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Blue Moon ice cream is a mystery wrapped in an enigma and covered in blue food coloring.
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Why It Works
- Raspberry flavoring, lemon oil, and vanilla provide the base of flavor.
- Blue gel food coloring gives the ice cream its signature vivid blue color.
While researchingGrape-Nuts ice cream, I came across a host of other regional ice cream flavors I'd never heard of. The most intriguing among them was a magical blue ice cream calledBlue Moon.
Popular throughout the Midwest, Blue Moon was reputedly invented in Milwaukee in the 1950s. Nostalgic fans on Chowhound lovingly described it as having a"nuclear turquoise color"and tasting "kinda fruity, but not really." Blue Moon is not blueberry ice cream. It's not really any sort of recognizable fruit. Blue Moon purveyors tend to keep their recipe a closely guarded secret so speculation abounds as to what gives it that unique flavor. Some swear it's just almond extract while others say it's nutmeg. Growing up in New England, I never experienced real Blue Moon ice cream, but it sounded an awful lot like a cherished childhood indulgence: Smurf ice cream.
"I'll admit as a child I never really stopped to think about what might be in Smurf ice cream other than blueness, marshmallows, and love."
If you asked seven-year-old me what my favorite ice cream flavor was, I would have said without hesitation: Smurf. Yes, Smurf ice cream, a magical blue, marshmallow-studded concoction that's supposed to be some sort of cotton candy/bubble gum/blue raspberry flavor, but tastes like a sequin top hat-wearing unicorn tap dancing on a Ferris wheel—it's that magical. As a kid in Southern Connecticut, this enchanting flavor could only be found at Sweet Claude's in Cheshire. We didn't often get out to Cheshire, but you can be sure that when we did, I ordered Smurf ice cream. Every. Single. Time.
I'll admit as a child I never really stopped to think about what might be in Smurf ice cream other than blueness, marshmallows, and love. It's been years since I've had Smurf ice cream and I've never enjoyed a proper Blue Moon ice cream, but one bite of this homemade batch brought back a flood of memories of Smurfier days.
There's no consensus on what exactly the flavor is other than sweet and good, and I suspect different creameries throughout the Midwest have their own special formulas. On my hunt for a recipe to cook up a batch of Blue Moon ice cream at home, I discovered one on Food.com involving raspberry flavoring, lemon oil, and instant vanilla pudding that looked very promising and seemed to jive with what I remember Smurf ice cream, a marshmallow studded blue raspberryish concoction, tasted like. This is adapted from that recipe.
I used Boyajian's natural raspberry flavoring and lemon oil which you can find online or at a baking supply store. To get a vivid blue color, I recommend using gel food coloring which provides a more intense color.
A word of caution: My seven-year-old self also lived for Peeps and similar toothache-inducing sweets. Blue Moon ice cream and its Smurf counterpart are sweet, sweet, sweet and bright blue. If either of these things is a turnoff, you might leave this flavor to the kiddos and the young at heart. Anyone left standing grab a spoon and dig in!
July 2012
This recipe was cross-tested in 2023 and lightly updated to guarantee best results.
Recipe Details
Blue Moon Ice Cream Recipe
Prep25 mins
Cook15 mins
Active30 mins
Chilling Time6 hrs
Total6 hrs 40 mins
Serves6 servings
Ingredients
2 large egg yolks (1 ounce; 30g)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3.5 ounces; 100g), divided
2 cups (475ml) heavy cream
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon instantvanilla pudding mix (0.5 ounce; 12g)
1 teaspoon (5ml) raspberry flavoring
1 teaspoon (5ml) lemon oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Blue gel food coloring
Directions
In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg yolks with 1/4 cup of sugar and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together cream, milk, and remaining sugar. Whisking occasionally, heat mixture over medium-low heat until bubbles begin to form along the edges of the pan, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add heated cream mixture to the eggs one tablespoon at a time while whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
Once cream mixture and eggs have been combined, return to saucepan and heat on medium-low until the custard coats the back of a spoon or spatula and a line drawn with a finger leaves a distinct trail, 1 to 2 minutes. Mixture should register 170 to 175°F (77 to 79°C) on an instant-read thermometer; do not allow mixture to overheat.
Pour custard into a medium bowl and whisk in vanilla pudding mix until thoroughly incorporated. Whisk in raspberry flavoring, lemon oil, and vanilla extract until combined. Whisk in blue food coloring until desired color is reached.
Set bowl over an ice bath. Let cool at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, then cover and refrigerate for 2 more hours or up to overnight until completely chilled. Churn chilled custard according to your ice cream maker's instructions. Transfer ice cream into a bowl or container that will hold 1 quart. Cover and freeze for at least 3 hours to fully set. Serve.
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Special Equipment
Medium saucepan, whisk, instant-read thermometer, ice cream maker
Notes
This ice cream has a very strong, distinct flavor profile and this recipe has them on display in full force. If you’d prefer a more subtle tasting ice cream, feel free to dial back on the flavorings to taste.
Lemon oil is the essential oil derived from the lemon itself; often it has a more concentrated, clear- or pure-tasting flavor than its extract counterparts. Lemon extracts, meanwhile, are made by extracting the flavor of the ingredient into a liquid base, typically alcohol. For this recipe, you’ll want to use lemon oil; substituting extract may lead to off flavors.
It is very important to use high-quality flavorings for this ice cream to yield the best-tasting end product.
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| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 396 | Calories |
| 32g | Fat |
| 21g | Carbs |
| 6g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 396 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 32g | 41% |
| Saturated Fat 20g | 99% |
| Cholesterol 186mg | 62% |
| Sodium 68mg | 3% |
| Total Carbohydrate 21g | 8% |
| Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
| Total Sugars 21g | |
| Protein 6g | |
| Vitamin C 1mg | 5% |
| Calcium 112mg | 9% |
| Iron 0mg | 3% |
| Potassium 158mg | 3% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
