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Peaches and Cream Ice Cream

Peaches and cream ice cream is a classic summer peach frozen dessert with a creamy custard base and both blended peach puree and chunky fresh peach swirls. This homemade peach ice cream uses a cooked custard (to 175°F), then chilling, churning, and final freezing for a scoopable texture.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Peach mixture
  • 3 cup fresh ripe peaches Peeled and diced; reserve some for chunky pieces.
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar Use for macerating the peaches.
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice Helps draw out juices and brighten flavor.
Ice cream base
  • 2 cup heavy cream Heated to combine with milk for the custard.
  • 1 cup whole milk Heated with heavy cream until steaming.
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar Used in the egg yolks.
  • 4 egg yolks Beaten with sugar to form custard.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract Stir in after straining the custard.
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon Stir in after straining the custard.
  • 0.25 tsp salt Stir in after straining the custard.

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 whisk
  • 1 strainer
  • 1 stovetop

Method
 

Macerate and prep the peaches
  1. Toss the diced fresh ripe peaches with 1/4 cup granulated sugar and lemon juice, then let sit for 30 minutes to macerate. The fruit should look juicier as it releases liquid.
  2. Blend 2 cups of the macerated peaches until smooth, then set aside the remaining peaches as a chunky portion. You should see a thick, pastel-gold puree with some visible peach bits remaining for later.
Cook the custard base
  1. Heat heavy cream and whole milk over medium heat until steaming. Do not boil; small steam bubbles should form around the edges.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar until the mixture looks smoother and slightly lighter. It should ribbon off the whisk more easily.
  3. Slowly whisk the steaming cream mixture into the egg yolks in a thin stream. Keep whisking continuously to prevent curdling.
  4. Cook the custard, stirring, until it reaches 175°F. The custard should coat the back of a spoon and hold a light line when you draw a finger through it.
  5. Strain the custard, then stir in vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. The base should look evenly colored with no egg bits.
  6. Cool the custard completely, then refrigerate for 4 hours. It should feel cold all the way through before churning.
Churn and freeze
  1. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker until thickened. The mixture should resemble soft-serve with visible peach swirl potential.
  2. Fold in the chunky peach pieces during the last 5 minutes of churning. The peach pieces should stay intact and suspended through the pale base.
  3. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm. The ice cream should scoop cleanly after it sets.

Notes

For the smoothest custard, keep the heat gentle and cook only until 175°F, then strain right away. Refrigerate any leftovers up to 7 days; freeze for up to 2 months (best texture within 1 month). For a dairy-light option, use half-and-half in place of whole milk and replace 1 cup of heavy cream with additional half-and-half, noting the texture will be slightly softer.