Black raspberry ice cream is a creamy, French-style custard ice cream made with fresh or frozen black raspberries, a base of heavy cream and whole milk, and 13 egg yolks for a rich, dense mouthfeel. I make this the same way I learned in culinary school: a proper egg custard base, tempered slowly and strained until silky, not the eggless shortcut version most home cooks default to.
If you have never made black raspberry ice cream (or seen it spelled "black rasberry ice cream," which is the more common typo), this is the technique that gets you restaurant-quality results at home.
Ingredients needed to make black raspberry ice cream
Whole milk and heavy cream give this custard its richness, and 13 egg yolks are what take it from light ice cream to a dense, French-style scoop. Salt is not optional here; it is doing real work balancing the sweetness, not just seasoning.
- Milk - whole milk is best (2 cups)
- Cream - heavy cream (2 cups)
- Salt - yes, salt helps make ice cream sweeter
- Vanilla - vanilla extract, 1 vanilla bean; scraped or a ½ teaspoon of vanilla paste.
- Egg Yolks - Save the egg whites for another recipe. 13 yolks yes 13
- Sugar - white granular sugar (1 ¼ cup)
- Black raspberries - fresh or frozen
Substitutions
- Other Berries Instead of Black Raspberry - Strawberries and blackberries both work in this base; the custard technique does not change, only the fruit. What changes is sweetness and acidity, so taste your puree before adding it and adjust slightly if needed. A swirl of raspberry or blueberry alongside the black raspberry also works if you want a layered, two-berry effect rather than a full substitution.
- Whole Milk Instead of a Lower-Fat Milk - This is one I would not recommend skipping. The fat in whole milk is doing real work alongside the cream and the 13 yolks; drop down to 2% and you lose richness without gaining anything back. If you only have 2% on hand, the ice cream will still set up, but it will taste noticeably thinner.
How to make homemade black raspberry ice cream:
Boil the Milk Base
In a heavy bottom pot, over medium high heat, bring the milk, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla to a boil.
Remove from Heat
Once a boil has been reached, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the hot burner.
Whip the Egg Yolks and Sugar
While waiting for the milk mixture to come to a boil, blend together the egg yolks and the sugar until they are light and fluffy, about 2 minutes in a blender.
Temper the Eggs
Create a liaison of the hot milk and the sugared egg yolks by whisking the egg yolks and slowly pouring ¼ cup of the hot milk into the yolks while vigorously whisking. Pour too fast here and you will scramble the eggs instead of tempering them; slow and steady is the whole technique.
Finish Tempering
Repeat, ¼ cup at a time, until ½ of the milk mixture has been added to the yolk mixture.
Combine the Mixtures
Continually whisking, combine the yolk and milk mixture with the remaining milk mixture.
Return the base to the pot.
Pour the combined mixture back into the pot.
Cook the Custard
Turn the heat to medium and continually stir the mixture until the temperature reaches 175 to 185F, or coats the back of a spoon.
Strain the Base
Strain the base through a fine mesh strainer, even if you tempered carefully; a little cooked egg always sneaks through, and straining is what keeps the finished ice cream silky instead of grainy.
Cool the Base
Immediately cool the base in an ice bath.
Puree the Berries
Puree all but ½ cup of the black raspberries and pass through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth the remove the seeds.
Add the Puree and Churn
When completely cooled, add the black raspberry purree to the base and process in the ice cream machine according to the manufactures instructions.
Layer in the Whole Berries
Spoon ½ the semi-frozen homemade ice cream into your freezer safe container and spread half the whole berries over the ice cream. Top with the rest of the ice cream and the remaining berries.
Freeze until firm.
Transfer the container to the freezer and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours. Press a layer of parchment or plastic wrap directly against the surface of the ice cream before sealing to prevent ice crystals from forming on top.
Make-Ahead Base
The custard base actually benefits from resting; an overnight chill in the refrigerator lets the flavors settle and the base churns into a smoother ice cream. Make the base through straining and cooling, then refrigerate up to 2 days before churning.
Storage
Keep the finished ice cream in an airtight, freezer-safe container with a layer of parchment or plastic pressed against the surface to prevent ice crystals. It holds well for up to 2 weeks; after that the texture starts to firm up and lose some of its creaminess.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups (488 g) Whole Milk
- 2 Cups (476 g) Heavy Cream
- pinch (pinch) Salt
- 1 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
- 13 (13) Egg Yolks
- 1 ¼ Cup (250 g) Sugar
- 2 ½ Cups (300 g) Black raspberries
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom pot, over medium high heat, bring the milk, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla to a boil.2 Cups (488 g) Whole Milk, 2 Cups (476 g) Heavy Cream, pinch Salt, 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Once a boil has been reached, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the hot burner.
