No-Churn Peach Gelato with Thyme and Honey Peaches
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Easy peach gelato! Make this creamy no-churn ice cream without eggs or an ice cream machine. Serve with honey-drizzled peaches and thyme.
Eating homemade ice cream is a pleasure, but let’s be honest. How often do you actually make it?
If you’re not in the mood to start digging around for your ice cream maker, or if you don’t even have an ice cream maker, then say hello to this peach gelato, a perfect dessert recipe for summertime.
Eggless homemade ice cream
This no-churn peach ice cream recipe is made without eggs, unlike traditional custard ice creams which do. My goal was to make a smooth and creamy ice cream isn’t too sweet or heavy.
It can be tricky to make homemade ice cream base without eggs —the finished ice cream can end up with an unpleasant grainy texture.
Instead, an easy “no-churn” method makes this frozen dessert surprisingly light, rich and creamy with little effort.
Ingredients for the recipe
The base calls for a short list of ingredients and can be flavored with just about anything you like (or just add some vanilla and keep it plain).
- Peaches
- Condensed milk (sweetened): Condensed milk is an ingredient that helps gives this “gelato” a smooth texture — it’s the sugar content that does the trick.
- Heavy cream
- Cream cheese
- Granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
It’s especially delicious with fresh seasonal fruit, in this case peaches.Because who doesn’t love peaches and cream ice cream?!
What is gelato anyway?
Gelato is the Italian name for the frozen dessert otherwise known as ice cream. Italian gelato, in general, is less sweet than American-style ice cream and has a thicker, dense texture.
Many traditional gelatos aren’t made with eggs and don’t have as much air churned into them. To me that means the focus is all on the cream.
To make this peach gelato, fresh peaches are pureed and blended with whipped cream, sweetened condensed milk and a small amount of cream cheese. The cream cheese acts like a stabilizer and also gives the ice cream a delicious tangy taste.
Best kitchen tools to make no-churn ice cream
- A stand mixer definitely comes in handy to whip the cream. But you can also whip cream the old-fashioned way by hand (consider it your arm workout for the day):
- Get a metal bowl and stick it in the freezer for about 15 minutes, then set the bowl on a kitchen towel and start beating very, very cold cream with a balloon whisk.
Tip: It will take at least 10 minutes for the cream to form peaks if whipping by hand, depending on your stamina and the butterfat content of your cream.
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No-Churn Peach Gelato with Honey Peaches
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds (680 g) peaches, about 5 or 6 peaches
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 14-ounce (3.23 l) can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups (473 ml) heavy cream
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
To serve
- Pitted and sliced peaches
- Honey
- Fresh thyme leaves, optional
Instructions
- Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. Use a small, sharp knife to mark an X on the bottom of each peach. Drop the peaches in the boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer the peaches to the ice water and cool.
- Slip the skins off the peaches, remove the pits and roughly chop. Puree in a food processor with the sugar until smooth (or leave it slightly chunky if you prefer). Put the puree in a bowl and stir in the condensed milk until smooth and combined.
- Whip the cream, cream cheese and salt in a mixer with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Fold in the peach mixture with a spatula until completely blended.
- Scrape the mixture into a loaf pan or other freezer-proof container. Cover and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
- Take the gelato out of the freezer about 15 minutes before serving to ease in scooping. Serve in bowls with sliced peaches, a drizzle of honey and the thyme sprinkled over.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- The ice cream keeps up to 5 days frozen. To make it easier to scoop, take it out of the freezer about 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
Looks yummy. Can you substitute Greek yogurt for cream cheese?
Hi – I don’t suggest substituting yogurt for the cream cheese. As I mention in the post, cream cheese contains an emulsifier (such as guar gum) which produces a nice creamy texture with no need for churning.
I love the idea of using thyme in desserts! Looks so delicious and perfect for the summer!
the absolute essence of summer! thank you! XO