Summer is ice cream time! Save big bucks on store-bought cartons and enjoy all your favorite flavors (plus some new creative blends) with this winning collection of frozen treats. From classic chocolate and coffee to ones infused with matcha and even maple-bacon, there's a bowl here to please every palate.
Note: Most of these recipes require an ice cream maker, but a few need only a stand mixer, plus a dish or bowl for freezing the ingredient mixture.
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Coffee Ice Cream
Leah Maroney
Rich and creamy coffee ice cream made with instant espresso and sweetened condensed milk makes a sophisticated dessert for all your summer dinner parties. You can even use decaf if you crave the intense flavor of coffee without all the keep-you-up caffeine.
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Red, White, and Blue Ice Cream
Diana Rattray Looking for the perfect July 4th party dessert? Whip up this patriotic tri-color ice cream, which calls for mixing swirls of vibrant red raspberry sauce and chunky blueberry jam into a homemade vanilla ice cream base.
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Classic Chocolate Ice Cream
Diana Rattray What would summer be without chocolate ice cream? Save money by making your own this summer with this foolproof recipe for a rich and creamy version that kids and adults alike will love to eat. Be sure to allow the cooked custard mixture to cool completely before churning in your ice cream maker.
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Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream
Andrea Bricco/Photodisc/Getty Images
Impress your gourmet friends with this on-trend matcha ice cream. It's simple to prepare with heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, and green tea powder, which you can find in Asian supermarket.
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Cinnamon Ice Cream
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Looking for a topping that will elevate slices of apple pie and delight your most refined friends? Simply add a little ground cinnamon to softened high-quality vanilla ice cream and allow the mixture to refreeze. The result is the creamy cinnamon ice cream of your dreams.
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Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Diana Rattray If you're a fan of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia, you'll love this homemade version. It's made with fresh or frozen cherries and chunks of good-quality chocolate swirled into a vanilla-based custard.
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Lavender Honey Ice Cream
Carin Krasner/Getty Images
Dreamy, gorgeously purple lavender honey ice cream just begs for a fun occasion to be served. Make this elegant, creamy homemade ice cream for serving at bridal and baby showers, summer backyard parties, or impromptu dinners at home with friends.
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Diana Rattray Attention, peanut butter-chocolate lovers! Chunks of real peanut butter cookie dough are folded into the chocolate custard in this outstandingly rich homemade ice cream that also features mini chocolate chips and optional roasted peanuts.
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No Churn Maple Bacon Ice Cream
Leah Maroney
Satisfy a bacon craving and enjoy dessert at the same time with this recipe, which combines maple ice cream with candied bacon pieces. It's easy to make in your freezer (no ice cream maker required!) and is sure to delight your foodie friends and grilling buddies alike.
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Sweet Basil Ice Cream
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Sweet basil ice cream has a fresh, herbaceous flavor, but is still sweet enough to satisfy a dessert craving. It makes a wonderful ending to a steak and potato dinner. For a pretty presentation, serve it in glass or ceramic bowls, to show off the minty green color and decorate with additional basil leaves or seasonal fresh berries.
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Sweet Potato Ice Cream
Diana Rattray Enjoy the favorite flavor of nutmeg and cinnamon-spiced sweet potato pie with a genius recipe that turns sweet potatoes into a deliciously winning summertime dessert. For a pretty presentation, serve it topped with toasted coconut flakes or drizzled with butterscotch sauce.
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Blueberry Ice Cream
kajakiki
Blueberries are cooked down with sugar, then added to a vanilla-infused base before freezing in your ice cream maker. The fruity ice cream that results is lovely on its own and makes a wonderful topping for lemon pound cake.
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Maple Walnut Ice Cream
Diana Rattray Pure maple syrup is the secret to this fantastically flavorful walnut-studded ice cream with an awesome crunchy texture. You can also swap the walnuts for pecans, if you wish.
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Sugar-Free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
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Parents of cavity-prone kids or those avoiding refined sugars will appreciate this recipe for sugar-free mint chocolate ice cream that doesn't skimp on sweetness or flavor. This simple recipe uses a stand mixer and your freezer instead of an ice cream maker and is ready to enjoy in 2 to 3 hours.
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Papaya Ice Cream
Elizabeth Watt/Getty Images
Only five ingredients are needed to make a papaya ice cream that's especially refreshing on hot summer days. To peel the papaya, simply cut the whole fruit in half lengthwise, scoop out and discard the black seeds at the center, and use a sharp knife to cut the edible fruit from the skin.
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Rhubarb Ice Cream
Lisa Barber / Getty Images When rhubarb is bountiful in your garden, that's the time to make this recipe with its signature sweet-tart. You can also replace up to half of the rhubarb with ripe fresh strawberries to make a mixed ice cream.
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Honey Pistachio Ice Cream
Anita Schecter
A heavenly honey-flavored custard base is studded with roasted pistachio pieces in this from-scratch ice cream that fulfills your need for a sweet and salty treat. You can add a few drops of green food coloring, if you wish, to add a tempting touch of color.
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Blackberry Ice Cream With Sour Cream
Diana Rattray
Sour cream adds a pleasant tang to this delicious fresh blackberry ice cream. The simple, stovetop blackberry, sugar, and lemon juice mixture is blended and strained before being added to the cream and sour cream custard base.