This Pistachio Pudding Homemade Ice Cream is the most delicious, decadent, silky, super-creamy ice cream ever. It's really easy to make (no eggs, no cooking). Plus, you can change it up and make different flavors!
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☘Happy St. Patrick's Day!☘ Since green is the color of the day today, I thought it would be a perfect time to share this wonderfully green and delicious Pistachio Pudding Homemade Ice Cream a.k.a. THE BEST ICE CREAM I HAVE EVER EATEN (yes, I'm shouting...it's that good!).
It's weird how I stumble upon recipes sometimes.
A few weeks ago, David and I were having some pistachio pudding (my favorite!) for a late-night snack when he said, "This would make really good ice cream. Do you think we could make vanilla ice cream and put the pudding mix in there?"
Holy crap. Best. Idea. Ever.
Just for the heck of it, I checked around to see if this had been done before. As it turns out, it had, and we aren't the geniuses we thought we were in that moment, but who cares? We just wanted some kick-a$$ ice cream.
So we gave it a shot and ended up with the most delicious, indulgent, creamy ice cream we've ever had, and it's really easy to make.
There's no eggs in this ice cream, so you don't have to cook it. Just mix everything together, chill it, put it in your ice cream maker, freeze it, and done!
I may never buy ice cream again!
Ingredients You Need
- Milk
- Heavy cream
- Sugar
- Instant pistachio pudding mix
- Almond extract
- Vanilla extract
Special Equipment Needed
- Ice cream maker (1-quart, 1½-quart or larger)
How to Make Pistachio Pudding Homemade Ice Cream
The most important thing you need to remember is that the bowl of your ice cream maker must be completely frozen before you begin, so plan ahead! I keep my bowl in the freezer at all times so that it's always in there and ready to make some ice cream.
The ice cream will be ready to take out of the ice cream machine when it is the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. In my experience of making ice cream, I've never been able to get it much firmer than that in the machine.
Now, you can certainly eat it at this point - it's totally up to you - but if you like a firmer ice cream, you'll need to freeze it for a few hours. It's really hard to wait, I know, but then you will have THIS to enjoy:
Oh, and if you want to add any mix-ins to your ice cream (such as chopped pistachios), add them only during the last few minutes of processing in the ice cream maker. You want to add them at the very end so they are just stirred in and don't get broken apart (and also so you don't jam up your machine).
If your machine is pretty full, you can stir them in by hand after you take the ice cream out of the machine.
But wait...there's more! You can absolutely change this up and make different ice cream flavors. Just change the pudding flavor you use, change up the extracts, maybe throw in some mix-ins. Experiment and have fun!
I've already done it with chocolate and butterscotch. Amazing! For those, I used 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and eliminated the almond extract. Coconut, cheesecake, and cookies and cream are next on my list to try.
I hope you try this Pistachio Pudding Homemade Ice Cream recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes to Try
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went! Please leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Pistachio Pudding Homemade Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 (3.4-ounce) package pistachio instant pudding
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- First things first: make sure the bowl of your ice cream maker is thoroughly frozen before beginning! You will need a 1-quart, 1½-quart or larger ice cream maker.
- Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl until well-combined.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours (longer is okay).
- Give the chilled mixture a quick stir. Then, following the instructions for your specific ice cream maker, pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and process until thick (in my machine, this takes about 15 to 20 minutes). It will be ready when it is the consistency of soft ice cream.
- For firmer ice cream, transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe bowl, cover, and put in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
Notes
- Be sure to use instant pudding mix as it will dissolve in the cold milk and cream. Pudding that has to be cooked will not dissolve, and the mixture will be lumpy.
- If you want to add in any mix-ins, add them to the machine during the last few minutes or stir them in by hand after you remove the ice cream from the machine.
- You can make different ice cream flavors with different pudding flavors, extracts, and mix-ins. Experiment and have fun!
Tim Moore says
I made this a few days ago, exactly as written. Taste is amazing. It did freeze up quite hard, and needed to be set out before scooping into bowls. I can't wait to explore this recipe with different instant puddings, as you recommend. Now that I know how delicious this tastes, I will make it again for a relative that cannot handle any add-ins in the ice cream.
Michelle says
Hi, Tim! So glad you enjoyed it! And yes, homemade ice cream does usually freeze up harder than store-bought ice cream.
Christine says
Do you think you could make this with sugar-free pudding mix? I love pistachio ice cream so I'm excited to try this!
Michelle says
Hi, Christine! Although I've never tried it myself, I do think you could make this with sugar-free pudding mix (use one 1-ounce package; everything else with the recipe would stay the same). If you do try it, please come back and let us know how it went!
Jane Destross says
Sooo delicious and easy! The third time I made this, I exchanged butterscotch pudding and used crushed butterfingers and it was also fabulous! Your recipe opened the door to so many flavors by just using a different flavor of pudding mix!!!!! Thank you so much!!!!
Michelle says
Thank you, Jane! So happy you like it and have been experimenting with different flavors. The butterscotch with butterfingers sounds incredible (definitely going to try that asap)!
Suzanne says
So easy, and a great summer treat. I used sugar free pistachio Jello, so I omitted the sugar. While churning I added a bit more chopped pistachios. Froze for a few hours and voila, a sugar free, keto friendly ice cream right at home.
Michelle says
Thanks for sharing how you adapted the recipe to make it keto-friendly, Suzanne!
Tish says
What ice cream machine would you recommend? I've been looking in to buying one specifically to make pistachio ice cream. I don’t like the texture of nuts in ice cream and figured if I made it myself then I could have it without the nuts. I could just sift them out of the pudding mix before making the recipe.
Michelle says
Hi there, Tish! To be honest, I haven't tested a bunch of ice cream makers, so it would be hard for me to make a specific recommendation (sorry!). I've been using the same 1-quart Krups La Glacière (model #337) machine for years. I love it, and it works great (but it's from the early '90s, and I'm not sure if that company even makes ice cream machines anymore). I would suggest getting a higher-quality machine, though.
Rita says
Made today for my 3yr old gbaby. I had to strain the pistachios out because she only likes smooth ice cream with no surprises. It is absolutely perfect. I improvised a little with the milk to use what I have on hand. Used 1c. 2% milk, 1c. 1/2&1/2, 1c. heavy cream. I questioned the almond extract for her, but it is not overpowering and really finishes out the flavor well. Will absolutely make again and again! Thank you!!
Michelle says
Hi, Rita! I'm so thrilled that you both enjoyed the ice cream, and I love that you went with using the milk/cream that you already had! Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe!
Jade Eaves says
I have had pistachio pudding mix in my cupboard for a while, and decided to give this a try. Wow! So good. I love soft, creamy ice cream and this certainly is that. Like some of your other reviewers, it now makes me want to try some other pudding mixes as well to try some different flavors. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Michelle says
Thank you for your rating and review, Jade! I'm so happy that you enjoyed the ice cream!