No-Churn Blueberry Pie Ice Cream Recipe

There's no denying that most desserts taste better when homemade rather than purchased in a grocery store. And, for the most part, it's easy enough to whip up a delicious homemade dessert that rivals the ease of purchasing a store-bought version, like cookies, brownies, or cakes. There is a major exception, though, and it's one that dominates the freezer section of any grocery store: ice cream. The beloved frozen, creamy treat isn't super easy to make at home if you don't have an ice cream machine or other appliance that's capable of churning ice cream. Luckily, thanks to no-churn ice cream recipes — like this no-churn blueberry pie ice cream recipe, from developer Katie Rosenhouse — you don't need a specialized machine to whip up the frozen favorite right at home.

One big perk to making ice cream at home is that you can customize the flavors, meaning you can whip up something deliciously unique, like this blueberry pie version. "This ice cream is so fun to put together, and the flavors and textures of blueberry pie really shine through," Rosenhouse shares. Not only is the blueberry pie filling wonderfully vibrant, fruity, and balanced, but "the cinnamon sugar pie crust adds crisp layers throughout the creamy vanilla ice cream base that really takes it over the top." This recipe does require a little bit of patience and a stand mixer, but the results yield an ice cream far more delicious than anything you'd buy in a tub at the store.

Any good pie starts with the crust, and the same goes for blueberry pie ice cream. To make the crust (which you'll eventually crumble up and mix into/layer onto the ice cream), you'll need all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, and cold butter. Next up is the blueberry pie filling, for which you'll need either fresh or frozen blueberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. All that's left is the ice cream base, which requires heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla bean paste or extract, and salt.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

To prepare the pie crust, in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and cubed butter until only pea-sized bits of butter are visible.

Add 2 tablespoons of cold water and mix lightly just until combined but shaggy. Add an additional splash of water as needed.

Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and knead lightly to combine.

Fold the parchment paper to cover the dough and roll it to ⅛ to ¼-inch thickness.

Sprinkle the dough evenly with cinnamon sugar if desired.

Transfer the dough to a baking sheet.

Bake the crust for 16-18 minutes until golden brown and crisp, and then set it aside to cool completely.

To prepare the blueberry pie filling, in a large saucepan, stir to combine the blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch.

Add ½ cup water and cook over low heat, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened and the blueberries have released some of their juices.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.

Set aside or chill until cool.

To prepare the ice cream base, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks.

Add the condensed milk, vanilla, and salt, and whip lightly to reach medium-stiff peaks.

Scrape down the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Break the pie crust into rough shards.

Portion ⅓ of the ice cream base into a loaf pan.

Top evenly with ⅓ of the blueberry filling and swirl lightly.

Top evenly with ⅓ of the pie crust.

Repeat the layers twice.

Wrap the pan tightly and freeze at least 4 hours or overnight.

Serve the ice cream.

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There are certain mistakes to look out for when making homemade ice cream, but Rosenhouse has provided helpful tips to ensure your no-churn concoction turns out just right. Traditional churned ice cream requires a constant stirring movement to achieve that luscious, perfectly creamy texture, but with this no-churn recipe, it's all about the perfectly whipped ice cream base that helps to achieve a comparable texture. "Avoid over-whipping the cream — too firm and it will become grainy in the final mixture," Rosenhouse advises. She adds, "Make sure to fold the condensed milk, salt, and vanilla completely into the whipped cream for the most consistent flavor and texture throughout."

Proper freezing is also key to the perfect no-churn ice cream. "There's a lot of fat and sugar in the mix, which keeps the ice cream from freezing hard as quickly as custard-based ice creams," Rosenhouse explains. This recipe calls for a minimum freeze time of 4 hours, but ideally, you would let the ice cream freeze overnight for best results. 

Finally, though it may be tempting to mix the blueberry pie filling and crust crumbs right into the ice cream base and call it a day, Rosenhouse highly recommends taking your time with the layers. "While it takes an extra minute to layer the ice cream, filling, and pie crust, it's worth it for the presentation when you scoop in," she adds.

There are quite a few ways to change up this no-churn ice cream recipe, whether you want to use store-bought shortcuts to make things a little easier or switch up the flavors. In terms of shortcuts, Rosenhouse recommends reaching for a store-bought pie crust, puff pastry, or even crumbled cookies if you want to skip the crust-making/baking steps entirely. The same sentiment goes for the blueberry pie filling — canned filling will work in a pinch. For the easiest shortcut of all, you could even buy a blueberry pie from a bakery or the store, chop it up, and layer it into the ice cream base.

Of course, you certainly aren't limited to the blueberry pie flavor profile. Just about any fruit pie filling would work with the crust, including those featuring other berries, stone fruits, or spiced apples. Rosenhouse also recommends adding other mix-ins, like crumbled cookies, lemon zest, or chopped candies, for an easy flavor boost. You also don't need to stick with vanilla for the ice cream base. The simple addition of extracts or spices would go a long way in switching up the ice cream's flavor without much extra work.

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