What to Buy Gift Guides Cookbooks The 13 Best Ice Cream Cookbooks for Delicious Frozen Desserts From decadent salted caramel to refreshing sorbet, these pastry chef-approved cookbooks have you covered. By Rochelle Bilow Rochelle Bilow Rochelle Bilow is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, and the former social media manager at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light magazines. She has also worked as a cook on a small farm in Central New York and a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. Her first book, a food and farming memoir titled The Call of the Farm, was published in 2014. Her second book, a romance novel set in Scotland, will be published in February 2023. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 18, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Food and Wine / David Hattan Although there is no shortage of ice cream recipes on the internet, the key to becoming a master of the art is a great ice cream cookbook. The best cookbooks in this category give you a solid ice cream base recipe and share secrets and tips for nailing the texture and consistency. From there, they expand into a technicolor world of flavor; sharing classic and modern ingredient combinations, creative mix-ins, and extra-fancy toppings ideas. We’ve evaluated all the ice cream cookbooks published in the last few decades to come up with a list of true classics, ideal for cooks of every skill level (and kitchen gadget budget). Some of our picks don’t even require an ice cream maker, or offer ideas for making store-bought ice cream taste homemade. No matter which of these cookbooks you choose, we’re betting you’re going to want to add a great ice cream scoop to your cart, too. Hello, My Name Is Ice Cream: The Art and Science of the Scoop Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Target Making ice cream that tastes as good as the scoop shop stuff is part science and part art. Pastry chef and owner of the Chicago-based ice cream shop Pretty Cool Dana Cree has it mastered. Her cookbook spares no detail about the process, so you can feel confident taking things a step further. It’s an industry favorite, too. Says Caroline Schiff, the pastry chef at Gage & Tollner, “Hello, My Name Is Ice Cream is a scientific but super manageable and understandable approach to all different kinds of ice creams, with various options for bases, stabilizers, mix-ins, etc. I would recommend this book to beginners and professionals alike because of how it's organized and broken down.” We especially like Cree’s guide to flavor pairing, which will speak to home cooks’ creative sides. Price at time of publish: $25 Full title: Hello, My Name Is Ice Cream: The Art and Science of the ScoopAuthor: Dana CreeEbook Available: YesPages: 240 Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home Amazon View On Amazon View On Barnesandnoble.com You may be most familiar with Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams from your grocery store freezer section (or Goldbelly’s delivery service), but this “has all the secrets” cookbook is not to be overlooked. Jeni herself learned to make ice cream with a $50 machine, so rest assured you can create frozen masterpieces no matter what your skill level or budget. Inside this book, you'll find 100 recipes to create delicious ice creams, yogurts, and sorbets in your own kitchen, including Jeni's famous Goat Cheese with Roasted Cherries. P.S.: Can’t get enough of Jeni’s? Check out the follow-up title, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts. Price at time of publish: $25 Full title: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at HomeAuthor: Jeni Britton BauerEbook Available: YesPages: 225 Big Gay Ice Cream: Saucy Stories & Frozen Treats: Going All the Way with Ice Cream Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Barnesandnoble.com Although Big Gay Ice Cream got its start as a “no bad vibes” food truck in New York City, it has since expanded with brick-and-mortar shops from coast to coast. The cookbook is divided into four sections, named after the four years of high school. Although you may go into it as a wide-eyed freshman, you’ll graduate as an all-knowing senior with recipes for some of BGIC’s best-loved treats. Oh, and FYI: You don’t need to have an ice cream machine to enjoy this book. There are plenty of recipes for doctoring up the store-bought stuff. Price at time of publish: $25 Full title: Big Gay Ice Cream: Saucy Stories & Frozen Treats: Going All the Way with Ice CreamAuthor: Bryan Petroff and Douglas QuintEbook Available: YesPages: 192 Gelupo Gelato: A Delectable Palette of Ice Cream Recipes Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Barnesandnoble.com Gelupo Gelato is a gelateria in London, and wow, is it good. Gelato, which is not *technically* ice cream, but is close enough to earn this cookbook a top spot in our list. Kenedy is the book’s author and founder of Gelupo’s brick-and-mortar location. He has nailed the fine art of frozen treat texture, and he’ll teach you how to do it in the book. There’s more: including recipes for granita, semifreddo, brioche buns, and cones. You could say that gelato is just the beginning. Price at time of publish: $18 Full title: Gelupo Gelato: A Delectable Palette of Ice Cream RecipesAuthor: Jacob KenedyEbook Available: YesPages: 256 Salt and Straw Ice Cream Cookbook Amazon View On Amazon View On Target View On Barnesandnoble.com This cookbook was published in 2019, and it rapidly became an indispensable title in the ice cream canon. Titled for the Portland, Oregon-based ice cream shop of the same name, the Salt & Straw cookbook happily shares the brand’s ice cream base recipe, and many of its most popular flavors. It’s up to you whether you try Roasted Strawberry and Toasted White Chocolate first, or you dive right into Buttered Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. Price at time of publish: $15 Full title: Salt & Straw Ice Cream CookbookAuthor: Tyler Malek and JJ GoodeEbook Available: YesPages: 240 Food52 Ice Cream and Friends: 60 Recipes and