For a dreamy combination of fresh peaches & yummy vanilla, homemade Peaches & Cream Ice Cream is the ultimate summer dessert. It's a sweet fruit treat that is cool, creamy, & delicious. It's so quick & easy to make, you will be churning some up all summer long.
This is the best peaches & cream ice cream recipe to make if you have a Cuisinart ice cream machine or a similar electric brand. It comes out perfect every time with the easy steps I share below. This frozen dessert is ideal for hot weather days & nights, BBQs/cookouts, birthdays, swim parties, & lazy vacation days when school is out.
This was inspired by my other fruit ice cream recipes also found on this site. It uses a base similar to my mango ice cream or plum ice cream recipes. The one difference is that the fruit is swirled in after the vanilla ice cream is done churning instead of all together at once.
Jump to:
- Ingredients for Peaches & Cream Ice Cream
- Peach Swirls vs Chunks
- Using an Ice Cream Maker
- How to Make Homemade Peaches & Cream Ice Cream
- How to Peel Peaches
- Churn the Ice Cream in the Machine
- Freezing the Ice Cream to Set
- Serving Ideas & Sundae Toppings
- Variations
- Equipment Needed
- Storing Homemade Ice Cream
- Top Tips
- FAQ
- Related
- Peaches and Cream Ice Cream
Ingredients for Peaches & Cream Ice Cream
All you need to make peaches & cream ice cream at home is 5 ingredients. The classic vanilla base & ripe peaches combine for a simple combination that no one can resist. Below are the items you will need to create the sweet peach swirl that goes into the vanilla ice cream.
This is a quick & easy recipe that gets churned in your ice cream maker. There is no cooking or custard needed for this Peaches & Cream Ice Cream. It is made without eggs or nuts & is gluten-free.
Just all-natural ingredients without any chemicals, fillers, or artificial sweeteners. Make sure to use full-fat cream & milk. Non-fat, fat-free, or low-fat dairy will make it gritty & icy instead of a velvety texture.
- Fresh Peaches - freestone varieties are easiest to cut & pit but use your favorite type or buy what is locally grown & ripe.
- Heavy Cream - for a decadently rich taste (do not substitute)
- Whole Milk - full-fat works best for a thick creamy texture (do not substitute)
- Sugar - granulated sugar for added sweetness to the puree & the ice cream base.
- Vanilla - the "cream" part of the recipe has a vanilla base.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Peach Swirls vs Chunks
The secret to the best peaches & cream ice cream is how you prepare them before mixing them. I made a similar recipe years ago where I simply diced up the fresh peeled & pitted peaches. The bits of peach were delicious but the frozen chunks were not pleasant on the teeth & a bit too intense - think brain freeze!
This recipe is so amazing because it is creamy with every bite. I use a blended combination of juicy summer peaches & sugar for a delicious swirl of flavor. The fresh peach puree is sweet & smooth. This is why this amazing recipe works & will be your favorite.
Using an Ice Cream Maker
The hardest part of this recipe is remembering to freeze the ice cream maker insert a day in advance. It needs to be solid & very cold so it is ready when you want to make ice cream. My Cuisinart insert takes 24 hours minimum to freeze for best results.
If you don't like planning ahead, buy one with a compressor like the highly rated 2-quart Whynter ice cream machine. Check out some of the best brands of ice cream makers to buy if you are in the market or want to upgrade. These are my recommended top picks from Amazon.
How to Make Homemade Peaches & Cream Ice Cream
The simple premise to making peaches & cream ice cream at home is two-fold. Begin by making a traditional vanilla ice cream & then gently fold & twirl in ribbons of blended peaches. It is all done in less than 30 minutes & ready to freeze to enjoy later.
How to Peel Peaches
The easiest way to prep peaches is to make sure you are using very ripe ones from the freestone variety. The flesh of freestone peaches releases from the pit with ease. And the skins will peel right off when they are completely ripe.
If the skins do not peel right off, the easiest way to peel peaches is by blanching. Begin by making a small shallow "X-shaped" cut in the skin of each peach at the end opposite the stem.
Bring a pot of water to boiling and then turn the heat down to simmer. Add each peach one by one to the hot water gently. Let it blanch for 30 seconds and use a slotted spoon to remove it and set it on a cutting board to cool. Repeat with each one and once all are cool, slide the skins off with your hands and/or with the help of a paper towel.
Blend peaches and ¼ cup sugar until smooth in a blender. It should be smooth. But it is ok if it is slightly chunky if that is what you prefer.
BEST SHORTCUT: this recipe is great for overripe peaches. Do not throw out soft or mushy peaches. They peel easily without even blanching and are ideal for use to make ice cream, milkshakes, or smoothies.
Churn the Ice Cream in the Machine
When making ice cream from scratch, begin by mixing together the base. Then you will want to get it as cold as possible before transferring it to an ice cream maker. Here are the next steps for making this recipe:
- In a large bowl combine & whisk together the milk, cream, vanilla, & ½ cup of sugar.
- Chill the vanilla mixture for 30 minutes in the freezer.
Assemble your ice cream maker & add the vanilla ice cream base to the machine while it is running.
Churn until it is ready, about the consistency of soft serve ice cream.
Now it is time to layer the ice cream & get it in the freezer to set it.
