Raspberry Ice Cream
This thick and creamy Raspberry Ice Cream is bursting with raspberry flavor! The ice cream is custard based (meaning we use egg yolks) which results in the extra luscious and creamy texture. To that base we stir in a rich raspberry sauce and then churn the ice cream until frozen.
If sorbet is more your thing, I have a raspberry sorbet recipe that is UNREAL! I mean, so so good. We’re talking probably better than a legit Italian gelato. Next on my list is to make raspberry bars, raspberry sweet rolls, and a raspberry galette.
There are essentially two components to this recipe, the first being the ice cream base and the second being the raspberry sauce. Both components utilize only a few ingredients.
Ingredients
For the ice cream base
- Heavy cream – must use heavy cream.
- Milk – use a higher fat percentage such as 2% or whole milk.
- Salt
- Egg yolks
For the raspberry mix-in sauce
- Raspberries – can use fresh or frozen. I like to use frozen because they’re more affordable. If using frozen you’ll need 1 – 12 oz bag. If using fresh raspberries you’ll need 2 1/2 cups worth of berries.
- Granulated sugar – you can sweeten the raspberry sauce to your liking. I like to start with just 1/4 cup and then add more if needed. Note: if using fresh raspberries, you might have really sweet berries which means you can cut down on the sugar.
- Vanilla extract – use real vanilla, not imitation. Could also use vanilla bean paste.
How to make Raspberry Ice Cream
- In a saucepan barely simmer the heavy cream, milk, granulated sugar, and salt. Remove from heat as soon as you see small bubbles appear around the perimeter. The mixture should be very warm. We will use this warm liquid to temper the egg yolks.
- Temper the egg yolks. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whil whisking, slowly pour 1 cup of the hot cream into the egg yolks. This is called tempering.
- What is tempering? Tempering is when you combine two ingredients that are two different temperatures. We don’t want the eggs to curdle, so we slowly add the hot cream to bring the temperature of the egg yolks up. If you were to add the egg yolks to the hot cream all at once, it will essentially shock the egg yolks, cook them, and then you’d have cooked and curdled eggs in your ice cream base.
- What is tempering? Tempering is when you combine two ingredients that are two different temperatures. We don’t want the eggs to curdle, so we slowly add the hot cream to bring the temperature of the egg yolks up. If you were to add the egg yolks to the hot cream all at once, it will essentially shock the egg yolks, cook them, and then you’d have cooked and curdled eggs in your ice cream base.
- Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the pot with the remaining hot cream.
- Cook the egg + cream mixture over medium-low heat until it reaches 165°F on an instant read thermometer. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Straining the mixture ensures there are no lumps or clumps in the ice cream. After all, we want a smooth and creamy ice cream. Once strained, cover and place in the refrigerator to cool.
- Make the raspberry puree. To a blender add the raspberries, sugar, and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. Note: you can skip this step if you want seeds in the ice cream.
- Stir the raspberry puree into the ice cream base. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or until completely chilled.
- Churn the ice cream according to manufactures instructions.
- For soft serve raspberry ice cream serve immediately. Or transfer the churned mixture to a large freezer safe container. Optional: fold in a handful of fresh raspberries. Freeze for 2 hours or until hard. When ready to serve, remove ice cream from the freezer and scoop into individual bowls. Enjoy!
Ice Cream Variations
A beautiful thing about this recipe is how versatile it is! If you want strawberry ice cream use strawberries in place of the raspberries.
This recipe will work with a handful of fruit varieties such as blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and peaches. In fact, you can make a fruit medley by combining several fruits together.
If you want to go over the top, you can make my homemade raspberry sauce and drizzle it over the raspberry ice cream. Yum!
FAQ and Recipe Tips
What do egg yolks do for ice cream? Egg yolks create a super creamy ice cream. But not only that, they stabilize ice cream meaning it won’t melt as quickly and it has a longer shelf life. If you want to read the ins and outs to egg yolks in ice cream I found this article to be informative.
How do I properly store this raspberry ice cream? Store covered (to prevent freezer burn and drying out), in the freezer. Will keep for 2-3 months if stored properly.
Can I use fresh raspberries? Yes.
Can I stir fresh raspberries into the ice cream? Yes. I tried this and while it’s really delicious, just remember that the berries will freeze and harden.
If you’d like to know what churning does for ice cream, and how long you should churn it, read my vanilla ice cream post (info is towards the bottom).
More Raspberry & Frozen Recipes
- Raspberry Sorbet – so refreshing and easy to make. Also it’s super creamy (not icy at all!)
- Raspberry Sauce – Use this raspberry sauce over pancakes, ice cream, yogurt, cheesecake, or crepes. It’s so good you’ll want to eat it plain.
- Vanilla Ice Cream – one of my most popular recipes on my site! Read the many 5 star reviews and you’ll see why people are hailing this as the best ice cream they’ve ever had.
- Mango Sorbet – if you can’t visit the islands, make this sorbet instead!
- Raspberry Mojito Mocktail – a refreshing kid-friendly drink! Infused with fresh (or frozen) raspberries and mint leaves.
- Raspberry Freezer Jam – can use fresh or frozen berries.
Raspberry Ice Cream
Ingredients
Ice Cream Base
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup milk - whole or 2%
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 5 egg yolks
Raspberry Puree
- 12 oz frozen raspberries - thawed to room temperature or 2 1/2 cups fresh berries
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar - more as needed (taste and test as you go)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Equipment
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Base
- Make the base: In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, barely simmer the heavy cream, milk, granulated sugar, and salt. Stir often. Once you see bubbles along the perimeter, remove pot from heat. You don't want it to boil but the mixture should be warm.
- In a medium bowl whisk the egg yolks. While whisking, slowly pour 1 cup of the hot cream into the egg yolks. Now, whisk the egg yolk mixture into the pot with the remaining hot cream.
- Place the pot over medium-low heat and cook until it reaches 165°F on an instant read thermometer, the mixture should coat the back of a spoon.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Cover and place in the refrigerator to cool.
Make the Raspberry Puree
- Make the puree: in a blender puree the raspberries, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add more sugar as you see fit. But remember, you'll be adding the fruit puree to the ice cream base (that's sweet). Optional: if you want to remove the raspberry seeds (I did), pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
- Stir the puree into the ice cream base. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or until completely chilled.
- Remove the raspberry ice cream mixture from the fridge. Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufactures instructions.
- For soft serve raspberry ice cream serve immediately, or transfer mixture to a large freezer safe container. Optional: fold in a handful of fresh raspberries. Freeze for 2 hours or until hard. When ready to serve, remove ice cream from the freezer and scoop into individual bowls. Enjoy!
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42 Comments on “Raspberry Ice Cream”
Oh my!!! So good! I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing. My ice cream maker was full to the brim and spilling over a bit after 15 minutes. I have a 1 1/2 qt ice ream container and had to use another small container besides I did have my bowl in a freezer that doesn’t self defrost and chilled the mixture overnight . Served some on top of a good chewy brownie. I could easily rate thus more than 5 stars!
Love pairing this with a brownie, Wendy. Glad to hear you loved this recipe. Thanks for your review!