Custard-Style Mango Chamoy Ice Cream
This Custard-Style Mango Chamoy Ice Cream features a fresh, creamy mango ice cream with a sticky chamoy ribbon. Chamoy, with its unique and complex flavor profile, is sure to elevate your homemade ice cream game. Yes, this custard-ice cream recipe requires a little extra time, but the results are worth it!
👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks – About Mango Custard Ice Cream and Chamoy
I grew up with an extended family that gathered in the summer to pass around the hand-churn ice cream freezers. The ritual was loved by young and old alike! My mom always made a custard-style ice cream, and it has been my preference since. I’ve done Mexican hot chocolate custard ice cream, pumpkin custard ice cream, prickly pear custard ice cream, dulce le leche custard ice cream, and coconut tamarind custard ice cream. All of these unique ice cream flavors feature egg yolks that are cooked with milk/cream.
Custard-style ice cream, often referred to simply as frozen custard, is a rich and creamy frozen ice cream made with a base of cream, milk, sugar, and a significant amount of egg yolks. The inclusion of egg yolks distinguishes it from regular ice cream, giving it a smoother, denser texture and a richer flavor. The process of making frozen custard often involves churning the mixture at a slower speed, which incorporates less air and results in a denser product.
For the ice cream base, I chose fresh mangoes. Living near the US-Mexico border, ripe mangoes are always available. I have used mangoes and chamoy together in ice pops, and know chamoy complements the mangoes.
Chamoy has a unique and complex flavor profile that combines sweet, sour, salty, and spicy elements. It’s typically made from fruit like apricots, plums, or mangoes, and is seasoned with chiles, lime juice, and salt. The result is a tangy, slightly spicy sauce with a hint of sweetness and saltiness, making it a popular condiment in Mexican cuisine. My chamoy recipe uses fresh apricots and chipotle peppers. It makes a sticky, sweet, spicy ribbon that works really well with the mango frozen custard!
📋 Ingredients Notes
Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.
- chamoy – I use this chamoy recipe, and omit the water. It needs to be fairly thick. Alternatively, the chamoy can be cooked down (reduced). If you prefer, you can use commercial chamoy. Most of them are full of preservatives and mostly sugar. Try this brand of chamoy.
- mangoes – You will need 1 1/2 to 2 cups of mango purée. Living on the US/Mexican border, I have access to fresh mangoes year ’round, and that is always my choice. However, you can substitute frozen mango chunks (purée them) or frozen purée.
- half and half – Half and half is easy, but you can use some combination of milk and heavy cream if you prefer.
- sugar – I like turbinado sugar, but white sugar is fine as well.
- fine sea salt
- egg yolks
- vanilla
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
- Warm the half and half – To a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the half and half, sugar, and sea salt. Whisk until hot, but DO NOT BOIL. The sugar and salt should be dissolved.
- Slowly add the hot half and half mixture to the beaten egg yolks (about 2 tablespoons at a time). NOTE: I use a ladle to add 2 tablespoons (+/-) to the beaten egg yolks which gradually raises the temperature.
- Cook the custard – When the egg/half and half mixture is warm (around 160℉), add it back into the saucepan. Reheat slowly to avoid curdling. NOTE: If you do get some curdling, you can put it (carefully) into the blender then strain it. Heat to about 170℉ until slightly thickened. The mixture should thicken and coat the back of a spoon.
- Thoroughly chill the base – Stir in the vanilla and mango purée. Whisk to combine thoroughly. Pour mixture into a container, cover, and chill thoroughly.
- Freeze the custard according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Add the flake salt 1-2 minutes before the cycle finishes. NOTE: I have not tried not churning this ice cream recipe. I think it would work. If you try it, let me know!
- Add the chamoy – Add 1/2 of the frozen custard to a loaf pan or ice cream storage container. Drop chamoy by spoonfuls as shown in the photo.
- Finish the frozen custard – Cover with the remaining custard. Freeze until ready to serve. YUM! NOTE: Pressing plastic wrap against the frozen custard reduces ice crystals.
❓FAQ
Most people keep their freezers at zero or below, and that is actually too low for scooping ice cream. The high fat content, and low volume of air in good quality ice cream makes it really hard to scoop.
I like these double-walled ice cream storage containers. Shelf life is pretty subjective. I find the ice cream develops ice crystals and graininess after a few days. We try to finish it within a week or two. The colder the freezer is, the longer it will last. See Ice Cream Science for more information.
Tempering eggs is a culinary technique used to gradually raise the temperature of eggs to prevent them from curdling or scrambling when they are added to a hot mixture. This process is particularly important in recipes that require the eggs to thicken sauces, custards, or other mixtures without forming lumps.
💭 Top Tips
If you’ve ever pulled ice cream from the freezer only to find it far too hard to scoop, you know how frustrating this is. Since making homemade ice creams, frozen custards, sorbets, and sherbets requires an investment of your time, it is worth having some tools to deal with rock-hard ice cream! 3 Tricks for Softening Rock-Hard Ice Cream in a Hurry has great information.
- Thaw the ice cream in the refrigerator. 30 to 45 minutes in the refrigerator should bring it to about 8 degrees (good for scooping). I prefer this method.
- Slice it into pieces. Using a sharp knife run through hot water to cut the ice cream into slices. Then run an ice cream scoop under hot water before scooping.
- Thaw the ice cream in the microwave. This is my desperation method when I have guests and can’t scoop the ice cream. It can result in a melted mess if you’re not really careful. Try 20% power for 30 seconds. Check before proceeding another 30 seconds. My microwave is high power, and 30% will melt it.
Dip your ice cream scoop in cold water before each scoop. Ice cream is likely to stick to a dry scoop, but it will slide off of a wet scoop.
If your half and half and egg tempering doesn’t go well, and the mixture “breaks,” blend it on high in a blender, and it should be okay.
Today, as I finish writing this post, the United States is celebrating its Independence Day. What better way to celebrate than with food and homemade ice cream? We’ve got pork brining in the refrigerator for smoked pork chops and belly. Later, we plan to smoke both along with smoked creamed corn and potato salad. This chamoy ice cream is sure to be a hit as the grand finale!
Mango Chamoy Ice Cream Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup chamoy - must be completely cool!
- 1 ½ cups mango purée - peeled and seeds removed
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- ⅓ cup sugar - I like turbinado
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 egg yolks - thoroughly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Add the prepared mangoes to a blender or processor, and purée until smooth.
- Heat the half and half, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Temper the eggs. See Notes below.
- Add the tempered eggs into the remaining hot half and half. Reheat slowly to avoid curdling. Again – DO NOT BOIL. The mixture should thicken.
- Once the mixture is cool (doesn't have to be cold), whisk in the vanilla and mango purée.
- Chill thoroughly.
- Freeze the custard according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Add ½ of the custard to a loaf pan or ice cream storage container. Drop chamoy by spoonfuls. Cover with the remaining custard. Freeze until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
This is a perfect combination of flavors. The chamoy complements the mango really well. A great hot-weather dessert!
I would have to agree Mark!