This peaches and cream ice cream relies on yogurt as well as cream for its creamy, not-too-sweet base. Toasted hazelnuts add crunch to the peaches.
Technically, this peaches and cream ice cream recipe creates something more of a froyo than an ice cream given its inclusion of Greek yogurt. Yet its taste and texture lie somewhere pleasingly in between. We’ll let you be the judge of what you want to call it—only nice things, we’re quite certain.–Renee Schettler Rossi
In this recipe
☞ Contents
Peaches and Cream Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice cream maker (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 cup cool water
- 3/4 cup superfine sugar (or just blitz granulated sugar in a blender until finely ground but not powdery)
- 20 ounces ripe peaches (about 4) peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) chunks
- 3 tablespoons peach schnapps, brandy, or orange-flavored liqueur
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (preferably full-fat)
- 2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts (optional)
Directions
- In a small saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer until the mixture forms a clear syrup.
- Place the peaches in a bowl and pour the hot syrup over them. Stir in the schnapps, brandy, or liqueur and let cool to room temperature.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer half the fruit to a small bowl. Pour the remaining peaches and all of the syrup into a blender or food processor and process, along with the cream and the yogurt, until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.
- If using an ice-cream maker, pour the mixture into the machine and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If not using an ice-cream maker, pour the mixture into a large shallow container, such as a metal baking pan, and place it in the freezer. Whisk the mixture every 30 minutes until it reaches the desired consistency, at least 2 hours.
- Toward the end of the freezing process, fold in the reserved peaches and the hazelnuts. If you prefer soft-serve consistency, devour it immediately. If you prefer a harder, more old-fashioned ice cream experience, transfer to a container and freeze a little longer.
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
If I could, I’d give this recipe more than a 10. I made it for my family and it was an instant hit. I made a double batch and it was devoured. My sister and several other family members wanted to know how soon I could make it again. And my son-in-law scraped the last bits out of the bowl. I think I’ve found my new go-to peach ice cream for our Sunday summer ice cream sessions at Mom and Dad’s. My Mom is a diabetic and it’s nice to have a recipe from a diabetic cookbook for her that the rest of us enjoy so much, too.
We used our trusty ice cream maker, and when the machine stopped, I popped it in the freezer for a few minutes to harden a bit more. Since most of us had a tiny taste before popping it in the freezer, we could hardly wait for it to get a bit harder.
I used peach schnapps for the booze part and I didn’t use the optional hazelnuts.
This is a perfect ice cream recipe. Wow. Nothing but flavor. Peaches, hazelnuts, and spirits. Everyone loved it at the first taste. I could go on and on. It’s that good.
The Greek yogurt, which is a favorite of mine, just brought it all together in a smooth way. I used the freezer method, whisked it a few times, and it was ready about 2 hours in the freezer. It would look grand in an elegant wine glass with a spray of mint for color or a dainty cookie.
One of my sisters is diabetic so I’m always looking for desserts to make for her that are light on sugar, heavy on flavor. She was in town this weekend so it was the perfect timing to test this recipe. (That and it was 98°F here all weekend, so this seasonal dessert was perfect as a cooling down agent!) I knew the recipe was going to turn out well when I found myself wanting to just eat the peach, sugar, and brandy mixture from the saucepan! It was such a hit the first night we made it that my weekend guests demanded seconds the next night as well.
I love the use of thick, Greek yogurt instead of cream in the recipe. It gave the ice cream a creamy texture without all the fat. I did not try it with hazelnuts but will give that a whirl the second time around as well. I used brandy and it was delicious. This recipe was so straightforward and quick I would love to try it with other fruits as well. I bet strawberries would also work beautifully.
No bad words about this recipe! I wonder if you could use Splenda or another sugar substitute and truly make it a completely diabetic-friendly recipe? Just a thought.
The flavor of this ice cream was creamy yet light and refreshing. We enjoyed the real fruit pieces in the ice cream. It gave the dessert a natural, tangy, sweet taste.
This was a really easy ice cream recipe to prep. I cut up the peaches and made the syrup one day and was called away early for an event. I saved the peaches and syrup (in the refrigerator) to finish the recipe the next day and it worked very well. The ice cream came out of the ice cream maker a little soft so I placed it in the freezer for 4 to 5 hours. It was perfect. A great way to endure a hot summer day.
This was a fun and delicious version of frozen yogurt. I had some really good peaches and their flavor came through perfectly.
The orange brandy I used really enhanced the peach flavor and helped round it out. I was concerned by the amount of syrup, but the final result is really good.
I ate a little as it came out of the maker, but it was really good after letting it ripen for a few hours in the freezer. It also softens up really fast compared to ice cream once removed from the freezer. I left the hazelnuts out by accident but they work perfectly sprinkled over the top.
The finished product tastes so peachy and delicious. It’s a lovely, simple recipe that produces satisfying results.
I ended up using Grand Marnier for the liquor and it enhanced the flavor of the peaches quite nicely.
This peach ice cream was great, especially with the addition of the finely chopped toasted hazelnuts. I was skeptical, but now I know I will always be adding them when I make this delicious peach treat. With the small amount of cream in this recipe and 3/4 cup of Greek yogurt, I would classify this more as a frozen yogurt. But whatever you choose to call it, it does have a wonderful peach flavor.
I am the type that does not like large chunks of frozen fruit in my ice cream. This meant finely dicing the peaches. Yet finely dicing all the peaches as instructed seemed like extra work.
I wasn’t sure if spending the money for a bottle of DeKuypers Peachtree Schnapps would be worth the expense, but it has a good shelf life and will be in my cupboard for many peach seasons. After 20 minutes of churning, I packed the ice cream in a recycled large yogurt container and chilled it for at least 2 more hours, until firm.
Here are a few tips I use when making simple syrup. I start heating the sugar and water at low heat, stirring it gently. If any sugar crystals stick to the side of the pan, keep them from burning by using a wet pastry brush to wash them off. Once the syrup boils, I cook the syrup for 5 more minutes.
Originally published August 07, 2020
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Yum. Made as written with local peaches and grand marnier. Used the freezer method. Will make on repeat!
Magnificent, Jen! Love hearing this and look forward to hearing which recipe you try next…!
Actually, a question. I plan to make this peachy frozen yogurt with either frozen or jarred (not in heavy syrup) peaches because the fresh ones we get are unreliable (not tasty) much of the year. Can you estimate the volume measurement, please? In general, I’d appreciate weights over cups when possible in recipes. Thanks.
Hello, LeslieB. We didn’t test it with canned peaches, so I don’t want to hazard a guess. You should be able to use a 1:1 substitution with frozen peaches. Also, we have weights for most ingredients. Just flip the metric tab at the top.
Thanks, David. I’ll use frozen and just guess. Btw, the Metric tab (which I checked before contacting you) still says 4 peaches. ;-). No worries.
Hi Leslie. I have updated the weights on the peaches for this recipe. Sorry that the information was missing for you when you needed it!