Pawpaw Ice Cream
🍨 Pawpaw Ice Cream: Creamy, Custard-Rich & Made from Native Fruit
There’s something magical about the pawpaw — a fruit that tastes like the tropics but grows wild in Midwestern woods. This pawpaw ice cream captures that magic in a creamy, custard-style dessert you won’t find in stores. With flavor notes reminiscent of banana, mango, and vanilla pudding, it churns into a silky-smooth scoop that feels like a homemade treasure.
Fun fact: The American pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is North America’s largest native fruit, and it’s part of the custard apple family, which includes tropical relatives like cherimoya and soursop. Despite its lush, exotic flavor, it’s often found growing wild along riverbanks and forest edges — especially in the Midwest and Southeast.
At Dee’s Nutz and Berries in Brodhead, WI, we’ve planted over 1,300 pawpaw trees, with our first harvest expected in 2028. When we open to the public, we’ll offer seasonal events, orchard walks, and tastings — including creamy treats like this. Check our event page for upcoming happenings and join our newsletter below for recipe updates and U-pick alerts.
If you want to dive deeper into pawpaw history and growing tips, we recommend The Fruit Nut’s American Pawpaw Guide — an approachable, well-researched overview by a grower and educator.
Pawpaw Ice Cream
🍽️ Ingredients for Pawpaw Ice Cream
- 1 cup fully ripe pawpaw pulp (strained and chilled)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Optional: ¼ tsp cinnamon or nutmeg (for warmth)
🥄 Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, cream, and half the sugar. Warm over medium heat until just steaming.
- In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with the remaining sugar until pale.
- Slowly temper the egg mixture by adding a bit of the warm milk, whisking constantly.
- Pour tempered yolks into the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon (around 170°F).
- Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and salt. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Fold in chilled pawpaw pulp and blend until smooth.
- Chill mixture for 4–6 hours or overnight.
- Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions.
- Transfer to a container and freeze until firm (at least 4 hours). Serve and enjoy!
🍁 From the Orchard Tip
- Use only fully ripe pawpaws for ice cream — they should be soft, sweet, and custardy.
- This base is rich and naturally sweet, so no extra fruit is needed, but a swirl of pawpaw pulp at the end makes a beautiful visual touch.
- Don’t have an ice cream maker? Pour into a loaf pan and stir every 30–45 minutes as it freezes to reduce iciness.
More to Savor from the Orchard
- Education & Research
- Harvest & Farm Life
- Preserving & Storage
- Recipes
- Sustainable Farm Living
- Wellness & Herbal Remedies
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