This homemade blueberry cheesecake ice cream is delightful and is so easy to make. You can taste the sweet blueberry sauce, the cream cheese flavor, and the milky vanilla ice cream in every spoonful. Definitely a favorite in my house!
I bought my first ice cream machine a few years ago, and have since made many delicious homemade ice cream recipes. The combinations are pretty much endless. Sure, it’s much easier to buy ice cream at the store, but there is something very exciting about making it at home. Ice cream machines are now very popular and affordable, so I’d highly recommend one! I have the Cuisinart Fruit Scoop model and it makes delicious frozen dessert treats.
This blueberry cheesecake ice cream is definitely one of my favorites! I especially love the homemade blueberry compote made with fresh blueberries because it adds a delightful fruity touch to the vanilla cheesecake ice cream base. I love this ice cream flavor so much, guys!
Do I Need an Ice Cream Machine?
Technically, no. There are tons of no-churn ice cream recipes out there, but I’m not a fan. The texture of no-churn ice cream isn’t as great as that of churned ice cream, in my opinion. This blueberry cheesecake ice cream recipe requires an ice cream maker for churning. It’s so much better!
But first of all, what is churning? Churning is basically a method in which you add the liquid ice cream base to a container or bowl built with chilled walls and a paddle attachment in the ice cream maker, and then allow it to “stir” the ice cream in the frozen bowl. This “stirring” (aka churning) process involves incorporating air into the ice cream liquid base, yielding a creamy and light consistency…a MUST for ice cream!
No-churn ice cream uses a shortcut by folding in whipped cream (heavy cream whipped until you get stiff peaks), which is already aerated. This, in turn, provides a creamy and lighter texture to the ice cream. For some people this is great news, but in my opinion properly churned ice cream using an ice cream machine has much better texture and is creamier.
How to Make Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
This blueberry swirl cheesecake ice cream has 2 parts: the blueberry compote and the vanilla cream cheese ice cream base.
This recipe requires an ice cream machine.
- Ahead of time: freeze the bowl 1 day ahead.
- Make the blueberry compote: add blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, water, and lemon juice to a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it gets going, turn it down to low heat and cook, stirring often, for about 4-5 minutes until the blueberries burst and the compote thickens. Transfer to a shallow bowl and refrigerate until completely cooled.
- Make the vanilla cream cheese ice cream base: in a food processor or blender, combine cream cheese, milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Pulse or blend until well-combined.
- Churn the ice cream: Pour the mixture into the chilled bowl of the ice cream machine and follow manufacturer’s instructions. Every ice cream machine is different. I used my Cuisinart Fruit Scoop and it took about 20 minutes.
- Assemble: Transfer half of the churned ice cream to an ice cream tub or container. Add half of the cooled blueberry compote and swirl using a knife. Then add the remaining ice cream, top with the rest of the compote, and swirl using a knife.
- Freeze for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.
As usual, please see the recipe card for ingredient quantities and simple step-by-step instructions.
How to Store the Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
I would highly recommend purchasing silicone ice cream tubs or anything freezer resistant that has a tight fitting lid. In terms of shape, go for a long ice cream tub to make it easier to scoop the ice cream. I really like Tovolo brand.
A few more tips for storing ice cream:
- store it in the back of the freezer
- place plastic wrap in direct contact with the ice cream before you place the lid on, as this will prevent ice crystals from forming
This blueberry cheesecake ice cream was a big hit, and I’m sure you will love it too! This recipe makes 1 1/2 quarts. Thank you for reading, and if you’re looking for more summer treats, be sure to check out my easy lemon bars, mango pineapple popsicles, and easy key lime pie.
And please don’t forget to pin this recipe. Much appreciated 🙂
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Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
Cheesecake Ice Cream
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Blueberry Compote
- 2 cups blueberries
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Check your ice cream machine's instructions first. Mine required freezing the bowl 1 day ahead.
- Prepare the berry compote: add blueberries, 3 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, water, and lemon juice to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to low. Cook, stirring often until blueberries are bursting and the compote thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl and refrigerate until cooled.
