Every summer when the peaches come on, we make all of our peach favorites, like Fresh Peach Cobbler and Peach Pie. We even grill peaches and serve them with vanilla ice cream for a quick and easy treat. But we always make sure to churn at least one or two batches of this old-fashioned homemade peach ice cream. This fresh peach ice cream recipe is loaded with real peach flavor from 2 full cups of fresh peaches. It’s homemade peach ice cream at it’s best – indulgent and sweet and churned right at home, just like I remember from my childhood. I included it in my collection of recipes from Georgia (“The Peach State”) in my American Eats series, where I’m visiting recipes and flavors that each state is well-known for, one at a time. We love making homemade ice cream, especially flavors that you can’t always find at the grocery store. Be sure to try our Lemon Ice Cream, Maple Walnut Ice Cream, or Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream next!
Why this Recipe Makes the Best Peach Ice Cream
Cooked or uncooked. You can either make a custard base or skip cooking and just use two whole pasteurized eggs in the ice cream base while will also give a wonderfully rich, creamy ice cream. Both are delicious. Real, fresh peach flavor. There are no artificial extracts or syrups used to achieve the peach flavor here, so the pure, natural taste of fresh peaches and cream really is the star of this ice cream recipe.
Equipment Needed
Ice Cream Maker: I have a 1 1/2-quart Cuisinart ice cream maker that came with an extra freezer bowl so you can make two batch of ice cream without having to refreeze a bowl in between. It’s nice to not have to worry about dealing with rock salt and ice like when I was growing up and we would actually hand-crank the ice cream maker to churn ice cream in the summer at my grandparents’ house. Freezer-safe containers: A bread pan is the perfect size for a batch of ice cream, but you can also purchase ice cream-specific containers online or at kitchen specialty stores. These white pint-sized ice cream containers are so cute and you can write on them in sharpie.
Peach Ice Cream Ingredients
This is a quick overview of some of the important ingredients you’ll need for this homemade peach ice cream recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Peaches: We prefer using fresh peaches in this recipe for the best flavor, but unsweetened frozen peaches will work almost just as well. I don’t recommend using canned peaches. Dairy: I like using a combination of heavy cream and whole milk for the smoothest mouthfeel and rich, creamy results. Egg yolks: This is a cooked custard ice cream base, which has the best texture and flavor, but you could leave the eggs out entirely for a Philadelphia-style ice cream that doesn’t require any cooking. Lemon juice: This keeps the flavors and natural coloring of the peach ice cream nice and bright without giving a lemony taste.
How to Make Peach Ice Cream in an Ice Cream Maker
Recipe Tips
Use a 1.5- to 2-quart ice cream maker: The smaller size ice cream maker barely fits the full batch, but I can usually get away with it without overflowing the base. If you only have a 1-quart ice cream maker you will need to churn the base in batches. Avoiding scrambled eggs: By adding the hot liquid slowly to the whisk egg yolks, this helps prevent them from scrambling. If your liquid is boiling or you cook the base too long after adding the eggs, this can occur. Chunks of fruit: It’s tempting to leave large chunks of peach in the ice cream, but they freeze into little peach ice cubes, so it’s best to mash them pretty fine for the smoothest results. Mix-ins: This ice cream base is delicious on it’s own, but if you wanted to add mix-ins you might consider something like chopped Golden Oreo cookies, small chunks of blondies or yellow cake, or a broken up graham cracker crust from the store. Ice cream sandwiches: Make ice cream sandwiches with my favorite gingerbread cookies or molasses cookies. Peach + Gingerbread = Heaven. Turn it into a milkshake: Use this ice cream instead of vanilla ice cream to make a Copycat Chick-Fil-A Peach Milkshake!
More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes
Rhubarb Crumble Ice Cream Burnt Almond Fudge Ice Cream Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream Toasted Almond Ice Cream
More Favorites from House of Nash Eats
This post was originally published in July, 2017. The photos and content were updated in February, 2022.
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More States I Have Visited in my American Eats Series
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • New Jersey • New York • Oregon • Puerto Rico • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • Utah • Wisconsin
