Food & Drink
7 Mouth-Wateringly Delicious Ice Cream Recipes
Get the scoop on these cooling, luscious home-made gelato ideas.
The mercury is soaring and there’s a glut of fruit in the shops (or the delivery box). What’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser with minimal effort and ingredients? Home-made ice cream. The endless possibilities of flavour combinations, toppings and methods can all feel a bit daunting to the gelato-novice, but if you’re looking for the perfect scoop to cool you off in a heatwave (and earn you some brownie points with the family), we have the seven best ice cream recipes from around the web – including ‘no churn’ options for those without an ice cream machine, as well as sorbet and frozen yoghurt options too. We’ve included seasonal fruit recipes, timeless classics and modern twists on flavour combinations to inspire your sundae this summer.
This recipe couldn't be simpler, double cream, condensed milk and some espress coffee powder, all whipped together and then popped into the freezer for six hours. It is so good and even better as affogato with espresso poured over it in a glass. However, use this recipe as a launch pad to make other easy ice creams, just swapping out the coffee for another flavour.
We've tried malted milk ice cream in the past and it was when David Lebovitz's newsletter dropped into our inbox recently mentioning this frozen delight, we felt the need to make it ourselves. Malted milk brings back memories of childhood, it's ultra comforting and sweet to boot, with that malty earthiness in the background. We've found this recipe for you to try via Judes, with the addition of crushed Maltesers and a dark chocolate sauce, what's not to love about that?
However, we've tried our own riff on malted milk ice cream, using Ovaltine (rather than Horlicks), toasting the powder as David Lebovitz suggests and then adding it to whipped cream and condensed milk, as per Nigella's no-churn coffee ice cream. Put in an ice cream maker or freeze and the end results will be silky smooth. It is very very sweet and may be using egg yolks and cream, instead of condensed milk, would dial down the sugar levels. We will try this method and let you know.
OK, this is not stritcly an ice cream nor even a sorbet but it's damn delicious when the sun is bearing down on you. It's crisp, citrusy, bubbly and perfect for cooling down. This frozen cocktail is a mixture of elderflowery St Germain, lime juice, soda water, prosecco, mint and ice, with some slivers of cucumber thrown in for good measure. Did anyone notice, we forgot to mention gin?
The perfect foil to dark bitter chocolate or aromatic pistachio, salted caramel has been the new kid on the block in the ice cream world in recent years. We love the balance of sweet and salty flavours in this classic custard method recipe from Brooklyn based artisan ice-cream emporium, Van Leeuwen, which uses just six simple ingredients.
If you want to perfect your ice cream making, start with the basics. Nailing a timeless vanilla may sound boring, but it is the flavour that will never go out of favour and a freezer staple you will reach for again and again as the perfect scoop with summer pies, crumbles, and tarts. We also love it on its own with a shot of espresso, or a drizzle of really good extra virgin olive oil. Trust us, it’s delicious.
Your garden may be bearing fruit about now and this toothsome raspberry cheesecake ice cream is the perfect choice for a glut of raspberries (or you could try this raspberry cordial recipe). The tangy cream cheese and tart raspberries stop it from being overly sweet, yet it remains super creamy. Top with crushed amaretti biscuits for bit of added crunch.
Two other ingredients you may soonhave in abundance in your garden – blueberries and basil – happen to go together beautifully in this easy, frozen yoghurt recipe. Thanks to the berries and the yoghurt it has a pleasingly tart tang to it. Lighter than traditional ice creams, the added basil gives a fresh, summery note. Perfect with meringue and fresh berries as a seasonal summer pud.
If you’re dairy-intolerant or vegan, this could be the scoop for you. With just one ingredient – the humble – you can whip up a sweet, sugar-free, creamy frozen dessert. You can freeze the bananas ahead of time and whip up a batch whenever you’re in the mood. Once you’ve mastered the basics, throw in any additions that take your fancy, from chopped nuts to dark chocolate chunks. Quick, simple and gives you that ‘ice cream’ fix – minus the dairy.
