With 4 million+ views and counting since 2017 and hundreds of 5 star reviews, this is the best homemade peach ice cream recipe on the internet! Nothing says summer like creamy Homemade Peach Ice Cream made in an ice cream maker with simple ingredients like heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, eggs, and fresh, ripe peaches. The sweet taste of peaches and cream shine in this summertime favorite.
Table of Contents
- Why this Recipe Makes the Best Peach Ice Cream
- Equipment Needed
- Peach Ice Cream Ingredients
- How to Make Peach Ice Cream in an Ice Cream Maker
- Recipe FAQ's
- Recipe Tips
- More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes
- More Favorites from House of Nash Eats
- Best Peach Ice Cream Recipe with Fresh Peaches Recipe
- More States I Have Visited in my American Eats Series
Every summer when the peaches come on, we make all of our peach favorites, like Fresh Peach Cobbler and Peach Pie. We even grill peaches and serve them with vanilla ice cream for a quick and easy treat. But we always make sure to churn at least one or two batches of this old-fashioned homemade peach ice cream.
This fresh peach ice cream recipe is loaded with real peach flavor from 2 full cups of fresh peaches. It's homemade peach ice cream at it's best - indulgent and sweet and churned right at home, just like I remember from my childhood. I included it in my collection of recipes from Georgia ("The Peach State") in my American Eats series, where I'm visiting recipes and flavors that each state is well-known for, one at a time.
We love making homemade ice cream, especially flavors that you can't always find at the grocery store. Be sure to try our Lemon Ice Cream, Maple Walnut Ice Cream, or Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream next!
Why this Recipe Makes the Best Peach Ice Cream
- Cooked or uncooked. You can either make a custard base or skip cooking and just use two whole pasteurized eggs in the ice cream base while will also give a wonderfully rich, creamy ice cream. Both are delicious.
- Real, fresh peach flavor. There are no artificial extracts or syrups used to achieve the peach flavor here, so the pure, natural taste of fresh peaches and cream really is the star of this ice cream recipe.
Equipment Needed
- Ice Cream Maker: I have a1 ½-quart Cuisinart ice cream maker that came with an extra freezer bowl so you can make two batch of ice cream without having to refreeze a bowl in between. It's nice to not have to worry about dealing with rock salt and ice like when I was growing up and we would actually hand-crank the ice cream maker to churn ice cream in the summer at my grandparents' house.
- Freezer-safe containers: A bread pan is the perfect size for a batch of ice cream, but you can also purchase ice cream-specific containers online or at kitchen specialty stores. Thesewhite pint-sized ice cream containersare so cute and you can write on them in sharpie.
Don't forget to stick the freezer bowl from your ice cream maker into the freezer the night before you want to churn a batch of ice cream so it has at least 12-18 hours to get completely frozen.
Peach Ice Cream Ingredients
This is a quick overview of some of the important ingredients you'll need for this homemade peach ice cream recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Peaches: We prefer using fresh peaches in this recipe for the best flavor, but unsweetened frozen peaches will work almost just as well. I don't recommend using canned peaches.
- Dairy: I like using a combination of heavy cream and whole milk for the smoothest mouthfeel and rich, creamy results.
- Egg yolks: This is a cooked custard ice cream base, which has the best texture and flavor, but you could leave the eggs out entirely for a Philadelphia-style ice cream that doesn't require any cooking.
- Lemon juice: This keeps the flavors and natural coloring of the peach ice cream nice and bright without giving a lemony taste.
How to Make Peach Ice Cream in an Ice Cream Maker
- Peel peaches the easy way. When you are ready to make the ice cream, peel the peaches by dunking them into a large pot of boiling water for 15-30 seconds, then immediately transfer them to an ice water bath. The skins should slide right off!
- Mix peaches and sugar. Slice the peaches and place them in a large bowl with the lemon juice and half of the sugar. This will help soften the peaches and draw out their juices (a process known as maceration). Let them sit for 30 minutes, then mash really well with a potato masher or fork. We like small bits of peach in the ice cream, but not large chunks, which will freeze icy and hard if they are too large. You could also just stick the peaches in the blender and blend.
