Fresh Peach Ice Cream
You probably won’t be surprised when I tell you that I eat a lot more candy-filled and chocolate ice cream than I do fruit-based ice creams. However, sometimes there’s nothing better on a sweltering summer day than a few scoops of fresh strawberry or peach ice cream. A few years ago, I made a really fabulous strawberry ice cream, and a couple of months later I added peach to my to-do list. We’ll ignore the fact that it’s been three years and celebrate the fact that it’s made, right?! Peach ice cream just screams summer, and since we’re smack dab in the middle of the season, it seemed like the perfect time to finally churn it up.
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I mashed together a few different recipes to pull this one together, but it’s primarily a riff on my favorite vanilla ice cream recipe. To accent the creamy vanilla, I macerated chopped peaches in sugar and lemon juice overnight, then whisked the resulting juice into the custard base before churning. When the ice cream is almost done freezing, all of the chopped peaches get thrown in. The sweet peach juice flavors the ice cream in a wonderfully subtle way; that, along with the chunks of peaches throughout makes it feel like spoonfuls of summer in every bite.
While I’ll always gravitate toward the ice creams loaded with chunky candy add-ins, I am in absolute love with how refreshing this ice cream tastes. I’ll be eating it all through the dog days of summer!
One year ago: Banana Split Ice Cream Cake and Homemade Butterscotch Sauce
Two years ago: S’mores Cupcakes
Three years ago: Snickerdoodle Blondies
Four years ago: Chocolate Ice Cream
Five years ago: Hearty Whole Wheat Bread
Six years ago: Bacon, Cheddar and Green Onion Scones
Fresh Peach Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1½ to 2 pounds (680 to 907 g) fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped finely into tiny pieces
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, divided
- 4½ teaspoons (4.5 teaspoons) lemon juice
- 1 cup (244 ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (476 ml) heavy cream, divided
- Pinch of salt
- 6 egg yolks
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the peaches, ½ cup of the sugar and the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Stir well, cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Warm the milk, remaining ¼ cup sugar, 1 cup of the heavy cream and the salt in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and place a fine-mesh sieve on top. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly pour the warmed milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly with a rubber spatula, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spatula, a few minutes. The mixture should register 170 to 175 degrees F on an instant-read digital thermometer.
- Pour the custard through the fine-mesh sieve and stir it into the cream. Stir in the vanilla extract and place the bowl over an ice bath. Stir occasionally, until the mixture is cool. Cover and transfer the custard to the refrigerator until completely chilled, at least 8 hours or overnight.
- When ready to churn the ice cream, place a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl with the custard and pour the peaches into the sieve, allowing the accumulated juice to strain into the custard. Whisk the juice into the custard and set the peaches aside. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, adding the peaches when the churning is about three-quarters complete. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Why do you set the peaches aside? Why not just add them to the mixture
Hello
Have you ever roasted the peaches for the ice cream. I ask because I just read your roasted strawberry ice cream. I just don’t know if peaches would work. What about grilljng the peaches on the grille? Could nectarines be substituted for peaches?
Thank you
I haven’t, but I think those all sound fabulous!
This was yummy! I participated in an ice cream social a few weeks ago, so I went on a homemade ice cream kick for a few days. The most noticeable thing about this is that it tastes so real. It doesn’t taste peach-flavored, it just tastes like PEACHES. It is so fresh and light. (Light tasting, that is. It certainly isn’t light on calories, but it is well worth the indulgence!)
This recipe is so amazing I made it twice in a row before summer peaches are gone. It’s just delicious! A couple pointers I learned between the first and second batch: 1. An hour or two after I macerated the peaches, I drained them and boiled down the juice to less than 1/2 the original volume, then returned peaches and reduced juice to fridge overnight; 2. Churn the ice cream in your ice cream maker for a *long* time — at least 20-25 min — and add the peaches very slowly and at the very end; doing it this way, my final product was SO much airier and less icy/rock solid.
Do you have a rough estimate of how much juice you ended up with after boiling it down? And also since you added your peaches slowly and churned for longer how long did you wait before adding the peaches slowly since you ended up churning for 20-25 minutes and how long did you churn after all the peaches were added?
Do I have to let the custard mixture chill for a full 8 hours??
Hi Lucy, Yes, it needs to be completely chilled before you churn it.
This does look like a great recipe. A trick I’ve used for years in my peach ice cream is, along with chopped fresh or frozen (when need be) peaches, I add a couple of jars of strained baby food peaches. Adds a nice depth of peach flavor.
This looks delicious! I have a question…I make ice cream all the time and the liquid amount is always 3 cups (cream/milk)total liquid. I want to make sure I understand correctly, because I have almost a full cup of peace juice, in addition to the milk and cream. I’m worried that it will come out very runny. Thanks!
Hi Jenna, I don’t have a standard ratio that I follow, but feel free to adjust it if you’d like.
How about a recipe for meringue cookies to use up those 6 egg whites?
Something that would complement the ice cream.
Looks great! Could you make this with frozen sliced peaches?
Hi Linda, I think that would work, but I would thaw and drain them first.
Made this yesterday and today. Amazingly delicious!! It’s well worth the time it takes to make it. :)
I just got a bunch of peaches from a friend and am in the process of making this. It seems like a little bit more work than I’m used to but peach ice cream just sounds delicious and the perfect way to enjoy a portion of the peaches we got. Can’t wait to taste the finished product!
Good post. This ice cream recipe seems so irresistible. Thanks for sharing.
Love all your recipes. Could I use pineapple to replace the peaches?
Hi Tammy, I haven’t tried that, but it would probably be good!
Too good , my kids love it. What is amazing about these recipes is that they are only made up of 2 ingredients but that taste is something comparable with the commercial ice creams we buy at ice cream houses.
All of your ice cream recipes are awesome! I have yet to try one that doesn’t taste amazing. I have two suggestions for the future, and they don’t involve chocolate either, but they are delicious – rice pudding ice cream and pb & j ice cream. I’ve had both in some remote ice cream shops in the past and need to rec-create!
I love peach season! I really need to go peach picking soon. This looks great!
This ice cream probably has amazing flavor with both the peach juice and peaches. How long does homemade ice cream last? I love making it but am never sure how long it’s good – not that it lasts long anyway :)
Hi Laura, I find it’s usually best within 1-2 months.
This looks heavenly!
Is the 1½ to 2 pounds before or after the peaches are cut up?
Before.
nothing likw fresh fruit ice cream in the summer!
This looks so light and refreshing!
it looks delicious
We’ve been making ice cream this summer and loving it! Fresh peaches are awesome in ice cream. This one sounds superbly creamy… peaches and cream :)