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Homemade black currant ice cream is a delicious combination of tart, fresh black currants and sweet, creamy ice cream. This refreshing summer treat can be made with an ice cream machine, or using a no-churn method. It’s so easy to make, it may become a new summertime favorite.
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Black currants, or, blackcurrant, as they are called in the UK, or cassis, the French name for them, are small black berries that grow in clusters on vines. They have a tart-sweet flavor that tastes amazing in jams, syrups, drinks (like crème de cassis) baked goods and desserts.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy: With just a few simple ingredients, you can make your own homemade ice cream, even if you don’t have an ice cream machine. There’s no need to make a custard base, so there are no egg yolks in this recipe.
- Delicious: If you haven’t tasted black currant ice cream, you will love this new ice cream flavor. The black currants lend a delicious tartness to the creamy sweetness of the ice cream.
Ingredients you’ll need to make it
- Black currants: Black currents are not usually found in grocery stores in North America. The shrubs are usually grown on private properties, like the backyard of my lovely neighbor who gifted me with the currants for this black currant ice cream recipe. However, more and more, black currants are showing up at farmer’s markets and roadside stands. They are much more common in the UK.
- Whipping cream: Heavy whipping cream is the heavy cream that I use to make ice cream and it contains 33% milk fat. In the UK and Europe, you can use double cream to make this recipe even creamier, with it’s milk fat content of 48%.
- Sweetened condensed milk: This magical ingredient gives desserts (like my maple fudge), a creamy richness.
- Sugar: Use granulated white sugar which you will cook with the black currants.
- Lemon juice: The acid in lemon juice helps to break down the berries a bit more quickly.
- Salt: A pinch of salt helps lower the freezing point when making ice cream.
How to make black current ice cream
- Wash black currants and remove the stems. Put them in a medium saucepan with the lemon juice and sugar.
- Bring to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring often until the black currants have started to break down and the mixture has thickened. Allow to cool completely.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream, cooled black currant puree, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well to combine.
- Pour the ice cream mixture into the pre-frozen bowl of an ice cream maker and run for 20-25 minutes. OR, for no-churn, pour into a chilled loaf pan, and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight.
Tips and variations
- Black currants: I hope that you can get your hands on some black currants, and I’m thinking that you have, since you landed on this recipe. However, this ice cream base works for almost any other fresh fruits or berries. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries are great choices. If you make this ice cream recipe with any of those sweeter fruit choices, you may want to reduce the amount of added sugar.
- Cooling: After cooking the berries, you can speed up the cooling process using an ice bath. After allowing the fruit mixture to cool at room temperature partially, set the saucepan in a sink filled with a few inches of cold water and ice.
- Sweetener: I haven’t tried this recipe with any other sweetener, but if you do use an alternative to sugar, like honey or agave syrup, please let us know how it went in the comments!
- No churn ice cream: I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker and I love it for whipping up all kinds of frozen treats, like sorbets, frozen yogurt and churned ice cream to enjoy on hot summer days. But if you don’t have a machine, you can still make this black current ice cream recipe. You’ll just need to wait longer to dig in! Instructions for no-churn ice cream are included in the recipe card.
- Freezer bowl: I like to keep the freezer bowl in my freezer, so that we never have to wait when ice cream cravings hit. If you have space in your freezer, I recommend, at least for the warmer months. If you are making no churn ice cream version, put your pan in the freezer while you make the recipe or longer, for shorter freezing time.
- Serving: Before serving, let the ice cream stand on the counter for 5-10 minutes to soften a bit for easier scooping.
- Storage: Store your homemade ice cream in a freezer-proof container with a lid to avoid freezer burn. It will keep for up to 3 months.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!
Recipe
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Black Currant Ice Cream
Homemade black currant ice cream is a delicious combination of tart fresh black currants and sweet, creamy homemade ice cream. This refreshing dessert can be made with an ice cream machine, or a no-churn method. It’s so easy to make, it may become a summertime favorite.
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Servings: 10
Calories: 350kcal
Instructions
Wash black currants and remove the stems. Put them in a medium saucepan with the lemon juice and sugar.
Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often, about 15 minutes, until the black currants have started to break down and the mixture has thickened. Allow to cool completely.
In a large bowl, combine the cream, cooled black currant, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well to combine.
Pour the mixture into the pre-frozen bowl of an ice cream maker and run for 20-25 minutes. OR, for no-churn, pour into a chilled pan, cover with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight.
Ice cream machines typically produce a soft-serve ice cream texture. For a firmer consistency, scoop the ice cream into a pan and freeze for 2-4 hours.
Notes
- Black currants: I hope that you can get your hands on some black currants, and I’m thinking that you have, since you landed on this recipe. However, this ice cream base works for almost any other fresh fruits or berries. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries are great choices. If you make this ice cream recipe with any of those sweeter fruit choices, you may want to reduce the amount of sugar.
- Cooling: After cooking the berries, you can speed up the cooling process using an ice bath. After allowing the fruit mixture to cool at room temperature partially, set the saucepan in a sink filled with a few inches of cold water and ice.
- Sweetener: I haven’t tried this recipe with any other sweetener, but if you do use an alternative to sugar, like honey or agave syrup, please let us know how it went in the comments!
- No churn ice cream: I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker and I love it for whipping up all kinds of frozen treats, like sorbets, frozen yogurt and churned ice cream to enjoy on hot summer days. But if you don’t have a machine, you can still make this black current ice cream recipe. You’ll just need to wait longer to dig in! Instructions for no-churn ice cream are included in the recipe card.
- Freezer bowl: I like to keep the freezer bowl in my freezer, so that we never have to wait when ice cream cravings hit. If you have space in your freezer, I recommend, at least for the warmer months. If you are making no churn ice cream version, put your pan in the freezer while you make the recipe or longer, for shorter freezing time.
- Serving: Before serving, let the ice cream stand on the counter for 5-10 minutes to soften a bit for easier scooping.
- Storage: Store your homemade ice cream in a freezer-proof container with a lid to avoid freezer burn. It will keep for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 303mg | Fiber: 0.01g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 883IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 163mg | Iron: 1mg