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Sour Cherry Ice Cream Recipe

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Sour cherry ice cream is just about the summeriest ice cream you can make. This version from the book Scoop Adventures is excellent!

A no-egg ice cream base ensures the sweet-tart fruit flavor really shines through in this homemade cherry ice cream!

Another one to check out is my chocolate cherry almond gelato

For ease of browsing here are all of my ice cream recipes (and a few ice cream cakes). Thanks for stopping by!

Disclosure: I was given a copy of Scoop Adventures by the fine folks at Page Street Publishing. Thanks guys!

A spoonful of pink sour cherry ice cream.
What You'll Find in This Post Click to view ToC

Why This Recipe?

One of the things I really like about this recipe is that it is not a custard base, meaning that it doesn’t contain eggs.

The base is a mixture of sugar, milk, and heavy cream that allows the sweet-tart cherry flavor to really shine through.

I also love the cookbook this recipe comes from.

Cover of the ice cream cookbook "Scoop Adventures: The Best Ice Cream of the 50 States" by Lindsay Clendaniel.

Scoop Adventures is a delightful book with recipes inspired by or adapted from recipes from great ice cream parlors across all 50 states.

The book is divided into geographical regions, so if you’re hankering for southern treats or maybe something from the Pacific Northwest, it’s easy to find a recipe to fit the bill.

Of course, the sour cherry ice cream recipe comes from Colorado, but it would be right at home in Michigan as well. And it certainly was right at home in my freezer and in my mouth!

How to Make It

Ingredients

Here’s what you need:

Collage of ingredients for making sour cherry ice cream.
  • sour cherries: fresh or frozen. If you can’t find tart cherries, macerate pitted sweet cherries with sugar, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon citric acid
  • granulated sugar: for sweetness. Sugar also affects the set of the ice cream. If it’s too sweet, it will never completely freeze.
  • lemon juice: provides balance and a pop of acid
  • heavy cream:
  • whole milk: You can also substitute half and half instead of using heavy cream plus whole milk

Procedure

3 scoops of ice cream in a bowl. Text reads "Colorado sour cherry ice cream from Scoop Adventures"

This is a very easy ice cream to put together. The components, made from the ingredients above, are simple:

  • a homemade sour cherry syrup
  • a Philadelphia-style (no egg, no starch) ice cream base
  1. Make the cherry syrup: simply macerate pitted cherries in a portion of the sugar and all the lemon juice for several hours.

    Puree the mixture in a blender, and strain it out.

    Reserve some of the cherry skins for texture in the final ice cream.
  2. Make the base: cook the milk, cream, and the rest of the sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil.

    Chill.
  3. Combine the cold cherry syrup with the cream base
  4. Churn in your ice cream maker.
  5. Mix in some of the reserved cherry skins for texture and added flavor.

The resulting ice cream is a lovely deep pink and the flavor is pure cherries and cream.

Q & A

A bowl of pink sour cheery ice cream with a metal spoon. Fresh cherries are on the side.
Can I use frozen cherries?

Yes, fresh or frozen cherries will work here. If using frozen, there’s no reason to thaw them first before making the recipe. Just dump the sugar and lemon juice in with the frozen cherries, let them sit on the counter until thawed, and then let them finish macerating in the fridge.

What if I can’t find tart cherries?

You can absolutely substitute sweet cherries, fresh or frozen. The recipe suggests adding some citric acid to the mixture to approximate the flavor of tart cherries, but you don’t have to do that. You’ll still end up with a lovely sweet cherry ice cream.

Do I need an ice cream maker to make this?

Churning in an ice cream maker is certainly convenient, but if you don’t have one, you can still make this ice cream. Once you combine the cherry juice with the base, place in a metal bowl (to freeze faster) and place in the freezer. Whisk it very well every 30-45 minutes until it’s the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. Then press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream and freeze at least four hours if not overnight.

How long does it last in the freezer?

For best texture, finish your ice cream within about a week. Any longer, and it may start to get a little icy, especially if you’ve taken it out of the freezer a lot and it has partially thawed and then refrozen.

PRO TIP: If using sweet cherries and you don’t want to special order citric acid, substitute Fruit Fresh, which is readily available in grocery stores, for the citric acid.

If you have questions about this post or recipe, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can leave a comment on the post and I will get back to you within about 24 hours.

If your question is more urgent, please shoot me an email, and I will respond within 4 hours, unless I’m asleep.

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Recipe from Scoop Adventures by Lindsay Clendaniel (Page Street Publishing; March 2014) Printed with permission

overhead shot of cherry ice cream in a bowl on a silver tray

Colorado Sour Cherry Ice Cream

Yield: 1 .5 quarts
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Chill and Freezing Time: 10 hours
Total Time: 10 hours 20 minutes

Colorado sour cherry ice cream is inspired by the vibrant red sour cherries grown on the western slopes of Colorado, this flavor packs a punch with elements of tart, sweet and tangy. Sweet Action creates ice creams made with fresh and seasonal ingredients, so the owners only feature this gem of a flavor on their menu when cherries are at their peak season. Lucky for you, they have chosen to share their recipe so you can make this ice cream whenever cherries are in season near your home.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups (465g) sour cherries, pitted
  • 1 ¼ cups (250g) sugar, divided
  • 1 tbsp (15ml) lemon juice
  • 2 cups (473ml) heavy cream
  • 1 cup (237ml) whole milk

Instructions

  1. Combine cherries with ¾ cup (150g) of the sugar and lemon juice. Allow the cherries to macerate in the refrigerator for approximately 6 hours, stirring every hour. Purée the macerated cherries in a blender. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the cherry skins; reserve the juice. Reserve 2 tablespoons (30g) of the cherry skins and discard the remaining skins.
  2. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup (100g) sugar with the heavy cream and whole milk and place over medium heat. Bring the milk mixture to a low boil. Cook until the sugar dissolves, 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a medium bowl and set in the ice water bath to cool, 20 minutes, whisking occasionally. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
  3. When you are ready to churn, combine the reserved sour cherry juice and the milk mixture in an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When churning is near completion, add the reserved cherry skins (adjust based on personal preference). Complete churning, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Notes

Note: If you cannot find sour or tart cherries, you may substitute sweet cherries. To prepare the cherries, pit and halve before macerating. Add ½ teaspoon citric acid during maceration. The ice cream will not taste exactly the same, but it will still be tart and delicious. (This is what I did as there were no sour cherries to be had here. I did find a can of sour cherries after the fact, and I used them in a variation I'll be sharing later)

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Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1 cup
Amount Per Serving Calories 345Total Fat 16.3gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gCholesterol 59mgSodium 34mgCarbohydrates 51gFiber 0.8gSugar 48.3gProtein 2.7g

The stated nutritional information is provided as a courtesy. It is calculated through third party software and is intended as a guideline only.

© Lindsay Clendaniel
Cuisine: American / Category: Ice Cream Recipes
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What Others Are Saying...

  2. Allison @ Decadent Philistines Save the World says

    The best flavor I’ve ever made was a maple-ale frozen custard a few years ago. I used Four Peaks Kilt Lifter (a Scottish style ale), and when it was reduced, it had a lot of coffee flavor, which balanced out the sweet of the maple and the richness of the custard perfectly. I should probably make it again to see if it was a fluke.

    Reply

  5. Anne Herrin says

    As a kid, we made vanilla ice cream every summer at my grandparents house when we visited. Everyone got a turn at the hand cranked maker :/ My favorite is mint-chocolate -chip tho!

    Reply

  6. Connie Martin says

    I have made homemade vanilla and strawberry and mint chocolate chip ice cream. I would love to try some fun new flavors.

    Reply

  8. Stephanie Bullene says

    I had great memories making homemade ice cream with my family, If I get this book I would certainly like to make those memories with my grandchildren……………..

    Reply

  11. Susan Cohen says

    Oh, I’ve made peach ice cream and it’s my favorite. As a matter of fact my favorite peach ice cream is the one I make.

