Made with fresh blueberries and cream, this classic homemade Blueberry Ice Cream is the must-have treat of the summer! And, since it’s chock-full of anti-oxidants, you might even say it’s healthy! Bonus: just like all the ice cream recipes here, it’s egg-free!

This gorgeous, blueberry ice cream is made in a Cuisinart ice cream maker.

This Blueberry Ice Cream is my most popular ice cream recipe! And for good reason! Have you ever seen a more beautiful scoop of ice cream? The color is incredible, and the intense flavor doesn’t disappoint!

It’s one of the very first recipes I posted, but I’m updating the pictures and giving you step-by-step instructions to make it even easier for you!

Ingredients for Blueberry Ice Cream

• Fresh or frozen blueberries
• Granulated sugar
• Lemon juice
• Whole milk
• Heavy whipping cream

Notice there are no eggs in this recipe, which makes everything so much easier!

How to make Blueberry Ice Cream

This summer treat does take a bit of time and planning, but it’s so worth it! I suggest you make it at least one day before you plan to serve it.

First, you’re going to make a thick blueberry syrup using fresh blueberries, sugar, a little bit of lemon juice.

Tip: You can use frozen blueberries if you don’t have fresh berries!

Second Tip: You can skip this whole section and use 1/2 cup of blueberry jam if you want a shortcut!

You’ll add all those ingredients to a small saucepan and cook them until the blueberries get soft.

Note: If you use a wooden spoon here, it will probably get stained.

Simmer the blueberries until they soften and break down.

Then you’re going to pour the blueberries and sauce into a blender and puree them. (You can also use a food processor, immersion blender, or potato masher).

Pulverize those blueberries in a blender as much as you can. We want to get all the juicy goodness out!

Now you’ll want to strain out the seeds (unless you like seeds in your ice cream). I use a small fine mesh strainer for this.

Strain your pureed blueberries in a fine-mesh sieve. You may need to use the back of a spoon to press all the liquid through.

You’ll have a nice syrup.

Your blueberry puree should be nice and smooth.

But we need to get rid of as much water as possible from the syrup. Otherwise, our ice cream will be hard and crumbly. So pour the blueberry syrup back into the pan and heat it some more (for about 15 minutes), stirring constantly, until most of the water has evaporated and the syrup has gotten very thick.

Pour into a small container, cover with plastic wrap or a lid, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. When the mixture is fully chilled, it may look like jelly. You should end up with almost 1/2 cup.

(The sides of that measuring cup are steamed up with the hot blueberry syrup. That’s not dish soap residue).

After cooking most of the water out and refrigerating, your blueberry puree should have the consistency of jelly.

When you’re ready to churn your ice cream, add the blueberry syrup/jelly to a large bowl along with some sugar.

Mix the blueberry puree and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.

Stir that together. Then add some whole milk and stir with a whisk until the lumps are gone. (Remember, this is egg-free ice cream, so there’s no cooking egg yolks or making a custard ice cream base. Yippee!)

Use a whisk to mix the whole milk in with the blueberry puree. It’s important to use whole milk so that your fat/water ratio is optimal.

Now you’ll add your heavy cream to your blueberry mixture and whisk everything together until you get this lovely purple hue:

Mix the heavy whipping cream in until everything is a uniform color. Then churn in your ice cream maker!

Now it’s time to churn! Add to your ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer’s directions.

(For my review of several popular ice cream makers and my recommendation for the best, see Which Ice Cream Maker is the Best?)

The ice cream will be soft-serve consistency straight from your ice cream maker.

If you let it harden and ripen overnight in the freezer, you’ll get ice cream that looks like this:

Variations of Blueberry Ice Cream

Blueberry Pie Ice Cream

Simply bake up your favorite pie crust, allow it to cool, and then break it up and drop the pieces into the container you’re placing your blueberry ice cream in. I wouldn’t add it to the machine to be churned, or it’ll break up and make your ice cream gritty. Just add the pie crust pieces in layers as you transfer the blueberry ice cream from your ice cream maker to your airtight container.

Click here for an easy pie crust recipe for ice cream (that you don’t have to roll out).

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

You have two options here:

Option 1: Make this ice cream as instructed in this post. Bake some cheesecake crust and allow it to cool. Then break into pieces and add in in layers as you transfer your ice cream from the ice cream maker to your airtight container for freezing.

Option 2: Make blueberry syrup (as instructed earlier in this post). Set aside to cool.

Then make cheesecake crust and allow it to cool.

Finally, make vanilla ice cream. As you’re transferring it from your ice cream maker to your airtight freezer container, layer with blueberry syrup and broken pieces of cheesecake crust.

Time Commitment: High, but worth it.

Health Benefits of Ingredients: (Please see the Disclaimer)

Blueberries have been shown to help maintain healthy bones, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and ward off heart disease, prevent cancer, reduce cognitive decline, improve motor coordination, prevent constipation, and fight wrinkles. (See “Blueberries: Health Benefits, Uses, Health Risks“)

I recommend the Cuisinart ICE-21 1.5 Quart Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream Maker.

To make this ice cream even more delicious, consider adding some Cheesecake Crust as you put it in an airtight container before freezing.

And be sure to check out all my other delicious flavors of ice cream here!

Classic blueberry ice cream, ready for your enjoyment!

Today’s Freebie!

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Blueberry Ice Cream Recipe

Yield: 1.5 quarts

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Chilling/Freezing Time: 1 day

Total Time: 1 day 1 hour

Made with fresh or frozen blueberries and cream, this home made Blueberry Ice Cream is the must-have treat of the summer!

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. Start by making a thick blueberry syrup. Combine the 1 1/2 cups of blueberries, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a small saucepan.
2. Heat over medium heat for about five minutes, until the blueberries soften and begin to break down.
3. Remove from the stove and puree in a blender.
4. Pour through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds. (Some of the seeds may still get through. That is o.k.)
5. Return the blueberry mixture to the pan on the stove and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has thickened (about 15 minutes).
6. Transfer the blueberry mixture to a small container and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours, or overnight.
When fully chilled, the mixture will look like thick jelly.
7. When ready to churn your ice cream, add the chilled blueberry mixture, along with 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar to a large mixing bowl. Stir together.
8. Add 1 cup of whole milk and whisk together until all the lumps are gone.
9. Add 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and whisk together.
10. Pour into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's directions.
When ice cream has reached soft-serve consistency, transfer to an airtight container and freeze overnight.

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