Homemade Turkish Ice Cream - Maras Dondurma

5 from 1 vote

This homemade Turkish ice cream recipe, known as Maraş Dondurma, brings the authentic flavors of this popular street food right into your kitchen.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

cooling and freezing4

Total Time4 15

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Turkish

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Calories: 207kcal

In a mortar and pestle add 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the mastic, and crush them into a fine powder.
Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the rest of the sugar and stir until completely dissolved.
In a small bowl, mix salep powder with a bit of cold milk to form a smooth paste.
Slowly add salep mixture to the milk mixture, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
Add the mastic powder to the saucepan and continue stirring to ensure everything is well combined.
Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring continuously. This step is crucial as it helps develop the stretchy texture. You’ll notice the mixture thickening and becoming more elastic. This process can take around 25-30 minutes depending on the quality and pureness of the salep powder, so patience is key.
Once the mixture has thickened, remove it from the heat, place it in a container, and whisk it for 10 minutes with a hand blender until it cools down.
Place the container in the freezer. Every 30 minutes, take it out and stir vigorously with a whisk or a spoon. Scrape any ice crystals that form on the bowl. This helps in incorporating air and breaking down ice crystals, ensuring a smooth texture.
After about 3-4 hours, the ice cream will start to set and it will be harder to whisk. When your ice cream has a chewy gum texture, it means it is ready to consume.
Freeze for 3 hours and your ice cream is ready to serve! Leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving to make scooping easier.

Use goat's milk if you can find, or use full fat milk and cream mixture. Avoid usimg semi-skimmed or low fat milk.
Turn the mastic into a fine powder with a little sugar before adding it to the milk.
Use authentic good quality salep powder to get the authentic taste and texture of Maras dondurma.
The cooking and stretching processes are time-consuming but crucial for the stretchy texture.
Leave the ice cream at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving to make it easier to scoop.