- While waiting for the milk mixture to come to a boil, blend together the egg yolks and the sugar until they are light and fluffy, about 2 minutes in a blender.13 Egg Yolks, 1 ¼ Cup (250 g) Sugar
- Create a liaison of the hot milk and the sugared egg yolks by whisking the egg yolks and slowly pouring ¼ cup of the hot milk into the yolks while vigorously whisking. Pour too fast here and you will scramble the eggs instead of tempering them; slow and steady is the whole technique.
- Repeat, ¼ cup at a time, until ½ of the milk mixture has been added to the yolk mixture.
- Continually whisking, combine the yolk and milk mixture with the remaining milk mixture.
- Pour the combined mixture back into the pot.
- Turn the heat to medium and continually stir the mixture until the temperature reaches 175 to 185F, or coats the back of a spoon.
- Strain the base through a fine mesh strainer, even if you tempered carefully; a little cooked egg always sneaks through, and straining is what keeps the finished ice cream silky instead of grainy.
- Immediately cool the base in an ice bath.
- Puree all but ½ cup of the black raspberries and pass through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth the remove the seeds.2 Cups (240 Grams) black raspberries
- When completely cooled, add the black raspberry purree to the base and process in the ice cream machine according to the manufactures instructions.
- Spoon ½ the semi-frozen homemade ice cream into your freezer safe container and spread half the whole berries over the ice cream. Top with the rest of the ice cream and the remaining berries.½ Cup (60 Grams) black raspberries
- Transfer the container to the freezer and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours. Press a layer of parchment or plastic wrap directly against the surface of the ice cream before sealing to prevent ice crystals from forming on top.
- Serve
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
While I try to share all the information you need to make this recipe in your home with restaurant-quality results, there still may be a question or two. Or these are questions I have received from the community about this recipe. I do my best to answer them as clearly as I can. I hope this helps.
It is very important to use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the base after you have created the liaison and have it over medium heat to thicken it.
If it gets away from you, IMMEDIATELY pour off the ice cream into a bowl set over ice. DO NOT scrape the bottom of the pan. Hopefully, you can strain out the cooked eggs but often there is no saving the base and you have to start over. Be sure to strain the base before proceeding with the rest of the instructions.
This tip comes from my days as a culinary student. Try as we may, to not cook the eggs in the base, there was always a little bit that would coagulate. Straining the base ensured the ice cream was silky smooth and did not have bits of cooked egg in the finished product.
By pureeing the berries and passing them through a fine-mesh strainer, you are able to get the seeds out making the ice cream seedless black raspberry ice cream with the exception of the whole berries.
Waiting for ice cream to be ready to eat can seem like the longest wait! But I found that if you were to place your chilled base in the freezer for 30 minutes before adding it to the ice cream maker it will give it a jump start on freezing faster.
Yes, and the custard base works the same way regardless of which berry you choose. Blackberries are the closest swap in flavor and color. Strawberries work well but are sweeter, so taste the puree before adding and adjust if needed. Standard red raspberries give you a brighter, more tart result. The technique (puree, strain, fold in whole berries) stays identical no matter which direction you go.
More Black Raspberry Recipes:
- Seedless Black Raspberry Jam - This is the best homemade seedless black raspberry jam recipe made with fresh or frozen black raspberries. There is also a low sugar recipe option for this small-batch black raspberry jam that is equally as delicious.
- Black Raspberry Pie - This is the best black raspberry pie because of it is a two crust pie and has a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg to bring your fork back for another piece of pie.
- Black Raspberry Ice Cream - Black raspberry ice cream can be made with fresh or frozen black raspberries. Heavy cream, milk, sugar, and a hint of vanilla along with ripe black raspberries make for a creamy, fruit ice cream.
I am Sarah Mock. Welcome!
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and a graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 17 years, Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
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Sarah's Culinary Insight
- Thirteen egg yolks sounds like a lot, and it is; that yolk count is what gives this ice cream its dense, custardy texture instead of the lighter, icier texture you get from eggless bases.
- I strain the custard through a fine-mesh strainer even when I temper carefully. A little bit of cooked egg always sneaks in, and straining keeps the finished ice cream silky instead of grainy.
- Pureeing and straining the black raspberries removes the seeds; I fold in a half cup of whole berries at the end so you still get real fruit texture, not just flavor.
- If your custard scrambles while it is thickening, pour it off the heat immediately into a bowl set over ice. Do not scrape the bottom of the pan; you will just stir the cooked bits back in.
- Chilling the base in the freezer for 30 minutes before it goes into the ice cream maker gives it a head start and speeds up the churn.
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