Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

As we begin dreaming of summer, thoughts of our favorite ice cream flavor fill our heads and chase away memories of scorching heat. C

herry Garcia Ice Cream is one of the most iconic, popular ice cream flavors of all time, and we've got the recipe you've been looking for. This Cherry Garcia recipe is a black cherry ice cream recipe.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Delicious. The combination of cherry and dark chocolate is a perfect pairing and makes an incredible ice cream your entire family will remember with fondness.

Nostalgic. Everyone remembers this popular ice cream from childhood trips to Ben and Jerry's or the local ice cream store. It seems so exotic and yet is so very simple to make at home. When you know, you know.

Simple. You only need six ingredients for our cherry Garcia ice cream recipe and it comes together very fast on the stovetop.

Fun. This black cherry ice cream recipe is a fun twist from traditional cherry ice cream.

Equipment Needed to Make Ice Cream

You will need an ice cream maker. I recommend the Cuisinart Ice Cream 2 quart machine. The cherry Garcia ice cream takes approximately 30 minutes to freeze into soft serve in this machine.

How to Make Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

Once you have an ice cream machine, making ice cream is a piece of cake. The only tricky part is tempering the eggs so that they do not cook prematurely leaving little bits of cooked egg in your ice cream mixture.

We walk you through exactly what you need to know in the step-by-step instructions. Be prepared, because the ice cream mixture does need to be chilled overnight before it is churned for best results.

Ingredients for Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

Dark Chocolate. You can use different chocolate but it won't be cherry Garcia if you do. But you can certainly get similar results.
Fresh Cherries. Frozen or canned cherries can be substituted but should be drained first. 
Heavy Cream. No sense in trying to substitute, you need the cream for fat content to make smooth ice cream.
Whole Milk. Again, the fat content of whole milk is essential and ice cream made with lower fat milk may be weepy or watery.
Eggs. The large size works best.
White Sugar. Also known as granulated sugar or table sugar.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk and heavy cream to 140 degrees.
2. As the milk heats, beat the eggs until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Very slowly add the sugar to the eggs and beat until the sugar is dissolved.
4. While beating the eggs very slowly, temper the eggs by adding about ⅓ of the heated milk to the eggs.
5. Then, whisk the egg mixture into the remaining milk in the pot.
6. Heat the liquid until 175ºF, stirring often.
7. Remove from heat and refrigerate overnight.
8. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
9. When the ice cream is almost completely set, add the chocolate and cherries.

Instructions

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Storing the Leftovers

Our recipe makes about two quarts, so you may have leftovers. Leftover ice cream can be kept for several months in an airtight container in the freezer. It will become very hard once frozen thoroughly.

Tips for Best Results

Homemade ice cream is very soft straight out of the machine. If you want firmer ice cream, transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze it for 4 to 6 hours.

FAQ

What is cherry Garcia ice cream?

This flavor of ice cream was created in 1986 by the founders of Ben and Jerry's in honor of the Grateful Dead. It is the first ice cream named after a rock legend (guitarist Jerry Garcia) and became one of the chain's most popular ice cream flavors of all time.

What happened to cherry Garcia ice cream?

You can still purchase store-bought cherry Garcia ice cream wherever you can find the Ben and Jerry's brand. However, we think our homemade version rocks.

Other Great Ice Cream Recipes

Pineapple Coconut No-Churn Ice Cream

Blueberry Pie Ice Cream

S'mores Ice Cream

No Churn Strawberry Kiwi Ice Cream

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