If you love that blend of vanilla and orange-flavored ice cream, you’re going to flip over this homemade Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream. It uses a custard-style base (with eggs) to make a creamy deliciously scoopable homemade ice cream that’s just as good as in your childhood memories.
I have always been a huge fan of orange creamsicle. In the summer, we’re making this ice cream, and these orange cupcakes, all the time. They’re especially tasty together. I fell in love with it from the first scoop.
We use our ice cream maker for this recipe, so be sure to put the barrel in the freezer a day ahead so it’s good and frozen by the time you want to use it.
In order to preserve the two parts – vanilla and orange – you’ll need to make two different bases, churn the separately, and freeze them in the same container, next to each other.
» You have to check out these amazing 50 ice cream recipes.
Ingredients You Need
This ice cream uses a custard base, so it has egg yolks in it.
- Half and half or heavy cream – There is a debate out there about how much butterfat the best ice cream has. It can range anywhere from non-fat all the way up to 20%. Using half and half and whole milk results in the best texture and fat level for me. Use heavy whipping cream if you like your ice cream super creamy.
- Whole milk – I always use whole milk – we’re not pretending this is a low-fat dessert.
- Egg yolks – Set the eggs and milk out about 15 minutes before you start to get them to room temp
- Sugar – Granulated sugar is fine in this recipe. If you’re going to replace it with a sugar substitute, I recommend using only allulose, because it doesn’t harden like erythritol and the others do. This makes a big difference.
- Vanilla – Use the highest-quality vanilla you can. The flavor of the vanilla is strong and can be a little off-putting if you use a low-quality vanilla. You can also add vanilla bean to this recipe.
- Salt – A little bit of salt helps to balance the sweetness.
- Oranges – I used two large oranges for this recipe. You need the zest from one of the oranges, and the juice from both. If you want an even more concentrated orange flavor, I’d suggest using orange juice concentrate instead of the orange juice. It adds a lot more flavor.
How to Make Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream
We use the same egg-based custard ice cream base for chocolate chocolate chip ice cream, cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip, and most of the other flavors of ice cream we make. It’s an easy base and it tastes great and very creamy.
The other great part about using this base for everything is that it starts to become second nature to make it. There are quite a few steps to making custard-style ice cream, but it’s not hard, and it’s very much worth the effort.
This recipe makes two ice cream parts – a vanilla and an orange – which are swirled together at the end. That is what gives you the “orange creamsicle” outcome. You don’t have to make it in two parts if you don’t want to.
Step One: Heat the Ice Cream Base
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, 1 ½ cups of the heavy cream, salt, and half the sugar. Stir the mixture constantly as you bring it just to a simmer (do not boil it). Once it’s steaming, remove it from the heat.
Step Two: Temper the Eggs
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining sugar just until combined.
To temper the eggs, slowly add 1/2 cup of the milk mixture in a drizzle into the egg mixture. Do this slowly so as not to cook the eggs.
Pour the entire egg mixture back into the saucepan with the milk mixture. Simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Do not boil.
Remove the pot from the heat. Strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and let cool.
Step Three: Make the Two Ice Cream Bases
Once cooled, divide the mixture into two bowls. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream and vanilla into one bowl to make the vanilla base. Pour the orange zest and orange juice into the other bowl to make the orange base.
Refrigerate both for at least two hours until cold.
Step Four: Churn the Ice Cream
You will churn each base mixture separately, so pour the vanilla base into the ice cream maker and churn for 15 minutes. Transfer the vanilla ice cream to one side of a freezer safe container and freeze.
Next pour the orange base into the ice cream maker (no need to refreeze or wash in between). Churn until the ice cream is thick, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer the orange ice cream to the other side of the freezer container. You can swirl them together slightly, if desired.
Freeze the ice cream for at least 3 hours to set before serving.
Milk vs Cream
I’m often asked if it’s possible to use milk or cream or half and half interchangeably in an ice cream recipe. It is actually okay to do that. It will, however, change the final product. The creaminess and scoopability of the ice cream is what will be affected.
