Turn summer’s most popular herb into a sweet, creamy treat. This homemade Basil Ice Cream recipe is simple, fresh, and unexpectedly delicious.
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We all know and love basil in savory dishes like pesto and pasta, but it’s rarely used in sweet recipes, and I’m not sure why. Its floral, slightly spicy flavor is surprisingly well suited for dessert, especially in ice cream. My family first tried basil ice cream this past June during one of our many trips to our favorite spot in Vermont. There is this one shop that has the best creemee's, and they always have fun flavors. My husband ordered the basil and lemon twist, and he was hooked. He doesn’t often ask me to recreate something for him, but he requested basil ice cream after that day, and how could I not oblige!
This recipe has become a quiet favorite in our house, even with the kids. Basil ice cream isn’t showy, but it’s the kind of flavor that makes you pause with the first bite. Thanks to its classic custard base (yes, you'll need to churn it with an ice cream machine), it is ultra smooth and creamy, with a mellow finish that feels like summer in a scoop.
Serve as is, or with a swirl of fruit, or alongside your favorite pie (I'm thinking peach pie would be wonderful). Ok, let's get into the details!
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Ingredients Needed
Here is an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe is listed below in greater detail.
- fresh basil (see more on this ingredient below)
- lemon zest + lemon extract (the extract is optional, if you don't have it, you don't need to run out and buy it, but if you have it on hand, go ahead and use it)
- whole milk
- heavy cream
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- coarse kosher salt
Let's Talk Basil
If you're a gardener or visit your local farm for a CSA pick-up, you know there are a lot of basil varieties. The most common is sweet basil, and that is a perfect choice for this recipe. Other types of basil, such as Thai basil, lemon basil, or purple basil, could offer a more unique flavor if you wanted to try them.
How to Make the Custard
Some ice cream recipes lean heavily on egg yolks for richness (like this French Vanilla recipe), but that kind of high-fat custard can easily overpower delicate flavors like basil (and some people try to avoid using only egg yolks if at all possible, and by some people, I mean me). For this recipe, using just two whole eggs gives the custard enough structure and creaminess without weighing it down. The result is a smooth, balanced ice cream that lets the fresh basil flavor stay front and center.
Like my mint ice cream recipe, the basil is steeped for a short period of time, just 15 minutes. This shorter steep lets the basil gently infuse into the milk and cream without pushing the flavor too far into earthy or grassy territory. After steeping the basil, the cream mixture will be hot, which means the eggs will need to be tempered (I try to avoid this when possible in recipes, but this one requires it). Don’t worry, though, it’s a simple process and more straightforward than it sounds.
Here is a quick visual overview of the steps needed to make the custard for this basil ice cream:
1. Steep the basil leaves in the cream and milk for 15 minutes
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, zest and extract with the remaining ½ cup of milk. Slowly whisk in about ½ cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture. Repeat this process 3 more times.
3. While stirring constantly, return the tempered egg mixture to the pot with the remaining cream mixture.
4. Cook over medium heat until it reaches 175°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 8 minutes.
Tips for Successful Custard Making
If you’ve never tempered eggs or made a custard before, here are a few tips to help you get it right.
- Read through the recipe and get everything set up beforehand. It might sound like a banal tip, but I can’t emphasize enough how important it is when making custard to know the steps ahead of time and have all your mise en place ready to go.
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan. It distributes heat evenly and helps prevent the custard from scorching. Use a medium pot...using too large of a pot, can increase the surface area and cause the eggs to cook too quickly.
- Stir constantly, taking care to get in the edges of the pan. A rubber spatula is best. Use medium to medium-low heat. Controlling the temperature is important to avoid curdling, or cooking the eggs too quickly.
- Don’t walk away. This process takes about 10 minutes at most.
- Use a thermometer, if possible. The recipe calls for cooking the custard to 175Fº initially. Once it reaches 175Fº, pull it off the heat and stir for about a minute to let the custard slowly come up to 180Fº, before straining into an ice bath.
- Strain the cooked custard. The chalazae from the egg white tends to get thrown in the mix and it’s best to strain that out.
