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Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream

Orange creamsicle ice cream with a vanilla custard base and vivid orange swirls. Creamy, bright, and citrusy—churned in an ice cream maker and finished with a syrup drizzle for a creamsicle-style cross-section.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 minutes
Total Time 34 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Vanilla custard
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar divided
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Orange swirl
  • 0.5 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 tbsp orange zest
  • 1 orange food coloring optional

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 small saucepan

Method
 

Make the vanilla base
  1. Heat heavy cream and whole milk until steaming, then whisk them into egg yolks beaten with 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Keep stirring so the custard looks smooth, not scrambled.
  2. Return the mixture to heat and cook until it reaches 175F, stirring constantly. When it coats the back of a spoon, remove from heat.
  3. Strain the custard, then whisk in vanilla extract and salt. Cool completely to room temperature before you churn.
Make the orange syrup
  1. In a small saucepan, combine fresh orange juice, orange zest, and the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Bring it to a gentle simmer.
  2. Simmer for 5 minutes until slightly syrupy, then cool completely. The syrup should thicken enough to drizzle.
Churn and finish with swirls
  1. Churn the vanilla custard in an ice cream maker until thick. The texture should look like soft-serve.
  2. In the last 2 minutes, drizzle in the orange syrup to create swirls, but do not fully mix. Stop when ribbons of orange streak through the white base.
  3. Transfer to a container, layering spoonfuls to maintain the swirl pattern, then freeze at least 4 hours. Let it firm up until scoopable.

Notes

For the smoothest custard, cook to 175F rather than aiming by visual guesswork—remove promptly to prevent graininess. Cover and refrigerate any leftover ice cream up to 3 days for best texture; freezing leftovers is yes—store sealed up to 2 months. If you want a lower-fat version, use half-and-half in place of heavy cream while keeping the same custard method.