Pomegranate ice cream is the perfect blend of sweet and tart. Refreshing on a hot summer day, and a delightful after dinner dessert or any time of the year.
Disclosure: I’m honored to be partnering with United Dairy Industry of Michigan in order to bring you delicious dairy recipes that your whole family will love! Of course, all opinions are my own.
Ice cream, ice cream, we all scream for ice cream! And you'll definitely be screaming for Pomegranate Ice Cream!!
Another one of my favorite things in the summer is ice cream. I really do like it year round, I mean, who doesn't? But something about the hot summer sun makes me crave cold creaminess on my tongue and It. Is. Delightful.
This summer we've started a new tradition, Ice Cream Sunday's. Yes, we eat ice-cream every Sunday. I know, it's a brilliant idea, right?
We have an ice cream maker, therefore we love to experiment with new flavors. I've been wanting to try pomegranate for while now. This pomegranate ice cream has bold flavor. It's tart and sweet, and super creamy.
Here's how to make it:
You'll need an ice cream maker, ice, ice cream salt, pomegranate reduction (recipe follows), cream, and pomegranate arils for garnish (optional) If you want it rich, use all cream, if you want it a little lighter use a combination of cream and half & half, or cream and milk. I used all cream.
Mix your pomegranate reduction and cream together. I used a pitcher for easy pouring into my ice cream maker.
Stir it well.
Now it's time to put it in your ice cream maker and let it work it's magic. That hardly felt like any work at all right? Super simple.
After you've followed your ice cream makers instructions, it should look like this:
Creamy deliciousness! Who wants to lick the spoon... or um, blade thingy? You can serve the pomegranate ice cream right away if you want to, right now it's soft serve consistency. Or package it up and put it in your freezer until it hardens up and is more firm. The colder your ice cream is, the less flavor you can taste, so ideally, if it's in your freezer already, let it sit out for 10-15 minutes for ultimate flavor.
Another great thing about ice cream is it's nutritional value. Dairy has so many good nutrients for your body. Milk does a body good! You can read more at www.milkmeansmore.org. Plus, there are tons of recipes on their site. You won't be disappointed!
So here's the scoop on the pomegranate reduction. (I just realized I said 'scoop', hardy had har!) When you do a reduction, you're obviously reducing what you start with, in this case 100% pure pomegranate juice, but also, it creates an intense flavor. That's why I chose to do a reduction for this recipe, as I mentioned before, it's bold.
For the reduction:
4 cups 100% pomegranate juice (I like the POM brand, no matter what you use, it has to be 100% pomegranate, no blends)
½ cup sugar
¼ cup lime juice from freshly squeezed lime
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.
Bring it to a simmer, and let it go uncovered for about an hour until it's reduced to 1 ½ cups. It will be a syrup consistency.
I want to hear from YOU! What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Tell me in the comments! Plus, stay tuned, I'll be doing a giveaway in the next couple weeks and it has something to do with ice cream!!! 🙂
Want to take it up a notch? Infuse the cream with some cardamom pods. Just heat it gently over the stove. Remove the pods, and then cool the cream completely in the fridge before continuing with the recipe. This makes a great fall/winter addition to the pomegranate ice cream.
Pomegranate Ice Cream
Ingredients
- ½ cup pomegranate reduction see the notes for how to make reduction
- 2 cups heavy cream or a combination of cream, half & half and/or milk
- pomegranate arils seeds for garnish
Instructions
- In a pitcher, add pomegranate reduction and heavy cream, stir to combine.
- Add the mixture to the ice cream maker. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to churn the ice cream.
- After churning, it will be soft serve consistency. Either serve right away, or place in a container and cover and store in your freezer. It will firm up more after chilling for a couple of hours.
- To serve, scoop into dishes and garnish with pomegranate arils.
Notes
- In a small sauce pan, combine 4 cups 100% pomegranate juice, ½ cup of sugar, and ¼ cup lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- Bring it to a simmer, let it continue to simmer until the mixture is reduced to about half. It will thicken to a syrup consistency and coat a spoon. It takes about an hour.
