An easy homemade ice cream recipe bursting with sweet mint and loaded with Oreo cookie chunks. A creamy Mint Oreo Ice Cream perfect for summer!

Are you frustrated with your homemade ice cream recipes turning into blocks of crystallized ice? I’m sharing a tried and true homemade ice cream recipe that will freeze into a creamy, scoopable ice cream that tastes amazing. I’m taking my homemade vanilla ice cream recipe to a new level with this MINT OREO ice cream recipe.

Mint and oreo were meant for each other. This delicious flavor combo of mint and oreo make this homemade ice cream recipe the bomb. This Mint Oreo Ice Cream recipe comes out creamy and delicious every time if you follow my pro tip steps below. This homemade ice cream recipe has been tested and tweaked over a half dozen times to ensure optimal creaminess and premium ice cream qualities.

DO I NEED AN ICE CREAM MAKER TO MAKE HOMEMADE ICE CREAM?

In short, no, you don’t need an ice cream maker to make ice cream.

You can make homemade ice cream using many different methods including:

• Ice Cream Maker–a hand-cranked or electric machine that spins a canister packed in ice and salt. This is similar to the one I have (Nostalgia 4 Quart Ice Cream Maker).
• Bag Method–ice cream mixture is sealed in a bag then placed in a bigger bag with ice and salt. Shaken until firm. This method is fun with kids.
• Jar Method— similar to the bag method, place ice cream recipe in a jar then seal. Place the sealed jar in a larger bag with ice and salt. Shake until ice cream is firm.
• Frozen Ice Cream Bowl–mixers such as KitchenAid have an ice cream maker bowl attachment. The bowl is frozen then put in place of the regular mixing bowl. As the mixer mixes the homemade ice cream mixture, it freezes. No ice or salt required. Note though that the capacity of these is much less (usually only 2 quarts or a half gallon).

With that said, an ice cream maker makes it easier and faster to produce good, high-quality homemade ice cream than the other methods. They’re fairly inexpensive too. You can check out the ice cream maker I have here.

For this mint oreo ice cream recipe, I’d recommend making it in an ice cream maker or freezer mixing bowl due to the amount of ice cream this recipe makes. This method also helps the ice cream mixture to freeze quicker which is important and I’ll explain why below.

HOW DO I MAKE A CREAMY, LESS ICY MINT OREO HOMEMADE ICE CREAM?

There are a few things about this recipe that offers a creamy texture with fewer ice crystals. Homemade ice cream can form ice crystals if these steps aren’t taken.

To help produce a smooth creamy texture, this Mint Oreo Ice Cream recipe has eggs in it. Eggs proved color, flavor and lessen the formation of ice crystals (which are all very good things).

Another thing that helps proved a smooth creamy texture to this homemade ice cream is how fast you can freeze the mixture. Using an electric ice cream maker such as this one will help speed up the freezing process. The faster the ice cream freezes, the less time ice crystals have to form.

The last step you can take to ensure the best, most creamy homemade Mint Oreo Ice Cream–use a deep freezer during the last freezing step. If you have access to a deep freezer use it. If not, your regular freezer is fine but the faster you can freeze your Mint Oreo Ice Cream the fewer ice crystals it will form. A deep freezer typically maintains a colder temperature than a regular refrigerator freezer. A deep freezer can freeze your ice cream much quicker.

PRO TIP: To make a more smooth, creamy homemade ice cream use:

1. eggs,
2. an electric ice cream maker to churn and begin the freezing process,
3. a deep freezer to finish the freezing process and lessen the time for ice crystals to form (freezes the ice cream faster).

RAW EGGS IN HOMEMADE ICE CREAM RECIPE?

Most homemade ice cream recipes call for raw eggs. There’s no exception for this Mint Oreo Ice Cream and there’s a pretty solid reason why.

I know what you’re thinking… raw eggs though. We add eggs to homemade ice cream recipes because eggs offer color, flavor AND help ice crystals from forming (giving the ice cream a smoother more creamy texture). All of these things are good qualities to have in homemade ice cream. If you read the ingredients list on most premium ice creams in the store, they have eggs too.

As far as safe food practices there are a couple of things you should know about using eggs in ice cream. I suppose you could go with straight up, regular eggs from the store but you run the risk of salmonella or other food-borne Bactria. Not what we’re going for here. It’s recommended, when making homemade ice cream, to use a custard method or pasteurized eggs to ensure all bacteria are killed before freezing.

I find the easiest method for this homemade Mint Oreo Ice Cream is to find pasteurized eggs. These eggs have been treated with low heat to kill any bacteria and are safe to use in homemade ice cream without cooking or heating. They are a little more expensive than regular eggs but are a time-saving convenience when making this recipe.

If you don’t want to splurge or can’t find pasteurized eggs in your local grocery store, you can still make this recipe using the custard method (heat the milk and eggs to 160°F, cool then add the rest of the ingredients and freeze). This method takes longer but will still give you a delicious high-quality ice cream filled with mint and Oreos. I’ll leave a note on the recipe card if you choose to use the custard method when you make this Mint Oreo Ice Cream.

PRO TIP: For time-saving convenience, use pasteurized raw eggs to make this Mint Oreo Ice Cream recipe.

STORE-BOUGHT ICE CREAM VS HOMEMADE ICE CREAM–PRICE CHECK!

Making homemade ice cream is fun and inexpensive. Make a premium Mint Oreo homemade ice cream for cheaper than you can buy it in the store. Check out my price check where I break down how much it cost me to make this recipe.

Prices for supplies may vary depending on location and store you purchase groceries from.  I try to shop bulk food stores, use coupons, watch ads and shop sales (like case lot), buy supplies in bulk to save money in the long run and use homegrown produce and herbs when available. These are a great way to stay within my grocery budget without sacrificing flavor or nutrition.

Here’s my ingredients list and costs:

• Heavy whipping cream (Walmart had a quart on sale for this price) – $2.75
• Whole milk – $0.26
• Eggs – $0.48
• Sugar – $0.30
• Oreo cookies (cheaper if you go with a generic brand) – $2.00
• Mint flavoring – $0.63
• Salt – $0.01

This ice cream recipe makes about a gallon of homemade ice cream. The total cost for me to make this premium Mint Oreo Ice Cream at home was about $6.43. That’s about 64 ounces of premium ice cream made at home for less than $6.50. Compare that to the $4.12 per 16-ounce tub of premium ice cream from Walmart. if I were to buy this Mint Oreo Ice Cream at the store it would cost well over $16 for the same amount. WOW!

LOOKING FOR MORE FROZEN TREATS PERFECT FOR SUMMER? CHECK OUT THESE OTHER RECIPES:

• No-Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream
• Healthy Banana Ice Cream
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Popsicles
• Fresh Cherry Limeade Popsicles
• Easy Frozen Yogurt Bark

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF HOMEMADE ICE CREAM?

Here’s the full printable recipe. I hope you love this Mint Oreo Ice Cream as much as we do. It’s a perfect dessert for warm summer weather!

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