Homemade Mint Ice Cream
This Mint Ice Cream recipe has the cleanest mint flavor without any artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.
This Ice Cream Mint Recipe is satisfyingly fresh
A love of mint ice cream has gone through my family from my dad, to me, and now, my daughter.
We’ll be the first to tell you that all mint ice creams are NOT created equally. Quality matters above all here, and we know a good mint ice cream as soon as we taste it.
This Mint Ice Cream Recipe is the result of many years of testing everything from peppermint extract to spearmint oil to fresh mint leaves.
We’ve landed on peppermint oil for the cleanest, truest flavor, but you can also use peppermint extract if you can’t find the oil (you’ll just need more of it).
Green food coloring is unnecessary here. Add it if you want, but one bite of this ice cream and you will know it’s mint, no color cues needed. This one is for the fellow mint lovers out there!
Why you’ll love this Homemade Mint Ice Cream
- This homemade treat is free from artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.
- The joy and satisfaction of making your own ice cream is incomparable.
- It’s pure minty bliss for true mint lovers!
Homemade Mint Ice Cream ingredients
- heavy cream – makes for the most rich and creamy ice cream.
- whole milk – thins out the cream a little bit, for the perfect texture that isn’t TOO rich.
- sugar – classic white granulated sugar will sweeten this ice cream.
- salt – just a pinch of kosher salt will intensify the mint flavor.
- egg yolks – these will thicken the ice cream and lend the most creamy consistency.
- peppermint oil – infuses the cream with a pure and potent mint flavor. You can use peppermint extract instead, but you will need more of it.
Mint Ice Cream Variations
By starting with a base of pure, plain mint ice cream, you leave yourself with options for a variety of mix-ins, depending on your mood. Here are some of my favorites:
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we'll send it to your inbox.
- CHOCOLATE CHIPS – A classic, of course! Use regular semisweet chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or a chopped up dark chocolate bar.
- OREOS – Crushed Oreo cookies will add a decadent, delightful crunch and flavor.
- COCONUT – Sounds a little wild, but the tropical flavor of shredded coconut works really well with the cool flavor of the mint.
How to Make Mint Ice Cream
- HEAT. Combine the cream, milk, salt and half the sugar in a saucepan. Heat the mixture just to simmering, then remove from heat.
- MIX. Place the egg yolks and remaining half of the sugar in a mixing bowl and mix until thick and pale yellow in color.
- ADD. In a slow, steady stream, add a cup of the warm cream mixture to the egg mixture.
- COOK. Pour all of the egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture and cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- STRAIN. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh strainer.
- ADD. Stir in the peppermint oil.
- CHILL. Cover the custard with plastic wrap and chill completely.
- CHURN. Pour the custard mixture into your ice cream machine and churn.
- FREEZE. Transfer the ice cream to the freezer to harden completely.
How to Make Mint Ice Cream Home Chef Tips
- If your ice cream maker has a removable canister to freeze, make sure it throughly frozen before churning.
- Use the highest quality cream and milk and the freshest eggs for the best results.
- Keep an eye on the ice cream as it churns. Over-churning can lead to a more icy texture, while under-churning may result in a too-soft ice cream.
How to dish up Mint Ice Cream (No Chocolate)
Serve up a scoop of this pure minty bliss all on its own to fully appreciate its potent flavor. Or, use it to make a hot fudge sundae!
I also love this ice cream served with brownies. Serving inside brownie cups or on top of brownie pie are both great options.
Homemade Mint Ice Cream storage
Keep your homemade mint ice cream nice and fresh by storing it in an airtight container in the freezer. I’ve used this ice cream tub [affiliate link] for almost 10 years and have found it to be worth the investment.
Mint Ice Cream No Chocolate FAQs
Mint ice cream typically uses peppermint oil or extract for its bold and refreshing flavor, but spearmint lovers can experiment with spearmint oil or extract.
No, the minty flavor comes from peppermint oil or extract, not menthol.
Peppermint extract specifically comes from the peppermint plant, while mint extract may include various mint varieties.
The only difference is food coloring, which comes down to a personal aesthetic choice. It will not affect the flavor.
Ice Cream (Mint)
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar divided
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 10 egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint oil or 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
Instructions
- In large saucepan, combine cream, milk, 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Heat just to simmering over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
- Place egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed 2 minutes or until thick and pale yellow in color.
- In a slow, steady stream, add 1 cup of warm cream mixture to egg mixture.
