super easy ice cream recipe

7 July 2010, 00:54

Have you ever wanted to eat a certain flavour of ice cream but curl up in the corner and cry because you don’t own an ice cream maker or it’s too late and too far to get to your fav ice cream store? Well cry no more! I first spied this super easy ice cream recipe from a post on Karen Cheng’s Snippets of Life and you only need 3 ingredients for the base- 600ml of thickened cream, a 300ml can of condensed milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and there’s no cooking involved!


First beat your cream until the cream doubles in volume. Stir in the the vanilla extract and condensed milk – I only used half the can because I was making maple syrup ice cream and also nutella ice cream and knew it would be super sweet. If you want to add your flavourings and toppings now is the time so go ahead and whack those in, then give it a stir and pour into a freezer friendly container. Freeze for 12hours and then attack!


Or you can split your ice cream mixture into different containers if you want different flavours. I split mine into thirds and made green tea with the first lot. I used about 1 tablespoon of matcha powder which was probably a bit too much and was a tad too bitter lol next time maybe 1 teaspoon should do the trick


My second batch was Nutella and whee look at the swirlies! I used about 2 tablespoons of Nutella and had to stir like crazy to mix it properly


Tadah the finished product! The ice cream is definitely creamy and uber smooth but doesn’t have the airy texture that I associate with ice cream but more like gelato. But hey there’s no freezing of any ice cream bowls or separating of eggs!


The last flavour I made was maple syrup. Oh baby. Imagine smooth vanilla ice cream with rivers of maple syrup oh yes it was awesome! Next time I’d go and buy some pecans mmm pecans

1. A friend of mine brought magic lemon tequila ice cream like this to a party once, saying he’d made it himself without an ice cream machine and we dug in with glee waxing lyrical about how smooth it was and so light and oh so creamy…and we enquired as to what magical ingredients were in this creation and he said lemon and tequila and cream and…. that’s it.

   And that’s when I put my spoon down and pushed away the half-eaten tub.

   True story. lol.

   — Helen (grabyourfork)    Jul 7, 01:14 AM    #
   
   

2. ps. Cream is magical

   — Helen (grabyourfork)    Jul 7, 02:00 AM    #
   
   

3. Looks so easy. continues sulking about not being able to eat ice cream dammit.

   — Fiona    Jul 7, 07:33 AM    #
   
   

4. oooh that maple syrup one sounds wonderful!!!

   — Lisa (BBB)    Jul 7, 07:46 AM    #
   
   

5. What a great recipe! I bought an ice cream maker last summer and only used it once. It was just too complicated :(

   — Zina @ tastedbytwo    Jul 7, 09:04 AM    #
   
   

6. thankyou suze!
   I’m sooooo trying this!
   Gonna do nutella and maybe an apple pie flavour…mmmmm!!

   — Iron Chef Shellie    Jul 7, 09:29 AM    #
   
   

7. Oooh this is the recipe I use for ice cream slice – I layer malt biscuits on a brownie tin, spread the ice cream mixture (I usually add crunchie pieces to it!!) and then top it with more malt biscuits…..then when it’s frozen you can cut it in to ice cream cookie sandwiches!! Oh god it’s so good.

   — Kat    Jul 7, 09:30 AM    #
   
   

8. Are you saying my ice cream maker will now become obselete? =( Lol, I’ve made so many ice creams already I think I’m ice creamed out! I still have some of my last batch in the freezer and no one is eating it.

   — angie    Jul 7, 11:03 AM    #
   
   

9. That is awesome! I’ve been meaning to make sweetcorn ice cream, i might use this recipe for it!

   — Steph    Jul 7, 11:19 AM    #
   
   

10. Oh my gawd, yummy.

    I’ve decided to make frozen yogurt & boy its simple. lovely.

    — Laura (Starloz)    Jul 7, 11:19 AM    #
    
    

11. Ice-cream in winter. I like!
    Okay, I do own an ice-cream maker. But I hardly use it. :)

    — Anh    Jul 7, 11:19 AM    #
    
    

12. I curl up in the corner and cry because no-one understands my titanium-plated heart

    — The Ninja    Jul 7, 11:28 AM    #
    
    

13. I’ve been wanting to make ice cream for ages but I don’t have an ice cream maker! so yay for this recipe, gonna try it out this weekend :)

    — Jacq    Jul 7, 11:51 AM    #
    
    

14. Wow so easy, I’ve always got these ingredients in my pantry…..might got make some ice cream later…even though it’s not quite the weather for it. Thank you for the post!

    — Brenda    Jul 7, 12:05 PM    #
    
    

15. Yum! I read Karen Cheng’s post too but had too many things tying me up, stopping me from making it. Now I’ll really have to make it tonight. It’s always ice cream weather =)

    — mashi    Jul 7, 01:07 PM    #
    
    

16. No egg ice cream rocks, it doesn’t end up like sweet scrambled eggs! To get more of a light airy texture, take it out of the freezer every 3-4 hours and beat well with a whisk or a handmixer. More trouble, but you delay that freezing process a bit and the air will hold in the thicker cream.

