Making the perfect Peach Ice Cream From Scratch is not as technical as it may seem. A few simple ingredients you’d expect to see in ice cream, a bit of patience and, of course, an ice cream maker are all you need. With peaches in abundance where I live, close to Winona, Ontario, the peach capital of Canada, I thought it would be an excellent recipe to share as part of my In Season Series.
The In Season Series is my way of sharing recipes that celebrate ingredients when they are at their best and most readily available. While peach ice cream is not a traditional Caribbean recipe, peaches are an ingredient I enjoy working with during their season, and I wanted to show you what I do with them in my kitchen here on CaribbeanPot.com.
This Peach Ice Cream From Scratch also brings back memories of family gatherings. At least once a month, Dad would make ice cream for us on his hand-crank ice cream maker when the family gathered. My siblings and I grew up eating his Traditional Coconut Ice Cream, and those memories are a big part of why homemade ice cream still holds a special place for me.
If you are looking for a more traditional Caribbean ice cream, I also have Simple Soursop Ice Cream, Rum and Raisin Ice Cream, Homemade Coconut Mango Ice Cream, and that Traditional Coconut Ice Cream my siblings and I grew up eating.
Ingredient Guide
Peaches Fresh ripe peaches provide the main fruit flavour, natural sweetness, colour, and texture for this ice cream.
Lemon juice Lemon juice adds acidity that brightens the flavour of the peaches and balances their sweetness.
Sugar Sugar sweetens both the peaches and the custard while contributing to the texture of the finished ice cream.
Heavy cream Heavy cream provides richness and gives the ice cream its creamy body.
Milk Milk balances the richness of the cream and forms part of the custard base.
Salt Salt helps balance the sweetness and allows the peach flavour to stand out.
Egg yolks Egg yolks create the rich custard base and contribute to the smooth texture of the ice cream.
Vanilla Vanilla adds warmth and rounds out the flavour of the peach custard.
Shopping Made Easy
• Choose peaches that are fragrant and give slightly when gently pressed, as ripe fruit will provide the best peach flavour.
• Fresh peaches are my first choice for this recipe, especially when local peaches are in season.
• If you cannot find good fresh ripe peaches, canned peaches are an option. Look for canned peaches packed in syrup or juice, but pay attention to the label because the amount of added sugar can vary.
• Heavy cream and milk are available at most standard grocery stores.
• If you are shopping at a Caribbean market, you should still be able to find the dairy ingredients needed for the custard, although fresh peaches may be more seasonal depending on where you live.
Cooking Notes from the Kitchen
• The fresh peaches are macerated with sugar and lemon juice for 3-4 hours. This draws out their natural juices and gives you the peach syrup used in the custard.
• Give the reserved peach solids a good crush with a fork or use a stick blender to break them down before adding them to the churned ice cream.
• Tempering the egg yolks is an important part of making the custard. Adding the warm milk mixture gradually helps prevent the eggs from scrambling when they are returned to the pot.
• Keep the custard at a gentle simmer rather than cooking it aggressively. It will thicken naturally and should coat the back of a spoon when ready.
• The ice cream will have a soft-serve texture when it comes out of the machine. A couple of hours in the freezer will allow it to firm up.
• If using canned peaches, drain the peaches first rather than treating them exactly like fresh peaches. Canned peaches have already been processed and softened, so they do not need the 3-4 hour maceration used for the fresh fruit.
• Canned peaches packed in syrup are already sweetened. Because of this, do not assume that the full amount of sugar in the original recipe will give you the same result. The amount of sugar needed will depend on how sweet the canned peaches and syrup are.
• Canned peaches also do not create the same fresh peach syrup produced by macerating fresh peaches. This means the canned version should be treated as an adaptation of the fresh-peach recipe rather than an identical substitution.
• I would taste the canned peaches before using them so you know how sweet they are. This is particularly important when using peaches packed in heavy syrup.
Peach Ice Cream From Scratch
Ingredients
- 4 large peaches peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar divided
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Put the washed, peeled and chopped peaches in a bowl. Mix in 1/3 cup of sugar and the lemon juice. Mix well to combine and allow the peaches to macerate for about 3-4 hours, mixing at least once during this time.
- Strain and separate the peach syrup from the solids. Give the peach solids a further crush with a fork or pulse with a stick blender.
- In a pot over medium heat, add the milk, cream, 1/3 cup of sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer.
- Whisk the 4 egg yolks with the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar, then add 3 tablespoons of the warm milk mixture while whisking. Add a bit more and continue whisking. This step is called tempering the eggs, so when you add them to the pot they will not scramble.
- Add the eggs to the pot and whisk. Turn the heat down to low and cook at a very gentle simmer for 4-6 minutes.
- It will thicken naturally. Once the custard can coat the back of a spoon, turn off the stove.
- Add the peach syrup and vanilla and whisk. If you want to strain the custard at this point, you can.
- Chill until cold.
- Pour the peach custard into your ice cream maker and follow the instructions for use.
- In my case, I allowed the machine to run for about 20 minutes, until it became somewhat firm. Add the reserved peach solids and continue until it is firm. In my case, this took another 5 minutes.
- The peach ice cream will now have the texture of soft-serve ice cream. Pour it into a freezer-proof container with a lid and place it in the freezer to set for a couple of hours.
- More Peach RecipesIf you make this Peach Ice Cream, leave me a comment and let me know how you personalized it. I always enjoy hearing how you make these recipes your own, whether you added a little more peach, changed the texture, or simply made it for a family gathering.And if you are a fan of peaches, be sure to check out my Peach Chow, Peach Chutney, Habanero Peach Chicken Wing Sauce, and Glazed Grilled Peaches. For something refreshing, my Mango Peach Strawberry Lemonade is also a fan favourite.