Description
This Carrot Ice Cream recipe transforms fresh roasted carrots into a creamy, subtly sweet frozen dessert flavored with cardamom. The carrots are oven-roasted to develop natural sweetness and then blended with a rich cream, honey, and sugar base before being churned into smooth ice cream. Perfect for a unique, homemade treat that balances earthy carrot flavors with the warmth of cardamom.
Ingredients
Roasted Carrots
- 1.8 lbs (800 g) fresh carrots (approx. 7 medium carrots)
- A drizzle of olive oil (for baking)
Ice Cream Base
- 2 teaspoons tapioca starch
- 2 cups (500 g) thickened cream
- 1/2 cup (110 g) white sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 320°F (160°C) fan forced to prepare for roasting the carrots.
- Prepare the carrots: Cut the fresh carrots lengthwise into halves, then cut each half in half again, creating long thick batons.
- Drizzle and arrange: Lightly drizzle olive oil over the carrot batons and lay them on a large baking tray making sure they don't touch to allow even roasting.
- Roast the carrots: Bake the carrots for 1 hour and 10 minutes, turning halfway through. The carrots should be tender when tested with a sharp knife and beginning to color slightly at the edges.
- Cool the carrots: Remove the roasted carrots from the oven and allow them to cool while you prepare the ice cream base.
- Make tapioca slurry: Take about two tablespoons of the cream and mix it with the tapioca starch in a small bowl until smooth to create a slurry.
- Heat the cream mixture: In a small pot, combine the remaining cream, sugar, and honey. Warm over medium heat, stirring until the sugar and honey fully dissolve.
- Incorporate tapioca slurry: Stir the tapioca starch and cream slurry into the warmed cream mixture, mixing well. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool.
- Puree roasted carrots: Place the cooled roasted carrots into a large heatproof jug and use an immersion blender to puree them until smooth, measuring about 1 1/3 cups of carrot puree.
- Blend carrot puree and ice cream base: Add about half a cup of the cooled ice cream mix to the carrot puree and blend until very smooth.
- Combine all ingredients: Pour in the rest of the ice cream mix and blend thoroughly. Stir in the ground cardamom evenly.
- Chill the mixture: Refrigerate the blended mixture for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, to allow flavors to meld and the base to set cold.
- Prepare the churner and container: Place your storage container in the freezer to chill. If using a self-refrigerating ice cream churner, run it for ten minutes prior to churning. Otherwise, pre-freeze the churning bowl.
- Churn the ice cream: Transfer the chilled mixture into the ice cream machine and churn until it reaches soft serve consistency.
- Freeze until firm: Move the churned ice cream into the chilled storage container, cover it tightly, and freeze for 4 hours or until firm.
- Serve: When ready, scoop the ice cream from the freezer and enjoy this creamy carrot-flavored delight.
Notes
- Roasting the carrots slowly at a low temperature develops their natural sweetness and enhances flavor.
- The tapioca starch helps thicken the cream base to give the ice cream a smooth texture without egg yolks.
- Cooling the ice cream base before blending with carrots prevents cooking the puree and preserves freshness.
- Chilling the mixture overnight improves texture and depth of flavor.
- If you do not have an ice cream machine, you can freeze the mixture and stir every 30 minutes until firm to reduce ice crystals.
- The cardamom adds a warm, aromatic spice that complements the sweetness of the carrots.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Western
