Homemade Sweet Basil Ice Cream (Healthy Recipe)
This healthy homemade Sweet Basil Ice Cream recipe blends the delicate flavor of fresh basil with cool, creamy ice cream – creating a perfect dessert for summer! Sweetened with pure maple syrup and made with all natural ingredients, it’s a healthy way to enjoy a beautiful and tasty treat!
Why You Will Love This Homemade Basil Ice Cream Recipe
Easy
Making your own ice cream with basil might sound a little intimidating at first, but it only requires a few steps. First, make a custard base by heating the egg yolks with the milk. Next, blanch the fresh basil in salted water, then blend the basil with the ingredients in a high speed blender. Strain the basil mixture through a fine mesh sieve, then combine with the custard to create an ice cream base. Finally, pour the ice cream base into an ice cream machine. A few minutes later, it’s ready to enjoy!
Healthy
Most ice cream recipes are made with refined sugar, but this homemade ice cream is made with natural maple syrup instead! Combined with whole milk, heavy cream, egg yolks, and fresh basil leaves, this ice cream is made with all healthy whole food ingredients. Use organic ingredients and pasture raised, non-homogenized or raw dairy for the healthiest ice cream!
Delicious
The idea of basil ice cream might sound a little strange – but one bite of this sweet basil infused ice cream, and you’ll be wanting to enjoy it all summer long. The flavors of basil and vanilla combine to create a unique ice cream experience. It is one of my favorite ice cream flavors!
Beautiful
The lovely sage green color of this sweet basil ice cream is a delight! Enjoying a dessert that not only tastes deliciously different, but also has a unique appearance is such a pleasant experience. The muted green is a refreshing color to enjoy in the spring and summer, when fresh basil is plentiful.
Ingredients That Make This Basil Ice Cream Amazing
Cream: cream is an important ingredient in this recipe, not only for taste but also for texture. It adds a creaminess, as well as a slight fluffiness that makes the texture of this ice cream extra enjoyable.
Milk: milk is cooked with egg yolks to create a custard base. It is important to have the right balance of cream and milk in ice cream. Too much milk and it’s not smooth, too much cream and it ends up thick and buttery. The right balance creates a perfect flavor and texture!
Egg yolks: large egg yolks are used in this recipe to create a custard base, adding a richness and extra creamy texture to this ice cream recipe.
Maple Syrup: maple syrup adds a natural sweetness that combines wonderfully with the flavors of sweet basil and vanilla.
Fresh Basil Leaves: basil it the star of the show in this recipe! The fresh leaves are blanched in salt water to preserve the flavor and maintain the green color. They are then blended with other ingredients to create a basil infused cream. Make sure to strain this basil and cream mixture to remove the fibrous parts of the basil leaves, so your ice cream can be nice and smooth.
Vanilla Extract: vanilla adds a sweet essence to this recipe that rounds out the basil and transforms it into a lovely dessert!
Salt: a pinch of salt acts as a flavor enhancer in this ice cream recipe.
How to Serve Sweet Basil Ice Cream
As with any homemade ice cream recipe, I like to enjoy this ice cream in an insulated serving dish. As much as I would love to serve this ice cream in glass to see the beautiful color, homemade, all natural ice cream melts very fast! Serving ice cream in insulated stainless steel bowls has been a game changer for our family- our ice cream stays at the perfect temperature, and we can take our time enjoying each bit without it all melting into ice cream soup!
How to Store Homemade Sweet Basil Ice Cream
- Store the un-churned base of this ice cream in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.
- Store the churned ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 4 months. Keep in mind that the texture will not be as creamy after freezing as it is when it is freshly churned. Allow it to thaw just a bit, then mix it up with a spoon or whisk before enjoying to improve the texture.
How to Make Homemade Sweet Basil Ice Cream
Whisk egg yolks in a medium sized heat proof bowl.
Heat 3/4 cup of the milk and the maple syrup in a medium saucepan set to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to steam.
Once the milk mixture just begins to steam, slowly pour it into the whisked egg yolks, 1/4 cup at a time, while whisking constantly.
Add the egg yolk mixture bag to the pot and continue cooking over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens.
Once the custard has thickened, transfer to the refrigerator to cool.
In a large pot, add water and salt and bring to a boil.
Add fresh basil leaves and boil for 1 minute, then strain out the water.
Add the rest of the milk, the heavy cream, blanched basil leaves, vanilla extract, and salt to a high speed blender. Blend until smooth.
Pour the blended mixture of milk, basil and cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl to remove the fibrous plant material. Use the back of a wooden spoon to or rubber spatula to help move the ice cream base through the sieve.
Pour mixture of cooled custard into the bowl with rest of the ingredients and combine well with a whisk.
Transfer ice cream base to the bowl of the ice cream maker.
Allow ice cream maker to complete the churning process until a thick, creamy ice cream is formed.
Enjoy!
Homemade Sweet Basil Ice Cream (Healthy Recipe)
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
- 1 medium saucepan
- 2 medium mixing bowls (heat proof)
- 1 high speed blender
- 1 ice cream machine
- 1 fine mesh sieve
- 1 whisk
- 1 rubber spatula or wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups milk (separated)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 ounces fresh basil leaves
- 3 cups water with 1 teaspoon of salt mixed in (for blanching basil)
Instructions
- Whisk egg yolks in a medium sized heat proof bowl.
- Heat 3/4 cup of the milk and the maple syrup in a medium saucepan set to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to steam.
- Once the milk mixture just begins to steam, slowly pour it into the whisked egg yolks, 1/4 cup at a time, while whisking constantly.
- Add the egg yolk mixture bag to the pot and continue cooking over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens.
- Once the custard has thickened, transfer to the refrigerator to cool.
- In a large pot, add water and salt and bring to a boil.
- Add fresh basil leaves and boil for 1 minute, then strain out the water.
- Add the rest of the milk, the heavy cream, blanched basil leaves, vanilla extract, and salt to a high speed blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the blended mixture of milk, basil and cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl to remove the fibrous plant material. Use the back of a wooden spoon to or rubber spatula to help move the ice cream base through the sieve.
- Pour mixture of cooled custard into the bowl with rest of the ingredients and combine well with a whisk.
- Transfer ice cream base to the bowl of the ice cream maker.
- Allow ice cream maker to complete the churning process until a thick, creamy ice cream is formed.
- Enjoy!
