Cherry ice cream recipe made with the highest quality cherries for rich flavor and creamy texture. Made using the Master Ice Cream Recipe and inspired by cherry blossom season.
This cherry ice cream recipe highlights the deep flavor of Luxardo cherries in a smooth, creamy dessert. These cherries bring a sweetness balanced by gentle tartness. Their deep ruby color and fragrant aroma make this one of the most beautiful and flavorful fruit ice creams you can make at home.
Like many of the ice cream variations on this site, this recipe builds on the Master Ice Cream Recipe, a reliable foundation that makes it easy to create many different flavors while maintaining a perfectly smooth texture. Cherry ice cream also feels especially fitting during cherry blossom season, when flowering cherry trees celebrate the beauty of spring and remind us how special the cherry harvest can be. Using excellent cherries and the master technique together creates an ice cream that captures both the elegance and the flavor of the season.
Updated:
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Table of contents
What it is
Maraschino Cherry Ice Cream Recipe made with Italian maraschino cherries
Ingredients
The key to making really good homemade cherry ice cream is to use the very best ingredients. So we chose Luxardo maraschino cherries and used the syrup in the base. We made the ice cream using our master ice cream method, and added the syrup and cherries to it.
Luxardo Cherries
There was not enough flavor using fresh cherries, and the ice cream became icy and grainy, with the cherries freezing solid. Using Italian maraschino cherries (like Luxardo) prevented this problem. They have been preserved in syrup so they don’t freeze solid in the ice cream.
Cream
Horizon Organics Cream is a high quality product – Organic and produced sustainably from pasture raised cows. It has a rich, sweet, and fresh dairy flavor.
Sugar
Wholesome Regenerative Organic Certified Cane Sugar – produced from organic sugar cane fields that are green cut and are not burned or treated with herbicides or synthetic fertilizers.
Vanilla
Heilala Vanilla – Ethically sourced and harvested, produced using environmentally sustainably methods.
Crème Fraîche
We use crème fraîche in the recipe to keep the ice cream from freezing solid. And to make sure it’s the best, we made it ourselves from Horizon cream and a real crème fraîche starter. It’s actually very easy. See the link to our recipe below.
No Affiliates Statement
We call this our “no affiliates” statement because we accept no advertising, have no affiliates and accept no payment. We are not paid to mention brands – we just love buying the best, sharing that information and saving the planet at the same time. The effort put into writing and photographing the blog is solely based on our dedication to the cause.
Sustainability
The ingredients in this recipe were chosen not only for how they taste, but for how they are grown and produced. My background in agriculture—working with soils, water systems, and sustainable farming practices—shaped the way I think about food long before I began writing recipes.
Over time, I’ve come to see that the best cooking starts long before the kitchen, in the decisions made in the field. The ingredients section highlights those choices, offering a closer look at the ingredients and the role they play in supporting a more thoughtful and sustainable food system.
Method for making the Homemade Ice Cream
This recipe uses an easy, foolproof method that requires only a few minutes of active time. Check out our Master Ice Cream Method for a more detailed explanation on how this works.
- Measure the ingredients by weight
- Simmer the syrup mixture while whipping the sugar and egg mixture
- Slowly add the syrup mixture to the egg mixture, then add the rest of the ingredients
- Chill the mixture
- Freeze in an Ice Cream Maker
- Chill in the Freezer
This recipe uses our Master Ice Cream Method. An easy, foolproof, updated way of making ice cream.
Why this Works
The cream and syrup are heated while the eggs and sugar are whipped. Then the cream mixture is added to the egg mixture, which brings the eggs to a high enough temperature that they are safe to use in ice cream without having to temper the mixture, which can be more difficult to do. The flavors are added afterward so they are not cooked, which might reduce the flavor.
The highest quality ingredients are used, and flavor is added at every opportunity – Horizon cream and milk, Wholesome Organic sugar, and Heilala vanilla, Luxardo cherries and cherry syrup.
This recipe is made with ingredients that help keep the ice crystals small while the ice cream is churning and afterwards while it is hardening. This keeps it smooth and creamy. The ingredients that are key to keeping the ice crystals small are:
- cultured cream – the beneficial bacterial culture in Crème fraîche
- eggs – the fat and protein in the eggs, and cooking the eggs denatures the protein
- invert sugar – cherry syrup, the concentration of sugar in relation to water lowers the freezing point
- alcohol – the alcohol lowers the freezing point
- Luxardo cherries – the fruit been cooked with sugar and has less water so will not freeze solid like fresh fruit does.
RECIPE
Equipment
CHOOSING BRANDS:
For certain products, the choice of brand will make a big difference in the outcome of the recipe and in your carbon footprint. So, for those products, we have listed the brand. We are not paid to mention a brand and have no affiliates.
Ingredients
- 250 grams Horizon cream
- 100 grams Horizon milk
- 40 grams corn syrup
- 40 grams Luxardo cherry syrup
- 2 eggs one whole egg and one egg yolk
- 70 grams Wholesome regenerative organic sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 150 grams Creme fraiche homemade from Horizon cream
- 1 Tablespoon vodka
- 1 teaspoon Heilala pure vanilla paste
- 100 grams Luxardo cherries refrigerated, some cut in half or quarters.
Instructions
PREPARE THE STORAGE CONTAINER
- Select a quart size, glass container for storing the ice cream and put it in the freezer to chill.
MEASURE THE INGREDIENTS
- Use a scale to measure the ingredients – zeroing the scale between measurements. Into a small saucepan, measure the cream, milk, corn syrup and cherry syrup. Into the mixing bowl of the stand mixer, measure the egg, egg yolk, sugar and salt. Into a small bowl, measure the creme fraiche, vodka and vanilla.
MIX THE INGREDIENTS
- Bring the milk and cream mixture to a low simmer and allow it to simmer for two minutes, stirring occasionally to combine and to keep it from scalding.
- Using the stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the sugar and egg mixture, first on low and then on high for 2 minutes.
- Lower the speed to medium and continue whisking while slowly adding the milk and cream mixture. Continue whisking and add the crème fraiche mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight.
- Start the ice cream maker 5 minutes before using it to allow it to cool down.
FREEZE THE MIXTURE
- Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and make ice cream according to the directions. In the last few minutes of churning, add the maraschino cherries.
- When the ice cream maker has finished, quickly transfer the ice cream into the container that has been in the freezer, cover with plastic, placing it down in contact with the ice cream to seal out the air, and put the container back in the freezer overnight. Can be Stored in the freezer for up to a week.
Nutrition
WHY THIS RECIPE IS A GAME CHANGER:
This recipe is a total game-changer — crafted with the finest [brand name] ingredients, simplified using a master recipe with pro-tested techniques from top chefs and bakers, and designed for deliciously sustainable cooking made easy.”
Lots of Creative Flavors from our Master Ice Cream Making Method
These recipes use our Master Ice Cream Method. An easy, foolproof, updated way of making ice cream.
True to The Master Pantry philosophy, this recipe combines the best seasonal ingredients and quality brands with homemade methods to maximize both flavor and sustainability. It was inspired by our travels and works well as a holiday recipe.
Photos by Tony Fitzgerald Photography
Recipes created by Lisa LeCoump — Food Photographer, Agricultural Expert, and Home Baker. Sharing master recipes, chef secrets, and sustainable baking for every kitchen. Featured on various publications.