Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Is it a scorcher outside today?  Cool off with ice cream!  Celebrate peach season with a batch of this Homemade Peach Ice Cream!

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Is it a scorcher outside today?  Cool off with ice cream!  Celebrate peach season with a batch of this Homemade Peach Ice Cream!I’m a Southern boy living in upstate New York.  I definitely miss my Southern food, but for the most part I can find just about anything I need here.  (And for the rest, there’s Amazon!)  However, one of the things that I can’t find up here (even with Amazon) are my South Carolina freestone peaches.  Georgia might be the Peach State, but South Carolina grows tastier peaches.  Sorry, Georgia, but it’s true!  (Of course, I might be a bit partial here as I grew up spending childhood summers at my grandparents’ rambling house and yard in rural upstate South Carolina.)

Laura and I went back to Charleston, SC several years ago for a wedding, and I’m not kidding one bit when I say that my carry-on coming back was a bushel of peaches.  When in Rome…err, South Carolina…

Peaches

In addition to looking for South Carolina peaches, I’m quite partial to freestone peaches as well.  Freestone peaches (vs. clingstone peaches) are far easier to eat!  The stone can easily be removed with your fingers, so you don’t have to fight that stubborn stone.  I have fond memories of my grandfather pulling out his old, very worn pocket knife and slicing up a fresh peach on the tailgate of his old truck.  We’d each eat a peach and toss the stones to the side.  Yeah, like I said above, I might be partial to my South Carolina freestones!

Is it a scorcher outside today?  Cool off with ice cream!  Celebrate peach season with a batch of this Homemade Peach Ice Cream!One time since we’ve been up here, I stumbled upon freestone peaches in our local grocery store.  I stopped and looked at the stickers on those peaches, and I was absolutely stunned.  “Grown in South Carolina.”  We won’t talk about how many of those peaches I bought.  And we won’t talk about the fact that I went back 2 days later to buy more.  (Update: I recently discovered The Peach Brothers, and they deliver Southern peaches up here to New York each summer – awesome!  If you are in the northeast, check ’em out to see if they come through your area!)

Is it a scorcher outside today?  Cool off with ice cream!  Celebrate peach season with a batch of this Homemade Peach Ice Cream!Homemade Peach Ice Cream

I haven’t been so lucky with the freestone peaches yet this year, but I’ve got my eye out for sure!  I finally broke down and bought some “Southern” (who knows which state) clingstone peaches.  I ate a bunch of them, but I set a handful of those peaches aside to make this Homemade Peach Ice Cream.  This ice cream is perfect for hot summer days, and it certainly didn’t last long in our freezer!  (And this recipe makes quite a bit of ice cream!)

Is it a scorcher outside today?  Cool off with ice cream!  Celebrate peach season with a batch of this Homemade Peach Ice Cream!While I normally avoid kitchen uni-taskers, my ice cream maker is one that I can’t live without!  Sure, it only gets pulled out a few times each year, but it’s well worth the storage space in the back of the cabinet.  Ice cream makers really aren’t all that expensive.  (This one is highly rated, and it only runs about $40ish.)  If you don’t have one, I highly (highly!) recommend getting one.  And then I highly recommend making a batch of this Homemade Peach Ice Cream as soon as that ice cream maker arrives!  Cheers, friends!

Is it a scorcher outside today?  Cool off with ice cream!  Celebrate peach season with a batch of this Homemade Peach Ice Cream!Did you make a batch of this Homemade Peach Ice Cream at home?  Leave a comment.  Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog)!

Looking for other tasty ice cream recipes?  Check out these other favorites, too:

Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Chocolate Stout Ice Cream
Malted Milk Ice Cream
Pumpkin Ice Cream
Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream

Is it a scorcher outside today?  Cool off with ice cream!  Celebrate peach season with a batch of this Homemade Peach Ice Cream!

Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Is it a scorcher outside today?  Cool off with ice cream!  Celebrate peach season with a batch of this Homemade Peach Ice Cream!
5 from 10 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 12 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 20 servings
Calories: 239kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Using a large bowl, add chopped peaches, ½ cup of sugar and lemon juice; stir until well combined. Let peaches sit for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, pour half-and-half into a medium saucepan. Place over medium-low heat until it just begins to simmer.
  • Using a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 1 cup of sugar until well blended.
  • Gradually pour the heated half-and-half into the egg yolk mixture; whisking vigorously the entire time.
  • Transfer this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until custard thickens noticeably and coats a wooden spoon. (~4-6 minutes).
  • Meanwhile, using a separate bowl, whisk together the whipping cream and vanilla extract.
  • Once the custard mixture has thickened, remove from heat and add the whipping cream mixture; stir until well combined. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container.
  • Using an immersion blender (or a potato masher), lightly puree peaches so that some large chunks still remain.
  • Add peaches to custard and stir until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the surface of the mixture, and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight.
  • Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.
  • For a softer ice cream, serve immediately. For a harder ice cream, transfer mixture into a freezer-safe container and freeze for 3-4 hours.

