This easy pink peppermint ice cream recipe is churned to creamy, dreamy perfection and studded with peppermint crunch in every spoonful.
Why this recipe works
Peppermint ice cream is a great festive sweet treat to whip together around the holidays. The smooth and creamy ice cream base is complemented with crushed peppermint candies that add a welcome touch of texture and a burst of minty flavor. This ice cream comes together easily using an ice cream maker, the hardest part is waiting for it to set in the freezer!
Save any peppermint candies you might have left over for sprinkling over frosted peppermint cookies or dipping on the rim of a chocolate peppermint martini.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK – Do NOT use evaporated milk, it is not the same thing. Sweetened condensed milk is important in this recipe as it adds sweetness and helps create a creamy consistency.
HEAVY CREAM – Heavy whipping cream does have a higher fat content than half-and-half or milk. You can cut the fat down by using half and half in equal parts. Ice cream gets its creamy texture from its fat content. Therefore, if you substitute milk for the heavy cream, the texture of the finished ice cream will be less smooth and rich. I highly recommend sticking to heavy whipping cream for the best results.
PEPPERMINT – You can use candy canes or those little round peppermint candies, commonly known as Starlight Mints. Put them in a plastic zipper gallon bag and squeeze out the air. Zip it shut and crush the candy with a meat mallet or hammer. You’ll need around 15 or so candy canes or a couple of handfuls of the round candies. Just crush until you have a cup’s worth. I prefer to crush my candies finer, but if you want to leave larger chunks that’s fine as well.
How to Make Peppermint Ice Cream
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Combine all ingredients except for the crushed peppermint candies in a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour into your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Just before churning is complete, add the crushed candies to the ice cream maker to combine.
- Turn the ice cream out into a 2-quart freezer container and freeze until hard, usually a few hours or so, but overnight is best.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Store the peppermint ice cream in an air-tight container kept in the freezer for up to 4 weeks. Homemade ice cream does not last as long as store-bought because it does not contain preservatives.
I would highly suggest sticking to heavy whipping cream as opposed to using all milk in this recipe. Ice cream gets its creamy texture from its fat content. Therefore, if you substitute milk for the heavy cream, the texture of the finished ice cream will be less smooth and rich. With that being said, you can substitute with 2% milk or half-and-half but expect the texture to not be as creamy.
Homemade ice cream will need at least 4 to 4 1/2 hours in the freezer to properly set but overnight is best.
Serving Suggestions
Serve peppermint ice cream scooped into a bowl with additional crushed peppermint candies or toppings of choice.
Pink peppermint ice cream doesn’t have to be restricted to only Christmas time, especially now that you can make it yourself at home any time of the year. Enjoy!
More Ice Cream Recipes
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Pink Peppermint Ice Cream
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk 1 can
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup 1% milk
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 4 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3-5 drops red food coloring or until desired color is reached
- 1 cup peppermint candies crushed. or candy canes
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Do NOT use evaporated milk, it is not the same thing. Sweetened condensed milk is important in this recipe as it adds sweetness and helps create a creamy consistency.
- I would highly suggest sticking to heavy whipping cream as opposed to using all milk in this recipe. Ice cream gets its creamy texture from its fat content. Therefore, if you substitute milk for the heavy cream, the texture of the finished ice cream will be less smooth and rich. With that being said, you can substitute with 2% milk or half-and-half but expect the texture to not be as creamy.
- You can use candy canes or those little round peppermint candies, commonly known as Starlight Mints. Put them in a plastic zipper gallon bag and squeeze out the air. Zip it shut and crush the candy with a meat mallet or hammer. You’ll need around 15 or so candy canes or a couple of handfuls of the round candies. Just crush until you have a cup’s worth.
- It’s up to you how much you want to crush the candies, I found that crushing them finer makes them easier to eat in the ice cream.
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except for the crushed peppermint candies in a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour into your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Just before churning is complete, add the crushed candies to the ice cream maker to combine.
- Turn the ice cream out into a freezer container and freeze until hard, usually around 4-4 1/2 hours or so, but overnight is best.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Store the peppermint ice cream in an air-tight container kept in the freezer for up to 4 weeks. Homemade ice cream does not last as long as store-bought because it does not contain preservatives.
Nutrition
This post originally appeared here on September 21, 2012 and has since been updated with new photos and expert tips.
Amanda Davis
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Shannon says
Just made it with the same ice-cream maker that you have! Absolutely delicious, but I added an extra 1/2 teaspoon extract, it was very vanilla-y. I used a cup of medium sized crushed peppermint pieces, and crushed some into a powder that I added about halfway through the churning process. Also used less food coloring for a less bright color.
Amanda says
Awesome, so glad you liked it Shannon!
Emily says
I have an old style Rival ice cream freezer…where you put the rock salt and ice in and this isn’t setting? I tried putting it in the freezer for a couple hours to get it really cold but no matter what it’s just turning back to liquid each time I start to churn it. The only thing I’m doing differently this time is I’m using coarse sea salt instead of rock salt…would that matter?
Amanda says
Hi Emily. I have never had a problem with this recipe and have made it numerous times. It sounds like the issue may be coming from your ice cream maker. You may want to call the manufacturer and see if they can help troubleshoot it with you. Sorry!
