Ingredient for homemade ice cream
With the right ingredients for homemade ice cream, you can make creamy ice cream and fruity sorbets at home, with or without an ice cream maker. This category covers everything from ready-to-use ice cream mixes, glucose syrup, dextrose and stabilisers to fruit purées, flavourings, nut pastes and crunchy mix-ins. Whether you are making vanilla ice cream for the first time or developing your own flavours for your café, these ingredients help you achieve ice cream that is smooth, full of flavour and easy to scoop.
The basics: mixes, sugars and stabiliser
For the easiest route, choose an ice cream mix: the mix for homemade ice cream or sorbet and the vanilla and chocolate ice cream powder mixes are simply stirred into milk and cream, or water, then churned or frozen. If you prefer to make your ice cream from scratch, Ice cream mixes & stabilisers has the classic ingredients used by ice cream makers:
- Glucose syrup (e.g. 375 g or 1 kg), dried glucose and dextrose prevent large ice crystals and create a fine texture.
- Invert sugar and sorbitol keep ice cream and sorbet softer and easier to scoop.
- An ice cream stabiliser such as the binding agent for ice cream and sorbet, locust bean gum or xanthan gum binds water, makes the mixture creamier and slows down melting.
- Whole milk powder and egg yolk powder increase the solids content and add richness.
Flavour: aromas, fruit, nuts and mix-ins
Flavourings, purées and pastes give each ice cream its character. In Ice cream flavourings you will find liquid flavourings such as vanilla, strawberry, raspberry or pistachio. For chocolate ice cream, melt couverture such as Callebaut white or milk chocolate into the warm base. For sorbets and fruit ice creams, the 500 g fruit purées in raspberry, passion fruit or mango from Fruit purées for ice cream & sorbet are ideal. Nutty flavours are easy with pistachio paste, hazelnut cream, gianduja or praline paste from Nut pastes & creams for ice cream. Finally, mix-ins add crunch: crêpe dentelle pieces, caramelised hazelnuts, brittle, cocoa nibs, mini meringues, marshmallows or chocolate shavings are in Mix-ins & toppings for ice cream.
Frequently asked questions about ingredients for homemade ice cream
Why does my homemade ice cream go hard?
It usually lacks sugars such as glucose or dextrose and a stabiliser. They bind water, prevent large ice crystals and keep the ice cream scoopable even after freezing.
Do I need an ice cream maker?
For the creamiest texture, yes. Without one, stir the mixture vigorously in the freezer roughly every 30 minutes until it sets.
What is the difference between ice cream and sorbet?
Ice cream is made with milk, cream and often egg yolk; sorbet with fruit purée, water and sugar.
See also: Ice cream moulds · Mini ice cream moulds · Toppings
Ice cream ingredients by type
Ice cream mixes & stabilisers · Ice cream flavourings · Fruit purées for ice cream & sorbet · Nut pastes & creams for ice cream · Mix-ins & toppings for ice cream




































































