No-Churn Peach Ice Cream (Ripe Summer Peaches)
To make no-churn peach ice cream, purée about 3 ripe peaches with a little sugar and lemon, and cook half of the purée down for a few minutes so it doesn't freeze icy. Whip 2 cups of cold cream to stiff peaks and fold in one 300 mL can of sweetened condensed milk with vanilla. Fold the cooled peach purée through the base, leaving some in ribbons, freeze in a loaf pan for at least 6 hours, and scoop. No ice cream maker needed.
A ripe Ontario or Okanagan peach in August is one of the best things you can eat, and this ice cream captures it — soft, fragrant, and creamy, with ribbons of real peach running through. No machine, no custard-making, just a bowl and a loaf pan.
The trick to peach ice cream that isn’t icy
Peaches are juicy, and that juice freezes into ice crystals if you’re not careful. The fix is to cook down half the purée — a few minutes in a pot concentrates the flavour and drives off water. Fold that concentrated half plus a fresh raw half into the base, and you get creamy texture and bright, just-picked peach flavour.
The no-churn base
Same reliable trick as any no-churn: whipped cream for air, sweetened condensed milk to keep it scoopable. Whip cold cream to stiff peaks, fold in the condensed milk with vanilla and a pinch of salt, then fold in the cooled peach. Don’t overmix the fruit in — ribbons look and taste better than a uniform pink.
Peeling made easy
For the smoothest result, peel the peaches: cut a small X in the bottom, dunk in boiling water 30 seconds, then slip the skins off. Ripe peaches practically shrug their skins off this way.
Make it yours
- Peaches and cream: swirl in a little crushed shortbread or graham.
- Bourbon peach: a tablespoon of bourbon in the base (also keeps it extra soft).
- Peach-raspberry: ribbon in a spoonful of raspberry compote.
- Roasted peach: roast the peaches with a little brown sugar first for a deeper, caramelized flavour.
Freeze overnight and you’ve turned a few soft peaches — the ones too ripe to slice neatly — into a litre of summer you can keep in the freezer.
Frequently asked questions
Why cook down some of the peach purée?
Raw fruit is full of water that freezes into icy crystals. Cooking half the purée down for a few minutes concentrates the peach flavour and drives off some water, so the ice cream stays creamy instead of icy. Leave the other half raw for fresh peach brightness — you get the best of both.
Do I need to peel the peaches?
For the smoothest ice cream, yes. Peels can leave little chewy flecks. The easy way: score an X in the base of each peach, dunk in boiling water for 30 seconds, then slip the skins off. If you don't mind a bit of texture and colour, you can leave them on.
My peaches aren't very sweet — what do I do?
Taste the purée and add sugar a tablespoon at a time until it tastes slightly too sweet — freezing dulls sweetness, so it should be a touch sweeter than you'd want at room temperature. A pinch of salt and the lemon also make the peach flavour pop.