No-Churn Ice Cream
Whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk, two ingredients, no stirring in the freezer.
- Preparation
- 15 min
- Cook/bake time
- –
- Total
- 6 hr 15 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 353 kcal
- Servings
- 8 servings
- Prep
- 15 min
- Resting
- 6 hr
Only 15 min of that is hands-on – the rest takes care of itself.
Whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk, two ingredients, no stirring in the freezer. Normally ice cream needs a machine because constant movement keeps the ice crystals small. Here the whipped in air takes over this task, and the sugar in the condensed milk lowers the freezing point so much that the mixture remains creamy.
Why this works
Ice cream is creamy when its ice crystals remain small. An ice cream maker achieves this by constantly stirring during freezing. This recipe replaces both with two physical effects. First: The stiffly whipped cream contains millions of tiny air bubbles that sit between the water molecules and prevent large crystal structures from forming. Second, the high sugar content of the sweetened condensed milk significantly lowers the freezing point of the water phase, so a part of the water remains unfrozen even at minus 18 degrees and keeps the mixture smooth. That is why the recipe only works with sweetened condensed milk: Unsweetened contains the same amount of milk solids, but not the sugar that slows down crystal formation.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Whip the cream stiff
Whip the ice cold cream stiff until it forms firm peaks but still shines. Do not go further, overwhipped cream begins to separate, and the whipped in air is half the technique here. Chill the bowl and whisk for ten minutes beforehand.
- 2
Mix the condensed milk
Mix the condensed milk, vanilla and salt in a second bowl. The salt is not a mistake: It enhances the sweetness and makes the ice cream less flat, without it no-churn ice cream often just tastes like sugar.
- 3
Fold in carefully
Fold a third of the cream into the condensed milk to loosen it up, then fold in the rest in two batches with a spatula. Fold from bottom to top, do not stir, every air bubble you destroy now will become an ice crystal later.
- 4
Freeze for six hours
Pour the mixture into a shallow dish, cover it with plastic wrap directly on the surface and place it in the freezer for at least six hours. The plastic wrap on the surface prevents freezer burn. Let it stand for five minutes before serving.
Our best tips
- Cream and bowl ice cold. Warm cream whips in less air, and the air is the replacement for the ice cream maker here.
- Fold, do not stir. Every destroyed air bubble becomes an ice crystal during freezing that you will feel on your tongue later.
- Only sweetened condensed milk. Unsweetened does not contain the sugar that lowers the freezing point, which makes the ice cream rock hard.
Tasty variations
Chocolate
Sift 60 g of cocoa powder into the condensed milk and stir until smooth before adding the cream. Sifted because cocoa lumps cannot be dissolved later.
Berry swirl
Boil down 200 g of berries with two tablespoons of sugar, let cool and swirl through the mixture when filling. Do not stir it in, the contrast between creamy and fruity is the whole point.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 353 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 29 g |
| – of which sugar | 29 g |
| Fat | 24 g |
| Fiber | 0 g |
Where the 353 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my ice cream become rock hard?
Either the cream was not whipped stiff enough, or it was stirred together instead of folded in. Both destroy the air structure, and without air the mixture freezes into a block. Unsweetened condensed milk leads to the same result.
How long does the ice cream keep?
Two to three months if the surface is covered directly with plastic wrap. Without a cover, freezer burn forms within days because water sublimates from the surface. A container with a lid alone is not enough for this.
Can I save on sugar?
Hardly, and that is a physical limit, not a matter of taste: The sugar lowers the freezing point and is the reason why the ice cream remains creamy without a machine. Less sugar means harder ice cream. If you want it less sweet, increase the salt and use stronger flavors like espresso or dark chocolate.
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