Raspberry Ice Cream

If you love raspberries and have an ice cream machine to churn this base, this is for you.

I love making ice creams at home because they are so much more ‘fresh’ tasting than store-bought. Plus you get to bump them up with as much flavors you want (and add delicious add-ins). Another reason I like making them: they use up all my yolks, usually leftover from making pavlovas and meringues 😉 

This is a really simple, straightforward recipe: prepare the base by cooking the heavy cream, sugar and egg yolks until thickened slightly, then puree (a lot of!) raspberries and add them to the base. I will usually strain the berries to avoid getting all the seeds but you can leave them in if you like them. Once the base cools, add it to the machine and churn – voila it’s done. 

If you are looking for something lighter, more fruit forward and with less added fat, I have a raspberry sorbet recipe you might like (it doesn’t need an ice cream machine, just a food processor). 

Recipe Ingredients 

Raspberries: Use fresh or frozen but, importantly!, use berries that are very ripe and flavorful. For this reason frozen raspberries work well (as the berries are frozen during their ripe season)  but if it’s raspberry season where you are and you have a good haul, use fresh. 

Yolks: from large eggs. It’s ok of a little white gets stuck to them, they can be sieved out after cooking the custard. 

Sugar: fine granulated sugar. 

Heavy Cream: or heavy whipping cream, they are interchangeable here. If you’d like to reduce the fat you can swap some of the heavy cream with light cream or half and half but know that the ice cream won’t be as creamy and smooth. 

Salt: just a bit, this helps bring out the flavors. 

Lemon: a little lemon to brighten up the flavor as some of the ‘berry’ gets muted by the custard. 

How to make Raspberry Ice Cream 

Prep the ingredients: separate your egg whites from the yolks (it’s ok if there’s a bit of white stuck in there), and add everything to a pot. Whisk very well, do your best to break up those egg yolks. 

Cook the custard: Set over medium heat and cook until the temperature reaches 165 F, this is when the eggs are fully safe to eat and will start to thicken the base. You’ll see it thicken on the bottom first (that’s where the heat is closest to) so stir it very well so it can cook throughout. 

Add the raspberries: Transfer the custard to a bowl and set aside to cool. Puree the raspberries until completely broken down then, set a fine mesh sieve over the custard and stir in the raspberry puree. Add the lemon and stir. 

Chill the base: Once the custard is at room temperature, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in the fridge to chill overnight. Not only will this help the ice cream churn quicker but it will also deepen the flavors. 

Churn: If your ice cream maker requires you to freeze the bowl ahead of time, make sure you do that at least the night before or even a day before churning. Once the ice cream has churned, transfer it to a freezer-safe container. 

How to store homemade ice cream & how long it will last 

Once churned, homemade ice cream will last about a month in the freezer. Exposed bits will get icy and gummy but if you scrape them off, the rest of the ice cream is still good. 

Keep it in an airtight container in the back of the freezer. Near the door the ice cream will be exposed to more warm air and more potential melting. 

Optional add-ins to homemade raspberry ice cream 

If you like, you can add some delicious bits to the ice cream toward the end of churning (when the ice cream is frozen but you’re still able to stir it). Some things I can think of that would go well here: 

• Brownie bits: make this emergency brownie recipe ahead of time, chop it into dice sized bits and add them to the churned ice cream. 
• Use the stracciatella technique from this mint chocolate ice cream recipe to add bits of chocolate: melt any chocolate you like (white tends to be popular with raspberry, just remember white melts faster so keep an eye on it). 
• Looking to add even more raspberry flavor to this? Make my raspberry curd to swirl into the churned ice cream or to dollop on top of the ice cream when serving. 

Raspberry Ice Cream

Creamy raspberry ice cream made from a custard base of egg yolks and cream. This easy recipe is made with fresh or frozen raspberries and uses an ample amount to bring out their tart flavor.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Chill Time: 12 hours hrs

Yields: 1 quart

5 from 12 votes

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Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks from large eggs
• 100g or ½ cup g granulated sugar
• Pinch fine sea salt
• 480g or 2 cups heavy cream
• 340g ripe raspberries frozen or fresh (if fresh, taste the berries first - make sure they're flavorful)
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

• In a pot, add the sugar, salt and egg yolks and heavy cream. Set over medium low heat.
• Cook until the temperature reaches 165 F; you’ll see the bottom of the custard thicken.
• Transfer to a bowl (if you see bits in the cream, run it through a fine mesh sieve into the bowl) and set aside.
• Puree the raspberries in a food processor on high.
• Set a fine mesh sieve over the bowl of cooked custard and pour the raspberry puree into the sieve. Stir it and press on the berries to release as much puree as possible - take your time (and use your muscle!) to ensure you get all of it. Scrape the bottom of the sieve to capture that puree too.
• Add the lemon juice to the mix and stir until all is combined. If you like, you can add a splash of vanilla. Let come to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge overnight (or for at least 6-8 hours).
• If some of the custard has set at the top, stir it to combine.
• Churn the mix according to your ice cream machine’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze.
• Ice cream will keep for about a month in the freezer.

Notes

Recipe makes 1 quart of ice cream.

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