Adding in a Flavor Swirl
At home we've sometimes put in a little fruit swirl with the basil, which adds another layer of flavor. My family has been loving it with this rhubarb, but blueberry or strawberry could be really nice too! While I don’t have exact proportions for every fruit, a good starting point is to cook down 1 cup of fruit with ¼ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon of light corn syrup. The corn syrup is to help prevent it from getting icy in the freezer. Cook it until it's quite jammy. Once the base is churned, add in some spoonfuls of the fruity mixture to get that beautiful swirled effect (see this Buttermilk Ice Cream for an example).
Freezing + Storing the Ice Cream
Churn the ice cream until it reaches a soft-serve consistency. In my machine, I notice a change in the sound of the ice cream spinning when it’s ready. Be sure to follow your machine’s instructions, as churn times can vary depending on the model.
After churning, the ice cream needs time in the freezer to fully set. You can freeze it in one large container or divide it into smaller ones. While dedicated ice cream containers are handy if you make ice cream often, any freezer-safe container you have on hand will work just fine.
See my Ice Cream Tool Kit for my recommendations.
More Ice Cream Recipes
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Full Recipe
Basil Ice Cream
Turn summer’s most popular herb into a sweet, creamy treat. This homemade Basil Ice Cream recipe is simple, fresh, and unexpectedly delicious. Enjoy it on its own, swirled with something bright like rhubarb or lemon, or spooned over your favorite pie for a unique, light summery scoop.
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:10
- Total Time: 12:25
- Yield: about 3 pints
- Category: Ice Cream
- Method: Traditionally Churned
Ingredients
- 2 cups (455 grams) heavy cream
- 1-½ cup (340 grams) whole milk, divided
- 2 cups lightly packed basil leaves
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- Pinch coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed medium pot, heat the cream, 1 cup of the milk and the basil leaves over medium heat, stirring frequently, until steaming. Remove the pot from the heat, cover the pot and let the basil steep for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, set up an ice bath by filling a large metal bowl with ice and a splash of water.
- In a separate medium metal bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, lemon zest, lemon extract and remaining ½ cup of milk until well combined.
- Remove the basil from the pot and discard it.
- Temper the eggs: Slowly whisk in about ½ cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture. Repeat this process 3 more times. Then, while stirring constantly, return the tempered egg mixture back to the pot with the remaining cream mixture.
- Clean out the bowl and place it inside the large bowl filled with ice to complete the ice bath set-up. Place a fine-mest strainer over the bowl and set it aside.
- Cook the base over medium heat, stirring and scraping constantly with a rubber spatula, especially along the edges and the bottom of the pot, until the mixture reaches 175°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 8 minutes. The mixture will be slightly thickened. To check if the custard is set without an instant-read thermometer, coat a wooden spoon with the custard. Draw a horizontal line on the back of the spoon with your finger. If the line “holds,” then your custard is set. If the line collapses immediately, the custard needs another minute or so. Be careful not to bring the mixture to a boil; this will curdle the custard.
- Immediately shut off and remove the pot from the heat. Continue to stir the custard for 1 minute. This helps bring it all the way up to 180ºF.
- Strain the custard through the strainer and into the inner bowl of the prepared ice bath.
- Cool the custard in the ice bath to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
- Once the custard has reached room temperature, chill it thoroughly in the refrigerator until at least 40ºF, preferably overnight.
- Freeze the custard, following the recommended manufacturer’s instructions of your ice cream maker, until the ice cream has reached a soft-serve consistency.
- Transfer the ice cream to one or more airtight containers. Place a piece of parchment on the surface to prevent any freezer burn. Freeze until firm, at least a few hours.
Notes
If you need to freeze your ice cream canister, make sure to do so 24 hours before you plan to spin your ice cream.
This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt, decrease the volume by half.
Place a wet towel underneath your bowl of eggs and sugar to prevent the bowl from moving while whisking.
Basil Ice Cream is best consumed within a week, but will last for several in the freezer.
See my Ice Cream Tool Kit for equipment suggestions.
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