Raspberry Ice Cream – Texanerin Baking

This raspberry ice cream is rich and creamy with a bold raspberry flavor, thanks to homemade raspberry preserves that are cooked down and folded into the custard base.

This is a great dessert if you want something a little more special for Valentine’s Day without baking. Served on its own with fresh raspberries or alongside something chocolatey like my chocolate cake, it feels festive but still unfussy. You could also pair it with bars such as the raspberry oat bars I just posted for a make-ahead dessert spread that doesn’t require last-minute work.

Nobody in my family was very excited when I said I’d be making raspberry ice cream. Raspberry just didn’t sound like a showstopper to anyone, and expectations were… low.

We were all very wrong. I ended up making this ice cream more than six times in about two weeks (each time a half batch), and every single batch was met with serious enthusiasm.

By week three, when there was no raspberry ice cream in the freezer, I was asked when the next batch would be coming. 😄 It’s now both my and my son’s favorite ice cream recipe.

Source

The base is adapted from David Lebovitz’s vanilla ice cream in The Perfect Scoop, which I use as the starting point for all of my traditional churned ice cream recipes.

My first test involved simply stirring homemade raspberry preserves into the base, but that made the ice cream too light. To fix that, I reduced the milk by 1/4 cup (177 ml) in each subsequent test, which gave it a noticeably creamier texture.

I also reduced the egg yolks from five to four. I tested both versions and couldn’t tell a meaningful difference, so I stuck with four.

Finally, because the preserves add a significant amount of sweetness, I reduced the sugar in the base by 1/4 cup (50 grams) to keep the ice cream balanced rather than overly sweet.

Ingredients

Please scroll down for the full recipe. These are just some notes on select ingredients.

• Raspberries – fresh or frozen both work well for the preserves, and frozen don’t need to be thawed first.
• Egg yolks – these create the custard base and give the ice cream its smooth texture. There aren’t any subs for these, and they can’t be omitted.
• Heavy cream – a higher cream-to-milk ratio ensures a rich, velvety texture that stays scoopable directly from the freezer. If you prefer a lighter, less indulgent ice cream, you can swap the proportions to 3/4 cup (177 ml) milk and 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) heavy cream. However, keep in mind that this version will be slightly icier and firmer. You’ll likely need to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before you can easily scoop it.

How to Make It

This ice cream has two main components: the raspberry preserves and the custard base.

The preserves are cooked briefly until thickened, then set aside to cool. They don’t need to be fully chilled before being added to the base, just not hot.

The ice cream base is a classic stovetop custard. Egg yolks, sugar, cream, and salt are gently cooked until thickened, then combined with the preserves, remaining cream, milk, and vanilla.

The mixture is strained, thoroughly chilled, and churned until it reaches a soft-serve consistency before freezing.

After a longer freeze, the ice cream firms up nicely but stays easy to scoop. It doesn’t get rock hard like so many homemade ice cream recipes!

This scoopable texture is something I aim for in all of my ice cream recipes. Icy, hard ice cream makes me incredibly sad.

how to Store

If you’re planning Valentine’s Day dessert, you can make this ice cream weeks in advance and focus on baked treats like my heart-shaped brownies or chocolate heart cake closer to the day.

Although it’ll be safe to eat for many months after making, the quality of homemade ice cream drops off a cliff much faster than store-bought brands. This is because home freezers aren’t as cold as industrial ones, and homemade recipes usually lack the stabilizers (like guar gum or carrageenan) that prevent ice crystals from growing.

It’s normally recommended to store homemade ice cream in a freezer-safe container with a tight-fitting lid for up to 2 weeks for best texture. Pressing a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface helps prevent ice crystals.

However, I kept the last batch around for a month, and there weren’t any ice crystals yet. And I didn’t even use the plastic wrap.

One thing I did do was to use a flat container. Flat, wide containers help the ice cream freeze faster and more evenly than deep tubs, which reduces the time ice crystals have to grow during the initial freeze.

You also never want to store ice cream in the freezer door. Every time you open the door, the temperature fluctuates. Keep it in the very back, where the temp is most stable.

Are preserves necessary?

If you just added raspberries to a vanilla recipe (even my beloved French Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe), you’d end up with hard, icy chunks of frozen berries rather than smooth raspberry ice cream.

The same goes for pureeing fresh raspberries and dumping them in. Fresh fruit is full of water, which is the enemy of creamy ice cream. It leads to a grainy, icy texture.

By cooking the berries down, you’re removing that excess water and concentrating the flavor. If you want that deep, authentic raspberry taste without the ice crystals, this is the way to do it!

Can I use store-bought preserves?

The first issue is that you’d need 1 3/4 cups (261 grams). That sounds super expensive.

The second challenge is the variable sweetness of preserves. Since store-bought versions are often sweeter than homemade, I recommend reducing the sugar in your base by 1/4 cup (50 grams) initially.

Taste the base after removing it from the heat, adding more sugar only if needed. Your liquid base should actually taste slightly too sweet; once churned and frozen, the sweetness will mellow significantly.

