Victorian Cucumber Mint Ice Cream In Ninja Creami

This Victorian Cucumber Mint Ice Cream is a light cucumber ice cream made with homemade cucumber syrup, fresh mint, cream cheese, and 18% cream. The finished ice cream has a subtle cucumber flavor, a fresh mint note, and a smooth texture that works especially well as a summer dessert.

While this isn’t a direct recreation of an original recipe from the Victorian era, it was inspired by historical cucumber ice cream references and adapted for the Ninja Creami. Rather than recreating a traditional custard base, this version adapts the idea for the Ninja Creami using only a handful of ingredients.

Because the cucumber is cooked into a syrup and strained before use, the finished cucumber ice cream tastes lighter than many cucumber-based desserts. The flavor is delicate rather than vegetal, with the mint and cream cheese blending into the background.

I especially like serving this cucumber ice cream after heavier summer meals. It is less sweet than many ice cream flavors and has a fresh finish that feels refreshing on a hot day. This Victorian Cucumber Mint Ice Cream was inspired by a food history book my daughter was reading. Victorian cooks were known for experimenting with unusual frozen desserts, including cucumber-based ice creams, making this a fun historical idea to adapt for the Ninja Creami. 

Unlike many cucumber ice cream recipes that blend cucumber directly into the base, this version uses a strained cucumber syrup for a lighter flavor and smoother texture.

If you enjoy making frozen desserts at home, you might also enjoy my Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream With Ninja Creami, Blue Raspberry Ninja Creami Ice Cream, or Maple Walnut Ice Cream With Maple Sugar.

Quick Answer

Victorian Cucumber Mint Ice Cream is a cucumber ice cream made from mint-infused cucumber syrup, cream cheese, and cream. The result is a smooth, lightly sweet ice cream with gentle cucumber and mint flavors.

This recipe started as a family brainstorming project after my daughter came across references to Victorian food while reading A History of English Food by Clarissa Dickson Wright. That sent me down a rabbit hole researching historical cucumber ice cream recipes, including those associated with Agnes Bertha Marshall, the Victorian “Queen of Ices.” Rather than recreating a traditional Victorian recipe exactly, I adapted the idea into a simple Ninja Creami version using cucumber syrup, mint, cream cheese, and cream.

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Why You’ll Love This Victorian Cucumber Mint Ice Cream

Light Flavor Profile: This cucumber ice cream stays delicate and refreshing instead of becoming heavy or overly rich. Similar to my Taro Blackberry Ice Cream, it relies on subtle flavors working together rather than one strong flavor dominating the entire pint.

Less Sweet: The cucumber syrup provides sweetness without producing an intensely sugary dessert.

Small Ingredient List: Only a few ingredients are needed to make the ice cream base.

Great Summer Dessert: The cucumber and mint combination works particularly well during warm weather. 

How To Make Victorian Cucumber Mint Ice Cream

Peel the two English cucumbers and cut them into pieces. Add them to a saucepan with ½ cup sugar and 1 cup water.

Cook the mixture over medium-high heat until the cucumber softens and the liquid reduces into a light syrup. The finished consistency should resemble the light syrup found in canned fruit cocktail rather than a thick jam syrup.

Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the cucumber mixture through it. Press gently on the cooked cucumber to extract the syrup. Discard the remaining cucumber solids.

Allow the syrup to cool completely. Add fresh mint leaves to the syrup and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days to infuse.

When ready to make the ice cream, measure 135 mL of cucumber syrup. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds until it becomes easier to blend.

Combine the cream cheese and cucumber syrup. Use an immersion blender or drink blender to blend until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are not a problem and will blend into the finished ice cream.

Add the 18% cream and stir until fully combined.

Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container. If needed, add a small amount of 3.25% milk to reach the maximum fill line.

Freeze the pint on a level surface for at least 24 hours.

Before spinning, check the surface of the frozen pint. If a bump has formed during freezing, scrape it flat.

Add 7 to 8 mint leaves that were previously steeped in the syrup. These soft leaves blend easily into the ice cream and create small flecks of mint throughout the finished dessert.

Run the pint on the Ice Cream setting.

Serve immediately for a soft texture or freeze briefly for a firmer scoop.

Ingredients: 

This cucumber ice cream uses a simple cucumber syrup base, cream cheese, and cream to create a light frozen dessert with subtle cucumber and mint flavor.

English cucumbers: Two English cucumbers are cooked with sugar and water to create the cucumber syrup that gives this recipe its signature flavor. The solids are strained out after cooking, leaving behind a smooth syrup without any pulp. 

Granulated sugar: Sugar sweetens the cucumber syrup and helps pull flavor from the cucumber as it cooks down into a light syrup consistency.

