A rich creamy goat cheese and mascarpone enhanced vanilla ice cream with notes of lemon citrus and chunks of freshly roasted sweet dark red cherries.

This homemade frozen treat does not have an over powering goat cheese flavor, but just enough to tickle the palate. Trust me this is one cheesecake inspired ice cream you will want extra scoops of!
Ingredients for Cheesecake Ice Cream
Fresh Dark Red Cherries
It's stone fruit season in late July and fresh dark red cherries are perfect for roasting and folding into ice cream. No extra seasoning required, just remove the pits, slice them in half and roast on a baking sheet to release their amazing juices. Let the cherries cool before folding into your ice cream.
Fresh Chevre Goat Cheese
Chevre is french for 'goat' and used as a term to describe any cheese made from goat's milk. With a tangy and tart flavor, goat cheese softens when heated and melts nicely into the ice cream base.
When you choose goat cheese for this cherry ice cream recipe, make sure to grab plain fresh Chevre. It is only aged for a few days, resulting in a milder flavor. It has a soft spreadable consistency and is usually packaged in the shape of a log.
Mascarpone
Mascarpone adds a richness to the ice cream with a milk sweetness and buttery flavor. I chose to use Italian mascarpone instead of American cream cheese to create the familiar cheesecake taste. The velvety texture of mascarpone really creates an amazing extra creamy ice cream.
Milk and Heavy Cream
Full fat milk and heavy cream are the base to make this delicious cherry cheesecake ice cream. The higher the fat content, the smaller the ice crystals will be. Using this combo creates a familiar ice cream texture instead of an icy sorbet.

Tips for Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Use ripe dark red sweet cherries.
- Remove stems and pits, then cut cherries in half. Place them on a parchment lined baking tray and roast. Let roasted cherries cool before slicing the halves in half, for quartered cherry pieces. Fold these quarters into the ice cream before the final freeze.
- Use a thermometer to accurately read 170 F (76 C) when heating you ice cream base. This will help you prevent over cooking of the eggs.
- Allow goat cheese and mascarpone to come to room temperature before mixing into the ice cream base.
- I prefer to strain any ice cream base using eggs before the first chill. Do this before mixing in the goat cheese and mascarpone if you decide to strain.
- Vanilla bean paste can be swapped equally for pure vanilla extract.
- To speed up the chilling process of the ice cream base, pour it into a large sealable plastic bag and place the bag in an ice water bath made with a large bowl.
- Or, simply pour it into a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 3-4 hours until cold.
- Once the base is cool, proceed with pouring it into the ice cream maker.


Roasted Cherry Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 large egg yolks
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 4 ounces chevre plain goat cheese, room temperature
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 2 cups dark sweet red cherries, roasted and quartered
Instructions
Prep Cherries
- Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C) line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove pits and stems from cherries. Place halved cherries on baking sheet and roast for 10-12 minutes until soft and juicy. Place pan on wire rack and let cherries cool completely.
- Place cooled cherries in an air tight container in the fridge until ready to use.
Prep Ice Cream
- Stir together goat cheese and mascarpone in a large bowl and set aside.
- Stir together milk and heavy cream in a large saucepan on medium high heat.
- Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
Cook
- Once the milk mixture is simmering, slowly pour 1 cup of the hot mixture into the yolks, while whisking constantly. Then, pour this tempered egg mixture into the large saucepan with remaining milk and heavy cream.
- Reduce stovetop temperature to medium low and continue to cook ice cream base until it reaches 170 F (76 C) with an instant read thermometer. This make take 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Pour the ice cream base through a strainer into the large bowl containing the goat cheese and mascarpone. Continue to whisk until smooth, adding in the lemon zest.
Chill
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold 3-4 hours.
Churn and Freeze
- Pour the chilled ice cream base into the frozen canister for the ice cream maker. Churn according to the ice cream maker factory instructions.
- Once thickened, transfer ice cream to desired storage container. As you scoop the ice cream, sprinkle in the roasted cherries, alternating between layers of ice cream and cherries. Make sure to use a rubber spatula to pack the ice cream into the container, but do not stir.
- Seal container with an air tight lid or plastic wrap. Place container in the freezer until ice cream is firm, this may take up to 4 hours. Scoop and serve!
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