    Reply

  12. Grace says

    Home-made is the only way to go! I’ve ditched all grocery store ice-cream ever since acquiring my ice cream maker. My favourite is a vanilla-bean ice cream with a fruity swirl like blueberry. But now I’m thinking sour cherry would work great too 🙂

    Reply

    • Jennifer Field says

      I actually found a can of sour cherries after the fact, made a concentrated sauce out of it, and swirled it into half the sour cherry base. Delicious! I can see that my impulse buys at the grocery store will happen way less frequently now that I have my own maker!

      Reply

  14. Jo-Anne says

    Great post! Love me some ice cream. I have made it in the past. Quire regularly in fact. Chocolate is my go-to with some peanut butter thrown in for good measure. Pumpkin was a good holiday flavor too under a vanilla base. I would love to win & read this book.

    Reply

  18. Patty Lee Vasil says

    When I was very young I remember making vanilla ice cream – we had to turn a handle. It was very tiring and we all took turns. Vanilla is my favorite.

    Reply

    • Jennifer Field says

      I think lots of folks have that memory from childhood, Patty. We were not an ice cream making family, so I don’t have it. Sigh. But at least I have an ice cream maker now! =)

      Reply

  19. Patty Lee Vasil says

    Like Lindsay’s Scoop Adventures facebook page and leave a separate comment telling me you did.

    Reply

  21. Jen G. says

    I haven’t made ice cream since I was in my teens. I loved the homemade Cherry Garcia (mom had the Ben & Jerry’s cookbook), and I’m also fond of rum raisin.

    Reply

  29. Trish says

    I’ve made vanilla, chocolate, pineapple and peach ice creams. My favorite being peach. I add cinnamon, cloves and a touch of kirschwaser. Yum!

    Reply

  35. Jamie says

    Love Cherry Ice Cream and always, always order it (one scoop cherry, one scoop milk chocolate) when we go out for pizza. Yours looks perfect!!! Yum!

    We have a small, hand crank ice cream machine and love it. My favorite has to be the simple (no cooking an ice cream base) coffee ice cream. Fabulous! I also tried making a cheese ice cream once and it was pretty cool, interesting and wonderful (once one got used to the weird flavor).

    Reply

    • Jennifer Field says

      I remember reading about your cheese ice cream in PS. See, I pay attention! 🙂 I have an idea for a “cherry covered chocolate” ice cream… =) If you win, I’ll bring you your copy to Orlando!

      Reply

  38. Tina W says

    I have made homemade ice cream. I have a little single serve maker that I use to make “ice cream” using almond milk for my vegan FIL.

    Reply

    • Jennifer Field says

      I love that! There’s at least one vegan ice cream in the book, and I’m sure many of the “regular” ones can be made by subbing in almond milk or coconut milk and thickening the base with some starch rather than eggs. 🙂

      Reply

  43. Karen Lynch says

    We just made ice cream on Sunday with a recipe from Jeni’s book. It came out so good. It had cream cheese, and buttermilk in it and we switched the roasted strawberries for roasted blackberries because we had some in the freezer from last summer. Would love to try some in the book, because I am excited to try new flavor combos.

    Reply

      • Karen Lynch says

        You must. I also saw recently she has another one coming out this year, though I think it might have more to do with ice cream desserts. Lord give me strength to resist all the temptations or up my metabolism.

        Reply

  48. Jeanine says

    I have made homemade ice cream! Just not often, I think I need a better machine. 🙁 I did make a mocha fudge ripple that was pretty memorable though. 🙂

    Reply

  56. Christine says

    There’s a major typo in your recipe. Step one is identical to step two, and there is no direction on the “milk mixture.” (Do you just mix the cream and milk in a bowl? Do they need to be heated?)