- Strain and reserve peach juice. Strain the mashed peaches through a fine mesh strainer for adding the peach juices to the ice cream base, reserving the peach solids for later.
- Heat milk, cream, and sugar. While the peaches sit, make the ice cream base by heating the milk and cream with sugar and salt in a large saucepan over medium-low to medium heat just until steaming, stirring occasionally.
- Whisk egg yolks. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl until they lighten in color.
- Combine. Temper the egg yolks by whisking 1 cup of the hot liquid into the beaten sugar and yolks to gradually warm them up before adding them into the pan of hot liquid on the stovetop.
- Thicken. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. I like to use a digital thermometer to watch for the custard to reach 170 to 175°F to know when it's ready.
- Add flavoring. Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved peach juices and vanilla extract.
- Chill completely. This can be done faster by placing the saucepan of peach ice cream base in an ice water bath in a larger pan and stirring occasionally to speed up the process. Or you can just let the base chill in the fridge for 4 hours until completely cold.
- Churn. Once the ice cream base has cooled completely, transfer it to an ice cream maker and churn for 20-30 minute until it is thick, has increased in volume, and is the consistency of soft-serve.
- Add fresh peaches. Add the reserved peach pulp to the ice cream during the last minute or two of churning so that it can mix evenly into the ice cream.
- Freeze. Transfer the soft peach ice cream into a freezer-safe container, then stick it in the freezer for 4-6 hours to harden completely so that it is scoopable and firm. This process is known as "curing" the ice cream.
PRO TIP: Because this is a fruit-based ice cream made with real peach juice and fruit has more water content to it naturally, it tends to freeze on the hard side, so I find it best to let it sit out at room temperature for 10 minutes before scooping so it can soften slightly.
Recipe FAQ's
Do I have to cook the custard base?
In many old-fashioned ice cream recipes, the eggs are just whisked into the sugar and then added to the milk and cream without heating any of it before churning. If you wanted to skip the cooking steps, you could use two whole pasteurized eggs instead of the egg yolks and take this approach and it would be safe to eat. Or you could just leave out the eggs entirely for a Philadelphia-style ice cream.
How long is homemade ice cream good for?
This homemade peach ice cream will be good for about 1-2 weeks stored in the freezer. It doesn't last quite as long as the store bought kinds because there are no preservatives or added ingredients to keep it from crystallizing.
Can I make this with half-and-half?
Regular whipping cream, half-and-half, or lower fat milk may be used, but because they don't have the same fat content as heavy cream, the peach ice cream won't be as creamy and will freezer harder.
Recipe Tips
- Use a 1.5- to 2-quart ice cream maker: The smaller size ice cream maker barely fits the full batch, but I can usually get away with it without overflowing the base. If you only have a 1-quart ice cream maker you will need to churn the base in batches.
- Avoiding scrambled eggs: By adding the hot liquid slowly to the whisk egg yolks, this helps prevent them from scrambling. If your liquid is boiling or you cook the base too long after adding the eggs, this can occur.
- Chunks of fruit: It's tempting to leave large chunks of peach in the ice cream, but they freeze into little peach ice cubes, so it's best to mash them pretty fine for the smoothest results.
- Mix-ins: This ice cream base is delicious on it's own, but if you wanted to add mix-ins you might consider something like chopped Golden Oreo cookies, small chunks of blondies or yellow cake, or a broken up graham cracker crust from the store.
- Ice cream sandwiches: Make ice cream sandwiches with my favoritegingerbread cookiesor molasses cookies. Peach + Gingerbread = Heaven.
- Turn it into a milkshake: Use this ice cream instead of vanilla ice cream to make a Copycat Chick-Fil-A Peach Milkshake!
More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes
- Rhubarb Crumble Ice Cream
- Burnt Almond Fudge Ice Cream
- Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream
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Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
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PrintPinRate
Best Peach Ice Cream Recipe with Fresh Peaches
4.80 from 345 votes
Amy Nash
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 8 minutes mins
Additional Time 4 hours hrs
Total Time 4 hours hrs 38 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine Southern
Servings 6 servings
This homemade peach ice cream recipe in an ice cream maker is the most popular ice cream recipe on my website for good reason. It's an old-fashioned peach ice cream recipe made with fresh peaches for real peach flavor and a perfectly sweetened custard base made from simple ingredients like heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, and egg yolks. The sweet taste of peaches and cream shine in this summertime favorite!
