THE LIKE-A-PRO ICE CREAM
With milk, heavy cream, sugar, fresh basil and xanthan gum.
This Basil Ice Cream is a delightful, unexpected treat that captures the fresh, vibrant essence of basil at its summer best. It’s simple to make, has a subtle aromatic flavour, and has a divine mouthfeel. For the best results, seek out fresh, in-season basil — ideally from a farmers market. If you can only find supermarket basil, that’s fine too, but keep in mind it’s usually less aromatic, so you’ll need to steep it a little longer to draw out enough basil flavour.
Ice Creams made with xanthan gum are our Like-A-Pro ice creams, because with just one extra ingredient — xanthan gum — you can make an eggless ice cream with a perfect, full-bodied mouthfeel, which churns beautifully, melts uniformly during serving, and keeps well in the freezer for a long time. Just like professionals do!
Do not reduce or replace anything; everything is there for a reason.
When making ice cream prefer to weigh all the ingredients by weight. We also recommend weighing the liquids directly into the bowl/pan as you proceed with the recipe instead of transferring them from one bowl to another because this transfer causes a small -but unwanted- loss of quantity.
This recipe makes a 1.2 litre/quart ice cream mixture (before churning), perfect for ice cream makers with a capacity of 1.5 and up to 2 litres/quarts (like Cuisinart ice cream makers).
The total quantity of ingredients in the ice cream mixture is slightly higher to account for the milk and sugar that will be absorbed by the basil during steeping.
If you need to scale the ice cream mixture up or down, use this ratio of the ingredients (in weight only):
milk 50.5% / heavy cream 32.3% / sugar 17.1% / xanthan gum 0.12%
in desired total weight of ice cream mixture;
and approx. 5-6% fresh basil leaves of your desired total weight of ice cream mixture.
A flexible rubber spatula is good for:
-wiping the bottom of the saucepan when you cook dairy on the stovetop.
-scraping residues from bowls, saucepans etc.
If you do not have one, we strongly encourage you to buy one, preferably a flexible one.
The ice cream mixture needs to cool completely and hydrate before churning, so prepare it in advance (approx. 8 hours before) to give it time to chill in the refrigerator.
If your ice cream maker has a removable freezer bowl, put it in the freezer for the whole time indicated by the manufacturer before churning, usually 24 hours.
Prepare the basil: Separate the leaves from the stems. Thick stems tend to be bitter, so discard them.
Chop the basil leaves (50 to 75 g / two handfuls), and place them in a heatproof bowl.
Bring the milk and sugar to a boil: In a medium heavy-bottomed (2 litre / 2-quart) saucepan, pour the milk (650 g) and the sugar (220 g).
Bring over medium-high heat, stirring often, with a rubber spatula, until the sugar dissolves and the milk is hot and steamy.
Then leave the milk to come to a boil (small bubbles on the surface / 85 ℃ / 185 ℉ / remove if the milk starts to overflow).
Steep the basil leaves: Pour the hot milk over the basil leaves and stir until the basil is completely submerged.
Leave to infuse: Cover the bowl and leave to infuse for 30 minutes if your basil is fresh, or up to 1 hour.
Strain: Pour through a fine-mesh sieve and back into the saucepan, gently scraping and pressing the basil with a rubber spatula, to release as much liquid as possible. Discard the basil leaves.
Bring the infused milk to a boil: Bring the infused milk back over medium-high heat and bring to a brief boil.
Blend: Pour the mixture into a blender and add the cold heavy cream (415 g). (This is 1200ml, if your blender is not big enough, just pour part of the liquid into a bowl.)
If it is too hot, let it cool down for 10 minutes before pouring into the blender (optimal temperature: warm to the touch / about 50 ℃ / 122 ℉)
Add the xanthan gum:Turn on the blender, open the cap and carefully sprinkle in the xanthan gum (½ teaspoon), avoiding the sides of the cap where it may stick. Then, blend for 2 minutes.
Strain the ice cream mixture over a fine-mesh sieve and into a bowl. If you want to add some food colouring, add it now and stir in to dissolve.
Cool the mixture with an ice bath: Place the bowl with the ice cream mixture inside a larger one and fill the space around it with ice cubes and cold water to create an ice bath. Make sure no water gets into the mixture. About 200 g (7 oz) of ice—roughly one standard tray—is enough to cool it down properly.
Let the mixture cool in the ice bath for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to help it cool evenly.
Chill completely: Once the mixture is no longer warm, remove the bowl from the ice bath, cover it and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 3 days to allow the xanthan gum fully hydrate. The base should be fridge-cold before churning.
