Blackcurrant Ice Cream
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This homemade blackcurrant ice cream is bright berry pink, creamy and sweet-tangy, made with heavy cream, Greek yogurt, sugar and fresh blackcurrants. This is a no-churn ice cream with a fresh berry flavor. Those tiny blackcurrant berries are perfect in ice creams and baked goods.
Guys, my parents have a few blackcurrant bushes in their garden. Now when I visited them I knew I was going to take some of those dark looking berries back home with me.
I had never used blackcurrants in ice cream before, but I was pretty sure the taste would amaze me. The combination of sweet and tangy is perfect and makes this black currant ice cream refreshing and delicious at the same time.
If you have never tried it, it lands somewhere between a blueberry and a tart cherry, with a jammy sweetness once it is folded into the cream.
If you get your hands on these tiny berries, I really recommend making this ice cream. It truly is my favorite homemade ice cream of this summer!
And if you love making homemade ice cream, I have a whole stack of no-churn favorites: chocolate cherry ice cream, mint and pistachio ice cream, dulce de leche ice cream and my retro vanilla ice cream (Plombir). There is even a gingerbread ice cream for later in the year.
A quick word on the berries. Blackcurrants are a bit of a super fruit, with more vitamin C than an orange. They are also hard to find fresh in a lot of the US.
They were actually banned in the US for almost 100 years, and even though that ban is long gone, fresh blackcurrants still are not a regular grocery store item in most states.
Frozen blackcurrants are the first thing I would look for if you cannot find fresh ones. They will keep the flavor much closer to the original recipe than switching to another berry. Blackberries would be the closest in color, but the flavor will be different.
Blueberries are milder, so add a little lemon only if you want a tarter scoop. Away from ice cream, blackcurrants are lovely in fruit syrups and jams too. I use a similar fruit-and-sugar idea in my homemade raspberry syrup and strawberry jam with brown sugar.
How to make blackcurrant ice cream at home
Rinse the blackcurrants and pull off any stems. Put them in a small saucepan with the sugar and simmer over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the berries soften and release their juice, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook them.
Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool completely. I like to speed up the cooling process by placing warm-ish (not hot) mixture in the fridge. You can also use an ice bath.
Whip the cold heavy cream until stiff. Fold in the Greek yogurt, then gently fold in the cooled blackcurrant mixture.
I also added about ½ cup of fresh blackcurrants into the mix. They give this blackcurrant ice cream an extra tanginess, crunch and balance the sweetness. This is totally optional though.
Transfer everything to a loaf pan or a freezer-friendly container and freeze for at least 4 hours, until firm.
One thing to know before you scoop: no-churn ice cream freezes harder than churned ice cream because there is less air whipped into it. Let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften, and if it is really firm I just cut it into pieces with a knife and serve it in bowls.
For the best texture, enjoy it within 1 to 2 months and keep it well-covered in the freezer.
No-Churn Blackcurrant Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1½ cups blackcurrants stems removed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream cold
- 2½ cups Greek yogurt
- ½ cup blackcurrants stems removed, optional, for folding in
Instructions
- Rinse the blackcurrants and remove the stems. Add them to a small saucepan with the sugar and simmer over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the berries soften, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook. Let the mixture cool completely.
- To speed up cooling, place the warm-ish, not hot, mixture in the fridge or use an ice bath.
- Whip the cold heavy cream until stiff.
- Fold in the Greek yogurt, then gently fold in the cooled blackcurrant mixture.
- For extra tanginess and a little crunch, fold in the optional ½ cup fresh blackcurrants.
- Transfer to a loaf pan or freezer-friendly container and freeze for at least 4 hours, until firm.
- Let the ice cream sit on the counter for a few minutes before scooping.
Video
Notes
- Total time includes about 20 to 30 minutes to cool the blackcurrant mixture and a 4-hour minimum freeze.
- Frozen blackcurrants can go straight into the saucepan for the cooked base. For the optional berries folded in at the end, fresh are best because they keep more texture. Thawed frozen berries will be softer and may bleed into the ice cream.
- No-churn ice cream freezes harder than churned ice cream because there is less air in the mixture. Let it sit on the counter for a few minutes before scooping.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and may vary based on ingredient brands, substitutions, and portion sizes.
Hi, ive made the icecream. Do I store it in the freezer? Just taken it out and its rock solid!
Hi Alison. Yes, you do keep it in the freezer. It needs to be kept at a counter to soften. To speed up the process I just cut it with knife into small pieces and serve in a bowl (No churn ice creams tend to be very hard as there is no air incorporated in the mixture, which helps it stay softer). Hope this helps.
Love this ice cream with cream and yoghurt. You were lucky your parents have the garden full, I love blackcurrant
Yes, I was lucky this year :)
I don’t know if I’ve ever had blackcurrants before but maybe this ice cream is a great way to try it.
If you ever get your hands on them, you must try this ice cream – you will love it!
Oh ok it’s no churn! Even better. Then we will just keep my mum’s new ice cream machine in the cupboard and make your black currant ice cream. I wonder if I could make red and white currant ice cream too.
:) You could make red and white currant as well but taste-wise you will be most impressed with the blackcurrant one! :)
Ice cream is my favorite! And yours has such a pretty color. I can’t wait to try it.
Hope you do! :)
My husband would love this ice cream. I need to look for black currants. It’s got such beautiful color.
I am sure you would too love it! It’s a great ice cream flavor and looks like my family’s favorite this summer :)