My easy Berry Ice Cream recipe has a decadent vanilla base complemented by the bright and fresh flavor of berries. It's quick to make and requires only 5 ingredients, with no fancy equipment needed.
Start by prepping the mixed berries. You'll want to do this ahead of time, to give the berries time to cool. Combine the berries in a glass bowl with sugar and vanilla extract. Stir until coated. Microwave mixture for 45 seconds.
Remove from microwave and mash with a fork or potato masher. If the fruit is still too firm, heat an additional 30-45 seconds. Allow to sit and cool about 15 minutes.
In a clean, dry (cold) mixing bowl, beat whipping cream for several minutes (using an electric mixer with whisk attachment). When stiff peaks form, turn mixer to low and add in sweetened condensed milk, just until combined.
Fold in cooled fruit mixture and pour into a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Cover with foil. Freeze for 4-5 hours (or overnight).
Be sure the whipping cream is cold. We like to put our mixing bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes before starting for best results. You can do this while the berries are cooling.
We love these ice cream containers on Amazon for storing our homemade ice cream. They have great fitting lids, which allows your ice cream to stay fresh longer.
What does “stiff peaks” mean? It means that when you pull the beaters straight up from the mixing bowl, the whipped cream should hold its form. When you turn the beaters upright, if the whipping cream tips begin to turn downward, it’s not at the “stiff peaks” stage yet. Keep beating!
Can fresh fruit be used? Yes it can, however I like to use frozen fruit since I can rely on being able to buy a bag of mixed fruit year-round. If you are using fresh fruit, you will not need to microwave the mixture at all. Simply combine the ingredients and let the fruit mixture sit for the full 15 minutes. This step helps release the juice within the fruit, which spreads the flavor throughout the entire ice cream mixture.
A bag of mixed berries usually contains blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Use this or any single type of berry your prefer.