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A glass footed bowl with scoops of pink peppermint ice cream, with candy canes, red twine and sparkling Christmas lights in the background.

Pink Peppermint Ice Cream

Heather Smoke
This beautiful pink peppermint ice cream is made from an egg-based frozen custard flavored with crushed candy canes and vanilla, churned into the creamiest ice cream.

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5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 16 hours
Total Time 16 hours 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings2 quarts

Equipment

  • Ice Cream Maker
  • Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)

Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream, divided
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup crushed candy canes, divided (about 12 regular-sized candy canes)
  • ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp peppermint schnapps or vodka, optional

Instructions
 

  • In a saucepan, whisk together 1 cup of the cream with the milk, egg yolks and sugar. Add 1/2 cup of the crushed candy canes, along with the salt and vanilla.
  • Over medium heat, cook the custard while whisking constantly, just until the custard is hot, beginning to gently simmer around the edges, and the candy canes are melted. Do not let the custard boil.
  • Remove from the heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove any bits of cooked eggs.
  • Cover the custard and refrigerate until well chilled, about 6 hours or overnight.
  • When you're ready to churn your ice cream, use an electric mixer to whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Whisk the whipped cream into the chilled peppermint custard.
  • Churn the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, until it has a soft-serve consistency. During the last minute of churning, add the peppermint schnapps or vodka.
  • Fold the remaining 1/2 cup crushed candy canes into the churned ice cream.
  • Transfer the ice cream to lidded containers and freeze until firm enough to scoop, at least 8-10 hours, or overnight.

Notes

  • The pink color of your ice cream will depend on how red or white your candy canes are.  If it's not pink enough for your liking, feel free to add a few drops of red food coloring.
  • Depending on how much air is churned into your ice cream, you'll get 1 1/2 - 2 quarts of ice cream.  I measured mine at a full 2 quarts after churning.
  • Homemade ice cream is best eaten within about 2 weeks.
Keyword Candy Cane, Christmas, Frozen Custard, Ice Cream, Peppermint
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