Ingredients
- 3 medium peaches, peeled and sliced (about 2 cups)
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Peel and slice peaches, then toss in a large bowl with ½ cup of the sugar (if doubling the recipe make sure to double this sugar amount to 1 cup) and lemon juice to combine. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour, until the peaches are soft and have released their juices to create a syrupy liquid.
Once the peaches have released their juices, mash them with a fork or potato masher until only very small chunks of peach remain. You don't want large, individual pieces of peach in your ice cream or they will freeze very hard. Strain the juice into a separate bowl, reserving both the liquid and the mashed peaches and refrigerating until ready to use.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, another ½ cup of the sugar, and the salt. Heat over medium-low heat until hot, but not bubbling.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining ¼ cup of sugar, until light in color, about two minutes.
While whisking, slowly pour in ½ cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk and sugar mixture to temper the eggs before adding them to the custard base. Slowly add another ½ cup of hot cream, whisking the entire time.
Pour the tempered egg yolks into the saucepan with the rest of the custard base and stir gently with a wooden spoon for 2-4 minutes, or until the temperature is between 170-175 and the mixture is just thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
Strain the custard base through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl, then stir in liquid from the mashed peaches and refrigerate for 4 hours, until thoroughly chilled.
Pour peach ice cream base into ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions, until it looks like soft-serve ice cream, about 25-30 minutes. Add the reserved mashed peaches during the last 30 seconds or so of the churning process, then transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze at least 4-6 hours to ripen.
Video
Notes
- No-cook version: Alternatively, if you are intimidated by a custard-base ice cream, you could just use 2 whole eggs instead of 5 egg yolks and skip the process of heating the cream, milk and sugar then tempering the eggs. Just follow the steps of the recipe with the peaches, sugar, and lemon juice, then to make the ice cream base, just whisk the 2 whole eggs really well in a large bowl before slowly adding the sugar while whisking. Stir in the cream, milk, vanilla and peach juices, then continue with the recipe as written to churn and freeze.
- Storage: This homemade peach ice cream will be good for about 1-2 weeks stored in the freezer. It doesn't last quite as long as the store bought kinds because there are no preservatives or added ingredients to keep it from crystallizing.
- Use a 1.5- to 2-quart ice cream maker: The smaller size ice cream maker barely fits the full batch, but I can usually get away with it without overflowing the base. If you only have a 1-quart ice cream maker you will need to churn the base in batches.
- Avoiding scrambled eggs: By adding the hot liquid slowly to the whisk egg yolks, this helps prevent them from scrambling. If your liquid is boiling or you cook the base too long after adding the eggs, this can occur.
- Chunks of fruit: It's tempting to leave large chunks of peach in the ice cream, but they freeze into little peach ice cubes, so it's best to mash them pretty fine for the smoothest results.
- Mix-ins: This ice cream base is delicious on it's own, but if you wanted to add mix-ins you might consider something like chopped Golden Oreo cookies, small chunks of blondies or yellow cake, or a broken up graham cracker crust from the store.
- Ice cream sandwiches: Make ice cream sandwiches with my favoritegingerbread cookiesor molasses cookies. Peach + Gingerbread = Heaven.
Nutrition
Calories: 481kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 241mg | Sodium: 153mg | Potassium: 285mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 1422IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @HouseOfNashEats or tag #houseofnasheats!
This post was originally published in July, 2017. The photos and content were updated in February, 2022.
More States I Have Visited in my American Eats Series
Alabama• Alaska• Arizona• Arkansas• California• Colorado• Connecticut• Delaware• Florida• Georgia• Hawaii• Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa• Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana• Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • New Jersey • New York • Oregon • Puerto Rico • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • Utah • Wisconsin
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About the author
Hi, I'm Amy
I enjoy exploring the world through food, culture, and travel and sharing the adventure with mostly from-scratch, family friendly recipes that I think of as modern comfort cooking.
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