No ice cream maker? No problem! This simple 3-ingredient homemade ice cream base is the easiest way to make creamy ice cream that isn’t icy, and, it’s made even better with 10 favorite flavor mix-in ideas to make this recipe your own.
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Easy Homemade Ice Cream
Really good, totally indulgent, creamy ice creams can be time consuming at best (don’t forget to freeze that ice cream maker bowl first!) and temperamental at worst (why did my custard base turn into scrambled eggs?). Taking on the task of making your own homemade ice cream can sometimes be enough to throw in the towel and send you to the street corner with the kids to wait for the ice cream man to drive by.
But there’s a way to avoid all of that and still get your licks in. It only takes a hand mixer, a couple of bowls, and three ingredients to make.
Say hello to one of my favorite kitchen hacks, this recipe for homemade, no-churn ice cream.
What Does No-Churn Mean?
No-churn ice cream means there’s no need for an ice cream machine to make creamy ice cream that’s creamy, homemade vanilla ice cream that’s ready to lick in just a few hours. Most homemade ice creams start with an egg custard base that is cooked and tended to with the same care as your first born child. This one doesn’t.
This no-churn ice cream recipe takes just 3 ingredients folded into one another to make the ice cream base.
What’s in This No-Churn Ice Cream?
Martha Stewart may be the one most popularly credited for this recipe but like many family favorites, the beauty is in how you make it your own.
The homemade ice cream ingredients needed for this recipe are simple:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Vanilla extract
This no-churn ice cream base is for vanilla ice cream, but there are so many ways to doctor it up to create various flavor combos. Keep reading to see my suggestions!
How to Make Homemade Ice Cream Without a Machine
To make homemade ice cream without a machine, simply whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract.
Add flavor mix ins. At this stage, you can fold in any desired flavorings or mix-ins.
Once you’ve made your base, you’ll need containers for freezing. You can use an 8×5-inch bread loaf pan for your container (this one is cool because it has a lid) but know that a metal container will freeze the ice cream faster and better than a glass pan. If you will be making ice cream often, consider investing in an insulated ice cream tub or container, or, I like using paper containers with lids for on-the-go individual servings.
Freeze, then serve! To serve, allow the ice cream to sit for a few minutes at room temperature, wet an ice cream scoop and spoon into dishes, scoop onto cones, or eat straight from the container like I typically do.
This style of ice cream will melt a little quicker than usual custard based ice creams, but that’s okay! More incentive to lick it up fast!
We Scream for Flavored Ice Cream
I like to make the homemade ice cream base and then let everyone’s individual taste buds take over to invent their own favorite flavor. Plus, if you’re looking to create a DIY ice cream bar that doesn’t take forever to create, this recipe will be the secret to your success.
Here are some of my favorite flavor combos that I hope will inspire you to create your own faves too:
- Peppered Strawberry Bean: Vanilla bean, frozen strawberries, black pepper, white chocolate chips
- Key Lime Pie: White chocolate chips, graham cracker pieces, lime juice, lime zest
- Minty Mini-Chocolate Chip: Fresh minced mint leaves, peppermint extract, green food coloring, mini chocolate chips
- The Islander: Toasted coconut with pineapple chunks, macadamia nuts and salted caramel
- German Chocolate Cake: Cocoa powder, chocolate cake pieces, toasted coconut & pecans, caramel drizzle
- Gimme Some More S’mores: Mini marshmallows/toasted marshmallow, graham cracker crumbles, chocolate chunks
- The Kitchen Sink: M&M’s, toasted peanuts, popcorn, pretzels and salted caramel
- Elvis Thrust: Peanut butter, bananas, honey (Tip: Mix the peanut butter with a little cream so it stays creamy instead of turning rock hard when it freezes.)
- Lumberjack: Waffle cone, crumbled bacon, maple syrup
- Cookie Monster: Chocolate chip cookie dough bits, oreo pieces, chocolate chip cookie pieces
see more: 3-Ingredient Chocolate Sauce
Can I Make Dairy-Free No-Churn Ice Cream?
Possibly, but I’ve only made this homemade vanilla ice cream recipe as written so I can’t say for sure how to make this a dairy-free recipe.
How Long Does Homemade Ice Cream Last?
This homemade no-churn ice cream will last for months in the freezer. Keep the container tightly sealed to ward off freezer burn.
Tips for Making No-Churn Ice Cream
Get the right ingredients. Because this homemade ice cream recipe requires so few ingredients, it’s important that you buy exactly what’s listed in the recipe card below. Don’t try to substitute lower fat or lower sugar alternatives otherwise your ice cream won’t turn out right.
If adding additional extracts — like almond or mint — to the vanilla ice cream base, be sure to add only a little bit at a time. Vanilla extract is tough to overdo, but other extracts are much more potent.
Lastly, be sure to chop up your mix-ins. Larger nuts, chocolate chips, M&M’s, and such become rock hard when frozen, so it helps if they’re chopped up first.
