that ice cream maker again. Thanks for all the great tips you have!!
Eli Richardson says
Thank you for noting that too much filling will not freeze enough and will cause the ice cream to be soupy. My sister wants to help her daughter make ice cream for her to include in her lemonade stand. I will suggest she buys a snow cone machine in case this gets difficult.
Zoe Campos says
Thank you for telling me to use additional creamy ingredients such as egg yolks and avocado. I wanted to try making homemade ice cream with my kids as a bonding activity, but I’m afraid that we will only have fun and won’t be able to come up with an actual product. Nevertheless, I’d still follow all your advice and will try to properly follow the procedures with the help of my kids’ small, cute hands. We’d just head over to a local shop that sells homemade ice cream if we’re not able to create a decent scoop.
Rachel C Delaney says
When you’re looking for stuff to cook meanwhile your on lockdown because of the coronavirus
And the moment you realize you don’t have cream in your house 🙁