This sweet and slightly tart cherry ice cream is made with just a handful of easy ingredients. No custard base, no eggs, no cooking time, just a quick whirl in the blender with sweet cream, sugar, and cherries. Fresh, sweet cherries are one of my favorite fruits, but the hassle of removing the pits, combined with their limited availability makes their frozen counterparts perfect for this quick and easy ice cream recipe.
Homemade Ice Cream is the perfect dessert for any occasion and as any of my friends will attest, I’ll use any possible excuse to make a fresh batch. My favorite homemade ice creams are the ones that require very little effort on my part. At least half of the reason I love making my own ice cream is because it is often easier than a trip to the grocery store. Stir together the cream and sugar along with whatever flavors you are craving and just pour it into the machine.
Cherry Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 16 ounces frozen sweet cherries about 3 cups worth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional - Chocolate Swirl Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in the blender. Puree until completely smooth. Serve immediately for soft serve ice cream or pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.
- For the optional chocolate swirl: Place the chocolate and the oil in a small glass dish and microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power. Stir and Repeat. Microwave an additional 15 seconds at 50% power, if needed. Stir until fully melted. When the ice cream finishes churning, transfer it to a freezer safe container. Quickly drizzle about half of the chocolate across the top, swirl it lightly into the ice cream, and repeat with the remaining chocolate. Cover and freeze until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
ONE YEAR AGO: Parsley and Pickles Potato Salad
TWO YEARS AGO: Roasted Garlic and Bacon Guacamole
THREE YEARS AGO: Cheesy Five Bean Chili Nachos
FOUR YEARS AGO: Sweet and Tangy Crock-Pot Pulled Pork
http://cookazido.wordpress.com says
This really looks incredible! It is all flavors my family loves. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. Pinning to try this summer!
Joshua Hampton says
This ice cream looks like it's made of win. Cherry with chocolate swirls, oh yeah.
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
Very nice Mary! I bet it tastes pretty great on these hot almost-summer days.
Velva says
Oh man, this would be heaven.
Velva
Jennifer O. says
I'm an instant gratification kind of girl, so any ice cream that doesn't have a custard base that needs to be made and cooled is my kind of recipe!
Joan Hayes says
Mary, I love how simple this is! I love cherries, and this looks like the perfect way to enjoy them this summer. YUM!
Darlene says
OMG! This is soooo good! I doubled the recipe and I used some pitted frozen cherries (quartered)from grandma’s tree. I used half the cream and the other half was fat free half and half, and I used fat free milk because that is all I had and it is so amazing! Blew away the peach ice cream we had a couple weeks ago! Super easy too!
Elena says
Very tasty, thank you!
Skyler says
I like but I recommend putting a whole container of cream and skip the salt. Also you only need a cup of cherries. It’s better to use fresh cherries rather than frozen.
Mary Younkin says
Isn’t it fun to adapt different recipes to best suit our tastes?
Glenda says
This tastes amazing! I put it in the ice cream freezer and it turned out great. Next time, I think I’ll just throw in a handful of mini-chocolate chips rather than doing the swirl. Definitely one I’ll do again. Thank you!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you love the ice cream, Glenda!
Lucia says
I never want to not have this ice cream in my freezer – it’s unbelievable! I added some halfed cherries and a cup of yogurt to feel like I’m eating a “healthier” dessert, and two tablespoons of amaretto. This recipe is the best!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you’re enjoying the ice cream, Lucia.
Terry Downs says
Incredibly easy and turned out perfect. Great flavor!!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you liked it, Terry.
Rose says
The recipe says to puree until smooth, but your photo shows chunks of cherries. Am I missing something here?
Mary Younkin says
The photo actually shows the optional chunks of chocolate, Rose. Happy ice cream making!
Kate says
I”m new to ice cream making… I’m on my 4th batch with a new machine and the results are fantastic so far! Would you recommend thawing the cherries before puree or blending frozen? Thanks!
Mary Younkin says
I’d probably let them thaw a little bit at room temp, but then just puree them.
MWild says
Thank you for sharing these fabulous recipes. The Orange-Chocolate and cherry ice creams are out of this world! So easy too. We all love Barefeetinthe kitchen.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so very happy to hear this! Enjoy the ice cream.
Hannah says
Great recipe, thanks for sharing! Love how easy it is- when I think “cool refreshing homemade treat”, the prep work of cooking and using eggs isn’t what I have in mind. It doesn’t have cups of sugar to mask the natural fruit sweetness, the cherries give a ton of flavor. I have also made using coconut milk instead of cream/milk for a dairy-free version, the cherries did a nice job of balancing the coconut flavor- even those who loved the dairy version couldn’t resist the coconut milk option. If you’ve gotten as far as reading reviews- make the recipe, you know you want to try it!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you liked the recipe, Hannah.
Jessica says
I’m going to try this tonight but with fresh cherries… any adjustments to make versus frozen?
Mary Younkin says
It should work perfectly with pitted, fresh cherries, Jessica. Enjoy!