Passion Fruit Ice Cream

Creamy, tart, and tropical with a passion fruit curd swirl.

Hi Bakers!

I will eat a scoop of mint chip all-year round, but it’s the fresh and zesty flavors that make summer ice cream the best ice cream. And rightfully so! What better way to beat the heat than with a fun, frozen treat. 

If you patronize ice cream chains like Jeni’s or Salt & Straw, then you know what I mean about seasonal menu changes that favor items like goat cheese and cherries, sweet corn and blueberries, and lemon yuzu. Just last night, I walked to our local Earnest Ice Cream specifically for a cone of lemon tart (with lemon curd and bits of crust swirled throughout) before it’s gone for good.  

If you can’t make it in person but still want artisanal flavors at home, then I hope you’ll try these summer-inspired recipes from our first ICE CREAM WEEK!

All of the recipes this week are for no-churn ice cream and frozen delights. I wanted to bring you all the fancy flavors of our favorite ice cream chains with as little work as possible. Ice cream purists might disagree, but no-churn ice cream has got to be one of the best dessert hacks for quick, fool-proof, minimal effort - high reward ice cream. And I am here for it!

My ice cream maker sits in the back of my pantry next to the Instant Pot and zucchini spiralizer. I’ve tried my hand at churning custard into ice cream enough times to know that fighting ice crystals and unsatisfactory mouth-feel is way more of a hassle than just buying a pint already. 

But folding whipped cream into sweetened condensed milk? That’s a small hurdle to jump into a delicious world of homemade frozen treats.

How It Works

Homemade ice cream typically starts by making a custard on the stove that is then cooled and churned. Churning aerates the custard to make it light and creamy. Whipping cream performs a similar role, but in a fraction of the time and energy.

With no-churn ice cream, air is beaten into heavy cream. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until it holds medium-stiff peaks. If you want to make it without any machinery, the cream may be whipped by hand.

Instead of creating a custard, sweetened condensed milk is folded into the whipped cream. No stove, no cooling, no hassle. 

Due to a lack of stabilizers, many homemade ice creams have a tendency to turn icy rather quickly. From my own experience, no-churn ice cream remains smooth and creamy for up to a couple weeks (if it lasts that long).

Depending on my mood, I have a few favorite dessert flavors: Earl Grey, pistachio, and passion fruit. The tartness of passion fruit works so wonderfully in pastry because it balances out all the sweet, rich, and creaminess in frosting, pastry cream, ganache - and of course - ice cream. 

Even though I speak the praises of no-churn ice cream, it’s difficult to cut through the sweetened condensed milk and they all start to taste the same. But take something like passion fruit, its pulp so mouth-puckering on its own, and you get a sensational creamy, sweet, tart ice cream. 

To top it off, I made a passion fruit curd that makes this dish even more decadent and luxurious. I had the most delicious passion fruit butter from Kahuku Farms where my grandfather was born on Oahu. I literally dream about this passion fruit butter. My last jar long gone, this curd is second best swirled over a scoop of passion fruit ice cream.

Passion Fruit Ice Cream

If you’ve made it this far, then you’ll see that the recipe is up next. If you’re a paid subscriber then you’ll continue right along. If not, you can take the opportunity to sign up for a free trial to see what it’s all about OR click the link below to get a sweet deal on a 1 year subscription (and instant access to the full Bake Club archives).