Black Cherry Ice Cream made from four everyday ingredients. A soft and creamy no-churn ice cream loaded with swirls of sweet fresh cherries - every mouthful is heavenly.
Follow my recipe and discover how quick and easy black cherry ice cream is to make at home.
Before I made this recipe it had never occurred to me how simple it is to pull together homemade no-churn ice cream.
I've toyed with the idea of buying an ice cream maker but as we're distinctly lacking in freezer space and don't really have a spare cupboard to fit the bulk of one in, I decided against it.
If I'm honest I need another baking/cooking/kitchen appliance like I need a hole in the head.
My husband is still reeling after my juicer and pasta maker phase so adding an ice cream maker to my kitchen arsenal would have taken up valuable kitchen real estate and was not on the cards!
I can't really speak for how good ice cream is when it's made in an ice cream maker because I don't believe I've ever tried it.
However, when it got really hot a few weeks back and ice cream was on my mind I remembered that my mum made it when we were kids and I couldn't recall her using any fancy equipment.
HOW DO I MAKE ICE CREAM WITHOUT AN ICE CREAM MAKER
"How do you make ice cream, mum?" I asked her, "well it's just condensed milk and double cream really, plus whatever flavouring you want to use"
SOLD!
Now, apparently using an ice cream maker such as the Cuisinart results in smoother, creamier ice cream.
We'll see about that...
I've discovered there are quite a few methods of making ice cream by hand if you don't have space for an ice cream maker.
Some methods involve very complicated-sounding ice in a bag with salt combinations, while others suggest the only way to produce decent ice cream is to use an ice bath and then stir it every 30 minutes as it's freezing.
This feels like a lot of hard work just for ice cream so I went with mixing the ingredients using my KitchenAid stand mixer, plonking them in a baking loaf tin, bunging it in the freezer and hoping for the best.
And do you know what?
My ice cream turned out to be SUPER smooth and creamy. I honestly can't see how a machine or constant stirring would have got it any smoother.
Sometimes simplicity just works.
I had an enormous amount of cherries from my mother in law's black cherry tree. After making a couple of cherry pies (lush!) I thought I'd give a black cherry ice cream a try, so that's how this recipe was born.
You're going to want to try this recipe because...
- Cherries are in season right now which makes them cheap
- This ice cream is smooth, soft and creamy
- It makes a great stand-alone dessert or add a scoop to homemade brownies or warm pie (yummy)
- Cherries are full of antioxidants so this is basically good for you...;-)
- It's really quick and simple to make
- There's something so fun about making your own ice cream
- This recipe is no churn - you don't need an ice cream maker, hurrah!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BLACK CHERRY ICE CREAM
Black Cherries - mine came from my mother in law's black cherry tree but I've seen lots of cheap cherries in the supermarkets and fruit and veg shops at this time of year. You don't necessarily need the black cherry variety for this ice cream but do choose the darkest cherries you can find as those will be the sweetest.
Caster Sugar - I added a little caster sugar (superfine sugar - US) when I reduced the black cherries down to a sauce. Perform a taste test and add caster sugar a tablespoon at a time if your cherries are a little tart. Granulated sugar is a good alternative if you don't have caster.
Condensed Milk - I used the brand Carnation but any condensed milk brand will work fine.
Double Cream - Use double cream (heavy or whipping cream - US) as single cream won't whip.
BLACK CHERRY ICE CREAM VARIATIONS
There is definite scope to add variety to this recipe.
- Black Cherry Ice Cream With Chocolate Chips - Fold in a handful of chocolate chips after whisking the double cream and condensed milk.
- Black Cherry Ice Cream Ben & Jerry's - For a Ben & Jerry's copy cat version, instead of passing the cherries through a sieve reduce them down for 5 minutes (so the cherries aren't completely broken down) then add them whole into the double cream and condensed milk mixture.
WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES TO BLACK CHERRY ICE CREAM?
Black cherry ice cream not your thing? Here are some alternative ice cream recipes you might like to try instead.
- Classic Vanilla Ice Cream - BBC Good Food
- Honeycomb Ice Cream - Great British Chefs
- Strawberry Ice Cream - Nigella Lawson
- Chocolate Ice Cream - Jamie Oliver
- Mint Choc Chip Ice Cream - Delicious
HOW TO MAKE BLACK CHERRY ICE CREAM
I have found the easiest way to pit cherries is by using my thumbs. I break the cherries in half and then remove the stone by hand. You could use a cherry pitter ( but who has one of those?!) or a pairing knife but I prefer to use the tools God gave me.
Yes, you will end up with black cherry stained hands but it washes off so...who cares? As long as your hands are clean then this is the easiest way.