Riffs Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Food52 Food52 may now be one of our favorite places to shop for gorgeous home goods, but it got its origin as a community-sourced recipe website. As a result, the recipes in this book have global influence and feature way more than “just” basic ice cream. (Baked Alaska, anyone?) This is one of our favorite picks for all recipes frozen, sweet, and ice cream-adjacent. Price at time of publish: $13 Full title: Ice Cream & Friends: 60 Recipes and RiffsAuthor: Food52 editors, Amanda Hesser, and Merrill StubbsEbook Available: YesPages: 176 The Perfect Scoop, Revised and Updated: 200 Recipes for Ice Creams, Sorbets, Gelatos, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Target Bestselling cookbook author and one of the internet’s original food bloggers David Leibovitz is based in Paris, so you can bet his ice cream cookbook has an elevated, chic spin to it. But not only is his mastery of flavors divine (Labneh Ice Cream with Pistachio-Sesame Brittle!), he’s a meticulous recipe tester who we’ve relied on for years. You are in excellent hands with this cookbook. Price at time of publish: $20 Full title: The Perfect Scoop, Revised & Updated: 200 Recipes for Ice Creams, Sorbets, Gelatos, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments Author: David LeibovitzEbook Available: YesPages: 272 Mexican Ice Cream: Beloved Recipes and Stories Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Barnesandnoble.com This book is truly an adventure, whisking the reader (and cook!) to Mexican’s authentic heladerias. With regional specialties, like sorbet from Oaxaca, and flavor combinations with a strong sense of place, like avocado and chocolate, we’re voting for this cookbook “Most Likely to Inspire You to Purchase A Plane Ticket ASAP.” Price at time of publish: $22 Full title: Mexican Ice Cream: Beloved Recipes and StoriesAuthor: Fany GersonEbook Available: YesPages: 180 N’Ice Cream: 80+ Recipes for Healthy HomemadeVegan Ice Cream Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart If you’re avoiding dairy for any reason, this book is a must-buy. N’Ice Cream is an entirely vegan cookbook that makes clever use of plant-based ingredients (avocado, coconut milk) for frozen treats with a satisfyingly creamy texture and spot-on taste. And here’s a bonus: Although these ice creams taste authentic, you can make all of them without an ice cream machine. Price at time of publish: $25 Full title: N’Ice Cream: 80+ Recipes for Healthy HomemadeVegan Ice CreamAuthor: Virpi Mikkonen and Tuulia TalvioEbook Available: YesPages: 224 Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book Target View On Amazon View On Target View On Barnesandnoble.com Yep. It’s by that Ben and Jerry. The Vermont-based ice cream company is beloved worldwide, and this cookbook from “the early days” of Ben & Jerry’s (it was published in 1987) is the perfect gift for fans of the brand. While it may not provide as much of a deep dive into the science of making ice cream as some of the other titles in this collection, it will give you the keys — a.k.a. the recipes — to 11 of their most popular flavors. Price at time of publish: $12 Full title: Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert BookAuthor: Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield, and Nancy StevensEbook Available: YesPages: 128 Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones: 90 Recipes for Making Your Own Ice Cream and Frozen Treats from Bi-Rite Creamery Amazon View On Amazon View On Barnesandnoble.com If San Francisco’s Bi-Rite Creamery happens to be in your neighborhood, good for you (and also, do you need a roommate?). For the rest of us, there’s this cookbook, which serves up the shop’s best-loved flavors. This is a great cookbook for the locavore chef and ingredient-driven cook: Bi-Rite has long been a champion of locally-grown fruit and family farms. Price at time of publish: $25 Full title: Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones: 90 Recipes for Making Your Own Ice Cream and Frozen Treats from Bi-Rite CreameryAuthor: Kris Hoogerhyde, Anne Walker, and Dabney GoughEbook Available: YesPages: 224 Mochi Magic: 50 Traditional and Modern Recipes for the Japanese Treat Target View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Target Mochi, the Japanese dessert made with chewy rice dough, is often playful. Authored by Kaori Becker, a mochi shop owner and culinary instructor, this book leans into the whimsy while also providing a detailed and practical guide to mastering the craft. Among the 50 recipes included, you’ll find recipes both traditional (black sesame) and decidedly modern (Oreo). Price at time of publish: $17 Full title: Mochi Magic: 50 Traditional and Modern Recipes for the Japanese TreatAuthor: Kaori BeckerEbook Available: YesPages: 192 Coolhaus Ice Cream Book: Custom-Built Sandwiches with Crazy-Good Combos of Cookies, Ice Creams, Gelatos, and Sorbets Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart The book’s full title says it all: You’ll find everything you need for creating creamery-worthy sandwiches here. Coolhaus names all its creations after architects, so you can be sure your creations will be structurally sound. (As well as delicious; we’re talking Strawberry Gelato with Snickerdoodles!) Price at time of publish: $13 Full title: Coolhaus Ice Cream Book: Custom-Built Sandwiches with Crazy-Good Combos of Cookies, Ice Creams, Gelatos, and SorbetsAuthor: Natasha Case, Freya Estreller, and Kathleen SquiresEbook Available: YesPages: 240 Our Expertise Rochelle Bilow is a food writer and editor with over a decade of professional experience. Previously a senior associate editor and social media manager at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light magazines, Rochelle is also a novelist, a culinary school graduate, and a former professional baker and line cook. In researching this article, she considered titles from bestseller lists, popular ice cream brands, and international influence. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit