This black cherry ice cream gets flavor and color from sweet, dark cherries. Use any variety of fresh sweet cherries or frozen dark cherries to make this ice cream.
Summertime Cherry Flavor Anytime
Use this recipe to make sweet cherry ice cream anytime. Use fresh produce in the summer when cherries are plentiful or use frozen ones to enjoy it any time of the year. Pitt and freeze leftover fresh cherries to enjoy in this recipe whenever you have an abundance of cherries that might go to waste.
Types of Cherries
Use any type of dark, sweet cherries in this recipe. Although “black cherries” is a generic term for any dark cherry, there are different varieties including:
- Bing
- Chelan
- Stella
- Sweetheart
- Black Tartarian
- Lambert
- Tulare
Bing cherries are one of the sweetest and best-known cherries. They have a dark color and heart shape. Many Bing cherries are grown in the drier regions of the Northwest Pacific of the U.S. because they can form cracks from rain in wetter areas.
Ingredients for Black Cherry Ice Cream
There are only a few ingredients needed for this ice cream:
- sweet cherries
- sugar
- whipping cream
- whole milk
- vanilla
- salt
You will also need an ice cream freezer. If you use a smaller countertop maker, you will have leftover ice cream mix that you can store in the refrigerator for a few days or until you are ready to make ice cream again.
Preparing the Cherries for Black Cherry Ice Cream
Cut the cherries in half to use them for this recipe. Or, if you prefer smaller pieces, chop them by hand or in a food processor. Add sugar to them and let them sit while the ice cream is churning. This is called macerating, a technique to draw out the liquid and soften the fruit. In turn, the drawn-out fruit juice will color the ice cream, and add flavor.
When to Add the Cherries
Let the ice cream churn and then add the cherries after it is partially frozen. This will keep the cherries from sinking to the bottom of the freezer and clumping together.
Milk and Cream for Black Cherry Ice Cream
Use whole milk and whipping cream in this recipe. Avoid reduced fat or skim milk because they will not make delicious ice cream like cream and whole milk.
Other Ice Cream Recipes You Might Like
Click on each name or photo to link to the recipe.
Black Cherry Ice Cream
Equipment
- ice cream freezer
Ingredients
- 1 β cups granulated sugar
- ΒΌ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups whipping cream
- 2 β cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh black cherries, pitted and halved
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Stir together 1 2/3 cups of sugar, salt, whipping cream, milk, and vanilla. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Place the mixture in an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- While the ice cream is freezing, wash, pit, and cut in half the cherries. Place them in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir to coat with sugar and let sit.
- When the ice cream has thickened but not fully frozen, add the cherries. Then continue churning the ice cream until frozen.