Notes

You can substitute about 3½ cups of frozen peaches. Just make sure to thaw them before using in the recipe.

Is it a scorcher outside today?  Cool off with ice cream!  Celebrate peach season with a batch of this Homemade Peach Ice Cream!

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28 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Peaches are my jam this time of year! I don’t think I’ve ever had a freestone peach but I’m going to keep my eyes peeled–although I’m up in Washington right now and it seems awfully far to ship peaches from South Carolina. And this ice cream? Sign me up for at least five scoops!

    1. Wait. Peaches are your jam? Like peach jam? Haha! Seriously, though, keep an eye out for freestone peaches. I bet they have freestone varieties out there in the Pacific NW! They’re SO much easier to eat. 🙂 And I’ll save you like 5 scoops of this ice cream. Ok, maybe only 4. I might have to eat that other scoop myself. Enjoy the vacation, my friend!

    1. Peach ice cream really was designed for hot summer days! I love peaches, and I’ve definitely been on a peach kick here lately. In fact, it’s almost time to whip up another batch of this one. I like keeping it around in the freezer for when I want a little something sweet at the end of the day! Thanks, Kathy!

    1. Yes…warmer days are coming for you, Alexandra! (Just like colder days are coming for us…ugh.) Peaches are quintessential summer. Ice cream is quintessential summer. The combination of the two is just perfect for the end of a warm summer day! 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    It’s always great when you go back ‘home’ and get some of the food you had growing up. We never had many peaches, but this ice cream looks delicious. Not surprised it didn’t last long!!

    1. Yup, it’s almost time to whip up another batch of this ice cream! While I do love using fresh summer peaches, this ice cream could totally be made with frozen peaches, too. Do you guys get frozen peaches over there? If so, put ice cream on the list! 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    Yes, it’s been a right scorcher here. 35 degrees. Pretty much unheard of in there parts. I have to confess I mostly hid inside with the windows open. Wish I had some of this delicious homemade peach ice cream. I didn’t realise there were different types of peaches too. Thanks for the peach education David. Hope you guys are having a great weekend!

    1. Whew. That’s hot! And to make it worse I know a lot of places over there in Scotland don’t have A/C since there’s no real need for it. There’s not much you can do when it’s that hot except hunker down and stay still. Well, that and eat ice cream. 🙂 Stay cool, my friend…and get an extra scoop of ice cream!

  4. 5 stars
    Love peaches, especially this time of year when they’re so juicy! What a perfect use for ’em! Haven’t broken out our ice cream maker in AGES so it’s time to change that and give this deliciousness a go! It’s only morning, but I would totally eat this for breakfast….it’s practically a health food, right…with all that fruit 😉 ??

    1. It’s definitely time to dust off that ice cream maker, Dawn! After all, summer will be over before we know it. (Although, to be fair, I eat ice cream year-round!) 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    David, this ice cream sounds positively glorious! I love peaches, and peach ice cream has to be one of my all-time favorites! So so good. You’re really tempting me to get out my long-forgotten churn. Love this recipe!

    1. It’s definitely time to get out that long-forgotten churn, Laura! A good peach ice cream is really hard to beat on a hot summer day. My favorite is eating it straight from the churn when it’s still nice and soft! 🙂

  6. 5 stars
    Fresh peach ice cream is my all time favorite summer treat! Yours looks simple and perfect!! I love that you carried a bushel of peaches onto a plane – I bet the whole plane smelled amazing!

    1. Hah! I did get some funny looks going through security with that basket of peaches…but, hey, you gotta do what you gotta do! 🙂 Thanks so much, Marissa!

  7. 5 stars
    David, peach is definitely my favorite flavor of ice cream and yours looks so irresistible! I can so relate to bringing home a bushel of peaches. I’m so craving good peaches right now that I was considering driving down to Georgia to get a car-full. We’ve done it before! So glad to hear that South Carolina peaches are good too. It’s a lot shorter trip from Virginia!

    1. Peach season is so short up here in New York. I remember growing up, we’d have peaches all summer long. So you better believe I jump on those peaches as soon as I see them come into the market! I say you should head to SC for peaches (upstate SC isn’t that far away)…and then you should keep that car going all the way to upstate NY. Haha! Thanks, Kelly!

  8. you can get into big trouble here taking fruit into different states. we have dogs usually beagles, who sniff out anyone carrying illicit fruit in their suitcases. ,this ice cream sounds delicious anyway:-). cheers sherry

    1. No way! I had no idea you couldn’t carry fruit across state lines over there. I’ll have to keep that in mind. 🙂 (You can get in trouble bringing fruit into the country here, but it’s totally ok to take it across state lines.) Thanks, Sherry!

  9. Love that you filled a suitcase with peaches! I would love this ice cream even on the coldest of days. Wishing for a bite right this minute! 🙂 ~Valentina

    1. Hey, desperate times for call for desperate measures…and I had to figure out how to get those peaches back home to New York! 🙂 This peach ice cream is a delicious treat for warm summer days. I’ll put a scoop in an envelope and send it your way right now, Valentina! Hah!

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