Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream is the ultimate summer treat, and the best part is, you can make it without any special equipment!
Did you know you can make gloriously creamy ice cream without an ice cream maker?? It’s actually really easy to make ice cream at home, and after years of working with professional ice cream machines, I was floored by the results I got with no-churn ice cream recipes.
All you really need is a few essential ingredients and a standard 9×5-inch loaf pan!
Why you need to make this ice cream
The flavors in this ice cream are on point. You’ve got a luxuriously rich, slightly tangy cream cheese base swirled with vibrant sweet-and-tart raspberry jam, and packed with salty crunchy graham cracker crumbs. The texture of the different components and the balance of sweet, salty, and tart is absolutely perfect. I seriously feel like I could eat raspberry cheesecake ice cream every day of the summer.
And, of course, you don’t need any fancy equipment or anything special to make it!
A few tips to make perfect creamy no-churn ice cream
To make ice cream without a machine, you absolutely need to use sweetened condensed milk as the sweetener for the ice cream base. It’s high in fat and sugar but has a low water content, so it will prevent ice crystals from forming. This will help you achieve the perfect smooth ice cream texture. No substitutions on the sweetener here!
When making the raspberry swirl, you need to use a good amount of sugar and cook it until most of the water is cooked out. Again, the high-sugar, low-water content will prevent your fruit swirl from developing unpleasant ice crystals. I don’t typically like things too sweet, but this is a place where you don’t want to skimp on sugar because it has a significant impact on the texture.
Adding a little bit of alcohol also helps to prevent ice crystals in your raspberry swirl, so I like to add a flavored booze that complements the fruit. Chambord or a berry-infused vodka are perfect here (I used Wild Roots Huckleberry Vodka). This is totally optional, but I like the insurance as well as the way the alcohol deepens the flavor of the jam.
You also want to use full-fat heavy cream or coconut cream when making no-churn ice cream. The fat globules are what help to trap air when we whip the cream, creating volume and texture, while also adding depth of flavor.
Variations
I’m partial to raspberry cheesecake ice cream, but this ice cream is delicious with any berry swirl! Try substituting the raspberries for blackberries, strawberries, or blueberries. The cooking time for the jam may vary a little bit for different berries, but the idea is the same. Just make sure it cooks down to a thick, syrupy jam.
You could also substitute the graham crackers for a different kind of cookie crumb, or use gluten free cookies or toasted nuts to make this ice cream gluten-free.
More no-churn ice cream recipes:
Have any questions? Ask me in the comments, I’m happy to help!
Raspberry Cheesecake No-Churn Ice Cream
Equipment
- 9×5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
Raspberry Swirl
- 2 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon huckleberry vodka or Chambord, (optional)
Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 7 full sheets Honey Graham Crackers
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Cheesecake Ice Cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 8 ounces cream cheese, soft and room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
For the raspberry swirl:
- Combine raspberries, sugar, fresh lemon juice, and salt in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook until mixture loses a significant amount of water and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5-10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add flavored alcohol, if using. This step is optional but it does help bring out the flavor of the raspberries as well as prevent ice crystals from forming in the fruit swirl in the final product.
- Strain raspberry sauce through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds.
- Allow to cool completely.
For the graham cracker crumbs:
- Pulse graham crackers in a food processor.
- With processor running, add melted butter gradually until combined and graham crackers are broken down into fine crumbs. Set aside.
For the cheesecake ice cream:
- Blend soft cream cheese with electric beaters or a stand mixer until smooth and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk while continuing to blend. Add salt and vanilla; mix thoroughly.
- In a separate bowl, whisk heavy cream until medium stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture, using about 1/3 at a time. Final mixture should be completely smooth and well blended.
To assemble:
- Pour about 1/3 of the cheesecake ice cream batter into a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan. Top with about 1/3 of the graham cracker crumbs, followed by about 1/3 of the raspberry mix.
- Drag a butter knife through the layers, swirling to marble them.
- Repeat layering and swirling two more times with the remaining ice cream batter, graham cracker crumbs, and raspberry swirl.
- Cover and freeze until set, about 5 hours.
- When ready to eat, allow ice cream to warm up to room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Scoop and enjoy!
Notes
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
