Homemade ice cream

With the summer and the heat comes the need to cool off and also the appetite for depending on what whims, such as homemade ice cream, sorbets, etc. Among the commercial ice creams we have many options (from those that we can buy in the supermarket, to those of artisan ice cream, through those in bars and restaurants). And, in any of them, the varieties also multiply: cone type, creamy stick, cut, glasses, ice lollies ...

In general, yes, they all have a common characteristic: they are rich in sugars, so we should reserve them for occasional consumption. But you want a cool ice cream so much in the afternoon or after your meal ... No problem! We can make very simple and healthy homemade ice creams in a short time.

Making homemade ice cream

The simplest option to make homemade ice cream is to choose the typical lolly-shaped molds. We can choose to make all the ice cream with a single flavor or, on the contrary, we can make mixes in several layers or with interspersed ingredients.

Mango and passion fruit ice cream with currants and yogurt

It is a full color option. They must be peeled and crushed until obtaining a dough that we will place in the bottom of a mold for ice cream stick. Once a little more than half of the mold is filled, we add whole 5 or 6 red currants and we finish filling the mold with beaten natural yogurt. Ready! We leave it in the freezer and in a few hours we will have our tricolor ice cream ready.

Avocado and raspberry ice cream

It is a creamy ice cream. We need a container where to place it to put it in the freezer, that has a lid or that we can cover with plastic wrap. The mixture can be based on: crushed avocado, a splash of milk and the juice of half a lime. We should not add a lot of milk as it must have a pasty consistency. We leave it in the container, cover it and put it in the freezer. Now the part begins, equally easy, but entertaining, since approximately every two hours or a little more, we must remove the ice cream from the freezer and stir it well to break the ice crystals that form, repeating this operation 2-3 times, to achieve a very creamy texture. Another option is to combine it with mango and even mint.

Homemade banana ice cream with cinnamon and cocoa

This recipe could well be for a cool shake like ice cream. We only need ripe banana, whole milk, cinnamon powder and, as an optional ingredient, a little cocoa powder. Mix the banana with the milk and cinnamon to taste so that it is not excessively liquid but a little thick. If we want to make two layers, we reserve a little of this mixture for the second layer in which we will add the cocoa. We fill a little more than half of the ice cream mold (polo type) with the banana, milk and cinnamon mixture, and we mix the rest with the cocoa and we have just filled the mold. Freezer and go!

Strawberry, watermelon popsicles ... whatever you want!

Many fruits, such as watermelon, peach ... have a texture that allows us to simply crush them together or separately, put them in a mold and freeze. There is no easier ice cream than this. If we want somewhat creamier textures we can add milk or yogurt, but they can be perfectly made as a crushed fruit sorbet.

Cucumber, melon and mint cream ice cream

Actually, it is as if we made a vegetable cream, or rather, we do it, but we can take it both in the form of cold cream and in the form of ice cream. We must take more or less the same amount of melon as cucumber and mash it all. We can optionally add a natural yogurt or a little milk, which will soften and give more creaminess to the ice cream, but it can also be made without any dairy. Finally we add the mint, that will suit everyone's taste, as it confers a very pleasant freshness but in excess it can make some of them too reminiscent of a mouthwash.

Hazelnut ice cream

In this case we are going for a note, but it is still simple, the difficulty is having the time and patience to make a creamy ice cream without a refrigerator, as in the case of avocado ice cream, since we have to stir to achieve the texture adequate. We will need 100 g of toasted hazelnuts, a glass of milk and 2 egg yolks. We can also add a little sugar to taste. The traditional recipe would be about 5 teaspoons, but if we want a healthier ice cream with much less we have leftovers, even without.

To make the ice cream, we start by crushing the hazelnuts, then we add the yolks and, if we choose to add sugar, we also mix everything. Then we add the milk and beat again. We put the mixture on the fire for about 8-10 minutes, mixing without stopping and without coming to a boil and remove it from the heat to let it cool. Once cold, we place it in a suitable container for the freezer and, as in the case of avocado ice cream, we take it out of the freezer approximately every 2 hours to stir well and break the ice crystals that form. We will have to repeat this operation about three times until the texture is as desired.

If you are interested in knowing more about homemade ice cream check our

• It is possible to enjoy ice cream with lighter, healthier and less sugar-rich versions.
• From ice lollies to creamy ice creams, the options multiply and we can all prepare them at home.
• Fruits, but also yogurt, avocado and vegetables such as cucumber, are perfect ingredients to be part of our homemade summer ice creams.

Mercè Gonzalo

Bachelor of Food Science and Technology Diploma in Human Nutrition and Dietetics