American
No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream
Cold heavy cream whips into sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, then freezes until scoopable. There are no eggs and no ice cream maker.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Whipped cream is the air. Condensed milk is the sugar and the body.
- There is no raw egg in this base.
- A pinch of salt and a spoon of corn syrup keep it from freezing into a brick as fast.
- It needs a real freeze, at least 6 hours, or it will not scoop.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Chill a large mixing bowl and the beaters for 10 minutes.
- 2
Stir the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, corn syrup, salt, and lemon zest in a separate bowl.
- 3
Stir in the whole milk until the mixture is smooth.
- 4
Whip the cold heavy cream to stiff peaks. It should hold a peak that does not slump.
- 5
Fold the cream into the condensed milk mixture in three additions, until no white streaks remain.
- 6
Pour into a loaf pan or a freezer container. Press parchment or plastic directly on the surface.
- 7
Freeze at least 6 hours, until firm enough to scoop.
- 8
Let it sit on the counter 5 minutes before scooping if it is very hard.
Pro tips
- Warm cream will not whip. If the kitchen is hot, set the bowl over a larger bowl of ice.
- Stiff peaks matter. Soft cream makes an icy, dense freeze.
- A covered container keeps the surface from picking up freezer smells.
Easy substitutions
- lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- corn syrup
- 1 tbsp honey
- whole milk
- half-and-half
Storage and reheating
Storage
Keep frozen in a covered container up to 2 weeks. Press the cover back onto the surface after each scoop.
Reheating
Do not reheat. Let it soften at room temperature a few minutes, then scoop.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 264
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
Moderate · No Cook
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A heavy 12-inch skillet
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An air fryer with a real basket
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A half-sheet pan
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A sharp chef’s knife
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A large cutting board
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Dry cups and a liquid cup
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An instant-read thermometer
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