Rich and tangy homemade crème fraîche ice cream made with just 4 ingredients and about 20 minutes of active time. Use store-bought crème fraîche or make your own crème fraîche with just 2 ingredients.
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the most satisfying, as is the case with this crème fraîche ice cream. It's:
- rich & creamy
- gently tangy
- just sweet enough
- refreshing
- delicious on just about all dessert recipes
If you're a fan of homemade ice creams like this reader-favorite horchata ice cream, you'll love the bright flavor crème fraîche adds to this one. Though it uses super minimal ingredients, you'll feel so fancy scooping it over fruit desserts – if you don't eat it all straight from the ice cream maker first.
Ingredients
This ice cream uses just 4 main ingredients.
- Crème fraîche adds tanginess and richness. You can use store-bought or homemade crème fraîche.
- You can use sour cream in place of crème fraîche for sour cream ice cream.
- Half & half forms the ice cream base. This product is called "light cream" in some countries.
- You can sub 1 cup whole milk + 1/2 cup heavy cream.
- Sugar adds just the right level of sweetness. I prefer organic granulated sugar which has a bit of molasses flavor, but any sugar will work.
- For refined sugar-free, try using coconut sugar, maple sugar, maple syrup, or honey instead.
- Egg yolks emulsify the ice cream, giving it rich custard notes.
- For egg allergies, omit the eggs for a lighter Philadelphia-style ice cream.
- A pinch of salt sharpens the flavors – a trick I learned from my pastry chef days!
This recipe doesn't have any vanilla in order to let the flavor of the crème fraîche star. But feel free to add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract for vanilla crème fraîche ice cream.
How to Make Crème Fraîche Ice Cream
While most of the time is inactive, give yourself 6 hours to complete this recipe. It's ideal to start the day before to allow for chilling time.
This recipe makes about 4 cups of ice cream, or 8 servings.
- To start, whisk together the crème fraîche and ½ cup of the half and half.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 1 cup of the half and half.
- Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt in another bowl.
What to Serve with Crème Fraîche Ice Cream
This rich and tangy crème fraîche ice cream goes well with a variety of desserts, from chocolate cakes to pies to fruit crisps. Here are a few favorites:
- Gluten-free chocolate bundt cake
- Gluten-free strawberry rhubarb crisp
- Almond flour apple crisp
- Gluten-free stone fruit galette
- Gluten-free apple pie
What to make with the leftover egg whites from this recipe?
You'll have 4 egg whites leftover after making this ice cream. Egg whites will keep in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for several months.
Aside from egg white omelettes, here are a few recipes that use them:
Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Pinterest, purchase my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this creme fraiche ice cream, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.
4-Ingredient Crème Fraîche Ice Cream
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup crème fraîche
- 1½ cups half and half (light cream)*
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ cup organic granulated sugar
- pinch salt
Equipment
Instructions
Ice Cream Base
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche and ½ cup of the half and half. Set a fine mesh strainer over the bowl, and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 1 cup of the half and half until steamy and small bubbles appear around the sides of the pan. If you have an instant-read thermometer, have it handy.
- Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl set on a damp towel to stabilize it. Add the sugar and salt, whisking to combine.
- Whisking constantly with one hand, pour the hot dairy very slowly into the yolks. (This is called tempering, and prevents the yolks from scrambling from the heat of the dairy.)
- Pour the mixture back into the pot and set over a low flame. Cook, stirring constantly with a heat-proof silicone spatula, scraping the sides and bottom of the pot, until the custard just begins to 'stick' (or form a thickened film on the bottom of the pot; you may have to tilt the pan to see it), or registers 170º on an instant-read thermometer, 3-5 minutes. Don't let the mixture boil.
- Immediately pour the custard through the strainer and into the container of cold creme fraiche and half and half. Give the mixture a stir, and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight.
Churning Instructions
- Place the ice cream base in the freezer for 30 minutes to get it really cold, stirring it twice during this time. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer instructions until the consistency of a thick milkshake.
- Scrape the ice cream into a chilled container, and 'cure' in the freezer for at least 2 hours for a firmer consistency.
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