Homemade no churn ice cream is just 3 ingredients and 10 minutes to make and comes out incredibly flavorful and delicious! It’s perfect any time of year for a sweet treat.

This recipe, more than perhaps any other, will remind me of the summer of 2020.
Normally, we’d be heading to TCBY, getting ice cream at the pool, and picking up cones from local stores.
Not so much this year.
So we made a ton of homemade ice cream instead!
Sure, I buy ice cream from the grocery store too. We go through the stuff. But homemade is always better. ❤️
And this homemade no churn ice cream is so stinkin’ quick and easy to make, I was whipping it up on repeat. (Whipping it up - get it? You have to whip the whipped cream… haha, sorry.)
You only need 3 ingredients: heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. That's all.
And wow, this vanilla ice cream is so smooth, soft, perfectly sweet and crazy delicious.
The texture, too, is spot on. No grainy bits, no artificial tastes, just clean, pure, cold, yummy ice cream.
And it just takes 10 minutes to prep and then sets up beautifully in the freezer.
Meaning, it doesn’t stay soft serve soft and it doesn’t get rock hard. It’s perfectly in the middle and ready to pull out and dip a spoon into any time of day.
Not that I sneak a spoonful if my kids happen to walk out of the kitchen for 5 minutes. Definitely not.
Anyway, you’ll love the taste, you’ll love the texture and you’ll love how simple it is.
And amazingly, there’s no ice cream maker needed!
I even have one and I still prefer to make homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker.
Plus, you don’t have to worry about freezing the ice cream maker core in advance and going through the hassle of messing with it.
Nope, no advanced planning required. The kids can even help get this ready, it’s so simple.
I have a feeling you’ll be as smitten - and addicted - as we are!
(And if you are a chocolate lover, definitely check out this no churn chocolate ice cream. And in the summertime, this homemade peach ice cream is a frozen fruity treat!)
OK, let's get to making this!
You can also check out my Google web story for this recipe!
Now, I’ve got some notes and substitutions coming up on how to make no churn ice cream. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Ingredient Notes:
- Heavy cream: You’ll need 1 pint — about 2 cups — of heavy whipping cream (or heavy cream, same thing). Details below on how to do the whipping part. I have not tried this with other substitutes, so you’re on your own there.
- Sweetened condensed milk: You can use a can of regular or fat-free sweetened condensed milk. I’ve tried it with both before. Just be sure you are not using evaporated milk. Not the same.
- Vanilla - Be sure you are using PURE vanilla extract, not the imitation kind. It makes a big difference in the flavor here.
Freezing Tips:
- For freezing, you’ll want to put the ice cream in a freezer-safe container. I use a 9x5 bread pan and it works perfectly. (If you only have an 8x4, that will do, but it’ll be VERY full.) A pie pan or shallow freezer-safe bowl would work too. A large plastic container is fine too.
- Make sure to clear some space in your freezer where this can rest flat, so it doesn't leak out of the container before it sets up.
- Freeze time will vary, but it’s usually ready to eat in 3-4 hours, though it might still be a little bit soft. After 6 hours, it should be completely set up.
- The ice cream can be kept, covered, in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. If it lasts that long.
If you are intimidated by making your own whipped cream, trust me, it’s super duper easy.
Here’s a few pointers if you haven’t done it before.
How to make whipped cream:
- You’ll need a hand mixer or stand mixer.
- You put your cold heavy whipping cream in a large bowl (which you can chill for a few minutes if you've got the time, no worries if not) then you turn your mixer on low.
- Start with it on low for a minute or two to get it going so your whipping cream doesn’t splatter all over your kitchen.
- You can gradually increase the speed up to medium, as long as the splatters out of the bowl aren’t too out of control.
- You’ll need to beat it for about 4-6 minutes total, until stiff peaks form.
- Stiff peaks means that when you hold up the mixer, the whipped cream stands up. It’s not so liquid or loose that it falls right off back into the bowl.
You’re all set!
