Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Sweet deals are made of this
This ice cream you guys!! It’s your favorite cheesecake in a cone! This eggless ice cream is loaded with fresh blueberries for a nice burst of freshness every time you bite one. It has lots of graham cracker pieces for that crunchy texture we all love from a good cheesecake. Each spoonful you take is super creamy, tangy, rich and extra flavorful! You and your people won’t been able to stop eating this stuff!
If you are wondering how cream cheese tastes in an ice cream, let me tell you it’s a match made in Heaven that you don’t want to miss out! It’s precisely the tanginess of the cream cheese that balances out the sweetness from the sugar and fruits and the fat from the heavy cream. Cream cheese also adds a lot of viscosity to the ice cream texture, making it creamier than anything else.
This blueberry cheesecake ice cream has no eggs. It’s made with heavy cream that was a bit whipped, whole milk, condensed milk, cream cheese and a blueberry compote. Making the blueberries into a compote before adding them to the ice cream base is what ensures the vibrant purple color and enhances that sweet and acidic taste that we all love from blueberries. And the caramel-y notes of condensed milk makes this ice cream taste and feel like a real cheesecake.
Now I want to let you know that I’m bringing you this recipe in partnership with my father-in-law. Yeap! He’s the benefactor here. So it happened that one afternoon after finishing brunch at my home we made a deal that he’ll buy me an ice cream machine if I would make him sugar-free ice cream. I said yes immediately and I kept my promise, making a few batches of sugar-free ice cream including passionfruit and coconut. It’s been a while since I have made those because I started to notice he was not eating them in order to have small bites of the real stuff, especially when my mother-in-law is giving him the back. It’s such a challenge for him, haha! Still, I got to keep an ice cream machine that lets me create super fun ice cream recipes for you.
I took advantage of his special offer and bought this Cuisinart ice-cream machine that has the compressor already incorporated, click the link for the exact machine I have. If you love cooking and love experimenting around the kitchen it’s really a very nice and not inaccessible investment. You can make ice cream on demand because you don’t need to freeze in advance the churning bowl. I used to try to keep mine in the freezer but it was always in the way of other stuff, plus if it had gotten ice crystals inside I would need to rinse and dry it and then it would not be ready for churning ice cream. This compressor-integrated ice cream machine is perfect for making ice cream on demand, any time!
But the good news is that you don’t need to have a father-in-law partner to make this ice cream because you can technically can make it without a machine if you don’t still have one. It requires some extra steps but nothing you can’t handle, I promise! Let me tell you it’s done, with or without an ice cream machine.
How to make Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream:
Start by making the blueberry compote and then chill it for about 20 to 30 minutes while you clean up and prepare the rest of the ingredients. I used a bit of lemon juice to bring out the color and acidity of the blueberries. Just for your reference, this is the blueberry compote I made for my Blueberry Cheesecake with Basil Infused Crust without the corn starch.
Next, start making the ice cream base by beating together the cream cheese, whole milk, condensed milk and vanilla until smooth. In another bowl you are going to whip heavy cream in slow-medium speed until foamy, a notch before it becomes whipped cream. Whip 1 to 2 minutes if using an ice cream machine, 3 to 4 minutes if not.
Next you will need to add the chilled blueberry compote. Use the wires of the mixer attachment to mix and roughly break the blueberries.
Finally add the cream cheese mixture. Your ice cream base is all done!
Making a blueberry cheesecake ice cream in an ice cream machine:
Pour mixture into ice cream machine and churn for 40 minutes.
On the last minutes add extra fresh or frozen blueberries.
Scrape ice cream to a freezer container (I used this loaf pan). Accommodate the graham cracker pieces on top, this way the cracker will keep its crunchy texture even after frozen. Cover it tightly with cling plastic paper a first time, making sure the paper is touching as much area of the ice crean as possible, then wrap it up a second time. Freeze for 4 to 6 hours, preferably overnight.
You can add extra graham cracker pieces later as the ones on the top are saying bye-bye to the ice cream in the container and wrap again tightly to freeze it.
Making a no-churn blueberry cheesecake ice cream:
Stop mixer and add extra fresh or frozen blueberries. With a silicon spatula or large spoon mix in a folding motion.