Water: One cup of water helps the cucumbers cook down and release their flavor while reducing into a light syrup.

Fresh mint leaves: The mint steeps in the cooled cucumber syrup for several days, allowing the flavor to infuse throughout the syrup. Additional steeped mint leaves are blended into the finished ice cream for small flecks of color and flavor.

Cream cheese: The cream cheese adds body and contributes to the smooth texture of the finished cucumber ice cream without overwhelming the cucumber and mint flavors.

18% cream: The cream creates a rich but still light ice cream base that lets the cucumber syrup remain the main flavor.

3.25% milk (optional): If needed, a small amount of milk can be added to bring the base up to the Ninja Creami max fill line.

Substitutions and Add-Ins for Victorian Cucumber Mint Ice Cream

This cucumber ice cream is fairly simple, and most of the ingredients play an important role in the finished flavor and texture.

English cucumber: English cucumbers are my preferred choice because they have fewer seeds and a clean, mild flavor. Persian cucumbers can also be used. Regular field cucumbers will work, but they may produce a slightly different flavor and can contain more seeds and moisture.

Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar works best for creating the cucumber syrup. I would not substitute liquid sweeteners, as they can change both the flavor and consistency of the syrup.

Water: One cup of water helps the cucumbers release their flavor while reducing into a light syrup. Since water is part of the syrup-making process, there is no practical substitute needed here.

Fresh mint leaves: You can adjust the amount of mint to suit your taste. Use fewer leaves for a milder mint flavor or up to 10 steeped mint leaves in the finished ice cream if you prefer a stronger mint presence.

Cream cheese: Brick cream cheese works best in this recipe. I would not substitute whipped cream cheese because it contains more air and can affect the texture of the finished cucumber ice cream.

18% cream: This recipe was developed using 18% cream, which produces a light ice cream that allows the cucumber and mint flavors to remain noticeable. Higher-fat cream, such as heavy cream, can be used for a richer result. Lower-fat dairy products may produce a less creamy texture and can affect how the ice cream spins in the Ninja Creami.

3.25% milk (optional): If your base falls slightly below the max fill line, a small amount of milk can be added. This won’t noticeably change the flavor of the finished ice cream.

Add-In Ideas: This cucumber ice cream is intentionally light and delicate, so I generally don’t recommend adding mix-ins. Most additions will overpower the cucumber and mint flavors.

Extra steeped mint leaves: The one add-in I do recommend is additional steeped mint leaves after spinning if you want a stronger mint flavor and more flecks of mint throughout the ice cream. Up to 10 leaves worked well without becoming overwhelming.

Green food coloring: A drop or two can be added if you’d like a greener appearance. The cucumber syrup naturally freezes into an off-white ice cream with flecks of mint rather than a green color.

Expert Tips, Serving and Storing Suggestions

Tip #1: Strain for the smoothest texture. After cooking the cucumber mixture, strain out all of the cucumber solids before using the syrup. The syrup carries plenty of cucumber flavor on its own and helps keep the finished cucumber ice cream smooth and free of pulp.

Tip #2: Soften the cream cheese first. Microwave the cream cheese for 20 to 30 seconds before blending. This helps it combine more easily with the cucumber syrup and reduces the chance of small lumps in the ice cream base.

Tip #3: Start conservatively with mint. Steeping the mint in the syrup for several days creates a deeper flavor than simply blending fresh mint into the ice cream base. Start with 7 to 8 steeped mint leaves after spinning and only add more if you prefer a stronger mint flavor.

Tip #4: Check the pint before spinning. Some freezers create a raised bump in the center of Ninja Creami pints. If this happens, scrape the surface flat before processing to help the machine spin the cucumber ice cream evenly.

This cucumber ice cream is best served immediately after spinning when the texture is soft, light, and airy. Because the cucumber, mint, and cream cheese flavors are all fairly delicate, it works particularly well after grilled meals, barbecue dinners, or other heavier summer foods when you’re looking for a refreshing finish.

For a Victorian-inspired presentation, serve the ice cream in small dessert dishes garnished with a few fresh mint leaves. Since the finished ice cream is naturally off-white with small flecks of mint, the green garnish helps highlight the flavors inside.

Store leftover cucumber ice cream in the Ninja Creami pint container with the lid securely attached.

Before returning the pint to the freezer, use the back of a spoon to smooth and level the remaining ice cream. Starting with a flat surface makes it easier to process the pint the next time and helps prevent uneven spinning.

Freeze the pint upright on a level surface whenever possible.

If the cucumber ice cream becomes very firm after extended freezer storage, process it again using the Ninja Creami Re-Spin function until it reaches your preferred consistency.