More Ice Cream Treats You’ll Love
- Peach Ice Cream
- Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Hazelnut and Salted Caramel Ice Cream
- 4-Ingredient Ice Cream Pie
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a 
star rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Easy No-Churn Homemade Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to whip the cream until stiff peaks occur, be careful not to over whip. The cream will be done when you pull the beaters out and the cream stands at attention.
- In another large bowl, whisk the vanilla into the sweetened condensed milk. Gently fold in the whipped cream with a spatula, slowly incorporating the two mixtures together so it stays light and aerated.
- If making individual flavors, scoop the cream mixture into smaller bowls and gently fold in your desired mix-ins, or if making just one flavor, mix the ingredients directly into the cream mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to an insulated tub or paper containers and freeze for 4-6 hours.
Nutrition
More Easy Summer Desserts
- Key Lime Pie
- Berry Tart with Lemon Curd Mascarpone
- Blueberry Buckle with Lemon Glaze
- Dreamy Creamy Mango Pops
- The BEST Peach Cobbler
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Being lactose intolerant I think by using lactose free
sweetened condensed milk, (Walmart has it) and dream whip
dry topping mix made with lactose free whole milk may work.
Not sure how it would freeze, it may need a stabilizer?
Awesome recipe, kids love it, I can’t eat it without a lactaid pill first.
Hi Susan, I’m not sure how it would work but it sounds like you’re on a good track!
Super yummy! I added matcha & swirled strawberry purée in mine. I came out so good!
Sounds delicious Sammi! Glad you enjoyed!
It turned out to be really good! Thanks for sharing this recipe with me. I ended up adding chocolate chips the second time and it also turned out well!
Happy you enjoyed Kayla
I’ve made this quite often. Guests very impressed when you say home made. So easy even I can’t mess it up.
I’m glad you enjoyed!
what a fun easy recipe to make with the kids! we added 4 heaping tbsp of cacao and sprinkled in mini enjoy life chips! It was so hard for us to wait for it to freeze! It was quite delicious! Everyone loved it with fresh strawberries!
Easy to prepare – great texture and creaminess – – – tho for my tastebuds much too sweet – so here’s my suggestion; reduce the amount of sweetened condensed milk.
Recipe modifications follow to include adding 2 tablespoons espresso powder…………..and mixing all ingredients at the same time in one bowl.
I do place the beaters and the mixing bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes before mixing…………
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons espresso powder
This is the most delicious ice cream EVER!!!! It took a little less than 4 hours i think because we did 6 individual servings. We made a few chocolate using cocoa powder. I had oreos and caramel sauce and a few pieces of Hershey chocolate. My Mom had vanilla with pecans and caramel. Everybody loved it. Thanks so much for the recipe!!!
How can I make mint chocolate chip?
Add mint extract and chocolate chips!
I made this tonight and it was so good. We did crushed butterfingers and cookie dough syrup instead of vanilla extract. Yummy!
Can I put these ingredients into my electric ice cream maker without whipping the cream first? Or, does it have to be made with a mixer?
I only make it as described in the directions and can’t guarantee success with your method.
I’ve been making this for years, now. Our favorite is strawberry. I add 1 cup of chopped fresh strawberries OR a container (tin) of frozen strawberries.
That sounds soooo good!
Hi Hi,
I wanted to try out the Minty Mini-Chocolate Chip version and was just curious, did you just mix in the minced mint leaves into the ice cream? And approx how much peppermint extract would you use, just to give me a starting point. Thank you, I know the base with be delish!
Yes I did! I would start with 1tsp and then increase if needed!
My favorite flavor is orange pineapple. Creamy orange flavored ice cream with chunks of pineapple. Can you come up with a recipe?
Delish! YOu could use orange extract and some slight food coloring for color and then drained pineapple chuncks!
Dear heavens.. this hit the spot! I had to make the sweetened condensed milk with Almond milk, because that’s all I had on hand. The hardest part was waiting on it to freeze. I added some buttered almonds and some caramel drizzle. Thank you so much.
Sounds delish!
Did you substitute equal part almond milk for the sweetened condensed milk, or how much did you use? I’m trying to cut some calories.
I am an ice cream lover cant wait to try this out
That’s a good point that some extracts would be easy to add too much of to the ice cream. I feel like that would be a good way to add some flavor to the ice cream if you don’t overdo it though. If I decide to try this out with some extracts, I’ll make sure to add just a bit at a time until it tastes right.
Let us know how it goes!
I have made this twice now and we love it. The only problem I have is that it freezes up very hard? I follow your directions to the very end. What could I be doing wrong I have to microwave it on defrost level so I can scoop it out?
I wonder if it’s the position in your freezer? Try keeping it closer to the door!
If you keep ice in plastic bag you won’t get ice crystals or freeze hard.
one issue i have….with vanilla or no additional flavors. how can I reduce the strong flavor of the sweetened condense milk(CM).
