Blackberry Ice Cream

This blackberry ice cream recipe makes a sweet, creamy treat that is full of fresh blackberry flavor. Summer just got a new favorite treat… homemade blackberry ice cream!

This blackberry ice cream recipe is the perfect way to turn the berries into a rich, and smooth treat. It works with fresh or frozen berries, so you can make it any time you want to.

We are huge fans of homemade ice cream. We have tried so many different flavors over the years.

Despite being spoiled with all that goodness, there is one ice cream that people still talk about years after we had it the first time. That is this blackberry ice cream.

Part of its appeal is it’s deep berry flavor and it such pretty color too.  I think the fact that we only make it once a year makes it especially appealing as well.

My husband is one of those (crazy!) people who could do without sweets. In most instances he would just assume have another helping of meat than save any room for dessert.

He is also one of those  (even more crazy!) people who’s appetite is directly linked to his activity output for the day and therefore maintains a pretty darn steady weight all of the time. But that’s a complaint for another day!

One of the few desserts that he is almost guaranteed to save room for is MiMi’s homemade ice cream. She gets in trouble if she doesn’t give fair warning before dinner that there will be ice cream on the other side.  

He needs to know ahead of time to save room for a giant bowlful. That goes doubly for this blackberry ice cream, he talks about it more than he does any other food except for maybe tacos.

Our Blackberry Patch

I know I’ve said it before, but our little berry patch produces the biggest berries I’ve ever seen and we tend to get berries a little earlier than everyone else too.

I don’t know if it’s the variety (they’re thornless canes) or the fact that they are against a brick wall and get some radiant heat.  Maybe it’s a little bit of both.

Either way, we’ve had a chance to eat our fill. We’ve had them in a blackberry pie and I’ve made a blackberry crisp.

Plus there are two gallons of berries in the freezer for this winter. I love baking with them, but turning on the oven will sound a lot more pleasant a few months down the road!

If you aren’t so lucky, you could buy fresh or frozen blackberries. You could also mix in other berries if you would like.

Raspberries would be delicious, or you could even use some blueberries. Really any mixture would be good.

The Process

This ice cream is really pretty simple to make. Just cook down the berries with some sugar and lemon juice.

You don’t want to cook it too much, as that may change the color. However, you do want the berries to give up their juice.

You also want to completely dissolve all of the sugar into that juice. Once the sugar is dissolved and the berries are softened, you can remove the seeds.

Little Dude loves using a food mill for this. You can also use a mesh sieve and the back of a spoon.

It’s ok if the juice isn’t perfectly smooth. However, you do want to get as much juice from the berries as possible.

That is where you are going to get your flavor and color. So you want to get as much out as possible.

Once the juice is extracted, chill it for a while. This will help to freeze the ice cream in a more efficient manner.

Stir in heavy cream and half and half, then pour into your ice cream machine. Churn according to your machine’s directions.

When the ice cream is done churning, scoop it into your storage container and freeze for several hours. Then it is ready to scoop and serve.

Tips and Tricks

This recipe avoids using eggs so you don’t have to worry about buying pasteurized eggs or rolling the dice with standard eggs. It combines half and half, and heavy cream to still give you a great scoopable texture without the eggs.

If you don’t have half and half, you can use 3/4 cup whole milk and an extra 3/4 cup heavy cream.

Play with different berries. You can use all of one kind, or you can mix and match berries.

Frozen berries actually release their juice really easily. So, you don’t have to cook them much to get lots of good juice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes homemade ice cream creamy?

Most recipes use eggs to help keep the ice cream smooth and creamy, it acts as an emulsifier. This recipe uses the fat in the cream to keep the ice cream smooth and creamy.

What color is blackberry ice cream?

The final color of your blackberry ice cream will depend on the color of the berries you use and the final quantity of juice. However, the ice cream should be a vibrant purple color that almost leans towards fuscia.

More Great Berry Treats

If you like frozen berry desserts, you may like homemade strawberry sherbet. It is super simple to make an has a great fruity flavor.

Or for a dairy free treat, try making strawberry orange sorbet. It has a great texture without any cream or milk.

Maybe you are in the mood for some frosting, then blueberry buttercream is the thing for you. It is really good with lemon cakes, cookies, and whoopie pies.