Judy says
You’ve probably already solved your problem but if not: you probably need more salt in your ice cream maker. Salt is used to lower the freezing point of the ice, causing it to melt so that as it melts it can draw heat from the custard, helping it to freeze more quickly. Too much salt and the ice cream can freeze too fast, becoming hard and crusty; too little salt and it won’t firm up at all. You should always start with a modest amount of salt and check the results after 10 minutes, at which point the ice cream should be beginning to firm up. If it hasn’t then add more salt; if it’s hard you’ve added too much to start with and are pretty much out of luck. If you make a lot of ice cream then you should invest in an ice cream maker like the Cuisinart ICE-21. It’s a bit of a pain to wait until the bucket is fully frozen before churning but it takes the guesswork out of the salt/ice mixture (and the physical labor out of the churning thought that isn’t necessarily a good thing!).
Megan says
I made this and loved it!! I was just curious if you could switch out the peppermint extract for other extracts to make other flavors? Would it work as a straight vanilla ice cream? I keep trying to find a vanilla ice cream recipe that doesn’t use eggs!!
Amanda says
Hi Megan! pretty much! Here’s the official Eagle Brand vanilla ice cream recipe :) http://www.eaglebrand.com/recipes/details/default.aspx?recipeid=3990
KIM says
DOES THIS RECIPE FOR A GALLON AN HALF OR LESS . MY FREEZER IS A GALLON & HALF
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Kim, this recipe is for 2 quarts :)
Shelly says
How many quarts does this recipe make? We have a 4 quart and 6 quart machine and I’m not sure which one to use :) Sounds delicious!!!
Amanda Formaro says
Wow those are big machines! This makes 2 quarts :)
Heidi says
I just made this and it turned out delicious! It was sooo fast and easy too! I did add a little more peppermint extract because I like mine a little more pepperminty :) Thanks for the recipe!
Amanda Formaro says
Awesome! My first batch had more peppermint, but I liked it a bit more subtle :)
Susan says
Just wondering…my Cuisinart ice cream maker is only 1 1/2 qts. so I assume this would be too much mixture for my machine? I love peppermint and this looks absolutely the best!
Amanda says
You can always pour the leftover (if there is any) into a smaller container and just freeze it. :) Alternatively, Make a double batch, pour the max into your machine, then store the rest in the refrigerator until you can run it through the ice cream maker :)
lisa says
I just made a batch (is it a batch of Ice Cream???) of this and I am sold!!! No more store bought Peppermint for me. I had some of last years candy canes left over but chose not to use them as they seemed rather chewy and not too fresh and I didn’t want to ruin my ice cream. I used just under a cup of chopped peppermint candies and I would definately suggest using the full cup. Thanks for the great recipe….:-)
Amanda Formaro says
i’m getting ready to make another batch of this myself! :)
Meaghan says
I have never used or even thought of using sweetened condensed milk in homemade icecream. I made this last night and let me tell you I will be using sweetened condensed milk whenever I can making ice cream! This is amazing. Definitely will be making it often in our household!
Amanda Formaro says
Awesome isn’t it? I’m sold too :)
Katrina says
I think I’ll home made some Magic Shell for people to drizzle on this if they want. I’ve been wanting to try that homemade kind anyway. I have one kid who does NOT like chocolate, so I think I’ll leave it out. (I know–CRAZY kid.) ;) Yes, from the time I hit send on the last comment, I decided what to do within seconds.
Katrina says
Ok, so I didn’t make the mint chocolate chip one the other day like I said I was going to, and started to make it today, but I don’t have mint extract, just peppermint. I this is churning right now, but I also don’t have the little mint candies, so I’m trying to decide if I should leave it as is or drizzle in some melted chocolate, because I think chocolate goes with peppermint as well, but hmmm. I’ll decide by the time it’s done churning.
Only difference I made was I’m using fat free cond. milk and 2% milk. Smells good!
Amanda Formaro says
They are pretty much the same recipe. The pink peppermint has more vanilla, which gives it a much different flavor, which makes it go well with the peppermint candy. Using the peppermint in place of the mint extract should be totally fine. Looking forward to hearing what you think! I made Apple Cider Ice Cream today! YUM
Lora says
Gorgeous Happy Ice Cream!
Maria G. says
You probably mention it in a past post, but what ice cream maker do you use? I’ve never bought one because I’m not really familiar with the different brands.
Amanda Formaro says
Hi marla :) I have a Cuisinart, it was in the neighborhood of $75-80. I LOVE it.
Megan's Cookin' says
Amanda, this looks like amazing! I have never used sweetened condensed milk in an ice cream recipe and this is very tempting! I even have leftover candy canes too!
Amanda Formaro says
I am totally sold on using sweetened condensed milk in ice cream now. Creamy, delicious, and fast! No cooking!
Francisca Amenábar says
Very originally to make a pink peppermint ice cream.
Greetings from Chile! ♥
Dan says
I must ask, would you use last year’s candies if there were still leftovers?
Amanda Formaro says
I did! In the first batch I used last year’s candy canes LOL! :)
Calogero says
Very natural?
Ann says
Looks delicious! What a great treat to have before the holidays….I love the colors!
Kathleen says
This looks and sounds amazingly delicious! I’m a sucker for anything pink!
Vaidehi Satish says
Hi Amanda…this looks really yummy….gonna try this some day. Check out an award that I wish to give you
http://mom-daughterduoskitchen.blogspot.com/p/online-awards.html
Angie @ Bigbearswife says
I love that!! It reminds me of Christmas, even tho I don’t normaly eat ice cream in the winter, I could see myself making and eatting this!!