Half the Sugar Baker
This homemade orange ice cream is unbelievably creamy and smooth, just like your favorite creamsicle ice cream! It has the perfect orange flavor with no artificial flavors at all. It’s also lightly sweetened, which lets the orange flavor shine through. This recipe also has some special tips to help you make the best homemade ice cream!
Why I Love This Homemade Orange Ice Cream
- Texture: This homemade orange ice cream is super creamy and smooth, just like one from an ice cream shop! This recipe uses a couple of special tricks to help give this ice cream an amazing texture, even after being frozen overnight!
- Flavor: Unlike many commercial orange ice creams which taste artificial or overly sweet, this ice cream is lightly sweetened and has a fresh orange flavor. It doesn’t use any artificial flavors, but still tastes amazing! It’s the perfect treat on a hot summer day.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions for Homemade Orange Ice Cream
- Xanthan gum: Xanthan gum is an important thickening agent which helps give this orange ice cream an unbelievably creamy texture. It is made from bacteria found and plants and can be found in most grocery stores. I strongly recommend using xanthan gum, but if you prefer not to use it, you can omit the xanthan gum and use 6 egg yolks instead of 3.
- Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar is important for sweetening this ice cream and also creating a smooth texture. If you prefer a less sweet ice cream, I have had good luck reducing the sugar to 1/3 cup, but I would not go below that.
- Heavy cream
- Whole milk
- Orange zest: This ice cream gets most of its flavor from orange zest. The zest is simmered with the milk to really bring out its orange flavor.
- Egg yolks
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract compliments the orange and gives this ice cream a nostalgic creamsicle flavor. For an even stronger orange flavor, you can also add 1/4 teaspoon orange extract.
- Fresh Squeezed Orange juice: Fresh squeezed orange juice adds a fresh orange flavor. This recipe calls for 1/4 cup orange juice, which is the amount found in approximately 1 large orange. If you use orange extract, you can skip the orange juice. The orange juice is added at the very end so that it does not cause the milk to curdle.
How to Customize This Homemade Orange Ice Cream Recipe
- For a lighter ice cream: If you prefer an ice cream that has less calories and feels lighter, simply reduce the fat content of this recipe. I recommend using 1/2 cup heavy cream and 2 1/2 cups whole milk. This came out great with a creamy texture similar to sorbet!
- For a richer ice cream: For a richer and denser ice cream, similar to gelato, simply increase the fat content in this recipe. I recommend using 2 cups heavy cream and 1 cup whole milk.
- Mix-ins: This recipe doesn’t contain any mix-ins, but feel free to add whatever you would like! I recommend adding some candied orange peels, dried coconut, dried cranberries, almonds, or chocolate chips!
Tips for Making Creamy Homemade Ice Cream
Making creamy ice cream is all about reducing the formation of large ice crystals. Here are a couple of ways to do this at home!
- Simmer the milk: Before adding the eggs, the milk and sugar are brought to a simmer. While heating the milk, proteins in the milk are unraveling, which allows them to hold onto water molecules and reduce large ice crystals later. That’s why I recommend simmering the milk for 3-7 minutes. The longer you simmer the milk, the more proteins denature, but this can also create a cooked milk flavor.
- Use emulsifiers and stabilizers: Although these ingredients may get a bad rep, many of them are common pantry ingredients or made from natural products. For instance, eggs and dried milk powder are ice cream emulsifiers and stabilizers! This recipe calls for a very small amount of xanthan gum, which helps to prevent large ice crystals, leading to creamier ice cream! Xanthan gum is made from bacteria found in plants, and it is commonly found in most grocery stores. However, if you do not wish to use xanthan gum, see the section above for alternatives.
- Keep things cold: By allowing the ice cream mixture to freeze quickly, you can prevent large ice crystals from forming. To do this at home, I recommend using a container that has a wide surface area to freeze the churned ice cream. The larger surface area allows the ice cream to cool more quickly and evenly in the freezer.
Other Tips for Making Homemade Orange Ice Cream
- Xanthan gum: Xanthan gum thickens up quickly and is very strong, so it is important to measure it carefully and mix it into the milk well. I recommend first whisking the xanthan gum powder into the sugar to disperse it before mixing it into the milk. After adding it to the milk, make sure to give the mixture a very good whisk to ensure that the xanthan gum is evenly distributed.
- Tempering egg yolks: This is an important step to make sure that the eggs don’t over cook in the hot milk. Make sure to whisk constantly while very slowly pouring the hot milk into the egg yolks. If you don’t have an extra set of hands to help, you can use a moist towel around the base of the bowl to help hold it in place while whisking. When heating the milk and egg mixture on the stove, make sure to whisk frequently and cook over medium-low heat. This prevents the mixture on the bottom of the pot from curdling. Make sure to keep an eye on the pot so that you don’t end up with a mixture of scrambled eggs and milk!
- Straining the ice cream base: While I don’t always strain my ice cream bases, it can be helpful for getting a smoother texture, especially if you I up accidentally over cooking some of the mixture.
- Freezing the ice cream: For a soft serve texture, feel free to enjoy this orange ice cream straight out of the ice cream machine. For a firmer texture, immediately transfer the churned ice cream to a wide container and freeze for 2-4 hours. If freezing overnight, I like to let the ice cream thaw in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before serving.
If you liked this Homemade Orange Ice Cream, you might also like…
- No Churn Frozen Yogurt
- No Churn Blueberry Frozen Yogurt
- Maple Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream
- Healthier Orange Loaf
Creamy Homemade Orange Ice Cream
This refreshing homemade orange ice cream is so creamy and smooth! It is made without any artificial flavors and isn't too sweet, so the natural orange flavor can shine through. This is the perfect recipe for a hot summer day!
Servings: 3.5 cups ice cream
Equipment
- Ice cream churning machine
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum powder see notes for substitutions
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- zest from 2 large oranges
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and xanthan gum. In a separate medium pot, whisk together the heavy cream, whole milk, salt, and orange zest. Add the sugar mixture to the milk mixture in the pot and whisk vigorously to distribute.
- Whisk often and simmer the milk mixture over medium-low heat for approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove the pot from heat. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Whisk the egg yolks constantly while very slowly adding a third of the hot milk mixture. Then pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pot with the rest of the hot milk. Whisk to combine.
- Return the pot to medium-low heat and cook gently until the mixture has thickened enough to coat a spoon. Whisk often and be careful not to over cook. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Transfer the mixture to a separate bowl and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Once chilled, whisk the orange juice with the milk mixture and pour into an ice cream machine. Churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately for soft-serve, or transfer to a wide, shallow container and freeze for firmer texture. Enjoy!
Notes
Xanthan gum helps give this homemade ice cream a super creamy consistency, but if you prefer not to use it, increase the number of egg yolks to 6 and leave out the xanthan gum.
