This ice cream is perfect this time of year when fresh figs are plentiful. If you have some fresh ripe figs, make roasted fig ice cream with goat cheese. It’s such a perfect seasonal treat with wonderful rich flavors of fig and tangy goat cheese. Give this homeamade ice cream recipe a try if you’re obsessed with figs like we are!

Roasted Fig and Goat Cheese Ice Cream from WhiteOnRiceCouple.com

Roasted Fig Ice Cream Recipe with Goat Cheese

Before we ever get off a plane to a new city, we’re researching some of the best places to eat. Our love of food extends to every corner of the city. Some would call it an obsession, but it’s simply a fun way to devour each city’s unique food culture, specialties and dishes. The search for great handmade ice cream continues and so far, each city we’ve visited has a great representation of a sweet scoop.

Is it even possible to have ice cream overload? Apparently not for us. Well, at least not yet.

Some of our favorite trips had us venturing to Amy’s Ice Cream in Austin, Three Twins Ice Cream in Point Reyes, Lappert’s Ice Cream in Palm Springs and our latest treasure find was The Penny Ice Cream Company in Santa Cruz. If you ever venture to this coastal town of Santa Cruz, please promise us you’ll stop by The Penny Ice Cream Company. The burnt salted caramel is to die for! And putting up with the intense dessert heat of Palm Springs is worth all the sun burns if you venture to Lappert’s Ice Cream. The soft, pillow-ly texture of Lappert’s is incredible.

Video: Making Roasted Fig and Goat Cheese Ice Cream

Roasted Fig and Goat Cheese Ice Cream in a bowl

Homemade Fig Ice Cream is So Good

When we’re not on the road and hunting for the city’s ice cream, we’re whipping up different batches at home. It doesn’t take much to make a batch of homemade ice cream. A little patience, some thought, fresh ingredients and sweet fruit is all it takes to enjoy a truly fresh and homemade scoop of sweet joy.

Over the last month we’ve been indulging in super sweet black mission figs, thus the inspiration for this Roasted Fig Ice Cream. The sugar content and flavor on these little beauties is hard to resist when it comes to making ice cream. Coupled with some leftover goat cheese in our fridge, the timing was perfect to whip up a batch of ice cream.

Roasted Fig and Goat Cheese Ice Cream from WhiteOnRiceCouple.com

Roasting Figs for Ice Cream

Slow roasting figs in the oven bring out the flavors and sweetness of this wonderful fruit. Adding the creamy tang of goat cheese to this magical fig compote mixture makes a wonderfully fresh and elegant ice cream. Even beyond the sound of it’s elevated status, this ice cream is incredibly satisfying. Go make yourself of batch of this Roasted Fig Ice Cream or whatever it is that your heart desires. Why? because Summer is still alive in our part of the world.

Roasted Fig and Goat Cheese Ice Cream

The goat cheese ice cream isn’t overly tangy, think more cheesecake tang. And it is super smooth. The roasted fig compote streaked through the ice cream is a perfect creamy pairing.
Makes about 1 quart
5 from 9 votes

Ingredients

Goat Cheese Ice Cream

  • 8 ounces (225 g) fresh goat cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) milk
  • 2/3 cup (135 g) sugar
  • 10 egg yolks
  • pinch kosher salt or sea salt
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) bourbon (optional – but it does make the ice cream a bit softer and tastier) – you can also use vanilla extract

Roasted Fig Puree

  • 1/2 pound (225 g) ripe figs
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) balsamic vinegar , divided
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 g) brown sugar , or to taste (depends on how ripe & sweet your figs are)

Instructions 

Make Custard

  • Crumble the goat cheese into a large bowl. Set aside.
    Goat cheese in a bowl
  • Heat the cream, milk, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until it reaches a bare simmer.
    Cream mixture almost simmering
  • While the cream heats, in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. After the cream is heated, gradually whisk some of the cream into the egg yolks.
    whisking eggs
  • Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to cooking over medium heat. Stirring constantly and scraping the bottom as you stir, heat the custard until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spatula, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt and optional bourbon to taste and remove from the heat.
    coating back of spoon
  • Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the custard over the bowl of crumbled goat cheese. Gently whisk the goat cheese into the custard until it is smooth. Cool the custard for 15 minutes over an ice bath, stirring frequently. Place everything in the fridge to finish chilling completely, at least 3 hours.
    straining ice cream curd

While the custard cools, make the roasted fig puree (this can also be done ahead of time)

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C.
    Preheat oven
  • Slice the tough stems off of the figs then slice the figs into quarters. Place the figs in a baking dish and toss with one Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Cover the baking dish with foil and roast for 15-20 minutes or until the figs are soft.
    cutting fresh figs
  • When cool enough to handle, puree the figs in a food processor or blender with the remaining balsamic vinegar (feel free to add more balsamic to taste). Put puree in a bowl and place in fridge to cool until ready to mix into ice cream.
    blending the fig puree for ice cream

Churning

  • Begin freezing a container to put finished ice cream in.
    frozen container
  • Churn ice cream custard in your ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions.
    churning ice cream
  • Scoop about half of ice cream into prepared frozen container. Spoon a couple heavy lines of fig puree over the ice cream. Layer in the second half of the ice cream. Spoon another couple heavy lines of fig puree over the ice cream. Cut through the lines of fig puree with a spatula or spoon to spread the streaks of fig puree through the churned ice cream.
    swirling fig puree in ice cream
  • Server or freeze until ready to serve.
    frozen ice cream

Video

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 288kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 215mg, Sodium: 102mg, Potassium: 132mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 925IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 108mg, Iron: 1mg

Originally published in 2013 and updated last in 2023.