    — carly/fivesquaremeals    Jul 7, 02:23 PM    #
    
    

17. Nutella for me thanks. I’m one of those sods without an icecream maker, sitting in the corner crying!

    — forager @ The Gourmet Forager    Jul 7, 02:27 PM    #
    
    

18. Cripes, it took me 3 weeks to realise you have a new watermark! xD

    MMMMM.. ice cream. That green tea ice cream looks awesome – you should try your hand at popcorn next (though Almost Bourdain has probably already covered that). Oooh what about, um, lychee?! Yes/yes??

    — Maggie    Jul 7, 06:14 PM    #
    
    

19. oh NOM! Can’t go past Nutella

    — laura    Jul 7, 07:04 PM    #
    
    

20. What a fabulous idea! I have an icecream maker but it’s such a hassle having to prechill the tub and all the mixing and stuff, your method is so easy, but Helen is right – it is just spooning up PURE CREAM!

    — Moya    Jul 7, 08:45 PM    #
    
    

21. I love ice cream recipes that don’t required a machine! yay!

    — Julie    Jul 7, 08:52 PM    #
    
    

22. I love ice cream esp in winter! Didn’t even know you could make ice cream without the machine.

    — Thang @ noodlies.com    Jul 7, 10:44 PM    #
    
    

23. Great recipe for people with egg allergies!

    — Ladybird    Jul 8, 07:34 AM    #
    
    

24. Cream + condensed milk = certain death but so much awesome! I normally use supermarket to make my flavoured ice cream but this recipes sounds much more tastier haha

    — FFichiban    Jul 8, 04:29 PM    #
    
    

25. Freezing of bowls is what puts me off ice cream makers… I want the one they have on Iron Chef!!!

    — Tina    Jul 8, 06:33 PM    #
    
    

26. what sugary goodness!

    — B    Jul 8, 07:42 PM    #
    
    

27. Ooh, love the pretty nutella swirls! Mmmm nutella…

    — Karen (missklicious)    Jul 8, 10:04 PM    #
    
    

28. OMG I tried Karen’s recipe too and made cookies and cream ice cream! http://www.thecattylife.com/2009/12/cookies-cream-the-easiest-ice-cream-recipe-ever-or-your-money-back/

    Since then I’ve also made matcha (of course) and can’t stop making ice cream hehe..

    Hey Suze, would you be interested in taking part in a matcha madness competition? Would be greaaaat: http://www.thecattylife.com/2010/07/matcha-madness/

    SORRY for having two links in this comment, I dont usually link but had to share the love! :)

    — catty    Jul 8, 11:37 PM    #
    
    

29. What in the world is “thickened” cream? Since i live in Latinoamerica I will appreciate if you can tell me I can use whipped or heavy creams. Regards.

    PS; great blog BTW!

    — almond    Jul 9, 08:17 AM    #
    
    

30. Best icecream recipe ever! Particularly loving the no need for an icecream machine part. Im thinking cheesecake flavoured… maybe chocolate cheesecake!

    — Katie    Jul 9, 09:22 PM    #
    
    

31. What an awesome way of making ice cream (or gelato).

    Surprised to hear that it’s so smooth. Would have expected it to be icy.

    — Simon @ the heart of food    Jul 10, 01:56 AM    #
    
    

32. No stirring after freezing? I’m in! Kaya ice cream, here I come…

    — Rachel @ Here Comes The Aeroplane    Jul 11, 05:39 PM    #
    
    

33. awesome! loking forward to try this as im one of those ppl who curls in the corner and cry hahahha :D
    maybe will try black sesame first..hmmmm.

    — Vivienne    Jul 15, 10:03 PM    #
    
    

34. we tried this already! easy and amazing recipe. thanks for that but we added walnuts piece in, bring the ice-cream to a diff level.

    — Obesebaby    Jul 28, 11:40 AM    #
    
    

35. Heyy! I just tried this! but i used Soy condesed milk and soy thickened cream!! OMG… just so GOOD I also added some cookies on it. That’s a fast, easy and delicious recipe! Thanks for sharing :D

    — Ana Diegues    Aug 4, 11:39 AM    #
    
    

36. cant wait 2 try it!
    omg perfect 4 hot days !!!!
    i luv ice cream because i am a child!!!
    i luv nutella
    great site woooooow

    — dancegrl    Nov 13, 05:04 PM    #
    
    

37. I was thinking a coffee flavor… Or puree berries and mix them in.
    This looks unhealthy and terrible for me… Just my style ;)

    — ScreamingforIt    Apr 9, 07:37 PM    #
    
    

38. If anyone thinks this recipe is bad for you, think again, do you know what they put on the icecream you buy from the supermarkets?

    — Tracy    Nov 7, 08:05 AM    #
    
    

39. yum yum and yum again! I just love the nutella swirls. personally, i’d find it hard to resist whipping that ice cream out of the bowl for a big old taste! :-)

    — Pete Morris    Feb 4, 02:53 AM    #