This happens because cold temperatures numb your taste buds, while churning incorporates air that dilutes the sugar concentration. Additionally, the freezing process allows milk fats to coat the tongue, creating a barrier that further masks the sugar’s impact.

Also, I cooked the preserves down quite a bit. The one time I didn’t, the ice cream was much, much lighter in color. Like a very light pink rather than a bright pink.

That’s what you see above. And that’s what your ice cream will look with like store-bought preserves.

But it’ll be just as delicious!

Raspberry Ice Cream

Servings 8

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 16 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Homemade raspberry ice cream with quick and easy preserves and a rich custard base. Extra creamy, easy to scoop, and packed with fresh raspberry flavor.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Make the preserves:

• Place a small plate in the freezer before you start cooking.

• To a 1-quart or larger saucepan (the larger the surface area, the less time you’ll need to cook them), add the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice.

  12 ounces (340 grams) fresh or frozen raspberries, 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring frequently. Turn the heat to the lowest you can to keep it at a full boil. Let boil for about 8-10 minutes, turning the heat down if needed toward the end to prevent the berries from burning, until it’s thickened a bit more than regular preserves. It’s better to cook the mixture too long rather than too short. The longer it cooks, the more condensed the flavor (and brighter the color) will be. You can cook the preserves until they’re almost paste-like, and it’ll still be fine (I did this a few times). It’ll continue to thicken as it cools. My mixture reached 212 °F (100 °C) after about 5 minutes and wouldn’t go above that, no matter how long I boiled. Preserves are said to set at 220 °F (104.5 °C), but I couldn’t get it that high (even on the previous attempts where I used more sugar).

• When you think the preserves are ready, drop a small spoonful onto the cold plate and let it sit for a minute. Push it with your finger – if it wrinkles and holds its shape, then it’s done.

• When it’s done, stir in the vanilla extract.

  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Remove the saucepan to a wire rack to cool while you prepare the ice cream base. It doesn’t need to cool completely before mixing into the custard base.

• If making in advance, transfer into a clean jar and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Make the ice cream base:

• Prepare your ice cream bowl according to the manufacturer’s instructions by chilling it for 24 hours beforehand or however long is recommended. If you have the option to change the freezer’s temperature, it should be at least -18 °C or -.4 °F. If you can get it even colder, that’s even better.

• To a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 1 cup heavy cream (ignore that it says 2 cups below – that’s a technical issue I can’t fix), sugar, egg yolks and salt. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it coats the back of the spoon and registers about 170 °F (77 °C) on an instant-read thermometer. This will take about 4-7 minutes. Be careful not to boil the mixture. The coagulation temperature is about 180 °F (82 °C), so keep an eye on it. One time I made this, my mixture had some tiny eggy bits, but they were removed when straining later on.

  2 cups (473 ml) heavy cream, divided, 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, 4 (72 grams) large egg yolks, 1/8 teaspoon salt

• Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and milk.

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup (60 ml) whole milk

• Mix in the raspberry preserves and the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream.

• Set a fine-mesh sieve over the mixing bowl and strain the ice cream through the sieve.

• Let come to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate the mixture for 8 hours or overnight so that it’s thoroughly chilled. I actually only chilled it for 3-4 hours, and it was definitely enough, but 8 hours is safer.

• Pour into the totally frozen ice cream bowl and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream will be like soft serve straight from the machine.

• Transfer the churned ice cream to a shallow, freezer-safe container. A wide, flat container helps the ice cream freeze faster and more evenly, preventing large ice crystals from forming. Press a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper directly onto the surface to prevent freezer burn, then cover with a lid. Store in the back of the freezer, where the temperature is most stable. While safe for months, it is best enjoyed within 2 weeks for the creamiest texture.

• If you don’t want to make your own preserves, you can use 1 3/4 (261 grams) cups of store-bought. Your ice cream will likely be a very light pink if doing that.
• If you don’t want your ice cream to be really rich, you can do 3/4 cup (177 ml) milk and 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) heavy cream. Your ice cream won’t be nearly as creamy, will be icier, and won’t be as easy to scoop from the freezer. It might need to sit a few minutes at room temp first.
• You can eat the ice cream straight after churning, but it’ll be very soft. If you use a shallow container for freezing, your ice cream will likely be firm after only 4 hours of freezing. If you use something deep like a loaf pan, then 8 hours is a safer bet. 
• Base adapted quite a bit from David Lebovitz’s vanilla ice cream in The Perfect Scoop.
• The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator. The values were calculated with 1/2 cup (100 grams) per serving.
• Ice cream will yield around 740-800 grams. 1 cup weighs 200 grams, so you’ll have about 4 cups.

Serving: 0.5 cupCalories: 383.3kcalCarbohydrates: 38.6gProtein: 5.2gFat: 24.2gSaturated Fat: 14.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 6.3gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 150mgSodium: 87.4mgPotassium: 166.2mgFiber: 2.8gSugar: 35.4gVitamin A: 1019.9IUVitamin C: 12.2mgCalcium: 72.1mgIron: 0.8mgNet Carbs: 36