28 ice cream recipes

For more summer desserts, check out our ice cream cake recipes, condensed milk recipes, yogurt recipes and sorbet recipes. We've also got plenty more seasonal inspiration in our collection of summer recipes.

Easy ice cream recipes

Cherry and pistachio Neopolitan

Showcase Italy’s best flavours – cherry, vanilla and pistachio – coloured like the Italian flag to impress guests with this effortless dessert.

Turkish ice cream (dondurma)

Try Turkish ice cream this summer, made with goat's milk and vanilla. Finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Street-side kulfi

This Pakistani dessert combines cardamom, sweetened condensed milk, ricotta and saffron – roll in ground pistachios for an extra flourish

Vanilla ice cream with warm chocolate sauce

Learn how to make this supremely creamy vanilla ice cream and you’ll be set for summer. If you're looking for summer desserts to serve it with, click here for plenty of inspiration.

No-churn Vietnamese coffee ice cream

Cardamom and cinnamon add a fragrant edge to this quick coffee ice cream recipe. You only need 15 minutes to prepare before freezing – an easy pick-me-up for summer entertaining.

Tarragon ice cream

This ice cream boasts a heady aniseed flavour thanks to tarragon. It’s ideal for sunny days and warm evenings.

Nonya kaya coconut ice cream

Try this ice cream with nonya kaya, a sweet coconut condiment, for a dinner party dessert with a difference.

Olive oil ice-cream

This recipe is for grown-ups. Use extra-virgin olive oil for a peppery, herbal flavour and finish with dark chocolate and an extra drizzle of oil

Pea, coconut and lime ice cream

Try this ice cream singing with fresh spring flavours, featuring garden peas, zingy lime and creamy coconut milk.

Roasted banana caramel swirl ice cream

Check out our impressive ice cream recipe with roasted bananas and homemade caramel sauce swirled through. Black bananas are best for this recipe as they're super ripe and sweet.

Brown butter ice cream

Brown butter adds a nutty, caramelised flavour to creamy homemade vanilla ice cream in this recipe. It's a little effort but so worth it for a grown-up summer treat.

No-churn double strawberry ice cream

Strawberry ice cream is a family favourite but home-made just tastes so much better. This recipe for no-churn double strawberry ice cream is super easy and makes delicious, creamy ice cream that everyone will love. Try our strawberry dessert recipes here.

Vanilla ice cream

Try this quick and easy homemade vanilla ice cream with just 20 minutes of prep. Serve alongside your favourite summer dessert – we have plenty of inspiration here.

Spiced coffee kulfi

Nik Sharma's Indian frozen dessert is flavoured with coffee, cardamom, cinnamon and star anise. A perfect kulfi should contain ice crystals, so look out for them!

Maple honeycomb ice cream

Making this delicious maple honeycomb ice cream is easier than you may think with step-by-step help from the olive test kitchen. It's guaranteed to be a new family favourite any time of year.

Chocolate and black pepper gelato

Try our recipe for indulgent and creamy homemade chocolate gelato spiced up with black pepper. Gelato differs from ice-cream in the fat content – ice cream is usually made with cream, while gelato is milk-based. The trick to this silky smooth gelato is to add some liquid glucose – this lowers the freezing point so it doesn’t freeze rock solid.

Dairy-free no-churn banana ice cream

Dairy-free, no-churn, no-effort ice cream. Once you’re confident with the process, try experimenting with different flavours – add frozen berries, peanut butter or raw cacao powder to get the flavours shown in our picture below.

Pecan praline ice cream

Make our easy homemade ice cream with a twist. Master your own praline, then make a custard-based ice-cream, mix in the caramel-pecan nuts and freeze.

Peach melba ice cream

Peach melba is a classic British dessert created to honour the Australian soprano Nellie Melba. Try the great combination of peaches and raspberries in our peach melba ice cream for a sweet and tart frozen dessert for summer.

Bitter chocolate ice cream

A grown-up version of Italy’s favourite flavour, this bitter chocolate ice cream is easy to make and creates a sophisticated ice cream cone dessert alternative. Indulgent, intense and seriously chocolatey!

Peanut butter and salted caramel ice cream

This homemade ice cream combines two luxurious flavours – smooth peanut butter and the delicious sweet and salty combo of salted caramel. Check out our caramel cakes and bakes here.

Double honey ice cream

We use a simple-to-follow custard-based recipe to create this ice cream, with broken honeycomb stirred through for a sweet crunch.

Blackcurrant ripple ice cream

This no-churn homemade ice cream with blackcurrant sauce rippled through is the perfect weekend treat for the family.

Elderflower ice cream

Valentine Warner's elderflower ice cream is light, aromatic and calls for only five ingredients. You don't even have to go and pick your own elderflower – a good cordial will work just fine.

Instant mango fro-yo

Check out this super speedy dairy-free frozen yogurt. Our easy recipe only uses three ingredients (lime, mango and coconut yogurt) and takes minutes to make.

Whipped avocado with frozen yogurt

Try this elegant avocado dessert with frozen yogurt and meringue to serve at your next dinner party.

Easy ice cream toppings

Try our fun ice cream toppings for your homemade vanilla ice cream (recipe below). Choose between retro caramel banana split, boozy Baileys affogato, spiced nuts and fudge, and hot chocolate and berry ice cream sundae.

Make your ice cream better with our DIY ice cream sundae bar

Pack tubs of ice cream into a big bowl of ice. Make some easy sauces then pile up shop-bought ingredients into pretty bowls and glasses so guests can build their own bespoke sundae.