Peppermint Ice Cream

Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream is some of the creamiest ice cream I have ever made and for the record, it is worlds away from the mint-flavored ice creams you can find in a store.

Pure peppermint deliciousness from start to finish without even a hint of a chemical or mass-produced flavor.

Peppermint Ice Cream is surprisingly light, sweet, and minty. I think I dipped a spoon into the freezer container about 15 times the first time I made this and I’m not even a huge fan of peppermint!

This is a spectacular combination of winter flavors and summer refreshment. I’ve been making this ice cream year-round for over ten years now.

Peppermint Ice Cream

I’m trying, I really am, but there aren’t even words to describe how fantastic this ice cream is. It’s incredibly creamy and loaded with peppermint candy cane flavor.

If you hang out with me on Instagram, you may remember that this ice cream blew my mind the first time I made it. I’m still so impressed with this ice cream, I’ve made countless batches just to share my excitement with friends.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Peppermint Ice Cream Recipe

1. Place the candy and milk in a food processor or blender and pulse until the candy is broken down and mostly dissolved into the milk.
2. Pour the milk and candy mixture into a bowl and add the cream, sugar, vanilla, peppermint extract, and salt. Whisk to combine. Pour into your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
3. Serve immediately for soft serve ice cream or transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm.

Cooking Tip: Learn from my mistake and be careful to use PURE Peppermint Extract, read the ingredients, and make sure you have only peppermint in the extract.

I accidentally bought a Pure “Mint” Extract once and it wound up being a blend of spearmint and peppermint. Lovely fragrance, but unfortunately, it left my chocolate bark tasting like a pack of chewing gum.

With over 160 ice cream recipes here to choose from, there’s sure to be an ice cream for everyone! If you’re new to making ice cream, the best and easiest vanilla ice cream is a great place to start.

These are my favorite inexpensive containers for storing ice cream. They’re perfect for gifting (who doesn’t love homemade ice cream?) storage, re-using, etc. I write the flavors on the lids with a sharpie and it washes off with dish soap.

I have more ice cream scoops than I can keep track of at this point and I definitely play favorites. This ice cream scoop does the best job ever of cutting through firm ice cream and still delivers a pretty scoop. It gets bonus points for being one of the least expensive scoops I own as well.

Don’t miss our Ice Cream Maker Review for all the information you need to find the BEST Ice Cream Maker for your needs. Spoiler alert – our top-rated machine under $50 just might surprise you. It sure surprised me!

Peppermint Stick Ice Cream

Creamy candy cane ice cream sprinkled throughout with candy cane pieces is perfect with a brownie or topped with chocolate.

Peppermint mocha ice cream is another great way to enjoy your favorite Christmas flavors in a cold and creamy bowl of ice cream. As evidenced by the different variations of peppermint ice cream, we love peppermint in many different combinations. 

Creamy dark chocolate peppermint fudge is topped with crushed candy canes for a wonderful Christmas treat. For a showstopper of a dessert, this is an intense chocolate cake with a hint of peppermint flavor in each bite. Drizzled with a light peppermint glaze and sprinkled with crushed candy canes, I love how festive this chocolate candy cane cake looks with barely any effort.

{originally published 12/10/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 2/3/23}