Fresh Peach Ice Cream

Peach ice cream is the reigning queen of peach desserts—it's the perfect way to use in-season summer peaches and a divine joy on a sweltering summer day.

I can still hear the gravelly hum of my grandmother's old-fashioned ice cream maker churning its heart out on her back stoop, the layers of ice and rock salt shifting and settling around the canister of soon-to-be soft-serve peach ice cream.

This easy-to-follow recipe requires just a few ingredients, an ice cream maker, and a little bit of time. (We'd recommend making it at least a day ahead to avoid any unnecessary hustling.)

Learn how to make peach ice cream, and enjoy some alongside pound cake, grilled peaches, or all on its own.

Ingredients For Peach Ice Cream

• Egg yolks: Thicken and enrich the custard base, making the ice cream creamy and decadent.
• Granulated sugar: Sweetens the custard mixture forming the base of the ice cream.
• Whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk: Three types of milk provide a dynamic balance of sweetness and form the dairy base of this ice cream.
• Fresh peaches: Flavors the ice cream.
• Vanilla extract: Enriches the ice cream with vanilla flavor.

How To Make Peach Ice Cream

This is a custard-style recipe, which basically means the ice cream base is made from a mixture of eggs, sugar, and milk that is cooked gently until thickened. The mixture is then cooled and transferred to an ice cream maker to churn to your desired consistency. The full ingredient amounts and directions are below, but we'll walk you through the main significant steps:

• Step 1. Make a custard: It may sound fussy, but it isn't as complicated as you might think. Start by whisking the egg yolks and sugar together in a saucepan until completely combined—the mixture should be uniform in color, but the sugar will still be grainy (that's OK!). Next, whisk in each of the milks until combined.
• Step 2. Cook it low and slow: Don't be tempted to crank up the heat; cooking a custard low and slow is the best way to guarantee a perfectly smooth custard. Set the heat to medium-low, and commit to stirring the mixture constantly for 15 minutes. Yes, constantly. The universe is going to urge you to multi-task, to step away from the stove to load the dryer, feed the neighbor's cat, or run to the mailbox. Trust us—the best way to scorch a custard is to walk away from it. Take a breath, relax, and give yourself the gift of doing just one thing for 15 minutes; you'll be surprised at how calming and restorative stirring a custard can be!
• Step 3. Add the peaches: Soft, ripe peaches are ideal for peach ice cream. Plan to buy the peaches a few days before making the ice cream. If your peaches are on the firm side, don't fret—you can pop them into a paper bag (and seal it) or set them on the window sill to help them ripen faster. Peel the peaches whichever way you like (my grandmother always used her favorite wood-handled paring knife), then cut them into small chunks. For peach ice cream, you want to make sure the chunks are small, because large chunks turn into peach ice cubes after churning. For extra insurance, crush the peach chunks with a potato masher.
• Step 4. Cool it down: After you've stirred the peaches and vanilla extract into the custard mixture, it's time to chill everything down. The peach mixture needs to spend at least four hours in the refrigerator to get it nice and cold before churning.
• Step 5: Churn. Once everything is nice and cold, transfer the peach mixture to the container of your ice cream maker of choice. If you're using a countertop model with a freezable insert, freeze the insert overnight so it's extra cold.
• Step 6. Freeze: For most ice cream makers, the consistency of the ice cream just after churning is similar to soft-serve. For a firmer ice cream, transfer it to a sealable, freezer-safe container, and freeze for another couple of hours, or up to two weeks.