Wondering how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker? It’s easier than you think! All you need are 2 ice cream base ingredients and 1 simple recipe for countless, delicious homemade ice cream possibilities.
Making homemade ice cream was something I never thought I’d do.
First, I don’t have an ice cream maker. And second, there’s 101 ice cream flavours out there already. Why make our own?
In my case, I was craving for very specific ice cream flavours like ube, cherry or strawberry that I couldn’t always find in-store, was ridiculously expensive, too sweet for my taste, or tasted extremely artificial (think: cough syrup).
So I googled how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker and never looked back. If I had known it was this easy, I would have started sooner!
Let’s get to it.
What is no-churn ice cream
No-churn ice cream simply means ice cream made without an ice cream machine. It also means you don’t need to bother with egg yolks and finicky custard, which a lot of churned ice cream recipes have.
No-churn ice cream has 2 basic ingredients: heavy cream whipped to medium-stiff peaks and condensed milk.
Whipping the cream introduces air and lightness into your ice cream mixture, much the same way churning in an ice cream machine does.
Sweetened condensed milk, on the other hand, results to smooth and creamy ice cream because of its high sugar content, which helps lower the mixture’s freezing point.
And since condensed milk is essentially milk that’s been cooked down with its water content drastically reduced, it helps reduce the formation of ice crystals in your ice cream as well.
How to make ice cream without an ice cream maker
Now that we’re done being all science-y, we can start making ice cream.
Ingredients
Like I mentioned, no-churn ice cream starts with heavy cream/whipped cream and condensed milk.
Then the world is your oyster! You can add whatever you want to make that perfect scoop of ice cream you’re craving for.
Add chocolate chips and cocoa powder for chocolate chip ice cream.
Or add bits of Reese’s chocolate and swirls of your favourite brand of peanut butter. Throw in some chopped peanuts while you’re at it.
Salted caramel sauce also makes a delicious ice cream flavour.
I like adding a pinch of salt to my ice cream recipes as well.
Tools
Instead of an ice cream maker, you’ll need an electric mixer when making no-churn ice cream. A stand mixer is ideal but a handheld electric mixer works too.
Other than that, all you’ll need are bowls, measuring cups and measuring spoons.
I’ve also invested in some nice ice cream tubs because I make ice cream so often but whatever freezer-safe container you have with a lid will work fine.
Method
Vanilla ice cream is usually the jumping off point for many ice cream flavours. And it’s very easy to make.
1 COMBINE. In a large bowl, stir condensed milk, vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste until fully combined. Set aside.
2 WHIP. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or using a handheld electric mixer, whip heavy cream to medium-stiff peaks.
3 LIGHTEN. Spoon about ¼ cup of the whipped cream into your condensed milk and stir to lighten the mixture.
4 FOLD. Proceed to gradually fold the rest of your whipped cream into your condensed milk until smooth and fully incorporated.
5 CHILL. Transfer into a freezer-safe container, smoothen the top with a spatula, place plastic wrap directly on top of the ice cream, and cover. Freeze overnight.
Expert tips and recipe FAQs
Simple, right? Here are some tips and tricks to make the best homemade ice cream ever.
There’s really just one basic recipe you need to remember when making vanilla ice cream:
To make 1.5 quarts (or 1.4 litres) of ice cream, you need 2 cups of heavy cream, 1 10-oz (300-ml) can of condensed milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste (for those pretty vanilla specks) or vanilla extract.
If you’re adding flavouring and extracts, you’ll want to add that at the beginning, combined with the condensed milk. This gives you a chance to taste and adjust your recipe before adding anything else.
If you’re adding mix-ins like chocolate chips and nuts, you can fold it into your ice cream mixture at the last step, just before transferring the ice cream to a freezer-safe container.
Making ice cream without an ice cream machine takes no time at all.
Whipping your heavy cream, folding your ice cream mixture or condensed milk mixture, and adding your mix-ins should take 15 minutes max.
Waiting takes longer — I usually freeze my ice cream overnight (6-8 hours) — but is totally worth it.
To make whipping easier and quicker, make sure to chill your heavy cream, bowl and whisk at least 15 minutes before using.
Half & half can’t be substituted for heavy cream in no-churn ice cream recipes because it just doesn’t have enough fat content for whipping (10 to 18 percent).
You want heavy cream, which has 36 to 40 percent milk fat, because it results to firmer, more stable whipped cream with stiff peaks that hold their shape longer. This is what gives homemade ice cream that smooth texture and creamy taste.
In a pinch, you can use whipping cream (30 to 36 percent milk fat) but it will result to a lighter, softer texture.
To prevent your ice cream from getting freezer burn or forming ice crystals:
(1) Place a piece of plastic wrap (wax paper and parchment paper can work too) directly on the ice cream’s surface before placing the lid. This also helps prevent freezer smells from seeping into your ice cream.
(2) Make sure you use a freezer-safe container with a proper, tight-fitting lid.
It’s still safe to eat ice cream with a few ice crystals. It’s going to affect the texture and the taste though so you really want to protect it from air (its main enemy) and eat it within 2 weeks of making it.
Homemade ice cream lasts about 2 weeks in the freezer. Because it doesn’t have the same preservatives as store-bought ice cream, when it comes to homemade ice cream, the fresher the better.
Some tips to keep it fresh for longer:
– Cover the top with plastic wrap (see above)
– Store in a relatively shallow and flat container vs. a deep tub
– Store towards the back of your freezer so that its temperature can remain fairly constant
Homemade ice cream recipes
From this basic vanilla ice cream recipe, you can go crazy with the flavour combinations.
