20 No-Churn Ice Cream Recipes That Don’t Require a Fancy Ice Cream Maker
Ice cream: It’s our solution for blazing summer heat, an impromptu dessert emergency and bad days alike. And there’s no better tasting scoop out there than one you’ve made yourself. Luckily, you don’t need a fancy ice cream maker to whip up a few pints. Some come together with the help of a stand mixer, while others just need a few minutes of vigorous whisking and a stint in the freezer. Here are 20 no-churn ice cream recipes to make at home.
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1. 3-Ingredient Ice Cream (with Endless Variations)
All you really need to pull off the essential no-churn ice cream base is heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk, which offers both silkiness and sweetness. But to achieve that classic flavor, vanilla extract is just as crucial.
2. Lemon Ginger No-Churn Ice Cream
How does it stay billowy and creamy without any ice crystals for weeks on end, you ask? The silky Italian meringue base keeps it impossibly smooth.
3. No-Churn Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
If you’re short on time, you can always use store-bought chocolate chips…but since you have to wait for the cream to chill anyway, why not go the extra mile by chopping your own dark chocolate?
4. Salted Caramel Toffee Pretzel Ice Cream
Eat your heart out, Ben & Jerry’s. This tasty no-churn concoction features vanilla ice cream with toffee, salted caramel and crunchy pretzel pieces for the ultimate sweet-and-salty treat.
5. No-Churn Cake Batter Ice Cream with Golden Oreos
Usually, we spring for real vanilla extract—but to get that signature cake batter flavor, use clear imitation vanilla extract instead. You can find it in your grocery store’s baking aisle.
6. Raspberry Ice Cream
Five ingredients, fresh summer raspberries and no special equipment required? Pinch us, we’re dreaming.
7. No-Churn Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
This rich treat made with coconut milk and pitted dates is just the ticket for your plant-based dinner guests. Jazz it up with cinnamon, a dash of espresso or cacao nibs.
8. No-Churn, 4-Ingredient Plum Swirl Ice Cream
The swirl is as simple as simmering summer plums and sugar on the stove for 30 minutes until the fruit releases all its juice. But you could easily substitute any flavor of store-bought jam to save time.
9. Ricotta-Honey Ice Cream
We whip heavy cream and fold in ricotta cheese sweetened with honey, then transfer the mixture to a baking dish and freeze—no churning required. Ta-da.
10. No-Churn Tiramisu Ice Cream
Chopped ladyfingers + instant espresso + mascarpone + store-bought fudge = a coffee lover’s kryptonite.
11. No-Churn Sugar Roasted Peach Pie Ice Cream
This ice cream tastes like everything we love about Southern desserts and summer all at once. The secret ingredient? Bourbon. Sorry, kiddos—this one’s just for the adults.
12. 3-Ingredient Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
The only hard part about this recipe is waiting for it to freeze before devouring it. Feel free to use Thin Mints, vanilla wafers, chocolate chip cookies or even chopped brownies instead of Oreos if you’d like.
13. No-Churn Brownie Batter Ice Cream
This decadent-beyond-belief dessert has a secret ingredient that offers fluffiness and tang. (OK, we’ll spill: It’s cream cheese.)
14. No-Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
The recipe makes a whopping 12 servings, so it’s a great excuse to throw an alfresco dinner party. (Or hey, just polish the whole thing off yourself. We won’t judge.)
15. No-Churn Coffee Caramel Ice Cream
Your go-to morning latte in dessert form. It’s as easy as spiking our two-ingredient ice cream base with instant espresso powder, store-bought dulce de leche and toffee bits.
16. No-Churn Black Forest Ice Cream
Our favorite chocolate cake just got a frosty makeover. There are *tons* of fresh cherries in it, so just pretend it’s a fruit salad and help yourself to a second bowl.
17. Keto Ice Cream
Low-carb, keto-friendly ice cream is a thing. A delicious, ingenious thing. All it takes is five ingredients (most importantly powdered monk fruit sweetener) and less than five minutes of prep time.
18. Honey-Peach Semifreddo
This Italian treat is guaranteed to impress the pants off everyone at your next cookout. Despite its fancy appearance, the silky custard only needs ten ingredients and a night in the freezer to come together.
19. Strawberry Ice Cream
Typically, adding strawberries to ice cream makes the mixture too icy due to their water content. But if you roast and puree them, you’ll get smooth, creamy results every time. The more you know.
20. No-Churn Minted White Chocolate Swirled Ice Cream
Isn’t she lovely? The heavy cream is simmered with fresh mint and infused with peppermint extract for maximum flavor. If you don’t want to use store-bought food coloring, a little spirulina will go a long way.
RELATED: 17 Dairy-Free Ice Cream Recipes That Don’t Require a Machine
For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook, Only the Good Stuff.
