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Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Homemade peach ice cream with fragrant peach chunks and a pale golden custard, churned for a creamy scoop. Peach custard is cooked to 175°F, strained, blended, then cooled and churned until churned peach ice cream texture forms.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chill + freeze 4 hours 24 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 54 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 330
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Peaches
  • 3 cup fresh peaches Peeled and diced (about 4 peaches); divide into chunky pieces and puree after blending 2 cups.
Sugar
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar Divided: 1/4 cup for macerating peaches and remaining 1/2 cup for egg yolks.
Acid
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
Dairy
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
Egg base
  • 4 egg yolks
Flavorings
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Macerate and prep the peaches
  1. Toss the diced fresh peaches with 1/4 cup granulated sugar and lemon juice, then let sit 30 minutes to macerate. Cover if possible so the juices pool and the fruit softens.
  2. Blend 2 cups of the macerated peach mixture until smooth, then set it aside and leave the remaining peaches chunky. The visual cue should be a smooth pale peach puree with leftover pieces visible.
Cook the peach custard base
  1. Heat the heavy cream and whole milk in a Dutch oven until steaming but not boiling. Keep heat at medium so the edges start to steam and small bubbles form around the rim.
  2. Whisk the 4 egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar until thickened and smooth. Stop when the mixture turns lighter in color and ribbons off the whisk.
  3. Whisk the steaming dairy slowly into the egg yolks to temper them. Pour in a thin steady stream while whisking to prevent scrambling.
  4. Return the mixture to the Dutch oven and cook to 175°F, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes. The custard should coat the back of a spoon and hold a clear line when you run a finger through it.
  5. Strain the custard and whisk in vanilla extract, cinnamon, and the blended peach puree. Stir just until combined so the color becomes pale golden and creamy.
Chill, churn, and freeze
  1. Cool the custard completely using an ice bath, stirring occasionally, for about 4 hours total chilling time. The surface should feel cool to the touch and the custard should thicken slightly as it chills.
  2. Refrigerate the custard at least 2 hours after cooling, until very cold. The visual cue is a chilled, thick pourable custard with no warmth when you touch the container.
  3. Churn in an ice cream maker until thick and the texture looks like soft-serve. In the last 5 minutes, add the reserved chunky peaches so you see visible pieces throughout.
  4. Freeze at least 2 hours until scoopable. The ice cream should become firm enough to scoop cleanly without melting fast.

Notes

For best texture, cook the custard only until it reaches 175°F and stir constantly so it stays smooth when strained. Store covered in the freezer up to 2–3 weeks. Freezing is yes—scooping may soften slightly on the counter. For a lactose-light option, use lactose-free whole milk and lactose-free cream while keeping the same cooking temperature.