- Make the cheesecake ice cream: Combine cream cheese, whole milk, heavy cream, 1 cup granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Pulse until well combined. Pour mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions.
- Once the ice cream is done churning, add half of the ice cream into a freezer-safe container. Add half of the compote on a layer and swirl using a knife. Then add the rest of the ice cream on top, and top with the remaining berry compote and swirl.
- Freeze for about 2 hours before serving or overnight.
Great flavor profile. This is the perfect summer dessert using fresh blueberries and will also be a great way to serve up the blueberries I store away in the freezer for the winter months.
Thank you Wendy!
This ice cream looks amazing!! I made a cherry cheesecake ice cream and it’s a big hit! I love the color in this one.
Thanks Amy! Yes, I love the colors too. So pretty!
I haven’t made homemade ice cream in years, but you have definitely given me a great reason to start again. Your ice cream looks and sounds awesome!
Homemade ice cream is definitely the best!
This really does look amazing. You’re photos are gorgeous.
thank you Karen 🙂
This is absolutely gorgeous and sounds incredible! I did a Blueberry Ice Cream (tomorrow) too a bit different than yours. Your cheesecake ice cream sounds SO yummy!!! <3
This ice cream sounds incredible! I am a fan of anything cheesecake-flavored!
Oh yeah! SOme of my favorite things in this ice cream.
The ice cream looks so good, and I love that it is a no churn recipe! Blueberry cheesecake is one of my favorites!
Great! Now I’m totally craving cheesecake ice cream! Guess I’m going to have to break out my ice cream machine!
Gorgeous! I love cheesecake ice cream, and I need to make this one asap!
After 10 previous comments it looks like mine is the first from someone that has actually MADE this recipe. Usually I avoid recipes that don’t have comments from people who i made the recipe to see if any tweaks are needed or if it worked out ok. I’m so glad I took the risk with this one! The ice cream is in the freezer now firming up and from the spoonful (or five) I took while scooping it into the container this is going to be one treat that’s hard to resist! It was so easy to put together and got a bit more than I thought I would out of the batch. Next time – blueberry/raspberry, strawberry, peach – maybe even a salted caramel version!
Hi Jane! Thank you for making my recipe! So happy to hear 🙂 And yes, I think I also ate like 5 spoonfuls before putting it in the freezer. I can totally relate haha 🙂 Thank you again for your kind comment and hope you enjoy it.
I’m loving the no churn ice cream! And all the blueberry goodness streaked throughout there.
I made this over the weekend and it was delicious. I am actually making more today to share with some friends and family! The only change I’m making is that I’m going to make sure the berries are more of a syrup– the whole blueberries freeze in the ice cream and I’m afraid someone would bite into one and hurt a tooth.. Otherwise, it’s absolutely wonderful!
I also put some graham crackers crumbled up in it– mixed them with melted butter and a little bit of cinnamon and that was really a great addition!
Yum, that sounds like a wonderful addition! Thank you so much for your making the ice cream. I’m so happy to hear you liked it! 🙂
Hi,
My mixture is currently churning in my ice cream maker machine. There is not a whole lot of mixture… it’ only fills up like the bottom 1/8th of my mixer, and it’s not a large machine. Is that normal? The paddle is barely mixing the mixture…I’ve made ice cream many times, and normally it calls for 3 cups of cream, 1 cup of milk. Help! Will it double in volume? There’s so little in there I’m wondering if it will churn correctly in order to freeze.
It’s been churning about 20 minutes. Normally only take 45-60 mins before it doubles in volume and is freezer-ready. TIA!
Hi Kati – what size is your ice cream maker machine? This recipe makes enough for 1.5 quarts. If your ice cream maker has capacity for more than that, you can feel free to adjust the ingredient quantities accordingly! 🙂
This was the first ice cream I tried making with my machine and it was a huge hit- even for my 3 year old niece!
Thank you so much, Maria!
I have this ready to go in my ice cream maker in the morning! I’m using blackberries instead of blueberries because it’s what I’m currently craving (preggo so baby makes the rules) and what I had on hand. Super excited to see how it turns out! Now if I can just stay out of the compote until then!
Yum! Blackberries sound great!