One-Step No Churn Coffee Ice Cream
www.nigella.comThis recipe couldn't be simpler, double cream, condensed milk and some espress coffee powder, all whipped together and then popped into the freezer for six hours. It is so good and even better as affogato with espresso poured over it in a glass. However, use this recipe as a launch pad to make other easy ice creams, just swapping out the coffee for another flavour.
Malted Milk Ice Cream
www.judes.comWe've tried malted milk ice cream in the past and it was when David Lebovitz's newsletter dropped into our inbox recently mentioning this frozen delight, we felt the need to make it ourselves. Malted milk brings back memories of childhood, it's ultra comforting and sweet to boot, with that malty earthiness in the background. We've found this recipe for you to try via Judes, with the addition of crushed Maltesers and a dark chocolate sauce, what's not to love about that?
However, we've tried our own riff on malted milk ice cream, using Ovaltine (rather than Horlicks), toasting the powder as David Lebovitz suggests and then adding it to whipped cream and condensed milk, as per Nigella's no-churn coffee ice cream. Put in an ice cream maker or freeze and the end results will be silky smooth. It is very very sweet and may be using egg yolks and cream, instead of condensed milk, would dial down the sugar levels. We will try this method and let you know.
Frozen Hugo Spritz
On The Rocks with RachOK, this is not stritcly an ice cream nor even a sorbet but it's damn delicious when the sun is bearing down on you. It's crisp, citrusy, bubbly and perfect for cooling down. This frozen cocktail is a mixture of elderflowery St Germain, lime juice, soda water, prosecco, mint and ice, with some slivers of cucumber thrown in for good measure. Did anyone notice, we forgot to mention gin?
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
www.epicurious.comThe perfect foil to dark bitter chocolate or aromatic pistachio, salted caramel has been the new kid on the block in the ice cream world in recent years. We love the balance of sweet and salty flavours in this classic custard method recipe from Brooklyn based artisan ice-cream emporium, Van Leeuwen, which uses just six simple ingredients.
Classic Vanilla Ice Cream
www.bbcgoodfood.comIf you want to perfect your ice cream making, start with the basics. Nailing a timeless vanilla may sound boring, but it is the flavour that will never go out of favour and a freezer staple you will reach for again and again as the perfect scoop with summer pies, crumbles, and tarts. We also love it on its own with a shot of espresso, or a drizzle of really good extra virgin olive oil. Trust us, it’s delicious.
Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
www.countryliving.comYour garden may be bearing fruit about now and this toothsome raspberry cheesecake ice cream is the perfect choice for a glut of raspberries (or you could try this raspberry cordial recipe). The tangy cream cheese and tart raspberries stop it from being overly sweet, yet it remains super creamy. Top with crushed amaretti biscuits for bit of added crunch.
Blueberry And Basil Frozen Yoghurt
www.countryliving.comTwo other ingredients you may soonhave in abundance in your garden – blueberries and basil – happen to go together beautifully in this easy, frozen yoghurt recipe. Thanks to the berries and the yoghurt it has a pleasingly tart tang to it. Lighter than traditional ice creams, the added basil gives a fresh, summery note. Perfect with meringue and fresh berries as a seasonal summer pud.
Vegan Banana Ice Cream
www.epicurious.comIf you’re dairy-intolerant or vegan, this could be the scoop for you. With just one ingredient – the humble – you can whip up a sweet, sugar-free, creamy frozen dessert. You can freeze the bananas ahead of time and whip up a batch whenever you’re in the mood. Once you’ve mastered the basics, throw in any additions that take your fancy, from chopped nuts to dark chocolate chunks. Quick, simple and gives you that ‘ice cream’ fix – minus the dairy.
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Lydia Mansi
Lifestyle Editor
Lydia is an all-round lifestyle guru, tireless champion of women in business and our resident expert on beauty.
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