- Pour yolk mixture into saucepan with remaining cream mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat until mixture is thick enough to coat back of spoon.
- Strain through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl.
- Stir in peppermint oil.
- Cover with plastic wrap placed directly on custard; chill completely.
- Pour custard mixture into your ice cream machine and freeze according to instructions for your machine (mine took about 20 minutes).
- Transfer ice cream to freezer to harden completely (at least 4 hours).
Notes
- If your ice cream maker has a removable canister to freeze, make sure it throughly frozen before churning.
- Use the highest quality cream and milk and the freshest eggs for the best results.
- Keep an eye on the ice cream as it churns. Over-churning can lead to a more icy texture, while under-churning may result in a too-soft ice cream.
Wheeee! Your new ice cream maker is getting quite a workout, Lauren 🙂
Whoa. I am SO making this! Mint chip is one of my favorites too 😀
Thanks for the info, Laura. I ended up finding those Nielsen Massey beans at the Produce Station in Ann Arbor (after I made this ice cream, of course, but I bought them anyway). For some reason, my usual grocery store, Holiday Market in Royal Oak, has been out of beans for months!
Oh, mint ice cream sounds beyond amazing! This is so pure and natural as opposed to traditional mint ice creams. I buy Nielsen Massey vanilla beans at Papa Joe’s in Birmingham. 2 beans is $6.99. Williams Sonoma has then too, but they are usually a few dollars more, same goes for the NM vanilla extract.
Oh, mint ice cream sounds beyond amazing! This is so pure and natural as opposed to traditional mint ice creams. I buy Nielsen Massey vanilla beans at Papa Joe’s in Birmingham. 2 beans is $6.99. Williams Sonoma has then too, but they are usually a few dollars more, same goes for the NM vanilla extract.
Thanks for the info, Laura. I ended up finding those Nielsen Massey beans at the Produce Station in Ann Arbor (after I made this ice cream, of course, but I bought them anyway). For some reason, my usual grocery store, Holiday Market in Royal Oak, has been out of beans for months!
Mmmm…hot fudge?!? Wait a minute, I think I have a teeny tiny jar of that in one of my cupboards somewhere! A gift from a bridal shower or something. Off to hunt it down….
Thanks, Nancy! I started out doing it because you can send your photos in to Bon Appetit, and they publish them on their website, which is pretty fun. But now, I just like getting my magazine in the mail each month and knowing that I’ve committed to cooking whatever is on the cover. Not sure what I’m doing to do if it’s some crazy deep-fried turkey around Thanksgiving, though. haha.
Mmmmm….coffee ice cream is kind of awesome, too. I’ve never made a homemade version, but now it’s on my to-do list. I have a big jar of espresso powder that I’m guessing would come in handy.
Wow, that’s yummy looking ice cream, Lori! This is a very cool series – I love seeing people’s versions of magazine/cookbook food. Thanks for the tips about mint oil vs extract vs leaves. I used to adore mint chocolate chip too. It was all I ordered but now my fave is coffee. Regardless, I’d NEVER turn down a bowl of mint ice cream!
Wow, that’s yummy looking ice cream, Lori! This is a very cool series – I love seeing people’s versions of magazine/cookbook food. Thanks for the tips about mint oil vs extract vs leaves. I used to adore mint chocolate chip too. It was all I ordered but now my fave is coffee. Regardless, I’d NEVER turn down a bowl of mint ice cream!
Thanks, Nancy! I started out doing it because you can send your photos in to Bon Appetit, and they publish them on their website, which is pretty fun. But now, I just like getting my magazine in the mail each month and knowing that I’ve committed to cooking whatever is on the cover. Not sure what I’m doing to do if it’s some crazy deep-fried turkey around Thanksgiving, though. haha.
Mmmmm….coffee ice cream is kind of awesome, too. I’ve never made a homemade version, but now it’s on my to-do list. I have a big jar of espresso powder that I’m guessing would come in handy.
I love mint ice cream, without the chocolate chips, just like you picture it above. I’ll take some hot fudge on top of it. Now I really want some!! Your ice cream looks absolutely perfect and creamy.
I love mint ice cream, without the chocolate chips, just like you picture it above. I’ll take some hot fudge on top of it. Now I really want some!! Your ice cream looks absolutely perfect and creamy.
Mmmm…hot fudge?!? Wait a minute, I think I have a teeny tiny jar of that in one of my cupboards somewhere! A gift from a bridal shower or something. Off to hunt it down….