This homemade pineapple ice cream is full of sweet juicy pineapple flavor that sings of sunshine and summer days. Make mine a double scoop!
Jump to:
This homemade pineapple ice cream is made with canned pineapple and not eggs for a fresh and easy ice cream. Sometimes also called Philadelphia style, this type of ice cream allows the tropical flavor of the pineapple to shine.
Looking for more fabulous pineapple recipes? Why not try making my juicy pineapple cherry popsicles, quick and easy grilled pineapple or boozy pina colada ice cream. Delicious!
Recipe tips and frequently asked questions
Can I make this with fresh pineapple?
Yes, but with a few caveats. The pineapple must be really ripe, bordering on overripe to be sweet enough. It's even more important to cook the pineapple or the enzyme in the fresh pineapple can make your ice cream bitter. Finally the fresh pineapple may be more fibrous so blitz it really really well and strain.
Why is my pineapple ice cream bitter?
Fresh pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain. This combined with the natural acidity of pineapple can react with the dairy in ice cream, producing a bitter taste. Fortunately bromelain is deactivated by cooking, so this isn't a problem with canned pineapple or with fresh pineapple that's been cooked.
Will pineapple curdle ice cream?
Yes bromelain, an enzyme in pineapple can curdle the dairy in ice cream. To stop this from happening you can cook your fresh pineapple before adding to your ice cream dairy, or use canned pineapple.
Why are there fibers in my ice cream?
Pineapple is a very fibrous fruit. To reduce the number of fibers and give your ice cream a smoother texture make sure you strain the ice cream mix before churning.
Ingredients
Canned pineapple: this recipe uses a can of crushed pineapple. This helps add texture and flavor to the ice cream. You could use the same amount of canned pineapple pieces or slices if you can't get crushed pineapple. At a pinch you could try using the same amount of pineapple juice.
Lemon juice: a splash of fresh lemon juice helps the pineapple flavor shine. Its also delicious with fresh lime juice.
Thickened cream: I use thickened cream which has a fat content of about 34%. You could also use heavy cream or heavy whipping or whipping cream which is similar.
Milk: this recipe uses full-fat milk with a fat content of about 3.5%.
Graduated sugar: also called white sugar, is best in this recipe. You could use castor sugar if you prefer or experiment with brown sugar to give the ice cream some caramel notes.
Tapioca starch: is a natural and accessible way of both thickening and stabilizing the ice cream. If you can't get tapioca starch you can use arrowroot powder or cornflour in the same volume.
Glucose syrup: also called confectioner’s glucose. You can get in from specialty baking shops, online and some supermarkets. A small amount of glucose syrup helps lower the freezer point of ice cream and improves the texture and scoopability of the ice cream.
You can substitute with the same amount of light corn syrup or powdered dextrose. Measure carefully, preferably using a digital kitchen scale, and don't add too much or your ice cream will melt in a red hot minute!
How to make pineapple ice cream
See the full recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient amounts and instructions.
Tip the whole can of crushed pineapple into a deep-sided jug you can use an immersion blender in. Blend very well. Put the blended pineapple into a small pot on the stove and simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring frequently until the total volume has reduced to about 1 cup. Cool.
Measure the tapioca starch into a small bowl. Measure out the milk, then add a couple of tablespoons of the milk into the bowl with the tapioca starch. Mix well to form a slurry and get out all the lumps.
Add the milk, cream, sugar and glucose syrup to a small pot on the stove. When measuring the glucose syrup ideally use a digital kitchen scale, otherwise make sure it's a flat half a tablespoon. Heat on medium and stir well until all the sugar and syrup are fully dissolved.
Add tapioca starch slurry and stir well for a few minutes on medium-low heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Strain the cooled reduced pineapple to get out the fibers. Add the cooled ice cream mix to the cooled, reduced, strained pineapple and blend well until smooth. Add the lemon juice and mix well. Cover and chill in the ice cream mix fridge for at least four hours, ideally overnight.
Put your ice cream storage container into the freezer to chill. If you are using a self-chilling churner turn it on ten mins before to chill. Churn the ice cream. It will be the consistency of soft-serve when done. Transfer to the chilled ice cream container, cover and freeze for at least four hours, or until firm.
How to serve
To serve remove from the freezer, scoop and enjoy. Fabulous on its own or with some extra chopped pineapple sprinkled over the top. Delicious!
How to store
You can store this ice cream in an air-tight container in the freezer for two up to weeks for the best texture. It will still taste good after this but may become icier over time.
Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below and tag me on instagram so I can see your delicious creations! @keep_calm_and_eat_icecream
Looking for more yummy dessert recipes?
Why not try making
- Pineapple Cherry Popsicles
- Pina Colada Popsicles
- Lemon Ice Cream
- Mango Ice Cream
- Passion Fruit Ice Cream
- Melon Ice Cream
Follow me on Facebook or Pinterest for many more delicious recipes.
📋 Recipe
Pineapple ice cream
Equipment
- ice cream maker/churner
Ingredients
- 1 can (15oz/432gms or ¾ of a 20oz can) crushed pineapple
- 2 teaspoons (5gms) tapioca starch
- ¼ cup full fat milk
- 2 cups (500mls) thickened cream
- ½ cup (110gms) white sugar
- ½ flat tablespoon (15mgs) glucose syrup
- 2 teaspoons (10mls) fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Tip the whole can of crushed pineapple into a deep-sided jug you can use an immersion blender in. Blend very well.
- Put the blended pineapple into a small pot on the stove and simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring frequently until the total volume has reduced to about 1 cup. Cool and strain the pineapple.
- Measure the tapioca starch into a small bowl. Measure out the milk, then add a couple of tablespoons of the milk into the bowl with the tapioca starch. Mix well to form a slurry and get out all the lumps.
- Add the milk, cream, sugar and glucose syrup to a small pot on the stove. Heat on medium and stir well until all the sugar and syrup is fully dissolved.
- Add tapioca starch slurry and stir well for a few minutes on medium-low heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about few minutes. Add to the pineapple and blend well until smooth. Add the lemon juice and mix well. Chill in the fridge for at least four hours, ideally overnight.
- Put your ice cream storage container into the freezer to chill. If you are using a self-chilling churner turn it on ten mins before to chill. Churn the ice cream. It will be the consistency of soft-serve when done.
- Transfer to the chilled ice cream container, cover and freeze for at least four hours, or until firm.
- To serve remove from the freezer, scoop and enjoy. Fabulioius on its own or with some extra pineapple sprinkled over the top. Delicious!
Notes
- I used one can of crushed pineapple (approx 15oz or 432gms). If you can't get a can this size you can use ¾ of a 20oz can instead. Or add the full 20oz can and reduce the pineapple more.
- In theory you could make this with fresh pineapple, but you will need to make sure its very very ripe and blend it very well to deal with the unsoftened pineapple fibers.
- If you don't use glucose syrup your ice cream may freeze a little firm. Put it in the fridge for about ten minutes to make it soft enough to scoop (this is better than leaving it on the bench because it will soften uniformly).
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online database. The nutritional content of ingredients may vary by brand. If you require accurate nutritional information, you should calculate this based on the specific brands and products you are using.
Join the community!
Like Keep Calm and Eat Ice Cream on Facebook for more great recipes
Pin it for later!
Leave a Reply