To make no-churn ice cream, whip 2 cups cold heavy cream to stiff peaks in a blender, then blend in 1 cup sweetened condensed milk, 1/4 cup corn syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Pour into a metal loaf pan, fold in mix-ins, cover, and freeze for 6 hours.
- Whip 2 cups cold heavy cream to stiff peaks in a blender, about 20 seconds on medium. Cold cream is the difference between scoopable and icy.
- Add 1 cup sweetened condensed milk, 1/4 cup corn syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Corn syrup blocks ice crystals and is what keeps the texture creamy.
- Blend another 20 seconds until uniform with no streaks of cream or pockets of condensed milk.
- Pour into a metal loaf pan. Wide and shallow gives more cold-air contact, so the mixture freezes faster and ends up smoother.
- Fold in 1/2 cup of mix-ins, cover, and freeze for 6 hours. Cookies, chocolate chunks, fruit, swirls of caramel — pick a flavor and stir it through.
An ice cream maker is great if you have one and can find space for it. Most people don't. The no-churn method gets you the same creamy, scoopable result with a blender, a loaf pan, and 6 hours in the freezer. The whipped cream traps air bubbles (which is what an ice cream maker normally does by churning), and the condensed milk plus corn syrup keeps the mixture soft enough to scoop straight from the freezer.
Pick your flavor
The base recipe takes any direction without changing the structure. Stir in 1 cup of crushed chocolate sandwich cookies for cookies and cream. Swap the corn syrup for 1/4 cup of caramel sauce and add a teaspoon of flaky salt for salted caramel. Fold in 1/2 cup of fresh strawberry puree and a few diced strawberries for strawberry. Drop a few tablespoons of whipped chocolate ganache in dollops and swirl with a knife for fudge ripple.
Common questions about no-churn ice cream
The questions home cooks ask most often: how to keep it from going icy, what to swap when you're out of an ingredient, and how long it lasts before it tastes freezer-burned.
Why is my no-churn ice cream icy?
Three things drive iciness. First, the cream wasn't whipped to stiff peaks. Soft peaks don't trap enough air, and the gaps fill with water as the mixture freezes. Second, you skipped the corn syrup or maple syrup. Those liquid sugars block ice crystals from forming large; without them, the texture turns hard and crunchy. Third, the freezer is too warm or has been opened too often. A dedicated chest freezer at 0°F holds the texture better than a fridge-top freezer.
Can you make no-churn ice cream without sweetened condensed milk?
Yes, but the texture changes. The closest swap is 1 cup of dulce de leche for a richer, caramelized flavor. For a lighter version, replace the can with 3/4 cup of honey or maple syrup plus 2 tablespoons of cream cheese (the fat keeps it scoopable). Avoid evaporated milk; it has the milk solids but no sugar, so the result freezes too hard. Plain whipped cream sweetened with powdered sugar will freeze rock solid without the condensed milk's sugar load.
How long does no-churn ice cream last in the freezer?
Best texture is in the first week. By two weeks the air bubbles start to collapse and the surface picks up freezer odors, even with a tight cover. After three weeks the texture turns icy and the flavor fades. Press a piece of parchment paper directly onto the surface before sealing the lid to slow ice-crystal formation, and store the loaf pan at the back of the freezer where the temperature swings less.
What can I use instead of corn syrup?
Light corn syrup is the standard ice-crystal blocker, but you have alternatives that work nearly as well. Glucose syrup is a one-to-one swap. Honey works at the same volume but adds a clear honey note that pairs better with vanilla and fruit than with chocolate. Maple syrup also works one-to-one and brings its own flavor. Avoid granulated sugar; it doesn't dissolve fully in a cold mixture and leaves a grainy bite once frozen.
Can you make no-churn ice cream dairy-free?
Yes. Use 2 cups of full-fat coconut cream (chilled overnight, solids only) in place of the heavy cream, and a 14-oz can of sweetened condensed coconut milk in place of the dairy condensed. The texture is closer to gelato than American-style ice cream, and the flavor carries a coconut undertone that pairs well with chocolate, banana, mango, and toasted nuts. Skip the corn syrup if your condensed coconut milk is already syrupy.