If you use only milk, I would suggest only doing so with whole milk. 2% or lower fat milks don’t have enough fat to make a creamy ice cream. It will end up being a little icey and not easy to scoop.
What I do most often is use whole milk and half and half to make a creamy, yet lower fat ice cream. I find this to be the best combination for my preference. You could use whole milk and cream if you like a creamier, thicker ice cream.
So basically, you can use any combination of any of these products that you want. Maybe experiment with a few different combinations to find the one you like most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this ice cream have to be made in an ice cream maker?
This ice cream recipe is made in the ice cream maker. It’s an easy way to churn the ice cream mixture to make it freeze faster and make it super creamy, so we prefer it.
However you can still make it without an ice cream maker. At the end, mix in only half of the heavy cream and reserve the rest. Pour the mixture into ice cube trays and freeze until solid. When ready to eat, add the ice cream cubes to the blender with the remaining heavy cream and blend until smooth.
Do I have to add eggs to the ice cream?
Eggs add flavor, prevent ice crystallization, and create a smooth and creamy texture, so they are an important ingredient for delicious ice cream. You can make ice cream without eggs. Here is a vanilla ice cream recipe that doesn’t include eggs.
Can I add flavoring to the ice cream besides orange?
You can leave the orange out of this ice cream and replace it with any other fruit or flavoring you like, if you want. I love the aromatics and flavor of fresh ripe peaches, but you could also use strawberries, blueberry, or mango.
What Ice Cream Maker to Use?
If you’re really wanting to make great ice cream at home, you have to invest in an ice cream maker. I’ve had the same one for many years and it’s never made a bad ice cream.
The one I recommend is the Cuisinart 1.5 quart ice cream maker. It comes in a few different colors and it looks neat and tidy. You just have to keep to recipes that are small enough to fit, which shouldn’t be a problem.
The Cuisinart ICE-70 Electronic Ice Cream Maker is a slightly more professional model that’s 2 quarts and has an LCD screen and 3 settings plus an improved paddle with faster processing time.
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Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
- 1 cup (237 ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (473 ml) heavy cream or half and half divided
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) salt
- 5 (5) egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) high-quality vanilla
- Zest from one orange
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) orange juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, 1 1/2 cups of the heavy cream, salt, and half the sugar. Stir the mixture constantly as you bring it just to a simmer (do not boil). Once steaming, remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining sugar just until combined.
- To temper the eggs, slowly add 1/2 cup of the milk mixture in a drizzle into the egg mixture. Do this slowly so as not to cook the eggs.
- Pour the entire egg mixture back into the saucepan with the milk mixture. Simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Do not boil.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and let cool.
- Once cooled, divide the mixture into two bowls. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream and vanilla into one bowl to make the vanilla base. Pour the orange zest and orange juice into the other bowl to make the orange base.
- Refrigerate both for at least two hours until cold.
- You will churn each base mixture separately, so pour the vanilla base into the ice cream maker and churn for 15 minutes. Transfer the vanilla ice cream to one side of a freezer safe container and freeze.
- Next pour the orange base into the ice cream maker (no need to refreeze or wash in between). Churn until the ice cream is thick, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer the orange ice cream to the other side of the freezer container. You can swirl them together slightly, if desired.
- Freeze the ice cream for at least 3 hours to set before serving.
Equipment Needed
- Spatula
- Sauce pan
Notes
- Be sure to chill the ice cream maker bowl at least a full day in advance so it’s cold enough to churn the ice cream.
- This recipe makes two ice cream parts – a vanilla and an orange – which are swirled together at the end. That is what gives you the “orange creamsicle” outcome. You don’t have to make it in two parts if you don’t want to.
- This recipe makes half a gallon.
Nutrition
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Laura is a home cook, with 25 years experience behind the stove, who spends an extraordinary amount of time in the kitchen cooking. She loves making new recipes and finding wonderful new things to eat, both at home or abroad. She spends a lot of time researching, crafting, and perfecting her recipes and currently has a cookbook in development.
What a tasty treat, we love orange creamsicle desserts!
So glad you liked it Carlee!