Homemade Peach Ice Cream with ‘Nilla Wafers

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If you crave peaches and cream ice cream, this easy custard ice cream recipe does double duty with fresh peach puree, a hit of peach schnapps and crumbles of ‘Nilla wafers in every bite. This homemade peach ice cream takes a little time, but it’s worth it.

Peeling and slicing peaches for ice cream.

Homemade Peach Ice Cream – A Family Affair

Before summer completely passes us by, you absolutely need to make this homemade custard ice cream.  It’s a recipe you can get the kids involved in even if it’s nothing more than crumbling the Nilla wafers and adding them to the ice cream churn.

Thing is — these are the memories you want to make for your family. Projects where your “vested in the outcome”. I can’t think of anything better than coming together to make a homemade peach ice cream. Can you? In fact, I remember quite clearly making homemade ice cream at my grandparent’s house — with one of those old-fashioned churns that requires rock salt and a lot of muscle.

Ingredients For Peaches and Cream Ice Cream

  • Fresh Peaches
  • Peach Schnapps
  • Lemon
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Flour
  • Milk
  • Cream
  • ‘Nilla Wafers
eggs and sugar in a bowl for custard.

This frozen summer treat is essentially a blending of a fresh peach puree with a bit of peach schnapps to amp up the flavor and a simple custard ice cream recipe. Keep in mind that the custard is cooked, and therefore will have to cool and be chilled before adding it to the ice cream maker, otherwise, it won’t freeze. So plan on the chilling time (I usually make the peaches and cream ice cream custard on one day and chill it overnight before putting it in the churn).

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cooking custard and adding peach puree.

Making Ice Cream Custard

  1. The ice cream base starts with eggs and sugar, beaten together until thick and light. A little flour will add structure and thickening power to the custard ice cream recipe.
  2. When the egg mixture is combined, begin beating in the hot milk and cream in a slow, steady stream. You don’t want to add it all at once, otherwise you could curdle or scramble the eggs, rather than emulsify them. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.
  3. Add the egg and cream mixture back to the pot that you heated the cream in and cook, stirring constantly until thick and creamy.
  4. I like to strain the custard at this point, to remove any bits of egg or other detritus. Let the custard cool a bit before adding the peach puree.
  5. Chill  for several  hours or overnight before making the ice cream.
churning ice cream in the ice cream maker,

Churning Homemade Peach Ice Cream

You can use any type of ice cream maker for this recipe. I have a $50 Cuisinart churn that does a very good job and turns out a soft-serve consistency in about 20 minutes. It also has an opening in the lid for adding mix-ins at the end of processing.

adding nilla wafers and diced peaches to the ice cream.

Speaking of mix-ins… Fresh bits of peaches and crumbled ‘Nilla wafers are my favorite last minute additions. You can certainly skip them, but why? The tangy bits of fresh peaches contrast with the sweet custard  and the cookie crumbles add texture and crunch without dominating the flavors.

freeze the homemade peach ice cream until firm.

While you can absolutely enjoy the ice cream straight from the churn, it may need some extra chilling in the freezer to get that perfectly scoop-able consistency. One to two hours should do it. If you let freeze the ice cream overnight, let it rest on the counter for 5-10 minutes before scooping.

homemade peach ice cream with 'Nilla wafers next to it.

More Custard Ice Cream Recipes:

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5 from 6 votes

Homemade Peach Ice Cream with Nilla Wafers

When the peaches are at their peak, you’ll want to make this Sweet Peach and Nilla Ice Cream!  The ideal summertime dessert!
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword ice cream, nilla, peach
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes
Servings 8

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 large ripe peaches peeled and pitted
  • ¼ cup peach schnapps
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup nilla wafers crumbled

DIRECTIONS:

  • Slice 3 of the peaches into eighths and add them to the bowl of a blender along with the schnapps, lemon juice and salt. Blend until peaches are pureed. Set aside.
  • Dice the remaining peach into 1/4″-1/2″ pieces.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until thickened and pale yellow. Add the flour and beat until combined. Set aside.
  • Bring the milk to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Using a hand mixer, slowly beat the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until custard thickens. Be careful not to boil the custard or the eggs will scramble. Strain the custard through a sieve into a large, clean bowl. Let the custard cool slightly, then stir in the peach puree and cream. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled – at least 2 hours.
  • Stir the chilled custard, then transfer it to your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturers instructions. When ice cream is almost ready, add the peaches and nilla wafers and continue to mix until well incorporated. When ice cream is ready, it will be like soft-serve. For a firmer consistency, transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container and chill for 2 hours.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 427kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 285mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 785IU | Vitamin C: 5.9mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg

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10 Comments

  1. Lisa, this ice cream looks SINful!! I am ALL about the ice cream ANY time! Thank you so much for allowing me to feature it in my peach recipe round-up. Have a great day!

    1. Thanks, Michele – I’m so glad you like it!

  2. I’ve never tried a peach ice-cream before,it’s very interesting and your pics are awesome

  3. 5 stars
    I’m so glad when peaches are all ripe and ready for picking. This is a great way to use some of that crop.

  4. 5 stars
    We have a peach tree so I am definitely putting this into my repertoire. Just in time! Thanks so much:)

    1. Lucky you with a peach tree! I’m jealous!

  5. 5 stars
    Oh my that looks heavenly. I’ve never had peach ice cream before but now I can think of nothing else. Sharing!

  6. Thalia @ butter and brioche says:

    5 stars
    I’ve never tried a peach flavoured ice cream before but this sure looks like a flavour I would LOVE. SO smooth, creamy and delicious!

    1. The peaches are ripe, right now!