- Scoop ½ of the ice cream into a shallow container.
- Drizzle ½ of the peach puree over the ice cream & using a knife twirl it around back & forth to distribute evenly.
- Top with the remaining ice cream from the machine & swirl in the remaining peach mixture.
- Place a lid on your container - time to freeze it!
Freezing the Ice Cream to Set
Wondering how long you need to wait to enjoy a scoop? I know it is hard to wait, but homemade ice cream does take a few hours to set & become frozen enough to scoop.
Place the ice cream in the freezer for at least 3 hours. Once it is the frozen consistency you desire, scoop it into bowls on your favorite cone & enjoy.
Serving Ideas & Sundae Toppings
If you love this ice cream scooped plain in a bowl, you will love it even more with these fun ideas. Try a tasty sundae with over 50 topping ideas shared. For summer fun, buy or bake any of my favorite cookies for ice cream sandwiches.
The best things to pair with peaches & cream ice cream are listed below:
- Enjoy in a waffle or sugar cone.
- Drizzle caramel on top & some fresh whipped cream.
- Top with more fresh fruit like stewed pears or homemade peach sauce.
- Squish between 2 Homemade Snickerdoodle Cookies for an amazing sandwich.
- Top with crushed Old-fashioned Toffee pieces.
- Scoop it on top of Gluten-Free Apple Cobbler for an a la mode dessert.
Variations
This classic recipe is wonderful as written. Don't change a thing in this good old-fashioned peaches & cream ice cream recipe. But if you want to experiment with some fun substitutions or changes, here are a few ideas that work great.
- Chunky - if you like chunks, dice up some peaches and add them into the vanilla base as it churns, or mix them in before adding the puree
- Strawberry Peach - swirl in equal parts both of each strawberry & peach puree for a colorful & tasty combo.
If you like peaches & strawberries together, you may also like my recipe for Strawberry Peach Cobbler.
Equipment Needed
The right ingredients, supplies, & equipment help recipes taste amazing & turn out well. Here are recommendations for products that are needed for making this recipe. Shop this recipe & buy these top-rated items today.
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Storing Homemade Ice Cream
Keep the ice cream in the freezer for up to a month. Make sure to store it in a container with a tight-fitting lid to keep it from getting freezer burn if exposed to air.
Homemade ice cream tends to be dense & can crystalize over time. For best results, let the ice cream sit at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping.
Top Tips
All of these great tips are shared in the post. But these are so good and important they are worth mentioning again so you don't miss them.
- Make sure the insert for your ice cream maker is frozen & ready.
- Use only full-fat ingredients for a truly creamy texture.
- Use overripe freestone peaches if you can, the peel practically falls off - no need for blanching them first.
- Mix in the peach after churning the ice cream for ribbons of fruit for a vintage recipe with retro vibes.
- Freeze for a minimum of 3 hours so it can harden before serving.
- Store in the freezer for up to 30 days.
- Let the ice cream thaw at room temperature for a few minutes before serving if it is hard & solid.
FAQ
If you are craving this recipe when peaches are not in season, do not worry. As a substitute, use canned peaches for this recipe. But make sure you drain the syrup or liquid; otherwise, the puree will be too thin & overly sweet. If using frozen, thaw and drain any liquid also.
This recipe makes a little more than a quart. The Cuisinart 1.5-quart ice cream maker is ideal for a recipe of this size.
You can mash the peaches by hand using a potato masher. A hand blender/immersion blender will work too if you have one.
Related
Looking for other cold refrigerator or freezer dessert recipes? Try these:
Peaches and Cream Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups peaches pitted, peeled, & in chunks
- ¾ cup sugar divided
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Be sure your ice cream maker insert is frozen & ready to use.
- In a large bowl combine & whisk together the milk, cream, vanilla, & ½ cup of sugar.
- Chill the vanilla mixture for 30 minutes in the freezer.
- Assemble your ice cream maker & add the vanilla ice cream base to the machine while it is running. My Cuisinart 1.5qt machine took 15 minutes. Churn until it is ready, about the consistency of soft serve ice cream.
- While it is freezing in the ice cream maker, prep the peaches. Peel, pit, & cut up the fresh peaches into chunks.
- In a blender combine the peaches & ¼ cup of sugar; puree & set aside.
- Once the ice cream is ready, scoop ½ of the ice cream into a shallow container.
- Drizzle ½ of the peach puree over the ice cream & using a knife twirl it around back & forth to distribute evenly. Top with the remaining ice cream from the machine & swirl in the remaining peach mixture.
- Place a lid on the container and freeze for 3-4 hours.
- Once it is the frozen consistency you desire, scoop it into bowls on your favorite cone & enjoy.
- Store for up to 30 days in the freezer. Before serving the ice cream may need to be left out at room temperature for 5 minutes so it is soft & scoopable.
Notes
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 8 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 205 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 12.2g | 16% |
| Saturated Fat 7.5g | 37% |
| Cholesterol 44mg | 15% |
| Sodium 24mg | 1% |
| Total Carbohydrate 23.7g | 9% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.4g | 2% |
| Total Sugars 23.1g | |
| Protein 1.9g | |
| Vitamin D 28mcg | 139% |
| Calcium 54mg | 4% |
| Iron 0mg | 1% |
| Potassium 120mg | 3% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
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