You can definitely add some mix-ins to your ice cream to flavor it up if you'd like.
You’ll want to add ½ cup to 1 cup and stir to get it really well incorporated before placing the ice cream in the freezer.
It also helps to make sure everything is similarly sized and chopped on the small size.
Here’s a few ideas to get you thinking.
Ice Cream Flavor Mix-ins:
- Cookies and cream (crushed Oreo’s)
- Fruits: Strawberry, blueberry, peach, etc. (fresh or frozen, chopped if large)
- S’mores (mini chocolate chips, crushed graham crackers and mini marshmallows) - here's a s'mores ice cream recipe
- Chocolate chips
- Mint chocolate chip (use mint extract and chocolate chips or use mint chocolate chips or chopped Andes mints)
- Snickers - chopped up candy bars (or choose any other favorite candy)
The sky is the limit - mix and match your favorite add-ins.
This vanilla ice cream is perfect for serving over things like cake, brownies and crisps. (Like peach blueberry crumbles, strawberry yogurt cake or healthy apple cobbler.)
You can also add some fun toppings to the ice cream, instead of using mix-ins.
That’s probably our favorite way to go. We can all choose what we want to add each time and we can change it up day to day.
Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.
Topping ideas:
- Chocolate syrup or caramel sauce
- Fresh fruit (chopped berries, cherries, etc.)
- Crushed cookie pieces (such as Oreo’s)
- Crushed or chopped candy pieces
- Mini or regular chocolate chips
- Sprinkles
Feel free to get creative with your mix-ins and your toppings and make this your own very favorite type of ice cream.
Honestly though, I love it as is. Nothing else needed.
Vanilla is my favorite ice cream flavor and no, you can’t convince me that’s boring. Not when it's this good.
So cheers to the waning days of summer; let’s live them up! ☀️
I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend if you’re here in the U.S. - and I hope you enjoy making this homemade vanilla ice cream no matter the season!
XO,
Kathryn
Homemade No Churn Ice Cream
Homemade no-churn ice cream is just 3 ingredients and 10 minutes to make and comes out incredibly flavorful and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 pint (2 cups) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (fat-free is fine to use)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Optional: ½ to 1 cup of add-ins, such as crushed cookie pieces, fruit, etc.
Instructions
- Place a large mixing bowl in the freezer to get cold for 5-10 minutes if you have time.
- Pour cold heavy whipping cream into the mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer until stiff peaks form, about 5-6 minutes. (You can start on low speed to avoid splatters and work up to medium speed.)
- In a small bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and stir until well combined.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk mixture to the bowl with the whipped cream and gently fold in until well combined.
- Pour the soft ice cream mixture into a freezer-safe container, such as a 9x5 loaf pan or shallow bowl or plastic container, and smooth the top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
- Place in freezer for at least 3 hours to allow it to set up. (It will be completely set by 6 hours but is usually ready to enjoy after 3-4 hours.)
- Store in the freezer, covered, for up to 10 days.
Notes
Heavy cream: Heavy cream, or heavy whipping cream (same thing), is what I've used for this. You need 1 pint or about 2 cups. I have not tried this with other substitutes.
Sweetened condensed milk: You can use a can of regular or fat-free sweetened condensed milk. I’ve used both before. Just be sure you are not using evaporated milk.
Vanilla: Be sure to use PURE vanilla extract, not imitation. It's super important for the flavor here.
Storing: The ice cream can be stored, covered, in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Ideas for mix-ins (use ½-1 cup total):
- Cookies and cream (crushed Oreo’s)
- Fruits: Strawberry, blueberry, peach, etc. (fresh or frozen, chopped if large)
- S’mores (mini chocolate chips, crushed graham crackers and mini marshmallows)
- Chocolate chips
- Mint chocolate chip (use mint extract and chocolate chips or use mint chocolate chips or chopped Andes mints)
- Snickers - chopped up candy bars (or choose any other favorite candy)
Toppings: Or keep the ice cream as plain vanilla and serve with any of your favorite toppings, such as chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, chopped candies or cookies, sprinkles, etc.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 184Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 96mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g
Tori
How much ice cream is one serving? In grams/ounces?
