How to make ice cream with summer fruit

With weather that’s been scorching hot and less access to the shops, one thing many people have really missed is ice cream. Even if you do venture out to the shops, long queues mean melted mush by the time you pay, so skip the stressful part and whip up something deliciously cooling from what you may already have to hand.

A traditional taste of summer, and with the first soft fruits starting to appear, it is the perfect time for raspberry ripple ice cream. A rich custard base laced with tangy fruit, served simply on its own or with shortbread and whole fresh raspberries for a deluxe version.

A more unusual seasonal flavour you may never have tried is basil ice cream. Surprisingly subtle, fragrant and not too sweet – some Italian recipes include a little lemon zest, too. Delicious with macerated strawberries or raspberries.

Too many carrots? Kulfi is a popular Indian frozen dessert is made from caramelised milk, and this no-churn carrot badam pista kulfi is super rich and creamy. It suggests using traditional steel cups for moulds, but lolly moulds would work too. Luxury ingredient warning – it does contain a pinch of saffron, but if you ever bought some to make a fancy dish in the past, now is its time to shine in this vibrant recipe. 

Although avocado is usually only used in savoury dishes, anyone who has tasted it will wonder why they’ve turned it into ice cream until now. Giving a creaminess without dairy, and a lovely silky smoothness, it pairs perfectly with chocolate. This recipe for vegan chocolate avocado ice cream, by food blogger Jessica in the Kitchen, is extremely easy to make with just a blender, your freezer and a whisk.

Some more ‘instant’ ice creams involve simply freezing the fruit, then blending to create a quick cool treat. If you have bananas sat in the fruit bowl that you know aren’t going to get eaten, pop them in the freezer before making this moreish healthy banana and peanut butter ice cream. Rather than just blended banana on its own, the nut butter is a great way to add in a little of the fat missing without dairy milk for a better consistency.

To combine three of the best seasonal stars of early summer, try these watermelon, strawberry and basil ice lollies. Basil and sweet fruit go surprisingly well together, but if you can’t find any, use a sprig of mint instead.

For a quick cup of cool on a hot summer’s day, watermelon and mint slushes can be whipped up at a moment’s notice – providing the watermelon is frozen – perfect for our temperate and unpredictable summers.