Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream Recipe: A Festive Holiday Treat
Cool, creamy, and bursting with peppermint candy flavor, this homemade ice cream is the perfect holiday dessert. With a double dose of candy cane and simple ingredients, it’s easy to make and naturally gluten-free!
This Candy Cane Ice Cream Is A Nostalgic Dream Come True
You know I love a good Christmas cookie recipe this time of year, but sometimes it’s fun to get holly jolly with something a bit different, and that’s where this homemade Candy Cane Ice Cream recipe comes in!
🍨 EASE: Simple ingredients, no fussy prep, and the ice cream maker does the churning for you!
🎄 FLAVORS: This festive treat is packed with peppermint flavor! The creamy ice cream base has both melted candy cane and peppermint extract, then we’ll add some crunchy bits of peppermint candy in at the end to finish. The flavors are balanced by a kiss of vanilla and *just* enough salt. Yum!
❄️ TOP TIPS: Don’t rush! Plan ahead to allow plenty of time for this homemade ice cream to freeze. It’s worth it for gorgeously scoop-able ice cream! (Also: try it with hot fudge sauce!)
Happy ice cream making! xo, Emily
Table of Contents
- Gather Your Ice Cream Ingredients
- How To Make Peppermint Ice Cream, Step By Step
- Serving Suggestions + Mix-Ins To Try
- FAQ + Tricks For The Best Candy Cane Ice Cream
- More Yummy Peppermint Treats To Try
Gather Your Ice Cream Ingredients
One thing about this pretty pink peppermint ice cream? It’s a Philadelphia style ice cream recipe, meaning there are no eggs or egg yolks to temper! Let’s take a look at the ingredients list:
- Crushed Peppermint Candy Canes: This is candy cane peppermint ice cream, so we get a double-dose of peppermint by dissolving crushed candy canes or crushed peppermint candies (like Starlight Mints) into the ice cream base AND adding some to the finished ice cream. You can crush candy canes in a bag with a rolling pin, or save time by buying crushed candy cane bits. We like Brach’s brand and Atkinson’s brands, which are both gluten-free.
- Whole Milk: You can’t use low-fat milk or skim milk here! We need the creaminess that whole milk provides.
- Heavy Cream: Speaking of creaminess, you’ll also need some heavy whipping cream. It’ll help give our peppermint ice cream the fluffy, creamy texture that makes it so delicious.
- Sugar: Some granulated sugar adds the sweetness we need to balance the mint flavor and helps keep the ice cream soft.
- Vanilla & Peppermint Extract: A bit of vanilla extract and pure peppermint extract add lovely balanced flavor you won’t want to miss!
- Salt: Last, but not least, a little bit of salt helps balance and enhance the flavors in this peppermint ice cream!
Our Favorite Ice Cream Maker
We’ve owned this Cuisinart ice cream maker for years and it’s still going strong. This top-rated machine takes up less space than some other models, and is large enough for most homemade ice cream recipes!
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How To Make Peppermint Ice Cream, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Dissolve Candy Cane. To start, pour the whole milk into a large liquid measuring cup or a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the crushed candy cane pieces and stir to dissolve until the milk turns a pretty pink color and there are no large pieces of candy cane left. (This can take up to 10 or so minutes!)
- Combine. Then, add sugar, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt. Stir to combine until the sugar is dissolved. You don’t want any gritty grains left! Pour in the heavy cream and mix through until evenly blended. If your mixture has warmed up to room temperature, make sure to chill until it feels cold to the touch, or it won’t churn properly. (I usually don’t need to chill mine!)
- Churn Ice Cream. Pour the ice cream base into the ice cream maker and churn according to your manufacturer’s instructions until the ice cream reaches a soft serve texture. (For me, that’s 20-25 minutes!) Sprinkle in most of the remaining 1/2 cup crushed candy cane (I like to reserve about 1 Tablespoon!)
- Freeze. Transfer ice cream mixture to a freezer-safe container and sprinkle with any remaining candy cane. Freeze at LEAST 6-8 hours on a level surface in the freezer, or until it’s firm enough to scoop.
- Store. Leftover ice cream will keep in an airtight container in the freezer up to 2 weeks (though we prefer to enjoy it within 2-3 days, for the best texture!)
Serving Suggestions + Mix-Ins To Try
TBH this homemade peppermint ice cream is DELICIOUS all on its own. BUT, if you’re looking to add a little flair this holiday season…
- Try It With a Brownie! A *slightly* warm brownie (like these fudgy gluten-free brownies!) and cold peppermint ice cream are a match made in heaven.
