19 Irresistible (and Unique!) Ice Cream Recipes for Summer

Pick-a-Flavor No-Churn Ice Cream

Transform canned condensed milk, heavy cream, and vanilla into 14 delightfully different flavors with this easy ice cream recipe. Using this customizable, no-churn ice cream, you can stock your freezer with about as much variety as a supermarket! But don't just take our word for it that you should give this treat a try. One BHG fan says, "SO good. I made the chocolate variety, and it tasted like an expensive, very creamy, good ice cream or frozen custard."

Sweet Cream Ice Cream Base

Churn a batch of classic sweet cream custard for this ice cream maker recipe, then customize with your favorite add-in. Feeling buzzy? Try coffee and donuts! Or how about boozy? Give sangria a go. For a taste of the tropics, stir in coconut and pineapple.

Classic Vanilla Ice Cream

One bite will be all you need to officially break up with the store-bought pints. This is a creamy homemade vanilla ice cream recipe at its best. Made with heavy cream, vanilla beans, milk, sugar, and egg yolks, every brownie or slice of cake tastes better à la mode with this frozen treat.

Ube Ice Cream

Ube, a purple sweet potato, gives this unique coconut ice cream recipe its pretty purple hue. Sandwich a scoop of this trendy treat between two sugar cookies for a grab-and-go ice cream treat.

Test Kitchen Tip: Can't find ube? Seek out Okinawan purple sweet potatoes or even regular orange sweet potatoes.

Vegan Ice Cream Base

Can't do dairy? Go for this vegan ice cream recipe. Start with the basic recipe that includes coconut milk, cornstarch, vanilla, and corn syrup. From there, it's a choose-your-own-adventure situation where you can create the homemade ice cream you want with desired stir-ins. If you can't decide, try our toasted coconut, chocolate chip, or fruit varieties.

Neapolitan Pops

Frosty ice pops are good, but ice cream pops take the portable dessert game to a whole new level. These pretty, layered treats combine everything you love about vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream recipes in each serving. Since they are semi-homemade (with store-bought ice cream and crushed sandwich cookies), they're a brilliant option if you don't want to splurge on an ice cream maker.

Mint Greek Frozen Yogurt

Skip the pricey soft serve-shop dessert today. We're giving froyo an all-natural and gourmet makeover with freshly squeezed lemon juice and plenty of fresh mint. Bonus: Each serving of this homemade "ice cream" recipe has fewer than 100 calories.

Banana Ice Cream with Peanut Butter, Chocolate, or Berries

No ice cream maker is required to mix up a batch of this low-calorie vegan "ice cream" recipe. All you need is a food processor, frozen bananas, non-dairy milk, and vanilla. Add a big spoonful of peanut butter, berries, or cocoa powder to suit your cravings.

Bananas Foster Gelato

We've put a summer spin on a timeless caramel-coated final course with this banana ice cream recipe. Yep, complete with rum or rum extract! Serve scoops of this brown sugar-sweetened gelato with fresh banana slices and warm caramel sauce.

Coconut Ice Cream

Coconut oil is great for more than sautéing veggies or moisturizing skin. The popular pantry staple gives these scoops their super-premium texture, while real vanilla beans and vanilla extract lend a double dose of floral flavor to this coconut ice cream recipe. Build a sundae by topping your bowl with fruit preserves, coconut chips, or toasted nuts.

Fresh Peach Ice Cream

In addition to being prime time for ice cream treats, summer is also when fresh peaches are at their peak. Make the most of that fact by churning up this silky dessert early and often all season long.

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Come fall, no slice of pie or spice cake should be served without a scoop of pumpkin-spiced homemade ice cream. (Just imagine a slice of pecan pie with this slowly melting on top!) In addition to that spice, this recipe includes canned pumpkin for a double dose of fall flavor.

Frozen Coconut Horchata

Calling for just 20 minutes of prep time, this Mexican-inspired cinnamon-almond dessert is no sweat to make from scratch. Since the classic drinkable form of horchata is made with soaked rice, we call for blending some white or brown rice into the vanilla-scented custard before straining and churning. For a flavor upgrade, stir rum-soaked raisins into the coconut ice cream base before freezing.

Lemon-Avocado Sherbet

When you think of avocado recipes, you probably envision toast or guac. But we happen to think you should add avocado ice cream recipes to your repertoire. The avocado offers a super-silky boost to the lemon-flavored dessert.

Red Wine Ice Cream

Mash up your drink and dessert into one cool package. What a clever way to put a couple glasses of leftover wine—if you're lucky enough to have some—to great use. By the way, skip the whipped cream garnish and this boozy dessert is an entirely dairy-free "ice cream" recipe.

Rocky Road Ice Cream

Use this homemade Rocky Road Ice Cream as the starting point for a kid-friendly sundae bar. Whip up the chocolate ice cream recipe that's studded with walnuts and marshmallows. Then set out waffle bowls, hot fudge, chopped nuts, whipped cream, and cherries so party guests can design their own dessert.

Mojito Sorbet

Step aside, frosé. With fresh mint, lime juice, and rum, this frozen Mojito Sorbet is the most refreshing dairy-free "ice cream" dessert you'll ever churn up. Quite possibly the best news? You need just four ingredients and 20 minutes of hands-on prep to have this party-ready.

Frozen Coconut Horchata

If you're a fan of horchata (a sweet Mexican drink made from rice), you're going to love cooling down with this homemade dairy-free ice cream recipe. Coconut milk is blended with with rice and a handful of pantry staples before churned into creamy, dreamy goodness. For a boozy take, try the rum-raisin variation.

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Ice Cream

Channel the flavors of a strawberry cheesecake in this homemade ice cream recipe. Enjoying the sweet, tangy flavors in a waffle cone will evoke a cheesecake crust.