- Cool completely and store in a covered container or jar in the refrigerator.
Michelle Carleton
Am I the only one that had curdled ice cream? The acid definitely turned the milk; it was not the delightful tartness of pomegranate or even lime for that matter, but definitely soured milk. I was heartbroken that this didn't work out. It sounded soooooo good. 🙁
Chellie Schmitz
Michelle, I'm so sorry this didn't work out for you. Did you use a combination of cream and milk or just straight milk? Usually when I make it I use all heavy cream and I haven't had an issue of curdling. Heavy cream has very few proteins and a lot of fat to coat them so that is probably why. I hope you'll try it again with some adjustments. Let me know what you did and I can help troubleshoot it for you. It really is a delicious recipe!
Armando
This would be smoother if you heated the cream and sugar added two or three egg yolks. Heat until mixture just starts to get thick- no higher than 180 degrees. Then Add the pomegranate reduction and freeze according to your ice cream machine instructions.
Chellie Schmitz
Armando, that would make it more of a custard and I agree would be delicious. But this recipe has always been ultra smooth for me.
Emily Nelson
So excited to find this recipe! My boyfriend had a pomegranate ice cream once and has never been able to find it again. His daughter and I are making this for him for Father's Day and he is so excited!
chellie
That is so wonderful! I hope Father's day was amazing for you all.
Pat
Chellie,
This "officially" made it to our holiday table menu - we can't WAIT for Christmas!
Thanks so much for sharing it at #LFEO! It's my featured fav for this Friday's link party...and hoping you'll share it on Wednesday at Coffee and Conversation 😉
Have a great week!!
chellie
Wow! Thank you so much!!! I'll check in on Wednesday, thanks for the invite. 🙂
Nikki Frank-Hamilton
This looks so delicious! My daughter and I both love pomegranate, and ice cream. LOL In fact we have a pomegranate in the frig right now! Our ice cream maker died though so I'm going to have to hold off on this for a minuted, it looks so good!!! Pinning!
chellie
I love pomegranate too! My mind is working over time on all the recipes I could use it in. But right now I'm making a whole mess of eggnog stuff. I love to eat seasonally!
Maria Magdalena
Oh no.... me want it! Me want it! Pomegranate ice cream... hhmm... smells good! I Pinned it on Tasty Tuesday Creative K Kids Pinterest board.
chellie
Thanks Maria! I love the Tasty Tuesdays link up! You will not be disappointed! I'm having flashbacks to Cookie monster the way you wrote that! 🙂
Carrie Groneman
Hello Chellie! I am so glad you are part of this group because I have wanted to 'officially' meet you. I love your blog and this recipe is one of the many reasons why. It looks amazingly scrumptious and one I must try very soon. Your pictures are stunning by the way. I'm hoping for a great bloggy friendship...and a bowl of your ice cream:) Carrie, A Mother's Shadow
chellie
Carrie, you sweet words have encouraged me today! Thank you so much!! I look forward to a great bloggy friendship as well, too bad we can't have that bowl ice cream together! 🙂 See you around the web!!
Lynn
Hi Chellie, what a lovely dessert for the holidays...a nice change from all the pies and cookies that traditionally dominate the holiday dessert scene. And your photographs are really quite lovely. Well done.
Have a fantastic day cooking up something great, Lynn
chellie
Lynn, thank you so much! I hadn't thought of it that way, but you're right! Typically you do see lots of cookies etc. Have a blessed holiday season!
Michele
Pomegranate is my children's favorite fruit/flavor for anything right now! I'm so glad I came across this- they will love it! My daughter is big into making homemade ice cream as well, so she will be tickled pink to see this recipe. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
chellie
Thanks for visiting Michele--here and in person!! I look forward to hearing what else your daughter is cooking up.
Holly
This looks so good, perfect for a summer day!