Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

This Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream recipe is a decadent treat that is simply irresistible. Every spoonful combines honey-sweetened cream cheese ice cream with swirls of juicy berries and graham cracker crumbs.

I like to make at least one batch of homemade ice cream every summer.

Sometimes I’ll keep it very simple, like the classic vanilla recipe I grew up making (paired or not with ice cream topping ideas), or even mint ice cream without chocolate chips (so simple but so refreshing).

Other times, more is more, like my pancake ice cream and pop tart ice cream. Today’s recipe definitely falls into this more is more category.

This homemade Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream recipe starts with a base of decadent cream cheese and honey ice cream, and then swirls in honeyed blueberries and graham cracker crumbs. This honey-sweetened dessert is irresistible!

What you’ll need for homemade blueberry cheesecake ice cream:

• egg yolks – we’re only using yolks to make the custard base for this ice cream, so you may also want to find a recipe to use up the leftover egg whites.
• half-and-half – many ice cream recipes call for a combination of milk and heavy cream (including my tea infused ice cream). But guess what? Half-and-half is exactly that – a combination of milk and cream. Easy!
• honey – you will need quite a bit of honey for this recipe, as it is the only sweetener in this dessert. A classic clover honey will do the trick.
• cream cheese – you will need an 8 ounce bar of cream cheese for the cream cheese ice cream. Just like with my Baileys brownies and chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, please use full fat cream cheese, and be sure to buy the kind sold in bars, not in a tub.
• vanilla – you can use vanilla bean paste if you’d like to see flecks of vanilla bean in your homemade blueberry cheesecake ice cream, or vanilla extract works just as well.
• ground cinnamon – just a little bit of cinnamon added to the cheese cake ice cream base really brings out the “graham cracker crust” flavor found in cheesecake.
• blueberries – fresh blueberries work best for this ice cream, but frozen are fine, too (and in my blueberry lemon smoothie and blueberry muffins with buttermilk).
• graham cracker crumbs – simply add 4 whole graham crackers to a food processor and blitz them until they’re fine crumbs, and you should have about 1/2 cup. Same technique for my cranberry curd pie!

How to make cream cheese ice cream for blueberry cheesecake ice cream:

Start by whisking together the egg yolks, half and half and 2/3 cup of honey in a saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat, being sure to whisk it almost constantly.

As the mixture heats up, it will begin to thicken (this should take about 8 to 10 minutes).

Once the liquid has thickened, remove the pan from the heat. Add the cream cheese, vanilla and cinnamon and whisk until the cream cheese melts and the mixture is smooth.

Strain the cheese cake ice cream mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Don’t skip this step! Just like with my apple rose tart, it’s important to ensure the smoothest, creamiest final product.

Cover the cream cheese ice cream mixture with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the custard. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until completely cool.

After it is completely cool, pour the custard mixture into your ice cream machine and freeze according to the instructions for the machine. Then, transfer the blueberry cheesecake ice cream to a storage container and freeze until firm (at least 8 hours).

Serve the cheese cake ice cream as-is, or add some mix-ins!

After the cream cheese ice cream is churned, you are welcome to serve it as is. It’s delicious to serve as coffee and ice cream (affogato) or on top of lemon pancakes for a decadent brunch treat.

But, to take it to the next level and turn it into a blueberry cheesecake ice cream recipe, you’ll be layering in some mix-ins before you fully freeze it.

While the cheese cake ice cream is churning, stir the blueberries and 2 tablespoons honey together in a small bowl.

When the churn is complete, the ice cream will be very soft. Quickly spread 1/3 of the ice cream into a freezer-safe storage container.

Layer in 1/3 of the blueberry mixture and 1/3 of the graham cracker crumbs.

Then, repeat the layers of ice cream, berries and crumbs two more times. Cover the container and transfer to the freezer for at least 8 hours or until completely firm.