Once pitted, add the cherries to a small saucepan with the caster sugar. Keep the heat really low and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cook the cherries for around 10 minutes until they've really broken down and all the juices have been released.
When they've reduced, pour the cherries into a sieve placed over a small bowl. Use the back of a spoon to push the cherries through the sieve. Set aside the reduced cherries for later and discard whatever is leftover in the sieve.
Using a handheld electric whisk or stand mixer, whisk the double cream until it's really thick (about 3-4 minutes) You can do this by hand but it will take longer. Slowly add the condensed milk and whisk until fully incorporated. The mixture will be thick, smooth and creamy.
Add half the reduced cherries into the creamy mixture and mix well. The cherries will turn the mixture into a nice shade of pink.
Swirl in half of the reduced cherries. I do this by adding blobs of cherry on top of the ice cream mixture and swirling with the end of a knife.
Repeat with the remaining ice cream mixture and reduced cherries then transfer to a 2lb loaf tin (or similar).
Cover tightly with cling film and freeze until the ice cream is your desired consistency.
BLACK CHERRY ICE CREAM TOP TIPS
- Remember to use the darkest cherries you can find as these will be the sweetest and tastiest.
- You can substitute frozen cherries for fresh if cherries are out of season. Be mindful that frozen will be more watery so make sure you thoroughly reduce the cherries down to a thick sauce.
- For soft serve, remove the ice cream from the freezer 30 minutes prior to serving (this will also make it much easier to scoop)
MORE SWEET TREAT RECIPES TO TEMPT YOU
- Vegan Cherry Fudge
- Chocolate Tart With Cherries
- Salted Caramel Milkshake
- Summer Berry Pavlova
- Lemon Possets
If you make this recipe, I’d love to know how it went, I would really appreciate it if you could rate the recipe below and leave me a comment. Thank you!
Black Cherry Ice Cream
A homemade Black Cherry Ice Cream recipe that's no-churn. Just 4 everyday ingredients needed to make this delicious ice cream.
Ingredients
- 400 g cherries, (4 cups)
- 60 g caster sugar
- 397 g condensed milk
- 400 ml double cream
Instructions
- Pit the cherries and add them to a small saucepan with the caster sugar, heat on low until the sugar has dissolved, the cherries have broken down and the juices have been released (about 10 minutes).
- Set a sieve over a small bowl and pour over the reduced cherries. Use the back of a spoon to push the cherries through the sieve.
- Using a handheld whisk or stand mixer whisk the double cream until very thick. (3-4 minutes) You can do this by hand but it will take longer. When the cream is very thick, slowly add the condensed milk and whisk until fully incorporated, creamy and smooth.
- Add half the reduced cherries to the creamy ice cream mixture and mix well - the mixture will turn pink.
- Swirl through half of the remaining reduced cherries.
- Repeat by adding the remaining ice cream mixture and reduced cherries, transfer to a 2lb loaf tin (or similar).
- Cover tightly with cling film and freeze until the ice cream is your desired consistency.
Notes
Using these quantities will fill a 2lb loaf tin which translates to approx 1.7 litres of ice cream.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 262Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 10gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 55mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 27gProtein: 4g
Lou | Crumbs and Corkscrews
This is a stunning ice cream, and I love the colour and the swirl from the black cherries, and it's so easy to make too!
Amy Treasure
Unbelievably easy! Thank you!
Janice Pattie
I love cherries and your ice cream looks just divine.
Amy Treasure
Thank you!
Diana
Super disappointed that this recipe has you sieving and then discarding much of the fruit.... the entire thing should be added to the ice cream mixture, fruit included.
Amy Treasure
Diana, this is a recipe for a smooth and creamy ice cream with the taste of black cherries but no bits. Much like some people prefer smooth orange juice over juice with all the bits - it's personal preference but of course, I'm sure you have the good sense to adapt if it doesn't suit you. You are welcome to add the fruit in if you want to so no need to feel disappointed! All the best, Amy.
Wendy
Husband absolutely loves this ice cream !! So easy to make too. Thank you
Amy Treasure
I'm so pleased to read this!
Paula
I trawled the internet this evening to find a cherry ice cream recipe, and this looks brilliant - can't wait to try it out over the weekend. Thanks for sharing it!
Getting those pesky cherry stones out if you bought an olive stoner ages ago, never used it and can't find it...*blush* - using a knife and fingers is one way, but I've got some sturdy reusable drinking straws, and it's relatively easy to stick one through the stalk end of the cherry to push the stone out. Not for a tree load of cherries, but great for a bit of ice cream and/or a cherry cake. x