20 Ice Cream Recipes to Beat the Heat this Summer

It's time to break out the ice cream maker—and if you don't have one, here are 18 reasons to change your mind

By SAVEUR Editors
May 25, 2017

With the arrival fair weather comes the perfect opportunity to sip, slurp, and scoop our favorite frozen treats. That means picnic-ready smoothies and milkshakes, paletas and popsicles at the park, and of course, who could forget ice cream? And while we at SAVEUR have some go-to pints we love to pick up from the grocery store, nothing beats making your own ice cream from scratch.

If you're up to the task, you've got to first arm yourself with the necessary ice cream tools—and yes, this includes an ice cream maker. Don't be afraid to get experimental: you are a flavor master in the making. "Beach body" be damned—here are our 20 favorite ice cream recipes to make in the summer.

Raspberry Ice Cream

Raspberry Ice Cream
Buy the finest peak-season raspberries you can find and leave them raw to preserve their fresh, ripe flavor. Don't shy away from salt either, which will help keep the raspberry essence from being lost in the cream. Get the recipe for Raspberry Ice Cream »Matt Taylor-Gross

Saffron Orange Ice Cream

Saffron Orange Ice Cream
Here, saffron and orange bitters join forces for an ambrosial, can't-put-your-finger-on-it deliciousness. Get the recipe for Saffron Orange Ice Cream »Matt Taylor-Gross

Irish Brown Bread Ice Cream with Butterscotch Sauce

Irish Brown Bread Ice Cream with Butterscotch Sauce
Incorporating a Dingle staple—Irish brown bread—and a rich butterscotch topping, this ice cream has the comforting flavors of honey-drizzled toast in each bite. Get the recipe for Irish Brown Bread Ice Cream with Butterscotch Sauce »Michelle Heimerman

Fresh Peach Ice Cream

Fresh Peach Ice Cream
Sweet, pale orange ice cream flavored with ripe, juicy peaches simply screams summer. Get the recipe for Peach Ice Cream »Laura Sant

"Cheater" Soft Serve Ice Cream

"Cheater" Soft Serve Ice Cream
Making actual soft serve at home is nearly impossible—here's the best way to hack it. Get the recipe for "Cheater" Soft Serve Ice Cream »Farideh Sadeghin

Sour Cream Ice Cream with Strawberries and Brown Sugar

Sour Cream Ice Cream with Strawberries and Brown Sugar
Sour cream gives this ice cream a tang that's balanced by a rich rum, strawberry, and brown sugar swirl. Get the recipe for Sour Cream Ice Cream with Strawberries and Brown Sugar »Laura Sant

Nutmeg Ice Cream

Nutmeg Ice Cream
Serve this spiced ice cream on its own or scooped on top of warm fruit crisps, cobblers, or pies. Get the recipe for Nutmeg Ice Cream »Todd Coleman

Pistachio Gelato Ice Cream

Pistachio Gelato Ice Cream
Compared to American and French ice creams, Italian-style gelato is made with less cream. Surprisingly, this translates to a denser, richer texture, since cream traps more air bubbles than milk when churned. Gelato also melts faster on the tongue, and the neutral base intensifies added flavors—in this case, pistachio. For a deliriously good pistachio gelato, you need deliriously good—and accordingly expensive—pistachio paste. Agrimontana's Sicilian paste ($28 for 8 oz., lepicerie.com) is a dark, fragrant, and almost juicy expression of the queen of nuts, made with nothing more than pistachios and added pistachio oil for a silky texture. If you can't swing the Sicilian stuff, look for a paste with only pistachios, oil, and salt, and avoid products labeled "pistachio cream," an indicator that the pistachio content has been cut with sugars and stabilizers. Get the recipe for Pistachio Gelato Ice Cream »Matt Taylor-Gross

Vanilla Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream
This basic ice cream recipe from pastry chef Tracy Obolsky of North End Grill is endlessly customizable; turn it into anything from chocolate to rum-raisin to pistachio. Get the recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream »Farideh Sadeghin

Vegan Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Vegan Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
This vegan ice cream from Brooklyn's Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream takes a classic flavor combination, peanut butter and chocolate, and uses cashew milk to make for an extra rich ice cream. Get the recipe for Vegan Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Ice Cream »Farideh Sadeghin

Chocolate Sorbet

Chocolate Sorbet
The rich flavor of bittersweet chocolate takes center stage in this sorbet from pastry chef Tracy Obolsky of North End Grill. Because it is dairy-free, the chocolate flavor is much more intense than with an ice cream; keep it vegan, or serve it with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream. Get the recipe for Chocolate Sorbet »Matt Taylor-Gross

Mascarpone Ice Cream with Apricots, Raspberries, and Honey Granola

Sweet Cheese Ice Cream with Apricots, Raspberries, and Honey Granola
This ice cream is made with a fresh mascarpone cheese that is lightly sweetened and set without eggs, which makes for a lighter texture. Syrup-soaked apricots and fresh raspberries add some sweetness. Get the recipe for Mascarpone Ice Cream with Apricots, Raspberries, and Honey Granola »Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero

Sea Salt Ice Cream

Sea Salt Ice Cream
This ice cream gets a savory boost from flaky sea salt. Get the recipe for Sea Salt Ice Cream »Christina Holmes

Cinnamon-Sugar Ice Cream

Cinnamon-Sugar Ice Cream
Buttery cinnamon-sugar crumbles swirled into a creamy base are reminiscent of cinnamon toast. Get the recipe for Cinnamon-Sugar Ice Cream »Helen Rosner

Pandan-Coconut Ice Cream

Pandan-Coconut Ice Cream
Often used in southeast Asian curries and Indian rice dishes, pandan leaf lends a subtly exotic savory note to this coconut ice cream. Get the recipe for Pandan-Coconut Ice Cream »Laura Sant

Paw Paw Ice Cream

Paw Paw Ice Cream
This custardy ice cream gets its tropical flavor from paw paws, a musky-sweet fruit native to the American Midwest that tastes somewhere between a banana and a mango, with a plush, creamy texture. Get the recipe for Paw Paw Ice Cream »Farideh Sadeghin

Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream

Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream
Sweetened condensed milk and a touch of spice set this caffeinated treat apart from other coffee ice creams. Get the recipe for Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream »Laura Sant

Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream

Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream
A creamy peanut butter swirl suspended in strawberry-and-jam-enriched ice cream turns the classic Smucker's Goober on its head. Get the recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream »Helen Rosner

Sicilian Vanilla Gelato

Sicilian Vanilla Gelato
The use of cornstarch in this simple gelato base results in a silky-smooth texture. Get the recipe for Sicilian Vanilla Gelato »Saveur
Rum Raisin Ice Cream

Rum Raisin Ice Cream

The combination of rum and raisins has long elevated all kinds of desserts, but when applied to a vanilla custard base, the flavors truly shine: a concentrated burst of dried fruit cut by the boozy kick of rum, all cushioned by creamy dairy. Get the recipe for Rum Raisin Ice Cream »Penny De Los Santos

Bourbon-Butterscotch Ice Cream

Bourbon-Butterscotch Ice Cream
This grown up frozen treat pairs bourbon-laced custard with pockets of dense butterscotch. Get the recipe for Bourbon-Butterscotch Ice Cream »Laura Sant

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