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Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Homemade peach ice cream with a creamy peach custard base and visible fresh peach chunks swirled through every churned scoop. Smooth blended peaches meet tender custard, then the ice cream is churned and frozen until scoopable.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Fresh peaches
  • 3 cup fresh peaches peeled and diced (about 4 peaches)
Granulated sugar
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar divided
Lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
Heavy cream
  • 2 cup heavy cream
Whole milk
  • 1 cup whole milk
Egg yolks
  • 4 egg yolks
Vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 whisk

Method
 

Macerate and prep the peaches
  1. Toss the diced peaches with 1/4 cup sugar and the lemon juice, then let them macerate for 30 minutes until juicy. Visual cue: the peaches should look glossy with syrup pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
  2. Blend 2 cups of the peach mixture smooth, then leave the remaining peaches chunky for folding later. Visual cue: the blended portion should be pale golden and pourable while the reserved portion keeps visible pieces.
Cook the peach custard
  1. Heat the heavy cream and whole milk just until steaming, not boiling. Visual cue: you should see small wisps of steam rising from the surface.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, then whisking constantly slowly pour in the hot cream mixture. Visual cue: the mixture should turn smooth and slightly lighter as you combine.
  3. Return the mixture to the heat and cook while stirring constantly to 175F. Visual cue: it should thicken into a custard that coats the back of a spoon.
  4. Strain the custard, then stir in vanilla, cinnamon, and the blended peach puree until fully incorporated. Visual cue: the custard turns a uniform peach-gold color with a fragrant, fruity aroma.
Chill and churn
  1. Cool the custard completely over an ice bath, stirring occasionally as it chills. Visual cue: the surface should cool quickly and look smooth, not steamy.
  2. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours. Visual cue: the custard should feel thoroughly chilled throughout.
  3. Churn in an ice cream maker, then add the chunky peach pieces in the last 5 minutes of churning. Visual cue: you should see fresh peach chunks dispersed throughout the developing ice cream.
  4. Freeze for at least 2 hours until scoopable. Visual cue: the ice cream should be firm enough to hold a scoop with clean edges.

Notes

Pro tip: strain the custard for the smoothest texture, then cool it fully before chilling so it thickens evenly. Store in the freezer in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. Freezing is yes. For a lighter option, use half-and-half in place of some of the heavy cream while keeping the custard cooking temperature the same.