No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

The perfect accompaniment to any dessert, or enjoyed on its own, this no-churn vanilla ice cream makes it easy to enjoy this classic flavor any time.

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Table of Contents

No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
How To Serve The Best Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
Storing This Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Even More Recipes You’ll Love

This no-churn vanilla ice cream is easy to make and enjoy anytime — even without a machine. Heavy whipping cream, condensed milk, and vanilla create a creamy and delicious classic vanilla flavor, ready for all your favorite toppings.

No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream Ingredients

No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream raw ingredients that are labeled

When it comes to creamy desserts, vanilla ice cream is a classic choice that never disappoints.

The smooth texture of the ice cream melts in your mouth, leaving a subtle sweetness that is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.

You’ll need:

1 (14-ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Pinch of salt
2 cups of heavy whipping cream, chilled

Substitutions And Additions

You can add a variety of mix-in combinations to this no-churn vanilla bean ice cream recipe before placing it in the freezer. Here are a few of our favorites:

STRAWBERRY BROWNIE: Add brownie chunks and strawberries cut up into small pieces. Gently fold them into the batter and then pour it into the pan and freeze.

CARAMEL CASHEW: Hershey caramel sauce (in the glass container, not plastic squeeze bottle) and chopped cashews. Gently fold cashews into the ice cream and then run ribbons of caramel throughout the ice cream. Pour into the pan and freeze.

CARAMEL CARIBOU: Hershey chocolate bar cut into small pieces and Hershey caramel sauce (in the glass container, not plastic squeeze bottle).

MOOSE TRACKS: Peanut butter cups cut into small pieces and Hershey fudge sauce. Gently fold peanut butter cups into the ice cream and then run ribbons of fudge sauce throughout. Pour into the pan and freeze.

How To Make This No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

The best part about this ice cream is that you don’t need a fancy ice cream machine to make it, just a mixing bowl and loaf pan. Here’s how to make it:

STEP ONE: Place a large mixing bowl and a loaf pan or other freezer-safe container in the freezer 30 minutes prior to making this recipe.

STEP TWO: In a separate medium bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract or scooped-out vanilla bean paste, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

milk, vanilla, and salt combined in a bowl

STEP THREE: Remove the large bowl from the freezer and add the chilled heavy whipping cream. Use a hand mixer at high speed to beat together until stiff peaks form.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

The cream will go through several stages – bubbly, slightly thickened, rippling, then puffy and airy.

whipping cream being blended in a measuring cup

STEP FOUR: One cup at a time, add the whipped cream to the sweetened condensed milk mixture. Carefully fold them together with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain.

PRO TIP:

Don’t overmix at this stage or the cream will deflate.

whipped cream being folded into the milk mixture

STEP FIVE: Pour into a parchment paper-lined loaf pan. Spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and place in the freezer.

PRO TIP:

Lining the loaf pan with parchment paper prior to filling will make cleaning up much easier.

ice cream mixture being poured into a loaf pan

STEP SIX: After 2 hours of freezing, add additional mix-in ingredients and swirl with a knife. Cover and return to the freezer for an additional 3 hours, or until set.

STEP SEVEN: Remove ice cream 5 minutes prior to serving to allow it to soften slightly.

How To Serve The Best Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

This creamy ice cream will be fantastic for hot summer days. Use this as an ice cream base for an amazing sundae.

Scoop it into one of our chocolate chip cookie cups and add your favorite toppings, including chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, fresh fruit, whipped cream, and of course, a maraschino cherry. Or grab your ice cream scoop and put it on top of an ice cream cone.

Vanilla ice cream also pairs perfectly with a warm brownie or a slice of apple pie.

There’s no arguing that ice cream is the perfect addition to any dessert dish. Try adding this homemade vanilla ice cream to the top of our earthquake cake or blueberry dump cake. It melts perfectly over the top of these scrumptious warm desserts.

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Storing This Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream

Here’s how to make sure your ice cream stays frozen and maintains the best texture long enough to enjoy it.

IN THE FREEZER: Be sure to store the finished ice cream in the freezer wrapped with plastic or with an airtight lid on top. When ready to serve, take it out about 5 minutes before you plan to scoop it, to give it a bit of time to soften. This will make it much easier to scoop out.

Place back in the freezer immediately after serving. The texture may change if the ice cream is taken out and put back in the freezer too many times.

close up shot of a loaf pan of No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream with a scoop of ice cream taken out

This recipe for no churn vanilla ice cream is a quick and simple way to make your own homemade ice cream and only needs four simple ingredients! This is the easiest way to make ice cream without an ice cream machine and the hardest part is waiting for it to be ready to scoop!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is no-churn ice cream?

Typically, when making ice cream from scratch, you will need to use an ice cream maker, and that usually entails the step of “churning” the ice cream. A no-churn recipe means no ice cream maker and, as you could guess, no churning. It saves many steps and makes it super easy to make homemade ice cream that is just as tasty as regular ice cream but doesn’t need special equipment.

Can I use nonfat milk in this no-churn ice cream recipe?

You can use any type of milk in this recipe, but lower-fat milk, such as skim milk, will result in less creamy ice cream than if you make it with whole milk or cream.

Could I use this homemade vanilla ice cream recipe to make an ice cream cake?

This is a great idea, and although we haven’t tried it yet, I can’t see why you couldn’t use this ice cream as part of an easy ice cream cake.

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No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

5 from 6 votes

The perfect accompaniment to any dessert, or enjoyed on its own, this no-churn vanilla ice cream makes it easy to enjoy this classic flavor any time.

Prep Time 15

Total Time 5 15

Servings

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Ingredients

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
1 pinch salt
2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled

Instructions

Place a large mixing bowl, and a loaf pan in the freezer 30 minutes prior to making this recipe.
In a separate medium bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt. Set aside.
Remove the large bowl from the freezer and add the chilled heavy whipping cream. Use an electric mixer on high speed to beat together until stiff peaks form.
One cup at a time, add the whipped cream to the sweetened condensed milk mixture. Carefully fold it together with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain.
Pour into loaf pan. Spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Cover with foil and place in the freezer.
After 2 hours of freezing, add any additional mix-in ingredients (if desired) and swirl with a knife. Cover and return to the freezer for an additional 3 hours or until set.
Remove ice cream 5 minutes prior to serving to allow it to soften slightly.

Video

Notes

For easier clean-up, line the loaf pan with parchment paper prior to filling.
When you are whipping the cream, it will go through several stages – bubbly, slightly thickened, rippling, then puffy and airy.

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant

No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream Ingredients

Substitutions And Additions

How To Make This No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

How To Serve The Best Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Copycat Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake

Storing This Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream

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