• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Homemade In The Kitchen

Small Batch Recipes and Recipes For Two

  • About
  • Recipes
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

July 15, 2018

Homemade Small Batch Ice Cream Recipes

Looking to make only a pint of homemade ice cream instead of a quart? Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to make homemade small batch ice cream plus a list of recipes. Ideal for when you want dessert for two.


Homemade Small Batch Ice Cream Recipes

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means if you order anything using these links, I get a tiny profit, which is used for groceries and website maintenance.

Happy National Ice Cream Month!

Well to me ice cream month is every month but I guess the official “holiday” is in July. And today is officially National Ice Cream Day.

I thought it would be fitting to share my knowledge on how to make homemade small batch ice cream for my readers who come here looking for dessert for two.

It’s no secret I love ice cream. In fact I love it so much, I started a new Instagram account called @becauseiloveicecream.

It’s mostly me reviewing ice cream I’ve eaten. Trust me – I eat a lot of ice cream to justify enough content.

Not only do I know what great ice cream tastes like, I’m also well versed in making ice cream at home. I have over 30 (!) ice cream recipes with the earliest from 2012 – 6 years ago!

Most ice cream recipes from cookbooks and websites make 1 quart. The problem with homemade ice cream is it’s not easy to share unless you have people visiting. Most of the time when I have leftover dessert like a layer cake or a dozen cookies, I give them away at my coworking space.

With ice cream I can’t take it with me. Well I probably *could* since I’m only 10 minutes away and the coworking space does have a freezer, but it’s not ideal. Which means unless I have family over, I’m either stuck eating it all or throwing it away.

As a one woman household, making a quart of homemade ice cream isn’t realistic. Could I eat a whole quart of ice cream? Sure. Should I? Probably not. Not to mention it’d take me forever to eat it all, so I wouldn’t be able to make as many flavors.

Over the years I learned how to cut them down into a pint of ice cream. It may sound simple enough, but there are a few challenges to deal with, such as cutting an egg yolk in half and how to store it in the freezer without using giant containers.



Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

No matter how much ice cream you’re making, first we need to talk about equipment. Is an ice cream maker necessary? No. Does it make life easier? Yes.

How To Make Ice Cream Using An Ice Cream Maker

The easiest way to churn ice cream is with an ice cream maker. I own this red 1.5 quart ice cream maker.

Although you can buy smaller models, I like having the option to scale up or down, depending on the occasion. You never know when you might need to make a quart for an ice cream cake or for a party.

Most ice cream models (including the one I use) require you to freeze the canister at least 18-24 hours ahead of time.

This is important because if you churn in a room temperature canister, the ice cream will not be cold enough to freeze. You’ll need to plan accordingly (or store your canister in your freezer indefinitely).

Most machines (including mine) tell you it takes 20 minutes to churn. I find most pint recipes take about 15 minutes since there is less mixture to freeze.

At this point you can eat it at the soft serve stage or you can transfer to a container and freeze until scoopable.



German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream

How To Make Homemade Ice Cream By Hand

One question I get a lot is how do you make ice cream without a machine? For the longest time, I made ice cream by hand; I didn’t have the money (nor the room) for an ice cream maker.

Churning in a machine ensures there are no ice crystals forming while it freezes. Once you understand this reasoning, you’ll realize a machine is a luxury, not a necessity.

Of course if you plan on making lots of ice cream, investing in a machine is your best bet. But if you’re only making ice cream once or twice a year, you can certainly make it by hand. It’ll require more attention, but it’s worth it!

Start by pouring your already-chilled ice cream base into a baking pan with deep edges. If you don’t have one (or don’t have room in the freezer), you can use any freeze-proof container, such as a bowl. I find using a wider, shallower container allows the mixture to freeze faster.

You will be whisking the mixture periodically, so make sure the container is deep enough so it won’t splash everywhere.

Shopping tip

I find a lot of small baking pans at thrift stores and flea markets for cheap. I mostly use them as props (you’d be surprised at how small most of my props are in real life!), but I also use them for small batch freezing.

