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Blue Moon Ice Cream

Blue Moon ice cream is an electric-blue, nostalgic Midwest-style frozen dessert made with a custard base, strained for silkiness, then churned and frozen until firm. This fruity-floral flavor uses citrus and almond extracts with blue food coloring for the signature vivid color.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Custard base
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
Flavoring and color
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.5 tsp raspberry extract or blue raspberry flavoring
  • 0.25 tsp lemon extract
  • 1 blue food coloring Use a few drops at a time to reach electric blue.

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Make the custard
  1. Heat the heavy cream and whole milk in a saucepan until steaming, then keep it at a gentle simmer. Visual cue: small steam bubbles should appear around the edges, not a rolling boil.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar until smooth, then slowly whisk the hot cream mixture into the yolks. Visual cue: the mixture should lighten and become cohesive as you drizzle.
  3. Return the custard to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until it reaches 175F. Visual cue: the custard should coat the back of a spoon and look slightly thickened.
  4. Strain the custard into a clean container and cool slightly. Visual cue: the strained liquid should be smooth with no scrambled bits visible.
Flavor and tint
  1. Stir in the almond extract, vanilla extract, raspberry extract (or blue raspberry flavoring), and lemon extract. Visual cue: the mixture will smell distinctly citrus-almond as it comes together.
  2. Add blue food coloring a few drops at a time until the desired electric blue is achieved. Visual cue: the color should turn vivid and bright, not pale pastel.
  3. Cool the custard completely, then refrigerate for 4 hours. Visual cue: it should be fully chilled before churning.
Churn and freeze
  1. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Visual cue: it thickens from pourable to soft-serve consistency.
  2. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm. Visual cue: the surface should look set and scoopable without slumping.

Notes

Pro tip: strain the custard and chill it fully—those two steps help the texture stay creamy instead of icy. Store covered in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Freezing is recommended (this recipe is designed to be frozen). For a dairy-reduced swap, use lactose-free whole milk and lactose-free cream; the flavor will stay closest to the original.