Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream – No Churn

This easy blackberry ice cream has swirls of berries mixed through a creamy no-churn vanilla ice cream base. It’s a creamy and decadent special treat made without an ice cream maker.

a scoop of blackberry swirled ice cream.

In this day and age when minimalism and de-cluttering are in, a recipe that doesn’t call for a chunky appliance like an ice cream machine is always a winner. Try this no-churn black forest ice cream next!

This creamy, no-churn ice cream uses stiffly whipped heavy cream and condensed milk, creating a wonderfully creamy and smooth texture. It’s swirled with a tangy blackberry puree.

For another delicious blackberry recipe, try this blackberry crumble pie!

No churn ice cream

When making ice cream, it’s all about texture. You need enough ice crystals to form in the ice cream so that it’s scoopable and holds its shape. However, the key is to create a texture where there aren’t so many that the ice cream becomes too hard and icy. An ice cream machine avoids this by churning the ice cream continuously to avoid large water crystals forming.

Luckily, there’s a solution if you have no ice cream machine. The answer is to use some ingredients that are higher in milk solids and fat and lower in water. This is where condensed milk comes in.

Sweetened condensed milk is whole milk that has been simmered down with sugar until about 60% of the water has been removed. The end result is a thick milky syrup that’s high in milk solids. These milk solids contain lactose (milk sugars.) It’s both the reduction of the water in the milk and the presence of the sugars that means fewer ice crystals form in the ice cream.

This recipe uses just under half condensed milk to heavy cream. You can’t use only condensed milk or too much-condensed milk, or it won’t freeze properly and the texture will be off.

a close up of a silver scoop with blackberry ice cream.

Equipment

For this ice cream, you will need a stand mixer or electric hand mixer. Everything is mixed together in one bowl to make things easy.

You’ll also need a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds from the blackberry puree.

Ingredients

The full ingredient amounts for this blackberry ice cream recipe are listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.

  • Fresh or frozen blackberries. If you have no fresh berries, you can substitute them with frozen. The blackberries can also be substituted with whatever berry you like! Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries… In fact, nearly any fresh fruit can be cooked into a puree and used! It’s important to cook the puree down a bit to remove some of the water. This stops the swirl in the ice cream from being too icy.
  • Lemon juice
  • Granulated sugar
  • Vanilla extract or vanilla paste
  • Salt
  • Heavy cream
  • Sweetened condensed milk
a pan of ice cream with berry swirls.

The blackberry ripple

This blackberry swirl ice cream is rippled with a blackberry puree made from frozen or fresh blackberries. Rather than using fresh blackberry puree, it will be cooked a bit to remove the excess water and stop the berry swirl from becoming too icy.

Add the blackberries to a medium saucepan, sugar, lemon juice, and salt.

Cook over low heat while the blackberries begin to release their liquid. Stir occasionally as the berries and liquids come to a simmer.

Once simmering, over low heat, cook the blackberries for around 10 minutes until they begin to break down. Frozen blackberries may need a little longer to reduce some of the excess water.

blackberry sauce.

Straining the puree

Balance a fine-mesh sieve over a small bowl and carefully tip in the cooked blackberries and all the liquid.

Push them through the sieve with a wooden spoon or spatula, rubbing them along the bottom of the sieve.

Take your time doing this to get all the cooked blackberry juice you can. Scrape the bottom of the sieve to get all the thick sauce that’s accumulating there. A few seeds will escape through the fine mesh sieve but the majority will stay behind. There shouldn’t be much blackberry pulp left in the sieve.

Let the sauce cool down to room temperature. Cover it and place it in the fridge to chill.

The ice cream base

The delicious ice cream recipe for the base is the easiest!

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl and an electric mixer, add the condensed milk and vanilla extract and whisk to combine.

Pour the heavy cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture. Turn the mixer on low (or use an electric hand whisk) and whisk slowly to avoid splattering. Slowly increase the mixing speed to medium-high and whisk until soft peaks form.

a silver bowl of cream.

Assembling

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or use another freeze-safe container. Spoon in half the ice cream mixture. Drizzle over half of the cooled blackberry sauce and use a skewer or knife to swirl it into the ice cream.

Spoon over the remaining cream mixture and finish with the remaining blackberry sauce.

swirling sauce in ice cream.

Freezing

Freeze this homemade blackberry ice cream for at least 7 hours before serving.

It can be frozen for up to 3 weeks. Wrap the container in plastic wrap, or ensure it’s sealed air-tight.

a scoop of ice cream with purple swirls.

Related recipes

Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream

Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 7 hours
Total Time: 7 hours 15 minutes

This easy blackberry swirl ice cream has blackberry ripples mixed through creamy no-churn ice cream. Perfect for summer.

Ingredients

Blackberry sauce

  • 230g (1 1/2 cups) fresh or frozen blackberries
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Pinch of salt

Ice Cream

  • 1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
  • 480g (2 cups) heavy cream/whipping cream

Instructions

Blackberry sauce

  1. Add the blackberries to a medium saucepan, sugar, lemon juice, and salt.
  2. Cook over low heat while the blackberries begin to release their liquid. Stir occasionally as the berries and liquids come to a simmer. Cook the blackberries for around 10 minutes until they begin to break down. Frozen blackberries may need a little longer to reduce some of the excess water.
  3. Balance a fine-mesh sieve over a small bowl and carefully tip in the cooked blackberries and all the liquid.
  4. Push them through the sieve with a wooden spoon or spatula, rubbing them along the bottom of the sieve.
  5. Take your time doing this to get all the cooked blackberry juice you can. Scrape the bottom of the sieve to get all the thick sauce that's accumulating there. A few seeds will escape through the sieve but the majority will stay behind. There shouldn't be much blackberry pulp left in the sieve.
  6. Let the sauce cool down to room temperature. Cover it and place it in the fridge to chill.

Ice cream base

  1. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl and an electric mixer, add the condensed milk and vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
  2. Pour the heavy cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture. Turn the mixer on low (or use an electric hand whisk) and whisk slowly to avoid splattering. Slowly increase the mixing speed to medium-high and whisk until soft peaks form.
  3. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or use another freeze-safe container. Spoon in half the ice cream mixture. Drizzle over half of the cooled blackberry sauce and use a skewer or knife to swirl it into the ice cream.
  4. Spoon over the remaining cream mixture and finish with the remaining blackberry sauce.
  5. Freeze for at least 7 hours before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 287Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 78mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 0gSugar: 28gProtein: 5g

This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *