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Blue Moon Ice Cream

Blue Moon ice cream is a creamy, electric-blue frozen dessert with a citrus-almond fruity-floral flavor. This Midwest-inspired custard base is cooked to 175F, strained, chilled 4 hours, then churned and frozen until firm.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Heavy cream
  • 2 cup heavy cream Use for the custard base.
Whole milk
  • 1 cup whole milk Use for the custard base.
Granulated sugar
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar Sweetens the custard.
Egg yolks
  • 4 egg yolks Forms the custard texture after cooking and thickening.
Almond extract
  • 1 tsp almond extract Provides the signature almond note.
Vanilla extract
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract Rounds out the flavor.
Raspberry extract or blue raspberry flavoring
  • 0.5 tsp raspberry extract or blue raspberry flavoring Adds fruity character to the blue moon flavor.
Lemon extract
  • 0.25 tsp lemon extract Adds a subtle citrus lift.
Blue food coloring
  • 1 blue food coloring Add a few drops at a time to reach electric blue.

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Make the custard
  1. In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream and whole milk until steaming. Keep the heat gentle so the mixture doesn’t boil over.
  2. Slowly whisk the steaming dairy into the egg yolks that have been beaten with granulated sugar. Pour gradually while whisking to prevent scrambling.
  3. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat a spoon and the custard reaches 175F. Aim for a smooth custard with no egg bits.
  4. Strain the custard and cool it slightly. Use a fine-mesh strainer to remove any tiny curdled bits.
Flavor and color
  1. Stir in almond extract, vanilla extract, raspberry extract or blue raspberry flavoring, and lemon extract. Mix until fully combined and fragrant.
  2. Add blue food coloring a few drops at a time until the desired electric blue is achieved. Stop once the color is vivid and uniform.
  3. Cool the custard completely before chilling. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
Chill, churn, and freeze
  1. Refrigerate the custard for 4 hours. Chill until thoroughly cold before churning.
  2. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Stop when the texture looks like soft-serve.
  3. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm. Freeze long enough to scoop cleanly, then serve.

Notes

Pro tip: cook only until the custard hits 175F and coats a spoon—overheating can create a grainy texture. Store covered in the freezer up to 2 weeks for best scoopability. Freezing is required (it’s not a no-freeze recipe). For a lighter swap, use half-and-half in place of whole milk (note: flavor and texture may be slightly softer).