This easy homemade ice cream has a sweet and tangy rhubarb flavor with a creamy vanilla custard base. It’s perfect for warm days and doesn’t need any fancy tools—just cook, blend, churn, and freeze. If you love fruity desserts, this one’s a must-try.

Ingredients Needed:

Compote:

13 ounces chopped rhubarb, (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice, plus more, to taste

Custard:

2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or vanilla bean “caviar”

How To Make Rhubarb Ice Cream Recipe?

Cook the Rhubarb: add rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, and a splash of water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until the rhubarb is soft and thick. Don’t let it burn on the bottom.
Blend the Compote: let the mixture cool a bit, then blend until smooth. Chill in the fridge until cold.
Make the Custard: in a bowl, whisk egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, and milk until fully mixed. Heat the cream in a pan until it steams and tiny bubbles form around the edges.
Combine the Mixtures: slowly pour the hot cream into the egg mix, whisking the whole time. Pour everything back into the pan and cook on medium, stirring nonstop, until the custard starts to thicken. Don’t let it boil.
Cool and Add Vanilla: strain the custard through a sieve. Stir in the vanilla. Let it cool completely, then chill.
Mix and Churn: stir the cold rhubarb puree into the cold custard. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn following your machine’s directions. Scoop into a container and freeze until firm.

Recipe Tips:

Cook the rhubarb until thick, not watery: if the compote is too runny, the ice cream will freeze icy, not creamy. Make sure it’s soft and thick before blending.
Chill everything fully before churning: both the custard and rhubarb puree must be cold. This helps the ice cream churn better and gives it a smooth texture.
Don’t skip straining the custard: this removes any cooked egg bits and makes your ice cream base silky and lump-free.
Taste and adjust the rhubarb before mixing: some rhubarb can be more sour. Taste it after blending and add a little sugar or lemon if needed.
Don’t let the custard boil: if it gets too hot, the eggs can scramble. Keep the heat low and stir constantly until it thickens just a bit.

How To Store Leftovers?

Let the ice cream cool at room temperature, then place it in a sealed container. Freeze for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 343 kcal
Total Fat: 24 g
Saturated Fat: 15 g
Cholesterol: 140 mg
Sodium: 41 mg
Potassium: 251 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 28 g
Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Sugars: 27 g
Protein: 5 g

Try More Nigella Lawson Recipes:

Nigella Rhubarb Flapjacks Recipe
Nigella Coconut And Raspberry Cake Recipe

Nigella Rhubarb Ice Cream Recipe

Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

343

kcal

Ingredients

Compote:
13 ounces chopped rhubarb, (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice, plus more, to taste
Custard:
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or vanilla bean “caviar”

Directions

Cook the Rhubarb: add rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, and a splash of water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until the rhubarb is soft and thick. Don’t let it burn on the bottom.
Blend the Compote: let the mixture cool a bit, then blend until smooth. Chill in the fridge until cold.
Make the Custard: in a bowl, whisk egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, and milk until fully mixed. Heat the cream in a pan until it steams and tiny bubbles form around the edges.
Combine the Mixtures: slowly pour the hot cream into the egg mix, whisking the whole time. Pour everything back into the pan and cook on medium, stirring nonstop, until the custard starts to thicken. Don’t let it boil.
Cool and Add Vanilla: strain the custard through a sieve. Stir in the vanilla. Let it cool completely, then chill.
Mix and Churn: stir the cold rhubarb puree into the cold custard. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn following your machine’s directions. Scoop into a container and freeze until firm.

Notes

Cook the rhubarb until thick, not watery: if the compote is too runny, the ice cream will freeze icy, not creamy. Make sure it’s soft and thick before blending.
Chill everything fully before churning: both the custard and rhubarb puree must be cold. This helps the ice cream churn better and gives it a smooth texture.
Don’t skip straining the custard: this removes any cooked egg bits and makes your ice cream base silky and lump-free.
Taste and adjust the rhubarb before mixing: some rhubarb can be more sour. Taste it after blending and add a little sugar or lemon if needed.
Don’t let the custard boil: if it gets too hot, the eggs can scramble. Keep the heat low and stir constantly until it thickens just a bit.