Caramelized Pineapple Ice Cream Recipe

This caramelized pineapple ice cream recipe combines two types of pineapple — roasted fresh and canned crushed — for a dreamy frozen treat that will make you feel like you're on a Caribbean vacation. It's perfect on its own, but with all your favorite toppings, it might be the ultimate way to cool down.

If you ask Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, there's something magical about making ice cream from scratch. Sure, there are those days when you just want a quick and easy no-churn ice cream, and that's perfectly fine. But some days, you want to pull out all the stops and simply celebrate the slow art of living. It starts with fresh pineapple that you dice and roast yourself, and gets a boost from store-bought crushed pineapple, because two of a good thing is even better than one. It continues with a scratch-made custard, which must be constantly stirred so it doesn't curdle. And finally, you add the whole glorious mixture to an ice cream machine and watch it churn, slowly, until it crystallizes into a smooth creamy mixture interspersed with chunks of pineapple. 

Then into the freezer it goes for a good night's sleep. Afterwards, it's all ready for serving, and you can choose to dress it up or just enjoy it as it is. As those ice crystals slowly melt on your tongue and your whole mouth becomes filled with sweetness, you'll know you made the right choice by taking things slowly.

To make this pineapple ice cream, you'll need fresh pineapple chunks and canned crushed pineapple. For the all-important custard, you'll need egg yolks, granulated sugar, heavy cream, whole milk, and vanilla extract. For garnish, we love serving this ice cream with shredded coconut, preferably toasted, and Maraschino cherries, but this isn't strictly necessary.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Prep a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Spread the pineapple chunks on a baking sheet.

Roast until caramelized, 25-30 minutes, turning halfway. Set aside to cool.

Combine the caramelized pineapple and canned crushed pineapple.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick.

Combine cream and milk in a saucepan, and heat until just simmering.

Whisk a few tablespoons of hot cream into the egg yolks to temper them.

Add the rest of the yolk mixture back to the saucepan.

Return the saucepan to the stovetop and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens.

Strain, then stir in the vanilla.

Mix the pineapple into the custard and transfer it to the fridge to chill completely.

Churn the custard in an ice cream machine per the manufacturer's instructions for about 30 minutes.

Transfer to a dish and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Serve the pineapple ice cream topped with toasted coconut and maraschino cherries, if desired.

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This ice cream tastes fantastic vegan, and in some ways, we love the twist it brings just as much as the original. The main things you'll need to sub here are the heavy cream, whole milk, and egg yolks. In place of the heavy cream and milk, we suggest you use full-fat coconut cream and combine it with a blend of coconut milk and cashew or macadamia milk to give it a creamy texture and a nutty flavor that complements the pineapple. 

In place of the egg yolk, which acts as a thickening agent, we recommend using silken tofu or aquafaba that's been whipped to add volume and creaminess. If you're using aquafaba or tofu, don't cook the custard any further, as it'll spoil the airiness of it. With these subs in place, you'll continue the rest of the recipe with the steps of chilling, churning, and freezing. 

Keep in mind that the texture of vegan ice cream can be different. Commercial vegan ice cream often has stabilizers like guar gum to mimic the creaminess of dairy. But as we want to keep our ice cream tasting as best as possible, we're going to avoid those additions and stick to pure, delicious, unadulterated natural ingredients. 

There are a few additional customizations you can make to this ice cream that will still keep its character, but will amp up some of those unique flavors. One easy modification is to add lime zest to the custard base, which adds some bright, tangy citrus notes to the confection. You can also add in some mix-ins during the churning process. Our favorites include toasted shredded coconut and chopped macadamia nuts. A small amount of rum, pineapple rum, or even pineapple-flavored liqueur added before churning also gives the ice cream a fun, boozy twist.

Another thing that works well and makes the ice cream taste more Indian-inspired is to add warm spices like ginger, cardamom, or even cinnamon to the custard itself. These accentuate the fruit's sweetness, but make it feel more well-rounded and soft. If going this route, try serving the ice cream in waffle cones to add more toasted, warm notes to the whole experience. 

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