Folding Chocolate Powder with 1/4 cup of Powdered sugar actually worked to cut the strong flavor of the CM.
Im wondering if Using similar Vanilla Powder & Powdered sugar mix might help do same.
Best tasting icecream! I added leftoverOreo cookie crumbs and M&Ms. Delicious and easy to make!
Such an easy, quick recipe. I mix it in my mixer, adding in the heavy cream and condensed milk. Then simply add whatever you wish. I love that it’s so much healthier than store bought icecreams. And because it’s full fat with no fillers , it’s filling very quickly. Only one scoop needed.
Love it!!
My apologies as I have NOT made this recipe. However, as several people have asked about the nutritional components, I calculated the amounts. See the chart below. The first column includes the total calories and grams of protein, fat and carbs combined based on the three ingredients. As the ice cream is not mixed with an ice cream maker and frozen liquids often expand, I don’t know the exact amount that this recipe makes when complete.
However, assuming the result is about 3 cups, six servings would be ½ cup each. Eight servings would be 3 ounces or 1/3 cup. Ten servings would be about 1/4 of a cup. To be sure, I suggest separating the batch into servings, then dividing the totals in the first column by the number of servings to determine the actual calories, etc.
TOTAL 6-SERVINGS 8-SERVINGS 10-SERVINGS
Calories: 1971.5 328.6 246.4 197.2
Protein in grams: 73.3 12.2 9.2 7.3
Fat in grams: 181.6 30.3 22.7 18.2
Carbs in grams: 20.8 3.5 2.6 2.1
Thanks so much for this Bonnie!
How many servings does this recipe make? If I want to make chocolate, how much cocoa should I add? Thanks
I gave 5, but this recipe deserves 10 gold stars for simplicity & deliciousness! :) My husband and hard to please teen LOVES this! I made it with homemade vanilla & it turned out perfect in texture & flavor! It was so creamy & didn’t have any ice crystals (like when I tried other recipes!) I will play around with other flavors, now that I have a base. Thank you for sharing this recipe! :)
This recipe did not work for me. I made it for a party and ended up not being able to take it. :(
So sorry to hear that Elizabeth. Please give it another try!
Great job
For this tips for making ice creams and I have written some useful info for startup ad ice cream busness at my letsstartup blog my you like guys…
Thanks
Delicious and so easy! Do you have nutrition info for this recipe? Thanks!
Thanks for great ideas for different flavors! The other day I made the most delicious maple-walnut ice cream, with maple flavoring and walnut pieces. I make this ice cream low(er) calorie, by using only 8 oz. whipping cream, 1 container sugar free or light whipped topping (like cool whip), and one-half can fat-free sweetened condensed milk. I’ve noticed my version freezes to just the right consistency, not too hard, not too soft. Also, be advised, any larger-size flavoring chunks you put in, even chocolate chips, will get frozen too hard to easily eat without breaking your teeth! Be sure and shave your chocolate and cut up pieces of fruit very small so they’re easier to eat when frozen solid.
I’ve made my own sweetened condensed milk with splenda in place of sugar with powdered milk and it turned out just like the kind you get out of a can but with no added sugar.
This is by far the best home made ice cream, I seen it made on TV, & I have made it often, I add Choc & Peanut chunks & it’s awesome! I use vanilla paste. Try it everyone you’ll LOVE it.
This ice cream is amazing
Very easy to make
I’ve made it adding vanilla and honey
And another I add raspberries n strawberries
Thank u for the recipe it’s great
I was about to buy an ice cream maker but I won’t be buying one now! This is amazing!! I’m on my fourth flavor and can’t wait to try more. So easy, and sooooo good!
what flavors have you made if you don’t mind me asking to decide on ty
Do you know the carb break down? I’m doing Keto. I made some today now just waiting for it to set.
Hello. I made this ice cream to get the experience of an easy ice cream recipe. The ice cream initially tasted as a white chocolate ice cream and it was rather sweet. Maybe it’s my European taste buds :-) I decided to balance it a bit and put rhubarb compot in with the ice cream in my machine. Next experiment was to make the ice cream with raspberries and strong salted liquorice powder. That was to absolutely to die for! Thank you for the recipe. We all loved it :-) and it has now been shared with friends and family
we tend to use way more sweets then European foods I’m finding…oooo I bet vanilla strawberry rhubarb would be so yummy thanks for idea..
Seriously yum – I want to try every flavor!
Do you have a vegan version?
Give me allll the no-churn ice cream! So creamy and delicious!
I’ve made this recipe for years now but always used an ice cream churn. Can’t wait to try it your way! Thanks!!
I made this using pistachio cream and pistachio nuts. Most excellent. I used heavy cream instead of heavy whipping cream and it seems to be creamier.
I would also love to know calories etc…
What do you mean by pistachio cream? I would like to make this
did it work?
Brilliant recipe friend!!