Name: Lychee Ice Cream (Inspired by Jeni Britton’s Technique)
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 can (20 oz) lychees in syrup, drained and syrup reserved; 2/3 cup reserved lychee syrup (from can); 2 cups whole milk; 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp cornstarch; 1 1/4 cups heavy cream; 2/3 cup sugar; 2 tbsp light corn syrup; 1/4 tsp kosher salt; 3 tbsp cream cheese, softened (full-fat, block-style recommended); 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Lychee Ice Cream (Inspired by Jeni Britton’s Technique)

HeartyPotato7275

This lychee ice cream is inspired by Jeni Britton’s signature technique, which uses cream cheese and a cornstarch slurry for an ultra-smooth, scoopable texture without egg yolks. The result is a silky, fragrant ice cream that lets the delicate perfume of lychee shine. Sweet, floral, and lightly tangy, it’s the perfect treat for a warm California evening. Bonus: the recipe’s base is easily customizable for other fruits, making it a new favorite in your homemade ice cream rotation.

Ingredients

Instructions

Place a medium bowl in the freezer to chill for later. In a small bowl, whisk 2 tbsp of the milk with the cornstarch to make a smooth slurry; set aside.
In a blender, puree the drained lychee fruit until completely smooth. Measure out 1 cup of lychee puree for the ice cream base. (Reserve any extra for another use or swirl it in at the end.)
In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the remaining milk, heavy cream, sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 2/3 cup lychee syrup. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, boil for 4 minutes, stirring frequently (watch closely to avoid boil-over).
Remove from heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Return the pan to the heat and bring back to a boil; cook, stirring, until slightly thickened—about 1 minute.
Place the softened cream cheese in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture until smooth, then add the lychee puree and vanilla. Whisk to fully combine.
Set the bowl in the prepared ice bath or the freezer-chilled bowl. Let the base cool, stirring occasionally, until cold (about 30 minutes).
Once fully chilled, churn the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions (usually 20-25 minutes), until thick and creamy.
Transfer the ice cream to a storage container. Press a piece of parchment or wax paper directly onto the surface, seal, and freeze until firm (at least 4 hours, preferably overnight).
Scoop and serve! Garnish with fresh lychee, edible flowers, or a sprinkle of toasted coconut if desired.