Transfer mixture to a freezer container or a loaf pan and wrap it with cling plastic papers a few times to prevent ice crystals, pressing on top of the ice cream so there’s no gap of air between the ice cream and the plastic paper.
In two hours manually churn your ice cream a few times. Wrap again.
You can repeat this in 2 hours if you can, but it isn’t completely necessary.
When you make your last churn, add broken pieces of graham crackers on top of ice cream. Cover tightly again and freeze 6 to 8 hours.
As I mentioned above, you can add extra graham cracker pieces later as the ones on the top are saying bye-bye to the ice cream in the container and wrap again tightly to freeze it.
This recipe screams summer so loudly! We had so much fun eating that cone, trying to end it before it dripped completely in our hands. It was soooo good, I can’t wait to make another batch! Hope you are able to make this one my friends. Until the next one!
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Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Ingredients
Blueberry Compote
◯ Cold water – ½ cup, 4 oz.
◯ Blueberries – 2 cups, 273 g
◯ Raw sugar – ¼ cup, 52 g
◯ Freshly squeezed lemon juice – 2 TBSP, 12 mL
Cream cheese ice cream base
◯ Cream cheese, softened - 8 oz, 226 g
◯ Half and half - ½ cup, 4 oz
◯ Condensed milk - 14 oz., 397 g (1 can)
◯ Vanilla extract - about 2 teaspoons
◯ Dash of fine sea salt
◯ Heavy cream (whipping cream), chilled - 2 ½ cups, 20 oz
◯ Extra fresh blueberries and graham cracker pieces for the top
Details
Yield:
about 2 pints of ice cream
Total time:
1 hour plus 4 to 6 hours of freezing
Prep time:
5 minutes for the blueberry compote, 10 minutes making the ice cream base, 40 minutes of churning (if using an ice cream machine)
Freezing time:
4 to 6 hours
Equipment:
stand mixer or electric hand mixer, ice cream machine (optional), freezer container
Steps
To make the blueberry compote:
In a small saucepan combine the ½ cup of water with 2 cups of blueberries, the ¼ cup of sugar and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and turn the heat on in medium. Let it boil, then cook for 5 extra minutes, until the blueberries start releasing their juice but are not completely broken. Remove from heat. Let it cool and chill for 10 to 15 minutes before adding to the ice cream base.
To make the blueberry cheesecake ice cream:
In a bowl beat the 8 ounces of cream cheese to make it smoother. Add the ½ cup of half and half, the can of condensed milk, the teaspoon of vanilla and the pinch of salt and beat once more.
On your stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer, both with the whisk attachment, mix the 2 ½ cups of heavy cream until frothy and foamy in slow to medium speed (#2 in the Kitchen Aid stand mixer). Whip for 3 minutes if using later your ice cream machine or 5 minutes if doing the no-churn alternative. Add the chilled blueberry compote and gently mix until most of the blueberries are broken and the mixture has a vibrant purple color. Be aware that the more you mix the pinkish it will turn.
Stop and pour the cream cheese mixture. Mix in the slowest speed until well incorporated and the color looks homogeneous.
If using the ice cream machine:
Transfer to your ice cream machine with the ice cream paddle already attached. Churn the ice cream about 40 minutes. At the very last minute drop extra fresh or frozen blueberries. Scrape ice cream to a freezer container. Throw pieces of broken graham crackers on top. Wrap it a few times with plastic paper to prevent ice crystals, making sure there’s no gap between the ice cream and that first layer of paper. Freeze 6 to 8 hours to get the ice cream firm and set.
If doing the no ice cream machine-churn alternative:
Fold in fresh or frozen blueberries. Transfer to a freezer container and wrap it a few times with plastic paper, making sure there’s no gap between the ice cream and that first layer of paper. In two hours take it out of the freezer and give it a few churns with a spoon. You can repeat this process in 1 to 2 hours just to make sure it is freezing well but it’s not completely necessary. On the last manual churn, place graham cracker pieces on top. Let it freeze for 6 to 8 hours until firm.
Remember to keep adding fresh graham cracker pieces when the ones you added the first day are gone. Always wrap tightly before storing back in the freezer.