After freezing 45 minutes, whisk the mixture, breaking up any already-frozen sections (you’re beating the ice crystals, so it’s important to whisk everything). Return to the freezer.

Repeat this process every 30 minutes until the ice cream is completely frozen. This will take about 2-3 hours total.

If you’re adding any mix ins or layering in sauce, you can fold them in when the ice cream is about 90% solid.



Chocolate Stout Pretzel Ice Cream

How To Cut An Egg Yolk In Half

The hardest part about cutting an ice cream recipe in half is dealing with egg yolks.

It’s easy when it’s an even number, but what about when a recipe calls for 5 egg yolks? How do you add 2 1/2 egg yolks? The answer: You don’t.

Typically I round down to 2 egg yolks, mostly so I don’t have to deal with leftover egg whites. The ice cream is still rich and creamy, so it’s ok to leave out that half a yolk.

Sometimes there are circumstances where I round up to 3 yolks. For example, if I have leftover yolks from another recipe, I’ll add more to use them up faster.

Or if you know ahead of time you need 3 egg whites for another recipe, you can use those yolks in your ice cream.



Cherry Pie Ice Cream

What To Do With Leftover Egg Whites

Speaking of egg yolks, most ice cream recipes will leave you with leftover egg whites. Rather than throwing them away, browse through my recipes calling for egg whites.

Not sure what to do with them yet? Freeze them for future use.

Freeze them individually in an ice cube tray so you don’t have to worry about measuring later! Once they’re frozen, pop them out of the tray and store in a freezer bag.



Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches

How To Store Homemade Ice Cream

Storing ice cream is just as important as making it because if you don’t freeze it properly, your ice cream will have ice crystals forming on the outside and possibly even become freeze burnt.

I use these small round freezer-proof plastic containers, which hold exactly 1 pint of ice cream.

You can easily find them (or something similar) in the storage container aisle of your store. Make sure it says freeze-proof as not all containers are created equal.

You can use other containers, such as specialty ice cream containers (which are more expensive than plastic storage containers but also much cuter), a loaf pan tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, or even a glass baking pan with a lid.



Caramel Waffle Cone Ice Cream

Homemade Small Batch Ice Cream Recipes

Now you learned some tips for making a pint of ice cream, time for the recipes! I’m not going to list out all 30+, so here are some of my favorites. For the full list, visit my Ice Cream and Frozen Treats page.

Apple Butter Cheesecake Ice Cream

Creamy cheesecake ice cream with an apple butter swirl

Apple Cider Ice Cream

Apple Cider Ice Cream spiced with cinnamon will be your new companion to serve with warm apple pie.

Banana Fudge Swirl Ice Cream

Two ingredient no churn Banana Fudge Swirl Ice Cream made without cream or eggs and swirled with hot fudge sauce

Buttermilk Ice Cream

Buttermilk Ice Cream is a creamy and tangy yet not too sweet ice cream, making it the perfect companion for desserts like apple pie or peach cobbler.

Chocolate Stout Pretzel Ice Cream

Fudgy Chocolate Stout Pretzel Ice Cream packed full of chocolate covered pretzels and caramel sauce.

Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches

Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches made with homemade churros and homemade cinnamon sugar churro ice cream

German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream

What’s better than German chocolate cake? German chocolate cake in ice cream form with real coconut pecan frosting folded in.

M&M Cookie Dough Ice Cream

M&M Cookie Dough Ice Cream with a double dose of cookie dough in every bite with a cookie dough ice cream base and M&M cookie dough pieces mixed in.

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream

Kick up your favorite chocolate ice cream a notch with this silky smooth Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream with cinnamon and a hint of chili powder.

Nutella Ice Cream (No Cook, Egg Free, Small Batch)

Learn how to make a small batch of homemade no cook egg free Nutella Ice Cream in a blender with 5 ingredients

Peaches And Cream Ice Cream (No Cook, Egg Free)

Turn your summer bounty of peaches into No Cook Egg Free Peaches And Cream Ice Cream using only your blender and freezer.

Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream (No Cook, Egg Free)

Creamy no cook egg free peanut butter ice cream with chopped peanut butter cups

Smores Ice Cream

S'mores Ice Cream with a toasted marshmallow ice cream base, graham crackers, and chocolate

Strawberries And Cream Ice Cream (No Cook, Egg Free)

No Cook Egg Free Strawberries and Cream Ice Cream made in a blender

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

No Cook Egg Free Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream layered with strawberry sauce and graham cracker crumbs

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Simple yet very flavorful Vanilla Bean Ice Cream will make you rethink vanilla.

Here are my favorite ice cream cookbooks. You will need to cut most if not all of them in half. Use my handy tip above about halving egg yolks.

  • The Perfect Scoop
  • Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams At Home
  • Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts
  • I Scream Sandwich

Filed Under: Ice Cream + Frozen Tagged With: dessert for two, small batch

Did you make my recipe?

Please let me know by sharing a photo in my private Facebook group or uploading and tagging me on Instagram using #HITKrecipes (Note: If your Instagram account is private, I won't be able to see your photo)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. gregory anderson says

    July 20, 2018 at 5:01 PM

    Thank you for being so thorough in your instructions. I liked the idea of making small batch ice cream. I’ve also been practicing “flash freezing” of some things I make, so I understood what you describe. You also included what to do with extra egg whites.

    I’ll be doing it by hand, for the small batch ice cream. Our freezer has little room, so we get fresh & real ice cream.
    Woo Hoo I’m Screaming, screaming, screaming.

    Reply
    • Carla says

      July 23, 2018 at 1:46 PM

      Glad you enjoyed the guide!

      Reply
  2. Sandy says

    July 21, 2018 at 2:10 PM

    Thank you! This is very helpful tutorial on small batch ice creams. We no longer have to be stuck with litres of single flavoured ice creams in the freezer. We can prepare a number of recipes and have small containers of assorted flavours available at any given time. A win-win situation for all!

    Reply
    • Carla says

      July 23, 2018 at 1:47 PM

      Exactly! Why stick with a huge batch of one flavor when you can make several small batches of multiple flavors? Enjoy the ice cream!

      Reply
  3. gregory anderson says

    August 6, 2021 at 5:26 PM

    This is absolutely great. I look forward to your recipes, and trust them.
    I’ll be making these ice creams just to be sure my ability to follow directions hasn’t gone the direction my memory is going.

    We have a small freezer, so having small batches of ice cream is 23Skiddo!

    Reply
    • Carla says

      August 8, 2021 at 10:10 AM

      Let me know which ones you end up trying!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe
Disclosures and Disclaimers

Footer

Stay Updated

Subscribe to new recipes via email:

Other Sites By Carla

  • City Life Adventures
  • Carla Cardello

Latest Recipes

Pesto Turkey Burgers on a picnic plate

Pesto Burgers

These Pesto Burgers are a turkey burger recipe with tomato and mozzarella then slathered with basil pesto. It's refreshing and tastes like summer in every bite! With 4th of July around the ...

Read More

Bowl of Caesar Pasta Salad with spoon

Caesar Pasta Salad

Caesar Pasta Salad with a homemade Caesar dressing combines traditional Caesar salad and summer macaroni salad into one picnic side dish. Although I do my best to make food from scratch, ...

Read More

Basil pesto in small jar with white spoon

Homemade Basil Pesto (Small Batch)

Homemade Basil Pesto is the best and easiest way to use up your bounty of fresh basil. Use it for pasta, pizza, burgers, and more. Ready in 15 minutes! Basil is probably one of my all-time ...

Read More

Slice of No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

If you love peanut butter, then you're going to love this No Bake Peanut Butter Pie with peanut butter cups in an Oreo cookie crust. Pie recipe made without Cool Whip! When you think of ...

Read More

Strawberry Curd on a spoon

Strawberry Curd (Vegan)

Strawberry Curd made without eggs is a smooth and creamy vegan strawberry filling. Spread it on toast for breakfast or use as a delicious cake filling. You've probably heard of lemon curd, but ...

