Looking for a different sort of dessert to polish off a meal? Then this pesto ice-cream is perfect. Rich and creamy, sweet yet savoury with hints of herb and summer sunshine, it’s a bit of a treat.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Pesto ice-cream is delightfully different, tastes delicious too.
- This is a simple recipe, easy to make.
- Serve this to friends at a summer party and they will be so impressed that you’ve created something so delish and different!
Pesto Ice-cream, have I lost you completely now? Do you think I have lost the plot entirely, a savoury ice-cream, is she totally mad?
No, dear reader my pesto ice-cream may well be savoury in nature but it makes a jolly good dessert and it’s definitely something different at a dinner party!
Pesto is always a savoury sauce but not in my book, I like to make pestos in all different forms using everything from the usual herbs to vegetables, weeds and fruit too. In fact, I’ve even written a book about pesto!
A Passion For Pesto – over 75 recipes for amazing pestos from herbal to veggie, some even using weeds and sweet fruit pestos too. Plus lots of great recipes for y#using your delicious homemade pestos too.
Anyway this pesto ice-cream actually uses the standard basil as the herb of choice. Eeeeek it even contains garlic, in an ice-cream! Don’t panic you are only going to infuse the base with the garlic then throw it away.
Fear not it all comes together beautifully and I promise you pesto ice-cream really will tickle those taste buds.
Ingredients for pesto ice-cream
You are going to need a few ingredients for this recipe;
Whole milk, Greek yogurt, cream and cream cheese for the liquid part and then runny honey, finely minced basil leaves, a clove of garlic, lemon zest, parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts to make up the rest of the recipe.
Yogurt notes
Here is how to make your own homemade yogurt (+ video!) or even homemade Greek style yogurt.
Sounds a lot I know but it is really a case of heating the liquid part and infusing it with the garlic then tossing that (garlic) away and mixing the cooled infusion with the other ingredients in a bowl. Chill well in the fridge for an hour and then use an ice-cream maker to bring together your pesto ice-cream and pop into the freezer.
Serve with a basil leaf on top and watch your friend’s faces as they taste this unusual and delightful dessert.
Go on, give my pesto ice-cream a try this summer.
Looking for more delicious homemade ice-cream recipes to try? Then check these out before you go;
Blueberry ice-cream with bourbon and basil
Easy Baileys banana based ice-cream
Dairy free coconut and almond ice-cream
Homemade pesto ice-cream
Ingredients
- 200 ml cream
- 200 ml whole milk
- 100 ml Greek yogurt
- 100 ml cream cheese
- 6 tbsp honey runny honey
- 20 basil leaves finely chopped
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp pine nuts toasted
Instructions
- Heat all the liquids (including the cream cheese) with the garlic, basil and honey almost to a boil, remove from heat and allow everything to infuse for 30 mins at room temperature
- Remove the garlic clove and throw away
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for 1 min till golden and aromatic then remove from pan immediately and cool
- Add the parmesan and lemon zest and chill in fridge for 1 hour
- Churn the mixture in an ice-cream maker adding the toasted almonds for the last minute
- Place in plastic container in freezer adding an extra tbsp of crushed toasted nuts on top at the end
Notes
Nutrition
PIN ME FOR LATER
You did not lose me on the pesto ice cream. There is an ice cream company that started where I live called Salt & Straw that makes unusual flavors of ice cream and so far I have found them to be delicious. I am going to have to try your recipe.
Hi Judy,
Hope you make it.
K x
This recipe sounds really intriguing, but the instructions call for toasted almonds at the end, but they aren’t included in the list of ingredients.
Can you please clarify when to add, and how much?
Thank you
Hi Penny
I’m a little confused by your comment as the pine nuts are included in the recipe card ingredients list. In the instructions I also tell you to toast them then add all ingredients together.
Maybe you didn’t scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
K