Explore and try the following:
- Homemade ube ice cream
- Lemon curd ice cream
- Blackberry lavender ice cream
- Roasted cherry choco chip ice cream
- Matcha ice cream
- Pistachio chocolate chip ice cream
- Bourbon peach ice cream
- Strawberry chocolate ice cream
- Coffee chocolate chip ice cream
You can also make fried ice cream, so good! And if you’re looking for ice cream to help fuel your day, try this high protein ice cream recipe.
Or this caramel magic shell recipe and butterscotch sauce to make your homemade ice cream extra special.
As you can see, like store-bought ice cream, there 101 possibilities for your no-churn ice cream flavours too. Enjoy!
And if you do have an ice cream machine, this vanilla bean ice cream is a delicious recipe to try!
Happy ice cream making!
Have you made ice cream without an ice cream maker? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
How to Make Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
- 1 10-oz can condensed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla paste can also use same amount of vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream chilled
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Chill your bowl and whisk for at least 15 minutes in the fridge before using. While waiting, using a large bowl, stir 1 can condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste and a pinch of salt until fully combined. Set aside.
- When your bowl and whisk are properly chilled, whip 2 cups heavy cream to medium-stiff peaks.
- Spoon about ¼ cup of the whipped cream into your condensed milk and stir to lighten the mixture.
- Then proceed to gradually fold the rest of your whipped cream into your condensed milk until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Transfer into a freezer-safe container, smoothen the top with a spatula, place plastic wrap directly on top of the ice cream, and cover. Freeze overnight.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
April Hammond
I really didn’t know it was that easy! I am going to be trying this soon, I would love to make my own cookie butter ice cream.
Jolina
I was surprised at how easy it is too 🙂 And cookie butter sounds amazing. Thanks April! Would love to hear how it goes.
Ana De- Jesus
I like the sound of this no churn ice cream and have always wanted to make my own but didn’t know how so now is
the time!
Jolina
Yes it is! 🙂 It’s so easy isn’t it? Hope you have fun discovering your favourite flavours Ana!
Subhadrika Sen
This is so my kind of food. . . . .:) Yummm. I love ice creams and this is a great recipe to try out.
Jolina
Thanks Subhadrika! It’s so easy and you can make your very own favourite flavour 🙂 Have fun!
Vanessa
THIS. amazing. thank you for sharing!! I’ve never had the courage to make ice-cream at home – but you’ve gotten me over the biggest mental hurdle. Cant.wait. and so many flavour possibilities!! thanks for sharing 🙂 🙂
Jolina
You are very welcome Vanessa! Go and try it out. So much fun and yes, so many flavour possibilities! 🙂
Elizabeth O.
Homemade ice cream is awesome! I like it because you can add fresh fruits and you can also choose the flavors that you want. I really appreciate this recipe because not everyone has an ice cream maker at home.
Jolina
I agree! And no-churn is so quick and easy. I haven’t tried it with fresh fruit yet but I definitely should while they’re all in season 🙂 Thanks Elizabeth!
Liz Mays
I need to try this. It would be nice to have our own set of ice cream recipes and mixtures we could make at any time.
Jolina
Absolutely! It’s so much fun and surprisingly easy 🙂 Have fun discovering your favourite flavours Liz!
Neely Moldovan
So fun! I would love to try and make ice cream sometime!
Jolina
It is! It’s like science, but you can eat the results lol. Have fun Neely!
Katie Crenshaw
This looks so easy and sooo good!! I love homemade ice-cream. I can’t wait to try this.
Jolina
Thanks Katie! I was surprised how easy it was to make homemade ice cream too 🙂 Can’t wait to try all sorts of different flavour combinations 🙂
Brandy
What a super easy way to make ice cream, I want to make it now. Guess I will wait though, things to get done. I know the kids would have a blast trying to make no churn ice cream though!
Jolina
Hi Brandy! This will be a great activity to do with kids. They can put in their favourite things and everybody can have their own custom favourite ice cream 🙂
Liz
Yum! I’ve been eating so much ice cream this summer…homemade and store-bought. (Although anti-freeze?! Ummmm disturbing.) We were lucky enough to get an ice cream maker for a wedding present, but occasionally we forget to pre-chill the bowl… this no-churn will be perfect for spur-of-the-moment ice cream making! I had no idea it was so easy.
Jolina
Gosh I was so surprised how easy it was too 🙂 Although we love this moose tracks flavour from the store (which I hope to recreate soon!) Thanks Liz!
Leslie
Yum! I haven’t made homemade ice cream in years. I loved making peach or banana ice cream as a kid. It may sound a little odd but it was so good with the taste of the fresh cream.
Jolina
Oh yum! I can imagine peach and banana 🙂 So delicious! I’ll put those in my ice cream experiment list. Thanks Leslie!
Dawn
No churn ice-cream is all the rage nowadays and I love it!
I do have an ice-cream maker attachment for my KitchenAid Blender, but this is so much easier!!
Love the minimal ingredients (and know exactly what’s in there) and how it’s customizable. That salted caramel one sounds awesome! Two scoops for me 🙂
Jolina
I know! I didn’t even know what no-churn was a year ago lol. I cannot wait to try more (crazier?) flavours. Thanks Dawn! Happy Sunday!
Nicolas Puegher
Cool recipe! I am going to do it for sure. Love your pictures I can almost taste it, just amazing!
Mary
Who doesn’t love ice cream?! It’s the best summer time dessert. I’ll need to try these out!
Jolina
I haven’t met anybody yet 🙂 And I do love ice cream anytime of the year, especially in the summer! Thanks Mary
Val
We love ice cream! I do love how easy it is to make ice cream. I’ve never tried putting a little salt in mine, is there a specific purpose for it?
Jolina
It’s awesome how easy it is, right? 🙂 Salt is more to enhance the chocolate flavour – I don’t think if it has anything to do with the ice cream at all (at least none that I know of).