- Add Hot Fudge Sauce. Go with classic hot fudge sauce or peppermint hot fudge sauce for bonus points! (A peppermint brownie sundae is a WONDERFUL Christmas dessert!)
- Or Chocolate Sauce. Hot fudge too rich? Go with our homemade Hershey’s style chocolate syrup instead.
- Garnish With More Crushed Candy Cane! Add a little extra crunch (and even more minty flavor!) with a small sprinkle of crushed candies on your scoop.
- Mix In Oreos! For a peppermint cookies & cream vibe, try mixing in 1 cup of chopped Oreos or gluten-free Oreos along with the final 1/2 cup peppermint bits at the end. It’s delicious! (You could even chop up our homemade oreos for this!)
- Mix In Mini Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Chunks. Or, for a peppermint bark vibe, you can add in some chocolate chips or chocolate chunks at the end with the peppermint bits. It’s like the candy cane version of mint chocolate chip! YUM!
FAQ + Tricks For The Best Candy Cane Ice Cream
Consider Pre-Crushed Peppermint Bits! To save time, consider buying crushed peppermint bits or crushed peppermint candy from the store rather than crushing them yourself. I’ve had good luck with Brach’s and Atkinson’s brands.
How to Crush Candy Canes. To crush candy canes or peppermint candy for this creamy candy cane ice cream, I put mini candy canes in a plastic bag, then put the bag on a cutting board. Tap them with a rolling pin or meat mallet to crush them. Or, you can try pulsing them in a food processor, but I find this is noisier and less precise than using a rolling pin/meat mallet.
Do I Need To Use Food Dye? Nope! This pink peppermint ice cream gets its soft pink color from melted candy cane, so there’s no need to add any extra red food dye or food coloring! Even if you use dye-free candy canes or naturally colored candy cane, you’ll probably still have enough color!
More Yummy Peppermint Treats To Try
Peppermint Flourless Chocolate Cake
Gluten-Free Peppermint Crunch Brownies
Vegan Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Gluten-Free Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
🌟 Did You Make This Recipe?
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Candy Cane Ice Cream
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Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker (Make Sure To Freeze In Advance, As Needed!!!)
Ingredients
For Peppermint Ice Cream
- ½ cup Crushed Candy Canes (about 20 mini candy canes)
- â…” cup Granulated Sugar (133 grams)
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 1 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ÂĽ teaspoon Kosher Salt
Mix-Ins
- 1/4-1/2 cup Crushed Candy Cane (about 10-20 candy canes)
Instructions
- Dissolve Candy Cane. To start, pour the whole milk into a large liquid measuring cup or a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the crushed candy cane pieces and stir to dissolve until the milk turns a pretty pink color and there are no large pieces of candy cane left. (This can take up to 10 or so minutes!)
- Combine. Then, add sugar, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt. Stir to combine until the sugar is dissolved. You don’t want any gritty grains left! Pour in the heavy cream and mix through until evenly blended. If your mixture has warmed up to room temperature, make sure to chill until it feels cold to the touch, or it won’t churn properly. (I usually don’t need to chill mine!)
- Churn Ice Cream. Pour the ice cream base into the ice cream maker and churn according to your manufacturer’s instructions until the ice cream reaches a soft serve texture. (For me, that’s 20-25 minutes!) Sprinkle in most of the remaining 1/2 cup crushed candy cane (I like to reserve about 1 Tablespoon!)
- Freeze. Transfer ice cream mixture to a freezer-safe container and sprinkle with any remaining candy cane. Freeze at LEAST 6-8 hours on a level surface in the freezer, or until it’s firm enough to scoop.
- Store. Leftover ice cream will keep in an airtight container in the freezer up to 2 weeks (though we prefer to enjoy it within 2-3 days, for the best texture!)
Notes
- Consider Pre-Crushed Peppermint Bits! To save time, consider buying crushed peppermint bits or crushed peppermint candy from the store rather than crushing them yourself. I’ve had good luck with Brach’s and Atkinson’s brands.
- How to Crush Candy Canes. To crush candy canes or peppermint candy for this creamy candy cane ice cream, I put mini candy canes in a plastic bag, then put the bag on a cutting board. Tap them with a rolling pin or meat mallet to crush them. Or, you can try pulsing them in a food processor, but I find this is noisier and less precise than using a rolling pin/meat mallet.
- Don’t rush. Plan ahead to allow plenty of time for this homemade ice cream to freeze. It’s worth if for gorgeously scoop-able ice cream!
- Make a Sundae! Try this ice cream with a warm brownie & hot fudge sauce–it’s unreal!
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Find the recipe:
sweetsandthankyou.com/peppermint-ice-cream/