How To Make No Churn Ice Cream - with flavor and mix-in ideas

Learn how to make homemade no churn ice cream today. No ice cream maker needed - this creamy and sweet ice cream is made with just three ingredients and is easily customized to make your favorite flavors.

Want to make your own ice cream from home? It's easier than you think. This ice cream is rich, creamy, and can be customized to make just about any flavor imaginable.

Learn how to make homemade ice cream today - it takes literally ten minutes of prep before your ice cream is in the freezer.

No ice cream maker needed! A hand mixer will make the process easier, but this recipe can be made with as little as a whisk and some elbow grease. 

What is no churn ice cream?

No churn ice cream is ice cream that's made without the use of an ice cream maker or other specialized equipment. All you need is a hand mixer and a few simple ingredients.

For this recipe, you'll be blending sweetened condensed milk together with homemade whipped cream. Whipped cream gives this homemade ice cream it's light and airy texture without the need for an ice cream maker.

If you're worried about the texture or quality - don't be! This ice cream turns out just as rich, melty, and creamy as a store bought ice cream. Personally, I think it's even better.

Plus, making ice cream from scratch means that you know exactly what's in it - no long list of ingredients here!

Ingredients and substitutions

You only need two ingredients for your ice cream base: sweetened condensed milk and heavy whipping cream.

Sweetened condensed milk cannot be substituted with evaporated milk. While these two ingredients can usually be found next to each other at the grocery store, they are very different. Sweetened condensed milk is thick, sweetened, and gooey. Evaporated milk is thin and unsweetened. If you accidentally purchased the wrong can, you should know immediately upon opening the can.

Heavy whipping cream is needed to make homemade whipped cream. Other dairy products, like milk or half & half, will not work because they do not contain enough milkfat to whip into whipped cream. Regular whipping cream can also work here, but heavy whipping cream will give you the best, most consistent result.

Also included in this recipe is vanilla extract, which can be substituted with any other type of flavored extract. Lemon extract, mint extract, orange extract, and maple extract are great choices.

Ice cream flavor options

Ice cream flavors are added to your sweetened condensed milk before being folded into the heavy cream. Here are a few ideas:

• Extracts - Vanilla, mint, lemon, maple, or almond. Try 1 teaspoon or more.
• Spices - Cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla bean, or ginger. Try ½ teaspoon or more.
• Jam & Preserves - Strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, apricot, cherry, or pineapple. Add ½ to 1 cup. I used jam in my No Churn Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream.
• Cocoa Powder - Add ½ cup.
• Butters - peanut, almond, cashew, nutella, or even cookie butter. Add ½ cup.
• Hot fudge/chocolate sauce - Start with ¼ cup and add more as needed.
• Food coloring - while not a flavor, this is the step where you'd add food coloring if desired. Remember, the color will lighten when the heavy cream is added.

Ice cream mix-in options

Mix-ins are extra bits like cookies, chocolate chips, chunks, or ribbons that can be found in your ice cream. Try picking a mix-in that is complementary to the flavor you chose for your ice cream.

I recommend adding anywhere from ½ cup to 1 cup of mix-ins to your ice cream. You can also sprinkle more on top for visual appeal. 

• Baking chips - chocolate chips (I like mini chocolate chips), white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips.
• Chopped chocolate - like in this mint chocolate chip ice cream.
• Nuts - pecans, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios. Try candied pecans like in butter pecan ice cream.
• Sprinkles - sprinkles go a long way, so I'd start with 1-2 tablespoons.
• Cookie pieces - sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, oreo cookies, or brownies. I added these sugar cookies into my christmas cookie ice cream.
• Candy - Reese's peanut butter cups, Snickers, Kit Kat, Heath, M&M's, Cookies and Cream - you get the idea! A great way to use up extra Halloween candy.
• Cake pieces - crumble a piece of cake into your ice cream - frosting and all!
• Cookie dough - I recommend making a homemade, safe to eat version like this Edible Cookie Dough.
• Peanut butter - or any other nut butter. I made peanut butter ribbon layers in my double peanut butter ice cream recipe.
• Hot fudge or caramel - try adding a ribbon of hot fudge (at room temperature) in the middle of your ice cream.
• Jam, preserves, pie filling - Mix into your ice cream completely or add in layers for a ribbon effect. I used cherry pie filling in my cherry cheesecake ice cream.
• Crunchy mix-ins - waffle cone pieces, graham crackers, pretzels, potato chips, granola, toasted coconut, and cereal (like golden grahams, corn flakes, cocoa puffs).
• Shell topping - makes a great crunchy chocolate layer. Try my dark chocolate peanut butter shell or peppermint chocolate ice cream shell as a ribbon layer.
• Mini marshmallows - or marshmallow fluff!

How long does homemade ice cream take to freeze?

No churn ice cream takes between 4 to 6 hours to freeze, depending on the temperature of your freezer.

If you're making ice cream for an event, it's best to make this ice cream the day beforehand to ensure it will be frozen evenly throughout.

What size pan do I need?

This recipe will completely fill a 9x5 loaf pan (as shown in the photos). However, a loaf pan is not required. Any container or pan with a 6 to 7 cup capacity will work.

If using a freezer-safe tupperware container, check the bottom for a cup capacity - most are labeled with their size.

Or, split your ice cream between two smaller containers - this will also help speed up the freezing time!

How long does homemade ice cream last?

Your no churn ice cream, when stored in a tightly sealed container, will keep for 2 months or more.

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