A creamy, dreamy homemade version of Ben & Jerry's iconic Cherry Garcia ice cream, packed with juicy Bing cherries and rich chocolate chunks. No road trip to Vermont required-just your favorite spoon and an ice cream maker.
Do you love all of Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavors? Me too! There are some like Cherry Garcia ice cream that I absolutely can not get enough of. And because I love it so much, I'm going to love making what I think is the best homemade ice cream recipe again and again. This has to be my favorite copycat recipe of all time.
I don't know what it is about cherries that scream summer louder than a cannonball into a community pool, but here we are. Every June, I start eyeing the produce aisle like a fruit thief plotting a heist. And when Bing cherries show up? Game. On.
This homemade Cherry Garcia knockoff has been a staple in my kitchen since long before my ice cream maker earned a permanent spot on the counter. It's nostalgia in a bowl-creamy, indulgent, a little messy (in the best way), and packed with just the right amount of chocolate and cherry.
I originally posted this recipe years ago, back when I was still figuring out how to photograph melted ice cream without turning my kitchen into a sticky war zone. But it's just too good not to bring back with a glow-up.
Serve this up in a yummy chocolate ice cream bowl, add some fresh cherries on top, and you've got yourself the perfect summer dessert recipe.
Making the Best Homemade Ice Cream!
Besides a few ingredients from the store, all you need to make Cherry Garcia ice cream is an ice-cream maker. Our KitchenAid ice cream maker is amazing. It's easy to use and the ice cream always turns out fantastic.
But if you don't have a KitchenAid mixer already, you can also go with a standalone ice cream maker like this.
Don't be intimidated by the idea of making homemade ice cream. It isn't difficult at all. Mix the ingredients together, and let the ice cream maker do the rest of the work. It's really that easy.
More Tasty Treats
And if you love this Cherry Garcia Ice Cream, be sure to check out all of my homemade ice cream recipes! Or whip up these Cherry Crepes for a completely different way to hit that cherry craving.
Recipe
Copycat Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate bars shaved or chopped
- ¼ cup Bing cherries fresh, halved and pitted
- 2 eggs large (or equivalent pasteurized liquid eggs)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream or whipping cream
- 1 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Prepare two bowls. Place the shaved chocolate flakes in one and the cherries in the other. Cover bowls and place in refrigerator to chill.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs for 1 to 2 minutes, or until light and frothy. Slowly add sugar and whisk until fully dissolved.
- Whisk in the heavy cream and milk and stir well to combine.
- Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker. Follow your machine's instructions (mine takes about 20-25 minutes to churn).
- Just before the ice cream is done churning-when it's thick and soft-serve-like-add in the chilled chocolate and cherries.
- Transfer to a freezer-safe container, cover, and freeze for at least 2 hours, or until scoopable.
Nutrition
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
Hafsa says
wonderful recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hafsa says
wonderful recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂 I will try this soon 🙂
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
I just bought a big bag of cherries! I need to set some aside to give this ice cream a try!
Ginger Wroot says
Oh yes, Cherry Garcia is one of my top five fav B&J ice cream flavors. This looks oh, so good! And guess what? This flavor is wonderful with a bit of Chambord liqueur poured over it!
--G
April J Harris says
Yummed and pinned. Your Ice Cream looks delicious! I love Cherries Garcia too - what a great recipe! Thank you for sharing with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop.
Karly says
This is my kind of ice cream! Thanks for linking up with What's Cookin' Wednesday!
Marilyn says
Thank you for sharing at #RecipeSharingParty! pinned and yummed.
Shirley Wood says
YUM! Pinned it and plan to make it. Thanks for sharing with us at Merry Monday.
Angelina @ Peonies & Orange Blossoms says
My bing cherries are ripe in my garden. This sounds super tasty. This is my Dad's favorite flavor of Ben & Jerrys. I'm featuring this on my blog tomorrow... maybe he'll make me some... 😉 Thanks for sharing with Thursday Favorite things
Jamie says
That looks amazing. Pinning to try...and to save money by not buying any at the store! 🙂
Dawn says
YUMMY!!! I'm featuring your copycat ice cream on this week's Friday Favorites - swing by and say hi!!
Akaleistar says
That looks so good! Definitely saving this 🙂
Deborah W. says
Where are the ingredients?
Jessica McCoy says
Not sure what happened, but the ingredients for Cherry Garcia Ice Cream are listed now. Enjoy!
Jenny says
Hi Jessica....really would love to make U.K. your version of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream. Unfortunately, there is no recipe attached to this blog!! Is it possible to reprint?? I would truly appreciate it!! Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jessica McCoy says
Not sure what happened, but it is back up now! Thanks.
Debbie says
I don't see where you cook the custard. This would mean ingesting raw eggs. Did I miss something?
Jessica McCoy says
Hi Debbie! Great point. We use pasteurized egg beaters to avoid any problems. I updated the recipe to include this alternative. I know some people are fine with raw eggs... personally, I agree with you and prefer pasteurized. Enjoy!