How to Store Homemade Ice Cream

My freezer is packed with homemade ice cream all throughout the summer and yours should be, too! Homemade ice cream gives you the opportunity to really customize the flavors in your freezer and to take advantage of in-season summer fruits that pack in a lot more flavor than you’ll find in store-bought ice creams. If you’re going to make a couple of batches, however, you’re going to need to store it until you can eat it all up.

Homemade ice cream should be stored in freezer-safe, airtight containers. I prefer flat, rectangular containers because they encourage the ice cream to freeze quickly after churning and they make it easy to scoop. Ice cream also defrosts more evenly in a slightly shallower container, so you can get those scoops out quickly and put the ice cream back in the freezer. Ice crystals tend to form on the surface of ice cream after it has thawed. To discourage them from forming on your homemade ice cream, you can place a sheet of wax or parchment paper directly on the surface of the ice cream (plastic wrap can be used, but will often stick) and be sure to dry the lid of your container with a paper towel before replacing it so it doesn’t bring any moisture into the container.

You should also keep the ice cream in the bottom or back of your freezer so that it maintains its temperature. Products that are right on top, or stored in a freezer door (depending on your freezer design) can fluctuate by a few degrees as you open and close the door. It’s a small change, but the temperature difference could be enough to start some frost formation on your ice cream.

If you want a more traditional look than tupperware for your ice cream, you can actually buy pint-sized paper ice cream containers that are similar to what you will find packaged ice creams sold in at kitchen supply stores (Smart & Final is one that springs to mind that usually has them in stock). Such stores will sometimes have quart sized containers, as well. The only problem with these containers is that most home ice cream makers make a little over a quart, so you’re going to need a bigger container if you don’t want to have to eat some of that ice cream before storing it.