No churn unicorn ice cream is a fruity, magical frozen treat! No ice cream maker needed for this simple ice cream recipe. Loaded with rainbow sprinkles, it's perfect for birthdays and celebrations!
This bright rainbow ice cream is the perfect addition to your next unicorn birthday party. Flavored with vanilla, lemon, and orange, it tastes just like a creamsicle!
No churn ice cream is easier to make than you think - you don't even need an ice cream maker! An entire batch takes about 20 minutes to make before it's in the freezer. You'll be enjoying homemade ice cream in no time.
Swirls of pink, purple, blue, and yellow ice cream are topped with funfetti rainbow sprinkles. This magical ice cream is a must for your next princess party, birthday, or just because.
What flavor is unicorn ice cream?
So what should unicorn ice cream taste like? While there is no definitive answer, I imagined it to be fruity and sweet. So for this recipe, I went with a dreamy creamsicle flavor.
If you're curious, Target carries a sour blue raspberry version, and Walmart carries unicorn ice cream that's flavored like birthday cake.
Ingredients and substitutions
The two main ingredients in this recipe are a must - heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk.
Heavy cream, or heavy whipping cream, is needed to make your homemade whipped cream. Other dairy, like milk or half & half, will not work for this recipe. Heavy cream has a higher milkfat percentage, which is what helps it hold its shape when whipped.
I flavored my unicorn ice cream with a combination of vanilla extract, lemon extract, and orange extract. It tastes a lot like creamsicle ice cream! However, feel free to use other food extracts you have on hand.
Here is the exact food coloring I used for the ice cream in the photos:
- Betty Crocker Food Color Neon Gel, 2.7 oz - pink and purple
- Betty Crocker Classic Gel Food Colors - blue and yellow
Food coloring alternatives
I'd you'd prefer to use natural food coloring, keep in mind that your colors may not be as bright or vibrant as shown.
Jellies and jams can used to add pastel color and fruity flavor, like in my strawberry ice cream. 8 ounces of jam can be added to an entire batch of ice cream, or 4 ounces of half of your ice cream.
Here's a great article on how to make your own natural food coloring at home, using ingredients like cabbage, matcha powder, beets, pomegranate juice, and turmeric. Keep in mind that these ingredients will add flavor to your ice cream : How to Make Your Own Safe Food Coloring at Home
You can also buy natural food coloring and sprinkles on Amazon:
- McCormick Nature's Inspiration Food Colors, 0.51 oz - comes in pink, blue, and yellow, with directions on how to mix even more colors
- India Tree Nature's Colors Carnival Sprinkles, 6 Ounce - sprinkles made with vegetable colorants and no artificial dyes
How long does homemade ice cream take to freeze?
No churn ice cream takes between 4 to 6 hours to freeze, or overnight, depending on the temperature of your freezer.
If you're making ice cream for an event, it's best to make it the day beforehand to ensure it will be frozen evenly throughout.
What size pan to use
This recipe will fill a 9x5 loaf pan (as shown in the photos). However, any container or pan with a 6 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!
No Churn Unicorn Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- food coloring pink, purple, blue, and yellow
- 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks are achieved, about 3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Fold whipped cream into milk mixture until combined. Divide mixture evenly between two bowls. Add orange extract to one bowl and lemon extract to the other, folding to combine each. Then, divide the orange mixture into two bowls, and the lemon mixture into two bowls, making four bowls total.
- Add food coloring to each bowl - pink, purple, blue, and yellow (or your desired colors). Gently fold to combine.
- In a loaf pan, add dollops of each color to fill the pan. Once the pan is halfway full, add half of your rainbow sprinkles in a single layer. Once full, add remaining sprinkles on top. Run a butter knife through the ice cream a few times in each direction to make a swirl pattern.
- Cover and freeze for 4-6 hours, or overnight, until firm.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Extracts can be substituted with your favorite food extract flavors. Or, omit lemon and orange extracts to make vanilla ice cream.
- Homemade ice cream will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer in a tightly sealed container.
- I used Betty Crocker Gel food coloring in yellow, blue, neon pink, and neon purple. Any food coloring (including natural coloring) will work in this recipe.
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