Wild Blueberry Ice Cream ~ the very thought makes me crazy ~ but wait, it gets better, this luscious treat is made with sour cream instead of regular cream, for a unique tangy flavor you’ve just got to try.
my wild blueberry ice cream is a uniquely delicious recipe
I think one of the most compelling reasons to make your own ice cream to so you can make a flavor you can’t find anywhere else. Maybe you want to revisit a treasured favorite from your childhood, or just get your creative juices flowing and dream up your own custom flavor. I’ve never seen a wild blueberry ice cream, and even when we lived in Maine I can’t remember ever coming across one. But let me tell you, when you combine the wild berries with a base of sour cream you get something so uniquely wonderful you just have to taste it for yourself. My husband (aka hand model up there) especially loved this ice cream ~ and he claims he doesn’t even like berry ice creams, so I thought you should know.
what makes wild blueberries so different?
Anyone who loves blueberries knows that there’s no comparison between supermarket berries and the little wild ones. The little ones are ‘blueberrier’, for one thing. Their flavor is so much more intense, and they’re packed with more than double the amount of healthy antioxidants that blueberries are so famous for. But I realize that most of us can’t get near a wild blueberry bush, so this recipe is made with the next best thing: frozen wild blueberries. Look for them in the freezer section, I use Wyman’s.
wild blueberries vs cultivated berries
- wild blueberries taste way better, it’s that simple.
- they have more nutrients than regular blueberries, too.
- their lower water content means they freeze even better than regular blueberries.
- their (anthocyanin) pigments are more intense, meaning they are more colorful and more anti-oxidant rich than cultivated berries.
what you’ll need ~ just 4 ingredients!
This recipe is different because I use sour cream instead of heavy cream. The flavor of the berries with the tart tang of the sour cream is magical It makes a great dessert for serving to guests because, while it’s unusual and a conversation piece, it’s pretty much universally appealing ~ who doesn’t love blueberries and sour cream?
- wild blueberries ~ frozen is ok
- sour cream
- sugar
- lemon
frozen blueberries work just fine
- unless you happen to live in certain parts of the country, and unless it happens to be high summer, you’ll have a tough time finding fresh wild blueberries
- frozen berries can actually be fresher than fresh picked ~ how is that possible? Fresh picked berries have to be transported, packed, and transported a few more times before they arrive at your grocery store. Frozen berries are often flash frozen within 24 hours of being plucked from the bush.
- An added benefit of frozen ~ no fuzzy berries! Frozen berries don’t spoil before I can use them.
Which ice cream machine do I recommend?
I get asked all the time about what machine I use. I use and recommend Cuisinart. I’ve had my machine for years without any issues, I think because there are no fussy electronic parts to break down ~ it’s a simple motor that turns the freezer bowl for churning the ice cream and it works quickly and perfectly every time.
more homemade ice cream recipes
- Black Raspberry Ice Cream
- Honey Ice Cream Recipe
- Fresh Mint Chip Ice Cream
- No Churn Bailey’s Ice Cream
- Manhattan Cocktail Ice Cream
- Fresh Lemon Ice Cream
Wild Blueberry Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups (heaping) fresh or frozen wild blueberries,
- 1 cup sugar
- 16 ounces sour cream
- juice of 1/2 lemon,, optional
Instructions
- Put the berries and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and cook for about 5 minutes, just until the berries have released juice and softened.
- Puree the mixture. I used my Vitamix blender for an extra smooth puree. Refrigerate the puree until chilled.
- Blend together the sour cream, the cold blueberry puree, and the lemon juice, if using, until completely smooth.
- Process the mixture in your ice cream machine, according to the manufacturer’s directions. Mine takes about 20 minutes to get to a soft serve stage.
- Spoon the soft ice cream into a loaf pan or plastic tub, cover tightly, and put in the freezer to firm up. I like to leave it for at least 5 to 6 hours.
Notes
- Blueberries and sour cream go so well together, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment ~ try other berries like raspberries or blackberries. You may want to strain the puree for seeds in some cases.
- I haven’t tried it myself, but I assume you could make this wild blueberry ice cream with light sour cream to cut fat and calories.
- If you want to forgo the cream altogether, consider a wild blueberry frozen yogurt ~ you can use my Concord grape frozen yogurt as a guide.
Nutrition
Don’t forget to pin this Wild Blueberry Ice Cream!
This ice cream recipe sounds very enticing! However, since I have no ice cream maker machine, I wonder if I could whip up heavy whipping cream and fold in everything as a ‘no churn’ ice cream instead? I could substitute sweetened condensed milk for the sugar. I wonder if sour cream even whips up??!!
This particular recipe is a hard one to translate to no-churn, but you could try. I’d cook the berries down even further to release moisture, and then use whipping cream in addition to sour cream so you get some whipped texture in there. Condensed milk will help with the texture.
This was the perfect dessert for our 4th of July celebration! Gorgeous color, texture, and so easy easy to make! Loved it! Will be making it again and again! Thanks for another great recipe Sue!
This ice cream Sue! That color! Blueberries are one of my favorite things of summer. I will definitely be trying your recipe!!
Thanks Mary Ann!!
Be still my heart! That color is stunning – I’ll take 2 scoops, please! 🙂
This is so Cool Sue! I have to try the sour cream thing. I wonder if it will work with fresh raspberries – i have some now and think I will try it!
I happen to know how I can get my hands on some wild blueberries, so I’m going to try this. The sour cream sounds really interesting.
This was incredible…I made it yesterday and we devoured it in a couple of hours! I was curious about the sour cream flavor and it was perfect, not too tart ~ this is a winner, THANK YOU!
Thanks so much for coming back to let me know, I’m really excited about this recipe and plan to do more variations ~ any suggestions?
Hi Sue, this has to be the prettiest color of ice cream that I’ve ever come across, I bet it is delicious!
Thanks Cheri, is is really tasty!
What a great idea girl. I’ve never made ice cream with sour cream but can’t wait to give it a try. This is simply gorgeous!
I enjoy making homemade ice cream. And this looks so mouth watering. I am a big wild blueberries fan and have them always at home. The combination with sour cream sounds fantastic.
Ice cream is definitely fun to make, I agree ~ and the payoff is always good 🙂