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HOW TO MAKE ICE CREAM IN YOUR HIGH SPEED BLENDER
The trickiest thing to make in your high speed blender is when you use it as an ice cream maker. Once you get it down, it’s a BREEZE!
Ice Cream Tips for High Speed Blenders
We prefer using mostly frozen fruit, such as bananas, to make rich and creamy Blendtec and Vitamix ice cream recipes.
Also, many of our community members want to create the SAME texture as store-bought ice cream.
You can do this by adding your blend to an ice cream maker and following it’s instructions.
You can ALSO add your blend to a freezer safe container, place in freezer and stir every half an hour. (This is recommended for recipes that are mostly frozen fruit without ice.)
Remember One Thing – Know Your Ice
For high speed blender ice cream if you are using ice you will start with your liquid ingredients and soft (not frozen) fruit, then finish by filling with ice near the top of the 64oz blending jar – usually around 4 cups of ice.
USE LESS ICE IF USING FROZEN FRUIT!
Our recipes assume that you will be using crescent- shaped ice cubes (the kind from your ice cube tray or maker). If using different kinds of ice, you may need to adjust the amounts of ice used in each recipe.
Crushed Ice: Increase amount of ice by ½ cup
Tray Ice: Allow ice to sit out for 5 minutes before using
Wet/melted ice (such as store bought OR long sitting home ice): Increase amount of ice by ½ cup
Keep in Mind:Using ice in these ice cream recipes is similar to baking – measurements matter!
Meaning: 4 oz of liquid means 4 oz – too much liquid and it will be runny, too little it will have ice crystals
FOR BLENDTEC ICE CREAM RECIPES
For the Twister Jar: It’s much easier to make thicker blends such as ice cream with the standard sized twister jar (we prefer it over the mini twister jar – see our Twister Jar review).
However, you can’t make as much ice cream with the twister jar.
We prefer it when making single serving “nice cream” ice cream recipes.
For the Fourside and Wildside Jars: If you have too much ice, the ingredients freeze up in the blending jar – forming an air pocket around the blade also known as “cavitation”.
If this occurs, stop the machine, pick the jar up off the base and shake out the air pocket. You can also use a spatula to push the ingredients into the blade. Then replace the jar onto base and use manual speed 3 or LOW for a few seconds, then increase to speed HIGH until a star shape forms at the top. Stop machine once star shape forms, do not let it run the full timed cycle or it will start to melt the ice cream.
If you have too little ice, the blend will be runny. If this occurs, add 2 oz of ice and follow steps as above.
FOR ICE CREAM RECIPES WITH HIGH SPEED BLENDER WITH TAMPER (SUCH AS A VITAMIX)
You will definitely need to use the handy tamper to push the frozen fruit and/or ice down into the blade to crush it.
The tamper should prevent any cavitation, just keep blending until you see the swirl shape form at the top and it’s a thick consistency.
Careful not to overblend.
SUBSTITUTION TIPS
1) To change an ice cream recipe into a lowfat/no fat recipe, substitute the cream with any of the following options: non-dairy creamer (we like healthy So Delicious), lowfat or skim milk, or milk substitutes such as coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk or soy milk.
2) When the recipe calls for sugar, you may use any kind of desired sweetener (we recommend keeping it natural with honey, stevia, or dates) If you are using a liquid sweetener, such as honey, then use only 1/3 the amount that the recipe calls for.
Let us know if our tips helped your ice cream making or if you have questions in the comments! Be sure to join our community for free access to healthy blender recipes, tips, and giveaways! As always, HAPPY BLENDING! 🙂
Thanks! I just bought a Vitamix and am just starting out. I have a recipe for strawberry sorbet for an ice cream maker and would like to use the Vitamix instead. This information was helpful.
So glad it helped you Lucy, thank you. I hope you signed up for my community newsletter! 🙂 Happy Blending ~ Tarashaun
I have very specific diet restrictions. As a 58 yr old mother of a 28 yr old ,daughter and a 31 year old ,son . In a matter of 3 years we each had life saving surgery at Sloan Kettering, Manhattan. It is not an easy journey. Our cancer causing disease has too many variables, we are each unique after our intestines, rectum and am pula vatar are removed. Ie. I have N inoperable tumor wrapped around vital organs. I need to eat but it must be made in a blender for the most part these days. I would love a vitamix, however, costly. Unfortunately, my energy isn’t with me now. Can you tell me one that isn’t too noisy and takes care of soups and sorbets ect. Thank you, Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth and thank you for reaching out to Blender Babes. I am sorry to hear about you and your families ailments! Sending you lots of light and prayers for healing.
There are a few blenders that might interest you. I highly recommend the most economical Blendtec Total Blender Classic for $279 (they have a great financing payment plan option as well). It can do hot soups and sorbets easily as well as many other functions. Another option is the Harley Pasternak Blender. You can see our review of the Harley Pasternak vs Vitamix here.
I have purchased a 6300 Vitamix. So far soup and a smoothie. It should have been Ice cream. The book that came with my refurbished Vitamix doesn’t fit this machine. I need recipes using fresh vegetables and fruit. Also one that I can use coconut milk and still remain creamy. I nearly died so it has been awhile since I’ve been able to prepare food for myself. Can you direct me to some recipes that leave me feeling good about my purchase not buyers remorse. Being deconditioned now, my body needs email erythromycin nutrient it can get. Thank you!
Hello Elizabeth! I’m glad you are here with us and testing out your new Vitamix 6300! If you want ice cream, you can try any of these 21 vegan vitamix ice cream recipes! Otherwise I would recommend drinking 1 green smoothie every day, either as a meal replacement or a snack.
Great question Peggy! We highly recommend using frozen fruit instead of fresh fruit + ice. It keeps more of soft serve/sorbet texture. Also your liquid to frozen ratio is important. The less liquid the more of a ice cream texture it will have than a smoothie texture. Start with less liquid, you can always add more as needed to get it going, and you will definitely use the tamper to push the frozen ingredients towards the blade. Try some of our blendtec and vitamix ice cream recipes, we’ve done the testing for you so the measurements are correct. 🙂 HAPPY BLENDING!
I have been making sorbets using vitamix. The key is frozen fruits chunks and the amount of milk you add.
Absolutely! I love sorbet! Sometimes I add just a tiny bit of full fat coconut milk from a can, just to make it extra creamy. If I do use ice, I like to make milk substitute ice cubes to keep it from being watered down. 🙂 Thanks for sharing Marie! HAPPY BLENDING! ~ Tarashaun
I was thinking about trying to make the ice cream richer by replacing the 4 cu of ice cubes with frozen goat milk cubes – that is freezing milk in ice cube trays. Has anyone tried this with either a dairy based or alternative beverage?
Graet idea Ian! Yes we make non-dairy milk ice cubes mostly for smoothies, but we have tried it once or twice with ice cream and it definitely makes a creamier version. Never tried goat milk, but let us know how it goes and what recipe you try! 🙂 HAPPY BLENDING!
Hey Joe and welcome! Do you mean using an ice cream maker? We don't have any ice cream recipes that use egg, however we do have some ice creams with dairy. If you find one let us know and we'll add it to our recipe tester program. 🙂
This is not real ice cream as there is no cooking. Can you use either machine to make a true egg and dairy based cooked ice cream blend
Guy Drapeau
Amen!!
Where is the ice cream recipe?
Hello Mary and WELCOME! You can view all of our Ice Cream Recipes Here. 🙂