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Homemade ice cream is the BEST, and when it’s No Churn Ice Cream it’s even better. I’ve been making this easy homemade Ice Cream for YEARS and it always turns out perfect – and delicious. Skip the machine and make this 3ingredient ice cream yourself – plus learn how to make ANY flavor you want.
Ice cream is one of those things that I absolutely love, especially in summer. My daughter and husband are huge ice cream lovers so we always have some in the freezer.
I have an ice cream machine but I really don’t like using it because I always forget to freeze the insert. That thing has to freeze for 12 hours before I can make ice cream and by then I’ve gone to the store and boughten some. PLUS – in summer when it’s hot my ice cream never churns properly.
That’s why, once I discovered easy ice cream I never went back to making it with a machine. No churn ice cream is the BEST and it’s easy to make any flavor you want. Today I’m going to teach you how to make the basic ice cream, plus how to make tons of different flavors all with just a few extra ingredients.
3 easy ingredients
- Heavy whipping cream is important because the first thing you do to make this ice cream is make whipped cream.
- Sweetened condensed milk is sold in a can in the baking aisle. Sweetened condensed milk is milk that’s been cooked down with sugar so it’s thick and sweet. Don’t confuse it with evaporated milk; they’re two different things.
- Vanilla Extract or any extract flavor
How to make different flavors of No Churn Ice Cream
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Make low-fat ice cream
I also make this ice cream low-fat often. To make the ice cream low-fat you just need to make a few substitutions:
- Use fat-free sweetened condensed milk
- Instead of using heavy whipping cream, use 2 (8-ounce) containers of low-fat or fat-free Cool Whip (thawed). The ice cream will be a little creamier with a slightly different texture but still taste great.
Easy No Churn Ice Cream Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Beat heavy whipping cream with a mixer until stiff peaks form (you’re making whipped cream).
- Pour in sweetened condensed milk and extract and fold to combine (don’t mix, fold). Make sure that the sweetened condensed milk is completely folded into the whipped cream.
- Place ice cream mixture into a large bowl or container. Cover tightly with lid or plastic wrap and freeze until set, at least 3-4 hours. (I like to freeze mine in a 9×5-inch loaf pan.)
- Make flavors as listed below.
Notes
Flavors to try:
- Chocolate Ice Cream: melt 3 ounces of baking chocolate and let it cool, then stir it into the sweetened condensed milk before adding to the whipped cream.
- Peanut Butter Ice Cream: add 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter to the sweetened condensed milk and mix until smooth, then add to the whipped cream.
- Cheesecake Ice Cream: mix 8 ounces softened cream cheese into the sweetened condensed milk, then add to the whipped cream.
- Flavor Ice Cream with Pudding Mix: add 4 tablespoons instant pudding mix to the sweetened condensed milk, then add to the whipped cream.
- You can add ANY flavor extract in place of the vanilla. Most of the time you can substitute 1 teaspoon except in the case of almond extract and peppermint (use 1/2 teaspoon).
- Add up to 2 cups of any mix ins to the ice cream to make new flavors (i.e. Oreos or candy)
- Low-Fat Ice Cream: Use fat-free sweetened condensed milk. Instead of using heavy whipping cream, use 2 (8-ounce) containers of low-fat or fat-free Cool Whip (thawed). The ice cream will be a little creamier with a slightly different texture but still taste great.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How to make easy ice cream
The magic of the ice cream is in how you put together the ingredients.
- Make the Whipped Cream by beating the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
- Then just fold in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Don’t use your mixer – you don’t want to break the whipped cream.
- Freeze your ice cream in an airtight container. You can also put it in a loaf pan and cover well with plastic wrap. Freeze until set, at least 3-4 hours.
- It’s so easy to make this homemade ice cream with condensed milk – and it’s delicious too. Now – time to make different flavors!
FAQs
It depends on the container you’re freezing in. In a loaf pan size container it will take about 4 hours. If you’re using a bowl it might take longer.
No, evaporated milk cannot be swapped for sweetened condensed milk in this recipe. Sweetened condensed milk has a high sugar content and reduced water volume, which is what prevents the ice cream from freezing into a solid block of ice. Evaporated milk has too much water and no sugar, which would result in a very icy, hard texture.
Iciness is usually caused by large ice crystals forming. This happens if the heavy cream wasn’t whipped to “stiff peaks” (missing the air needed for creaminess) or if the ice cream was stored in a container that wasn’t airtight. To prevent this, ensure your cream is very cold before whipping and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream before sealing the lid.
Because this recipe doesn’t have chemical stabilizers, it can freeze a bit firmer than store-bought brands. For a more scoopable texture, you can add 1 tablespoon of vodka or any neutral liquor to the base; alcohol doesn’t freeze, which keeps the mixture softer. Alternatively, simply let the container sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes before serving.
While you can put this mixture in a machine, it isn’t necessary! This specific ratio of whipped cream to condensed milk is designed to mimic the aeration of a churned ice cream without the extra equipment. Churning this specific base may actually cause it to become too dense or “buttery” because of the high fat content in the heavy cream.
To keep your ice cream tasting fresh for up to 2 weeks, store it in the very back of the freezer where the temperature is most consistent. Avoid the freezer door, as the temperature fluctuations every time you open it can cause the ice cream to slightly melt and refreeze, leading to freezer burn and a “stale” flavor.
I’ve made it today and we loved it. I added chocolate chips to the mix. Next time I will beat the heavy cream a bit longer, about a minute longer maybe. But it still turned out great. I WILL BE making this with great nieces and great nephew when I go to Florida.
I’m going to give this a try over the weekend. If it works out, I’m taking the recipe to Florida to use with my great nieces and great nephew, they’d get a kick out of making homemade ice cream.
I’m old school, I grew up hand cranking homemade ice cream, taking forever and ever.
How did you make your whip cream?
Beat cold heavy whipping cream on high speed until stiff peaks form.
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