Kathryn Doherty
A serving size of ice cream is sort-of a personal call! 😂 My husband's idea of a serving is different than mine. That said, the recipe is listed as making 8 servings total, so one serving, in terms of the nutritional information listed above, is 1/8th of this recipe. I don't have what that would be in grams/ounces. I hope that helps and I hope you enjoy it!
Tori
Alright, thank you!
Karen
I've made several batches of different ice creams. I follow these directions to a 'T' and my ice cream turns out very hard and unscoopable. What am I doing wrong?
Kathryn Doherty
Hmm, I'm not sure. I've never had mine get very hard. A couple of ideas might be if you are overbeating the cream beyond stiff peaks and that's creating a tougher mix? Or if your freezer temp is off and it's either too cold or alternating between temps and allowing the ice cream to freeze and thaw and refreeze, which could affect the texture. I hope that helps!
Dennis Yannakos
This post comes in a perfect time once I was craving for ice cream and wanna try to make homemade no churn ice cream! Thanks! I can't wait to try it, bet that it's better than delish!
Kathryn Doherty
Yay for great timing! I hope you love it! 😊
Manju
Indians can use elachi fir natural flavor and molasses for natural sweetness
Kathryn Doherty
Thanks for sharing!
sharon cole
How much vanilla do you use?
Kathryn Doherty
The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. The recipe card is just above the comments section here with the exact quantities listed. Hope that helps!
dionne williams jones
Have been making this for a couple of years now! Soooo good!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so glad you love it! It's so stinkin' easy and so very good! My husband just said this week that my homemade ice cream has ruined him for store-bought kinds. 😊
Net
So much text I forgot why I was here. Eventually I realized I was still just mindlessly scrolling down and down, and I then remembered that it was about ice cream, but I lost interest. I still haven't even figured out how you do it.
Kathryn Doherty
I do it because I love helping people, so I try and answer all the questions someone might have about making the ice cream, storing it, changing up the flavor, adding toppings, etc. Hope you enjoy! (And hope you learn how to scroll a little faster! It really doesn't take long. 😊)
Tim
Sounds delicious, can't wait to try it. They say whipping cream about doubles in size, so I'm guessing this makes about 2 pints, or 1 quart of ice cream. Looks like ingredients should be around $3 for the heavy whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk.
Def doesn't sound cheaper than buying a "half gallon" (which is now actually 1.5 quarts) at the store for $2.50....but being able to control the ingredients and customize seems like it might be a better experience.
Def going to try this out....just need to dig out the bread loaf pans and clear out some space in the freezer!
Kathryn Doherty
I hope you enjoy it! And wow, the ice cream I buy at the store is $6 for 1.5 quarts. It's a good quality ice cream, but SO expensive! Maybe the store-brand ones are cheaper, but I guarantee this homemade version tastes better!
Molly
Hi Kathryn! I'm gonna try it, if I put the Ice Cream in a plastic Bowl, Could I use the lid to cover instead of plastic wrap? I know it is probably a silly question,but I want to make sure I'm doing it right. Thank you.
Kathryn Doherty
Yes, that should work fine! As long as it's freezer safe and will keep any odors from getting to the ice cream, it should be OK. Hope you enjoy it! (I'm about to make a batch myself this afternoon. 😊)
Yasmin
This stuff is the best! Just tried this recipe today and love it. This is going to be a HUGE hit with my seven little ones.
Kathryn Doherty
YAY! I'm so glad to hear you loved it! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Dolores
If Substituting mint extract, is it also one tablespoon?
Kathryn Doherty
I would not recommend using an entire tablespoon of mint extract. It has a very strong flavor and might be too much. I haven't tried substituting the vanilla extract in this recipe at all, but I would suggest possibly doing 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of mint and see what that tastes like? You may need to play around with it a little and adjust. Would love to hear if you try it!