Blood Orange Ice Cream ~ take full advantage of blood orange season with this gorgeous homemade ice cream, it’s bursting with that unmistakable berry/citrus flavor that blood oranges are famous for!
blood orange ice cream?
If you are as obsessed with blood oranges as I am right now, you’ll understand. It makes perfect sense to a blood orange crazed mind. And even though you might not normally associate juicy citrus with ice cream, all it takes is one bite to get it.
this blood orange ice cream was inspired by my oh so delicious fresh lemon ice cream.
There’s something about the idea of a citrus ice cream that fascinates me. I love the play between the cold creaminess and the acidic citrus flavor — it’s very subtle, but I like how refreshing it is compared to traditional ice creams. Although this one doesn’t have quite the tang of the lemon version, my secret ingredient is the juice of one lemon to heighten the very soft, floral note of the blood orange. I like that it doesn’t have too much of a bland Creamsicle vibe…but more of a fresh orange punch to it.
homemade ice cream without the fussy egg custard base
So far I haven’t been won over by the custard method for ice cream making, that’s where you have to cook the mixture before hand, then let it cool down, then get it real cold before you can put it in the ice cream machine. Supposedly this yields a creamier, richer ice cream. To me that seems like too much work. I like the ease and instant gratification of this method
If you have any leftover blood oranges try sectioning them and serving them with the ice cream. I even poured a little juice over it all and had a super treat.
variation suggestions…
Of course all the cream mellows out that tantalizing blood orange color. If you were to make sorbet you’d get a bigger color payoff, I may have to try that before the season’s out. And if you don’t have access to blood oranges, try this with tangerines. I’m working my way through all the citrus fruit, and I think I’m going to use grapefruit next. Doesn’t that sound good?
There are plenty of premium ice creams on the market that are really delicious, so for me, if I’m going to go to the trouble to make my own, I want to experience a flavor that I can’t find in the freezer case.
More unusual ice cream recipes ~
Blood Orange Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, cold
- 1/2 cup milk, cold
- 1/2 cup sugar, I used Baker’s, or superfine sugar, but regular sugar is ok
- juice of 1 lemon
- juice of approximately 2 blood oranges
- dash of orange extract, optional
- a drop or two of food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Stir together the cream, milk, and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Put the lemon juice into a measuring cup and add the blood orange juice until it measures 1/2 cup
- Add the juice to the cream mixture, along with the extract and food coloring, if using. I used a very small drop of yellow, orange, and pink to emphasize the color of mine.
- Pour into the chilled bowl of your ice cream machine and process according to the machine’s directions.
- Spread the soft ice cream into a loaf sized pan and freeze for a couple of hours or longer, until firm.
Some other delicious ways to use blood oranges ~
- Candied Blood Orange Slices
- Blood Orange Jam
- Blood Orange Margaritas
- Blood Orange Crumble Bars
- Blood Orange Upside Down Cake
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and find some blood oranges…and get a few extra while you’re at it, I’ve got at least one or two more recipes coming for this incredible fruit before the month is out.
I made this following the recipe and then made it again with a couple of changes. I used 3 oranges, plus all the red zest, plus 1 tsp organic vanilla essence. I didn’t use the orange essence because I found the zest gave enough of a boost to the flavours. I wanted a little bitterness that the zest added, hence the changes. The vanilla also heightens the flavours.
I’m looking forward to blood orange season here! Thanks for the feedback Connie!
I am new to your website, so hesitate to comment, however, I will try the recipe as is, but think the juice of a third blood orange, plus the zest of all three might enhance and boost the flavor. I have found that by using the zest of citrus fruits I get a stronger flavor in the ice cream.
I’d love you to try that and report back, I’m all for more flavor. I find that citrus ice cream is a little tricky because too much liquid throws off the balance and it can get icy. One idea is to boil down the blood orange juice to reduce the water content and intensify the flavor.
I love blood oranges and I just made this for the first time–it’s amazing, simple and delicious! Thanks!
Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know, SR 🙂
Perhaps it’s not a staple for you, but for me, it’s year round. 😉
I can’t wait to try this. Love making my own ice cream. In fact, I’ve got a chocolate base cooling in the freezer right now, which I’ll be adding peanut butter to.
I’ll eat ice cream any time of the year!
I am loving your photos. They way you captured the creaminess of the ice cream is making it hard to type this comment. Because I want to keep scrolling back up to look at it again.
I know the feeling, Annie, I often can’t take my eyes off ice cream photos in blogs I read. I’ve noticed the resurgence of ice cream on Pinterest, so I think people are definitely getting in the mood…
This looks sensational. Didn’t know there was an ice cream attachment for a kitchen aid, will have to investigate that.
I’ve heard that now from a few people, and I wonder how it works.
Sue,
No problem about eating ice-cream this February here in AZ. The spring flowers have already started blooming and I would love to eat that beautiful ice-cream. What a gorgeous color!
We’ve been hot here, too, and I never thought I’d say this, but where did winter go?
Gosh Sue – this is a beautiful dish of ice cream. It looks amazing and the color is so enticing! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful photos. I know ice cream can be a challenge to shoot. And ice cream is always good no matter how cold it is.
Thanks Tricia—I’m inspired by your lovely ice cream shots!
I just have to buy the ice cream attachment for my kitchenaide mixer. After seeing another one of your delicious ice cream dishes I better get busy. This looks so good!
You know I didn’t even know there was such a thing, it sounds like a great thing to have!