    Reply

  57. Maranda H. says

    Hi! I’ve had an ice cream maker for awhile now but my chronic illness has made me literally too tired to make my normal foods for months now, not to mention anything extra like ice cream. So I’d like to ask some questions in case I feel well enough to make something to narrow down the best way for me to make it. I’m allergic to cow’s milk but can have pure cream and butter. Thus I drink goat milk for my milk needs and I love it. (I actually drink whole all the time–the fat isn’t globular.) So I will have to use that. Can I make it with just whole goat milk? I’ve been assuming I would need to do half cream and half goat milk. Also, the safe cream I buy contains carrageenan. Is this a problem? I can’t find whole organic cream without it or I would definitely buy it instead. What makes you decide to use egg yolks and starch for one recipe and then not in a different recipe? Do certain factors or ingredients make for better candidates for the ones with or without? Is it possible to use only egg yolks and no starch? I make strawberry goat milk (essentially a homemade milkshake) all the time and it’s so wonderful, I’ve often wondered if I could just churn that as is, perhaps adding more sugar. It comes out rather thick, even after I’ve strained it. I think the strawberry pulp, even refined does wonders. If I forget about it and it sits in the refrigerator too long, it will completely separate into half foam and half liquid. (I’m assuming the top half is the goat milk fat with strawberry component and the bottom half is largely sugar–the polar components–and some more strawberry stuff.) But I still think maybe I ought to try out a very basic plain recipe to learn why it works the way it works so I can build on that. Any help you can give me will be of great help! Thank you!

    P.S. I’m super allergic to vanilla so I use white rum largely, and I found that brown sugar and rum make a liquor that is an excellent tasting substitute. My family likes it better in fact. It’s the ethanol bringing out flavors. The organic lemon extract I’ve made in the past has been wonderful. Having a huge number of food allergies, including to several spices, means I have to make basically all of my food!

    Reply

    • Jennifer Field says

      The short answer to your excellent questions is “yes.” You can absolutely use goat’s milk to make your ice cream. My choice as to whether to use starch, yolks or a combination in my bases is largely about what flavor the ice cream will be. I generally like to leave the yolks out in fruity bases since the yolk can dampen the fruit flavor. When I want a super-rich ice cream, I use a lot of yolks. The enemy of ice cream is free water, so the more you can do to bind up the water, the smoother your ice cream will be, especially after sitting in the freezer for a day or two. Starch does a fantastic job of binding up water, so I often use some even if I’m using yolks, just to get the smoothest, creamiest consistency I can. But yes, you can absolutely just use yolks. If you can have corn syrup, add a splash or two to your base. It will inhibit crystallization too, and you might find it helpful, especially if you don’t want to use the starch.

      I would absolutely encourage you to churn the strawberry goat’s milk. Adding more sugar will help keep it softer, as well. My rule of thumb, and again this is just a starting point, is roughly 1/4 cup sugar per cup of dairy. I usually use a bit more than that since sweet flavors are deadened in the freezer.

      Oh, and I love your solution to using vanilla extract–brown sugar/rum=brilliant!

      Hope that helps!

      Reply

      • Maranda H. says

        Thank you so much! Sorry for such a long post. D: I learned to make strawberry jam/preserves (depending on straining or blending here) a couple of months ago. And I found that if I keep it from going very hot, and do several cook downs in a shallow pan, it does just fine without any outside addition of pectin. (I read that pectin is destroyed by too much heat. And I put the lid on at the first with a little extra water to make sure the sugar gets inverted.) This also makes it so that I don’t have to make it too sweet. So good on homemade biscuits! And it made awesome–my very first–scones. So I thought about layering the jam in when I go to transfer it to a container to go in the freezer. Then I thought about those not so great little swirl cups of ice cream we’d get when I was a kid, and I thought I could just make plain goat milk ice cream and layer it with the jam for strawberry swirl! I’ve always noticed that super cold things never taste as sweet. I found that out as a teenager trying to make some sort of popsicle with mostly juice. I also have never liked eating hot cookies or brownies since they never taste as sweet to me either. Thanks again!! 🙂

        Reply

  58. Diana says

    I made this ice cream today. It turned out fantastic! A look delicious!! I have an abundance of sour cherries every year as I have a tree in my backyard here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Thank you for this great recipe.

    Reply

    • Jennifer Field says

      You are so welcome, Diana, and you are *so* lucky to have access to fresh sour cherries. None to be found–ever–in NC. So it’s canned or “regular” cherries plus some acid. One day, I shall have the real thing, and it will be a very happy day indeed! =)

      Reply

  59. Kristin says

    Love this recipe! I buy a giagantic bucket of Door County cherries every summer, and this is a great way to use them up. Especially delicious served atop homemade cherry pie.

    Reply

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