How to make peach ice cream with just 5 ingredients (and a pinch of salt) for a fruity, fun, and creamy treat! This homemade peach ice cream recipe ditches dairy and eggs in place of coconut and cashews (no bananas in sight!) for super creamy vegan peach ice cream that’s impressive enough for dairy and non-dairy eaters alike!
Add all of the peaches in a large pan along with the sugar and a vanilla pod - first slice it in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and then optionally add the entire pod, too.
Heat the mixture over medium heat just for about 10-15 minutes to soften the fruit and dissolve the sugar. Then set aside to cool, removing the vanilla pod (it can be washed, dried, and re-used).
Step 2: Prepare the cashew cream
If you haven’t already, prepare the cashew cream. To do this, first, soak the cashew nuts. You can do this for 30 minutes in boiling water or several hours (or overnight) in room temperature water. I tend to do this the night before, so they’re ready to go.
Blend the soaked cashews with water (or the leftover liquid from the can of coconut milk after removing the thick cream).
Step 3: Blend the vegan peach ice cream Ingredients
Add all of the peach ice cream ingredients to your food blender and blend into a smooth puree. It will have a few small specs from the peach skins but should be nice and smooth.You can have a smoother mixture if you peel the peaches first, but the vegan peach ice cream color will be lighter.
When it’s fully blended, give the mixture a taste and adjust the sweetness.
Step 4: Freeze the peach ice cream
There are a couple of ways you can go about finishing off the peach ice cream.Ice tray method: pour the blended peach ice cream mixture into a silicone ice-cube tray (easier to remove) and transfer it to the freezer until solid. This will take several hours but can be left up to a day in the freezer.Large container method: this method is a little more hands-on as it required you to manually agitate (mix) the ice cream several times during the freezing process - as I did with this caramel ice cream.If you use the second method, then you can ignore the following steps.
Step 5: Blend the peach ice cream cubes
Transfer the frozen peach ice-cream cubes to your food processor and blend into a soft, smooth consistency.Serve immediately or, if it’s a little soft, place it in an ice-cream container in the freezer for a further 30-60 minutes and then top with your toppings of choice and enjoy!
How to Store
I recommend enjoying this homemade peach ice cream within two weeks for the best flavor, though it should be fine for up to one month. Make sure to store it tightly covered to avoid the formation of ice crystals.Remove it from the freezer for 5-10 minutes before serving to scoop it out more easily.
Notes
Keep the ratio: be careful with reducing and substituting ingredients in this peach ice cream recipe. The ratio used provides the best results, and I can’t guarantee super creamy results otherwise.
Adding alcohol: be careful when experimenting with adding alcohol, as alcohol lowers the freezing point of ice cream and will yield creamier results in the correct ratio, but prevent the peach ice cream from freezing at all if too much is used!
For even creamier, flavorful results: You can reduce the peach puree by ⅓-½ on the stovetop for a more concentrated flavor and less water content, i.e., creamier, richer homemade peach ice cream! If you plan on doing this, increase the amount of peaches (for example, use ⅓ extra if you plan to reduce by ⅓, so the final amount of puree is the same).
The peach skins: you can make this recipe with or without the peach skins. When using organic peaches, I always include the skin - it’s extra nutrients and color and barely noticeable since it gets blended so finely. Though, of course, there will still be a few ‘specks of it in the peach ice cream. The color of your ice cream will also vary based on the peaches used and if skins are included.
Chunky peach ice cream: if you want bigger chunks of peach in your ice cream, then hand mash a little of the peach pulp (skins not included) and fold it into the blended mixture.
Using roasted peaches: if you roast your peaches before blending them, you’ll end up with more caramelized depth to the flavor.
Optional add-ins and variations:There are several ways you can play around with this homemade peach ice cream recipe. For any spices/extracts, add them when blending (amounts will vary to personal preference). For any ‘crunchy’ bits, I recommend folding them into the blended ice cream before re-freezing/serving.
Cinnamon
Almond extract
Chili powder
Lime zest (and juice)
Toasted coconut
Crushed biscuits - like Graham crackers
Chocolate chips (dark, milk, white)
Crushed nuts (Pistachios, almonds, etc.)
Alcohol (like Peach schnapps or Bourbon)
Candied ginger
Other fruit (like raspberries, nectarines, pineapple, banana)
Dried fruit (raisins, dates, apricot)
Peaches and cream Ice-cream (I’d keep some of the coconut cashew creams to one side before mixing in the peaches. Then lightly fold it into the blended peach mixture, so the ice cream is swirled with the ‘cream’ mixture).
Read the blog post for more answers to top FAQs as well as serving and topping suggestions!