It seems unfair to allocate huckleberry ice cream exclusively to Montana when huckleberries are also a big thing in other states like Idaho (where it’s actually the official state fruit) and Oregon, so I’m including it in all three states for my American Eats series where I highlight foods that each state is famous for. We recently spent a couple of weeks in Montana and everywhere we drove there were signed for huckleberry smoothies or huckleberry milkshakes. You can even find locally-made huckleberry ice cream at the grocery store and at famous Montana ice cream shops like Sweet Peaks Ice Cream. But it’s not a flavor that is easily found elsewhere in America! So what’s a California girl who has discovered a huckleberry obsession gonna do when I can’t get my huckleberry ice cream fix back at home? Make it myself, of course. If you find yourself with some huckleberries, let this ice cream be the first thing you make! But then be sure to come back for my huckleberry pie, huckleberry cheesecake, and huckleberry lemonade as well!
What does huckleberry ice cream taste like?
Huckleberries are sweet and tart, although they can lean more in either direction depending on when and where they were picked. They are similar to blueberries, but so much more with a bigger, more in-your-face flavor that also has a bit of a floral element to it. When we store fresh huckleberries in the fridge and open the door, you immediately catch their wonderfully fruity scent, which isn’t something that I have ever experienced with blueberries. Huckleberry ice cream has all the same flavor notes of fresh huckleberries, just in a creamy, sweet base! Not only are fresh (or frozen) huckleberries cooked down into a jam with sugar to be added to the base, but I like to throw in some whole huckleberries as well for good measure. Tillamook and a few other ice cream makers make a huckleberry ice cream, although the Tillamook version is a vanilla base with a huckleberry swirl. If you want to try that approach, just make my blackberry swirl ice cream and replace the blackberries with huckleberries instead.
Optional Mix-Ins
We saw (and tried!) a number of variations on huckleberry ice cream while we were visiting Montana, so I wanted to try a batch with some mix-ins. I churned in small chunks of homemade brownie to the ice cream just towards the end of churning and layered the huckleberry ice cream with cooled fudge sauce. You don’t want to put hot fudge into just-churned ice cream until it has had a chance to cool all the way down to at least room temperature. The end result was awesome and if you love huckleberries and chocolate then definitely add this version to your list! Try adding one or two of these elements to this huckleberry ice cream recipe to create your own delicious new flavor!
Chunks (add these right at the end of churning your ice cream)
Small pieces of homemade brownies Broken up Oreo or Golden Oreo cookies Crumble bits from my rhubarb crumble ice cream Small chunks of white or dark chocolate (a la Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food and other flavors) Pieces of graham cracker crust or even just a baked pie crust Tiny balls of edible cookie dough
Swirls (layer these with your ice cream in a storage container)
Hot fudge sauce (remember to let it cool to at least room temperature first) Marshmallow sauce (or just buy a jar of marshmallow cream and use that) Huckleberry jam (if you can’t get enough huckleberry, might as well have intense stripes of huckleberry jam in your ice cream!) Cookie butter (I think cookie butter and berries are a majorly overlooked flavor combo) Peanut butter sauce (like a PB&J ice cream only huckleberry style!)
Recipe Ingredients
Heavy cream & milk: Getting ultra creamy, premium ice cream is really a matter of balancing out the butterfat content. I use a combination of heavy cream and milk for the best result. Huckleberries: There is nothing quite like fresh or frozen huckleberries, but you can make this ice cream using huckleberry jam instead by just decreasing the sugar in the recipe. I’ll include instructions in the notes section of the recipe for how to do this. Sugar: Granulated sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness to balance the tartness of the huckleberries. Egg yolks: Technically you could leave these out and skip cooking the base and still get excellent ice cream, but I like using egg yolks to make a custard base for a smoother, more scoopable, richer ice cream. Vanilla extract: You won’t actually taste the vanilla because huckleberry is the predominant flavor, but it rounds things out and boosts other flavors.
How to Make Huckleberry Ice Cream
Recipe Tips
Storage: This ice cream is best enjoyed within 1-2 weeks before ice crystals start to form. Be sure to keep it covered either with a lid or plastic wrap pressed against the surface of the ice cream. Homemade ice cream doesn’t last quite as long in the freezer as store-bought varieties because it is lacking preservatives to prevent against the growth of ice crystals. Be sure your ice cream base is cold: One of the biggest mistakes when making ice cream is getting impatient and not letting the base cool completely before churning it. Straining the custard base: Many recipes call for straining the custard base through a fine mesh sieve after cooking it to remove any possible bits of scrambled egg yolk in it. I have done that step numerous times and never once have I ever had scrambled egg in my base, so now I always just skip it.
More Ice Cream Recipes
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Southern Blackberry Cobbler Ice Cream Apple Pie Ice Cream Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
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 Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
