Homemade Ice Cream Recipes Made for Hot Summer Days

Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream

Make the most of leftover angel food cake and summery fresh strawberries in this frozen riff on one of the South's favorite desserts, strawberry shortcake. Top with fresh strawberries and, for a decadent touch, a dollop of whipped cream. 

Recipe: Cookies and Cream Ice Cream 

The trick to this homemade ice cream recipe is in how finely you crush the cookies. A very fine consistency will make sure every bite meets your cookie-filled expectations. You didn't think the store-bought stuff could be beat, but with fewer than five ingredients, this recipe leaves store-bought in the dust. 

Recipe: Pineapple Ice Cream

Not too sweet and oh-so refreshing, this Pineapple Ice Cream recipe is sure to be your new favorite dessert. Enjoy this homemade ice cream on its own, or serve it topped on a buttery pound cake at any occasion that requires a light, bright, fruity treat.

Recipe: Chicory Ice Cream

Serve this chicory coffee-flavored ice cream with a warm bowl of King Cake Bread Pudding or alongside warm beignets for a true taste of New Orleans at home. 

Recipe: Basil Ice Cream

Pair this homemade Basil Ice Cream with Cherry Tomato Cobbler for the ultimate sweet-savory summer treat. Neither are traditional desserts, but just like in savory cooking, the basil and tomato complement each other perfectly.

Recipe: Birthday Cake Ice Cream

No ice cream maker? No problem. This fun shortcut homemade birthday cake ice cream, which is studded with cake crumbles and sprinkles, comes together in a loaf pan in the freezer. Easier to make than a cake, this might just become your summer birthday go-to dessert. 

Recipe: Avocado-Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

Avocado and Key lime pie flavors come together in this recipe to create a rich and creamy treat. Sandwich this ice cream between two macadamia nut cookies, and you have tropical ice cream treat for the beach. 

Recipe: Sea Salt Ice Cream

If you savor sweet and salty flavor combos, you won't be able to get enough of this simple, yet sophisticated Sea Salt Ice Cream. Not just any salt will do, however; make sure to use crunchy flaky salt for the right balance of sweet and savory. 

Recipe: Pistachio Ice Cream

You'll want to use raw pistachios in this cool ice cream to achieve that crave-worthy sweet-and-salty flavor. A couple drops of green food coloring help the homemade stuff look just like the ice cream parlor classic. Save the roasted salted pistachios for a topping. They add a subtle saltiness that is sublime against the nutty ice cream.

Recipe: Strawberry Ice Cream in a Bag

Looking for a fun activity to keep the kids busy? Make homemade ice cream in a bag. Just toss all the ingredients—which you probably already have in your pantry—into a zip-top bag, and shake away.

Recipe: Banana Ice Cream

With a creamy custard base and a dose of flavor from ripe mashed bananas, this homemade ice cream is the best way to finish off a summertime meal. Make sure to use ripe (almost fully brown) bananas for maximum flavor.

Recipe: Putt's Butter Pecan Sundae

Once you taste the praline sundae topping, you'll be sure to keep a batch of this butter pecan ice cream stocked at all times. The best part? It only requires 30 minutes of cooking, and a little patience while it freezes, for ice cream that's so much better than the store-bought stuff. 

Recipe: Cornbread Ice Cream

Meet the Southern ice cream flavor you never knew you needed. Made with whole buttermilk and infused with skillet cornbread, this cornbread ice cream is the ultimate Southern treat on hot, summer day.

Recipe: No-Cook Peach Ice Cream

Peaches are a sweet taste of summer, and adding them to ice cream only makes the flavors of the season more sensational. Many homemade ice cream recipes require cooking a custard base first, but for this easy peach ice cream recipe, you simply freeze sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, and fresh peaches. 

Recipe: Cream Cheese Ice Cream

Cream Cheese Ice Cream is described by one reader as a summer version of cream cheese frosting, not that cream cheese frosting isn't delicious at any time. Layer this ice cream with your choice of fresh seasonal berries and garnish it with some fresh mint for an extra festive touch. 

Recipe: Watermelon Ice Cream

What's better than cold watermelon on a hot summer day? Watermelon ice cream. The blush pink confection uses fresh watermelon and just a handful of other ingredients to make a super refreshing dessert for the hottest of summer days. 

Recipe: No-Churn Fresh Mint Chip Ice Cream

It may not be bright green, but this mint chip beats the neon stuff at the ice cream shop every time. Made with a mint-infused whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk, this ice cream sets in freezer, no extra equipment necessary. It's also ready to scoop in only four hours. 

Recipe: No-Churn Rhubarb-Raspberry Ice Cream

Rhubarb has a short growing season, but we're prolonging this pink stalk's shelf life with the help of our freezers. Oven-roasted raspberries and rhubarbs make a quick jam that adds a vibrant magenta swirl to this creamy no-churn ice cream. 

Recipe: Blueberry Ripple No-Churn Ice Cream

Inspired by summer blueberry pies, this ice cream has blueberry preserves swirled throughout for a bit of the tart and sweet berry in every bite. Crushed graham crackers mimic a pie curst and add a hint of crunch, too. 

Recipe: Bourbon Ice Cream With Bourbon-Caramel Swirl

This boozy scoop is the ultimate adult treat. Made with a classic creme anglaise base, it does require an ice cream machine to make. But if there were a recipe worth pulling out the ice cream machine for, it's this one. 

Recipe: Coffee-Chocolate Ice Cream

Coffee and chocolate are a match made in heaven. Here, instant espresso is the secret ingredient that packs in the coffee flavor, while flecks of shaved semisweet chocolate add a hint of chocolate-y goodness. 

Recipe: No-Churn Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

The iconic summer pie, but make it ice cream. With Key lime juice and zest, as well as graham cracker crumbs strewn throughout, it both looks and tastes the part.