This Mulberry Ice Cream recipe yields a creamy vanilla custard base flavored with fresh mulberries and studded with cardamom oat crisp. This homemade mulberry ice cream is the perfect dessert to use up mulberries.
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When we moved to Nebraska in the summer of 2022, I noticed a tree in our backyard that had little black-purple berries growing on it. I found out they were mulberries after image searching with my phone. I had never seen or eaten a mulberry before that. Summer of 2023 came and went and I did nothing with the mulberries, but this year I was determined to make good use of them rather than letting them fall to the ground and become mush. Therefore, this ice cream was born! It was only after researching for writing this blog post I discovered I have a “subpar” mulberry cultivar. Mine are shorter and allegedly less flavorful than their elongated counterparts, but I still thought they flavored this ice cream well. If you have the more favorable berry and you try this ice cream recipe, I am sure it will be even tastier.
I adapted the ice cream base recipe from my Oat-of-this-swirled Copycat Ice Cream. It is the same rich, creamy custard base I used for another purple ice cream, my Lavender White Chocolate Ice Cream.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- The ice cream is packed with mulberry flavor in the base and the quick jam swirl.
- The cardamom crisp adds a nice crunch and complementary flavor.
- This is a great idea for what to do with mulberries when you have a lot of them.
Ingredients
- Mulberries flavor the quick jam swirl and the custard base.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the custard.
- Lemon, kosher salt and vanilla balance the overall flavor profile.
- Half and half is the base of the custard.
- Heavy cream enriches the custard.
- Egg yolks give richness and structure to the custard base.
- All-purpose flour is the base of the crisp.
- Quick oats give a bit of bite to the crisp.
- Light brown sugar sweetens the crisp.
- Cardamom flavors the crisp and complements the mulberries.
- Unsalted butter gives moisture and richness to the crisp.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize this mulberry ice cream to your liking:
- Another berry — swap for blackberries, blueberries or cherries.
- Crisp variations — omit the crisp or make changes. For example, swap cardamom for cinnamon or omit the oats.
- No light brown sugar — swap for dark brown sugar or granulated.
- No half & half — use one cup whole milk and one cup heavy cream in place of the 2 cups of half & half.
- More mix-ins — add white chocolate, milk chocolate or coconut flakes.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make mulberry ice cream
Step 1: Blend the mulberries in a blender or food processor. Push the mixture into a medium saucepan through a fine mesh sieve using a rubber spatula. Discard the seeds and pulp. Add the ¼ cup granulated sugar, lemon juice, zest and pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until reduced and thickened, 12-14 minutes. Set aside ⅓ cup of the jam for swirling into the ice cream.
Step 2: In a medium pot, simmer the cream, milk, sugar, salt, vanilla and mulberry jam until sugar completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly stream about a third of the hot cream into the yolks. Then add the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream. Return the pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170°F on an instant-read thermometer), while whisking constantly. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl with the 1 cup of heavy cream, discarding any solids. Whisk to combine. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. While the ice cream base is chilling, prep the crisp.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a medium bowl whisk together all of the crisp ingredients except for the butter. Then drizzle in the melted butter until crumbles form. Pour the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread out. Refrigerate or freeze for 10 minutes, then bake for 15-20 minutes.
Step 4: Pour the chilled ice cream base into an ice cream maker and churn according to instructions. I use the Kitchenaid Ice Cream Maker Attachment and mix on 1 for 30-40 minutes. Place three scoops of the churned ice cream into the pan you’ll freeze it in (I used a 9”x5” metal loaf pan). Place a few dollops of the reserved jam on top and swirl in with a knife. Sprinkle some of the crisp onto the ice cream. Repeat layering until the pan is full. Cover and freeze solid, overnight or at least 4 hours.
Hot tips
- I like to wash my mulberries with a sprinkle of baking soda and salt first, rinse them off and then wash a final time with fresh water and a splash of vinegar.
- The custard must be completely cold before churning. I like to make sure it is at least 40°F before pouring it in the ice cream maker. I pour mine into a resealable bag and place it into a bowl of ice and put it in the refrigerator to chill it faster.
- Whisk constantly while adding warm cream to the egg yolks and then again when you return the mixture to the heat. When in doubt, whisk it out. Otherwise, you risk cooking the egg and having to start over.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, swap for another berry without issue. Raspberries, blackberries or cherries would be great.
Yes, this recipe requires an ice cream maker or ice cream maker attachment for a stand mixer.
This is not recommended. The eggs are vital for richness, texture and structure.
More recipes you’ll love
Lastly, if you make this Mulberry Ice Cream recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Mulberry Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
Mulberry quick jam
- 1 lb mulberries thoroughly washed* (16 oz, 465g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- Pinch kosher salt
Mulberry ice cream base
- 2 cups half and half cream or 1 cup milk plus 1 cup heavy cream (478g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup heavy cream (245g)
Cardamom oat crisp
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (62g)
- 2 tablespoon quick oats (11g)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed (55g)
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom freshly ground
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
Instructions
Make the mulberry quick jam
- Blend the mulberries in a blender or food processor. Push the mixture into a medium saucepan through a fine mesh sieve using a rubber spatula. Discard the seeds and pulp. Add the ¼ cup granulated sugar, lemon juice, zest and pinch of salt.
- Cook over medium heat until reduced and thickened, 12-14 minutes. Set aside ⅓ cup of the jam for swirling into the ice cream.
Make the ice cream base
- In a medium pot, simmer the cream, milk, sugar, salt, vanilla and mulberry jam until sugar completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly stream about a third of the hot cream into the yolks. Then add the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream.
- Return the pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170°F on an instant-read thermometer), while whisking constantly.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl with the 1 cup of heavy cream, discarding any solids. Whisk to combine. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight**.
- While the ice cream base is chilling, prep the crisp.
Make the crisp
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a medium bowl whisk together all of the crisp ingredients except for the butter. Then drizzle in the melted butter until crumbles form.
- Pour the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread out. Refrigerate or freeze for 10 minutes, then bake for 15-20 minutes.
Churn the ice cream
- Pour the chilled ice cream base into an ice cream maker and churn according to instructions. I use the Kitchenaid Ice Cream Maker Attachment and mix on 1 for 30-40 minutes.
Layer the ice cream
- Place three scoops of the churned ice cream into the pan you’ll freeze it in (I used a 9”x5” metal loaf pan). Place a few dollops of the reserved jam on top and swirl in with a knife. Sprinkle some of the crisp onto the ice cream. Repeat layering until the pan is full.
- Cover and freeze solid, overnight or at least 4 hours.
