Cool down this summer with these 6 tasty, all-natural ice cream recipes your kids will love!
Guest post by Meg Marrs of Life Health HQ
Nothing says summer like ice cream! Whether it’s chasing down the ice cream truck, or making popsicles with Kool-Aid, we all have our favorite summer frozen dessert memory from childhood.
Relive those summer memories by whipping up some DIY ice cream with your own kids! Homemade ice cream also provides an educational opportunity to teach your kids about science(especially when using the rock salt method) and how cream freezes.
Check out these 6 great recipes for homemade ice cream and popsicles that you and your kids will love!
Pink Lemonade Popsicles
Lemonade is the perfect drink on a hot summer day – make it even better with this Pink Lemonade Popsicles recipe for a sweet, sour, and refreshing snack.
Ingredients
- 7 to 8 lemons, squeezed
- 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup ice cold water
Supplies
- Popsicle molds and sticks
- Blender
- Fine mesh strainer
Instructions
- Puree raspberries in a blender, then run through a fine mesh to get rid of any seeds.
- Heat ¾ cup water and ¾ cup sugar on the stove until the sugar dissolves. Pour the sugar mixture into a large bowl, add 1 cup ice cold water.
- Add the raspberry puree and lemon juice. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze!
Vanilla Ice Cream in a Bag
This is Vanilla Ice Cream recipe is perfect to make with the kids. They can do the measuring and the shaking – all you have to do is supervise! Best of all, you don’t even need an ice cream maker for this recipe. You just need plastic bags!
Ingredients
- 4 cups half and half
- 8 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla
Supplies
- 4 1-pint sized sealable plastic bags
- 8 1-gallon sized sealable plastic bags
- 16 cups ice
- 2 cups rock salt
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup half and half, 2 tbsp. sugar, and ½ tsp. vanilla into each Into each of the pint size bags. Seal the bags and put them in the freezer.
- Fill each of 4 1-gallon size bags half full of ice. Add ½ cup rock salt, and then double bag them.
- Remove the ice cream bags from the freezer and put each one into a gallon bag, then shake for at least 5 minutes. When you open the bags, you’ll have your very own tasty vanilla ice cream, made entirely by hand!
Cinnamon Snickerdoodle Ice Cream
No ice cream churn required for this recipe! This Cinnamon Snickerdoodle Ice Cream recipe is super easy and ridiculously delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups chopped snickerdoodle cookies, divided (really, any cookie will work here)
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
Supplies
- Mixer
- Loaf pan
- Plastic wrap
Instructions
- Stir the milk, vanilla, and cinnamon together in a medium-sized bowl. Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the cream on high for 3 minutes, until you get stiff peaks.
- Fold the whipped cream into the milk mixture. Then, stir in 1 ¼ cups of snickerdoodles.
- Pour the mixture into a loaf pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and sprinkle the rest of the cookie bits over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for about 6 hours, then scoop and enjoy!
Chocolate Ice Cream
Who doesn’t love chocolate ice cream? This Chocolate Ice Cream recipe is easy to use and will make about a quart of creamy deliciousness. All you need are some basic ingredients and a kid-friendly ice cream maker.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 3 ½ cups half and half
- 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 2 oz. cream cheese, softened (about 1/4 cup)
- ¼ cup sugar
- pinch salt
Supplies
- Saucepan
- Ice cream maker
- Ice cubes
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl halfway with ice cubes and cold water, then set it aside.
- In a new bowl, mix 2 tbsps. of half and half with the cornstarch. Combine the rest of the half and half with the sugar and bring to a boil in a large saucepan. Once the sugar dissolves, take it off the stove and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture.
- Bring it back to a boil and then back it down to a moderately high heat and cook for about 1 minute.
- In a separate bowl, put in the chopped chocolate and cream cheese. Pour in just enough hot milk to cover the chocolate and cheese and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is starting to look silky. Add the salt, then add the remaining hot milk and stir to combine.
- Put the bowl in the ice bath and let it sit for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze – then enjoy your ice cream!
Jam Ice Cream
This Jam Ice Cream recipe is as simple as it gets. The jam is both flavourful and sweet, making it perfect for starting in your homemade ice cream. If you have some homemade jam in your cupboard, you’re got your first ingredient already!
Ingredients
- 1 cup fruit jam
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
Supplies
- Blender
- Ice cream maker
Instructions
- Blend fruit jam, whole milk, and heavy cream together.
- Transfer to your ice cream maker and freeze.
- Just relax and wait for it to be ready!
Butterscotch Ice Cream
Creamy and delicious, this Butterscotch Ice Cream recipe is perfect for the adults and the kids.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups whipping cream
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsps. butter
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
- 6 large egg yolks
Supplies
- 2 saucepans
- Fine strainer
- Ice cream maker
Instructions
- Heat brown sugar and butter in a pan over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved, about 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in ½ cup whipping cream until smooth, then remove from heat and add the vanilla. This will serve as your butterscotch!
- In a larger pan, bring the half and half and 1 cup of whipping cream to a simmer. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks. Pour them into the cream mixture on the stove and stir together. Leave on low heat for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly until it thickens slightly, then remove from heat.
- Pour through a fine strainer and mix in the butterscotch mixture from earlier. Pop it into the fridge for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer to your ice cream maker and freeze. Yum!
Have you ever made ice cream with your kids? What ice cream recipes are your favorites?
Meg Marrs is the Senior Editor at Life Health HQ, a website dedicated to helping people lead healthier, happier lives through healthy eating, including Whole30 resources, exercise, and wellness tips. In the summer, Meg can be found sipping iced coffee in her favorite hammock and gobbling down frozen yogurt.
Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
Perfect timing! I got an ice cream maker this summer and we have been enjoying homemade ice cream for the first time ever. I love how easy it is to make at home. Thank you for the new ideas. Snicker doodle ice cream sounds amazing!
Janene
Erin, thanks for these recipes. Some of them are super simple and definitely will be able to bust the heat, as this summer is shaping up to be pretty brutal.
Keelie Reason
These look awesome. 🙂
Aimee
How fun – these look delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Violet Nguyen
Thanks for sharing! I have just made some, it has looked so great in spite of the first time. I love chocolate, so I mix chocolate with any ice cream. But I usually change ingredients to mix some of them together, so sometimes, I found a few really unique flavors. I sprinkle crushed toasted peanuts on top chocolate ice cream, sometimes is toasted sesame seeds. I just love ice cream. My hot summer is not too uncomfortable anymore! <3