Check if the ice cream mixture is cold before churning it: 4ºC–12ºC / 39ºF-54ºF / it feels fridge-cold when you place your finger into it.
Prepare the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Loosen before churning: whisk briefly the cold ice cream mixture to loosen it, stoping once to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. If the ice cream mixture is too thick, briefly blend with an immersion blender, stopping once to scrape down the sides and bottom with a rubber spatula. This improves consistency and ensures a smooth, even texture.
Churn: with the machine running, pour the ice cream mixture through the canister and into the ice cream maker. Leave to churn until fluffed up and creamy; depending on your ice cream maker, this can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
This ice cream mixture expands and becomes airy as it churns. You’ll know it’s ready when it looks smooth, creamy, and slightly wavy—similar to soft-serve ice cream. Churning time varies depending on your machine and can take anywhere from 30 to 70 minutes.
To check the texture, lift a spoonful. It should be thick enough to stay on the spoon, but still soft. If it looks too thin or starts melting immediately, it needs more time.
If you’re unsure, let it churn for 10 more minutes. Keep in mind that it won’t look like store-bought ice cream at this point—it will still be soft. It only becomes firm and scoopable after a few hours in the freezer.
Stop the machine once the mixture is thick and creamy. If you continue churning beyond that point, the mixture can start losing the air it has built up and may seize, resulting in a dense, heavy texture.
One important note: some ice cream makers are programmed to stop automatically after a fixed time, but that doesn’t always mean the ice cream is ready. If your machine stops and the mixture still looks too soft, simply restart it and continue churning until the texture improves.
Put in the freezer to set: before serving the ice cream or moving it to a container for storing, you have to put it in the freezer to set. To do so, turn off the ice cream maker and:
· remove the removable freezer bowl (still filled with the ice cream) from the ice cream machine
· remove the paddle, scraping any ice cream attached to it back into the ice cream bowl
· cover the ice cream bowl and place it in the freezer
Setting time depends on many factors; see notes below for indicative times.
Serve or store: when it sets, you can serve it directly from the removable freezer bowl or transfer it to an airtight container for longer storage.
The setting time depends on the type of ice cream maker you’re using. Here are the general guidelines:
3–5 hours for machines with removable freezer bowls (these bowls must be pre-frozen before churning)
Under 1 hour for machines with built-in compressors and aluminum bowls
⚠️ Important: Ice cream in aluminum bowls sets quickly. Do not leave it for too long—once fully frozen, it can become extremely hard and difficult to remove without risking scratches to the bowl. Always monitor it closely.
To check if the ice cream is ready, aim for an internal temperature of –11°C (12°F). If you don’t have a thermometer, use this simple test:
Insert a round-tip knife all the way to the bottom of the ice cream:
✔ If it goes in smoothly but meets gentle resistance, it’s ready
✖ If it feels hard on top but soft underneath, it needs more time
✖ If it’s too firm to insert the knife, it’s over-frozen and likely too hard to scoop
If it’s over-frozen, don’t worry—head to the next section for how to bring it back to scoopable.
If the ice cream sits in the freezer in the removable freezer bowl for too long after it has set, it can become too hard to scoop or remove.
To make it scoopable again:
Place the bowl in the refrigerator and allow the ice cream to soften gradually.
Here’s how long that may take:
4–10 hours for removable freezer bowls (pre-freeze models)
1–2 hours for aluminum bowls (from compressor ice cream makers)
Note: These times are approximate and may vary depending on your fridge and the amount of ice cream. Check the texture occasionally as it softens.
Once the ice cream is soft enough to scoop—or its internal temperature reads approximately –11°C (12°F)—you can:
✔ Transfer it to another container and store it in the freezer
✔ Or serve it directly from the bowl
Just be sure to avoid digging into an over-frozen bowl with hard utensils, especially if using a nonstick-coated or aluminum bowl.
Straight after churning, the ice cream has a soft-serve consistency and melts almost instantly on contact. At this stage, it’s too soft to serve neatly or transfer easily—it’s simply too messy to handle.
Freezing the ice cream immediately after churning allows it to set properly. This step brings it to the right texture: scoopable, stable, and easy to portion or transfer into a storage container.
It’s the final step that turns churned ice cream into finished ice cream.
Storing: Transfer the finished ice cream to a lidded container and store it in the freezer for up to one month.
Cover it well to protect it from absorbing any unwanted freezer smells.
Scooping: Like all artisanal-style ice creams, this one freezes hard over time.
To make it scoopable again, place the container in the refrigerator for 45–60 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches about –11°C (14°F).
Once softened, it’ll scoop cleanly and serve beautifully.