Read More

A slice of strawberry swirl cheesecake on a plate

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

Got fresh strawberries? Learn how to make Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake with strawberry jam or strawberry curd, which will surely impress your family and friends. Made without a water bath! I ...

Read More

Peach pie filling in large jar

Peach Pie Filling

No more canned pie filling! Learn how to make homemade Peach Pie Filling from scratch using fresh juicy peaches. Use it to make peach pie, peach cobbler, or no bake cheesecake. Summer marks ...

Read More

Peach Jam in a jar

Peach Jam Without Pectin

Brighten up your morning toast with this 4 ingredient Peach Jam without pectin! It's the perfect recipe for beginners because this small batch peach jam only makes one 6-ounce jar. What’s the ...

Read More

Knife with blueberry jam

Blueberry Jam Without Pectin

Learn how to make homemade blueberry jam with this 3 ingredient Blueberry Jam without pectin! It's the perfect recipe for beginners because this small batch blueberry jam makes only one 6-ounce jar. ...

Read More

Copyright © 2007–2022 · Chocolate Moosey LLC
All Rights Reserved. All images are registered with the United States Copyright Office.
Please do not use images without permission. To republish a recipe, please link back to the post.
Privacy Policy

Footer

Stay Updated

Subscribe to new recipes via email:

Other Sites By Carla

  • City Life Adventures
  • Carla Cardello

Latest Recipes

Pesto Turkey Burgers on a picnic plate

Pesto Burgers

These Pesto Burgers are a turkey burger recipe with tomato and mozzarella then slathered with basil pesto. It's refreshing and tastes like summer in every bite! With 4th of July around the ...

Read More

Bowl of Caesar Pasta Salad with spoon

Caesar Pasta Salad

Caesar Pasta Salad with a homemade Caesar dressing combines traditional Caesar salad and summer macaroni salad into one picnic side dish. Although I do my best to make food from scratch, ...

Read More

Basil pesto in small jar with white spoon

Homemade Basil Pesto (Small Batch)

Homemade Basil Pesto is the best and easiest way to use up your bounty of fresh basil. Use it for pasta, pizza, burgers, and more. Ready in 15 minutes! Basil is probably one of my all-time ...

Read More

Slice of No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

If you love peanut butter, then you're going to love this No Bake Peanut Butter Pie with peanut butter cups in an Oreo cookie crust. Pie recipe made without Cool Whip! When you think of ...

Read More

Strawberry Curd on a spoon

Strawberry Curd (Vegan)

Strawberry Curd made without eggs is a smooth and creamy vegan strawberry filling. Spread it on toast for breakfast or use as a delicious cake filling. You've probably heard of lemon curd, but ...

Read More

A slice of strawberry swirl cheesecake on a plate

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

Got fresh strawberries? Learn how to make Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake with strawberry jam or strawberry curd, which will surely impress your family and friends. Made without a water bath! I ...

Read More

Peach pie filling in large jar

Peach Pie Filling

No more canned pie filling! Learn how to make homemade Peach Pie Filling from scratch using fresh juicy peaches. Use it to make peach pie, peach cobbler, or no bake cheesecake. Summer marks ...

Read More

Peach Jam in a jar

Peach Jam Without Pectin

Brighten up your morning toast with this 4 ingredient Peach Jam without pectin! It's the perfect recipe for beginners because this small batch peach jam only makes one 6-ounce jar. What’s the ...

Read More

Knife with blueberry jam

Blueberry Jam Without Pectin

Learn how to make homemade blueberry jam with this 3 ingredient Blueberry Jam without pectin! It's the perfect recipe for beginners because this small batch blueberry jam makes only one 6-ounce jar. ...

Read More

Copyright © 2007–2022 · Chocolate Moosey LLC
All Rights Reserved. All images are registered with the United States Copyright Office.
Please do not use images without permission. To republish a recipe, please link back to the post.
Privacy Policy