How to make cherry garcia ice cream

When you discover how easy it is to make at home, you’ll never go back to store-bought again. I put the recipe in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

What is in cherry Garcia ice cream?

This is what is in Cherry Garcia ice cream:

Dark chocolate
Bing cherries
Ice cream

I actually made my own ice cream out of sugar, heavy cream, and milk.

Where to buy bing cherries year-round

As you know this recipe contains bing cherries and dark chocolate. You might wonder where you can get bing cherries year-round. You can find them in the freezer section of the grocery store. I found mine at Kroger, I used their Private Selections brand and I found them to be of great quality.

The best type of chocolate to use

For the chocolate I always like to use Ghirardelli when I can, it is always available in the baking aisle of my store. I like to use bittersweet chocolate for this because the ice cream base is nice and sweet, and you don’t need to make it with a chocolate that is super sweet.

Folks always ask me about which ice cream maker I use, I use the Whynter ICM-15LS Ice Cream Maker, Stainless Steel, it is pricier than some models, but this one has the advantage of you not needing to place a bowl in the freezer for up to 48 hours before you want to make the ice cream. I have had about 5 years of use out of my machine, and I have to say I am a fan.

More homemade ice cream flavors to make

I hope you try making homemade ice cream at home. Let me know what flavor of ice cream you like the most. You can check out my other flavors of homemade ice cream available at CopyKat.com.

Cold Stone Creamery Cake Batter ice cream
Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Ice Cream
Ben and Jerry’s French Vanilla Ice Cream

Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

Here is how to make this ice cream flavor right at home.

1/4 cup dark chocolate (bitter or semi sweet) chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup Bing cherries fresh or frozen, pitted and coarsely chopped
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk

Place chocolate and chopped cherries into different bowls and place bowls in the freezer. You want to keep all the ingredients nice and cold.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk the eggs in until light and fluffy. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, Add heavy cream and milk and whisk to blend thoroughly.
Transfer the mixture to the ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.
After the ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it is done), add the chocolate and cherries, then continue freezing until the ice cream is ready.

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

Reader Interactions

What does Cherry Garcia ice cream have in it?

Cherry Garcia® CREAM, SKIM MILK, LIQUID SUGAR (SUGAR, WATER), WATER, CHERRIES, SUGAR, EGG YOLKS, COCONUT OIL, COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONCENTRATES (COLOR), COCOA POWDER, GUAR GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, CARRAGEENAN, MILK FAT, SOY LECITHIN.

What kind of cherries are used in Cherry Garcia ice cream?

Friend of the Cordial Eventually we got it just right: whole Bing cherries and small chocolate chunks in vanilla ice cream. (Today we use cherry ice cream rather than vanilla.)

What makes Cherry Garcia?

Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream is packed with grated chocolate and fresh cherries! Perfect for all the chocolate and cherry lovers, especially during the dog days of summer!

Why is Cherry Garcia ice cream so good?

The flavor combination in Cherry Garcia is unlike anything else, and that's what makes it so good. Don't be afraid of the cherry flavor, it's got a sweet tang that's a lot more low-key than your least favorite cough syrup.

make cherry garcia ice cream