This easy ice cream recipe only uses two main ingredients (3 if you count vanilla extract) and it does not require an ice cream machine! Whipped cream mimics the air you get through traditional churning and sweetened condensed milk gives it a luxurious texture and custardy flavor. It produces a rich and creamy ice cream that’s a perfect base for a variety of mix-ins. We love this with crushed cookies, a swirl of caramel or chocolate, or dollops of fruit jam.
Ingredients Needed
- Heavy Whipping Cream – Heavy whipping cream will provide a creamier, richer, softer finished ice cream, but you could use regular whipping cream in a pinch.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Flavorings or Add-Ins, If Desired
- Vanilla or Other Extracts
- Crushed Cookie Crumbs
- Caramel or Chocolate Fudge
- Fruit Jam
How to Make Two Ingredient Ice Cream
- Pour a can of sweetened condensed milk into a bowl and add some vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl or stand mixture, whip cream until medium-stiff peaks form.
- You’ll add your whipped cream to your sweetened condensed milk mixture in 3 separate additions. The first addition, you’ll stir the whipped cream in to lighten the whole mixture, after that, you’ll fold in the remaining whipped cream. You don’t want to just dump it in and stir. To fold means to take a little bit at a time, and gently move your rubber spatula from the bottom of the bowl, around up to the top. This keeps the fluffy air in the cream as opposed to deflating it while stirring.
- At this point you can fold in anything you like: fresh fruit, crushed cookies, spices, etc. You can mix it into your whole bowl of ice cram base, or add it in by layers right into your container, like I’m doing in these photos with some berry sauce.
- Place your container in the freezer until the ice cream is firm; usually about 6-8 hours.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store your finished ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer and eat at your leisure. My favorite containers for homemade ice cream are these 8 cup Oxo Glass Storage Containers.
- Experiment with different flavors- we love crushed Oreos, fresh berries, cinnamon-graham cracker with apple pie filling, peanut butter banana with chocolate chips, Nutella, chocolate or caramel sauce, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is no-churn ice cream the same texture as churned ice cream?
It’s pretty close to other homemade ice creams, but the flavor of the sweetened condensed milk comes through and it’s a little more rich and creamy! You may find it a bit firmer and more dense than some store-bought ice creams that tend to have a very airy consistency that aids in keeping it soft and scoopable. But it is every bit as delicious!
Two Ingredient Ice Cream {No Machine Required!}
This easy ice cream has only two main ingredients and doesn’t require an ice cream maker. If you happen to have one, though, there are instructions included for that as well.
Servings 1/2 Cup Servings (estimate)
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 14 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour can of sweetened condensed milk into a large mixing bowl and whisk in vanilla. Set aside.
- Pour whipping cream into a separate bowl or stand mixer and whip until medium peaks form.
- Take one large spoonful of whipping cream and stir it into the sweetened condensed milk mixture vigourously until smooth. This should lighten your mixture so you can now gently fold in the remaining whipping cream in additions.
- Add the remaining cream to the sweetened condensed milk mixture in 3 additions, gently folding in each time until mixture is smooth.
- At this point you can stir in additions if you like, or you can layer them into your container by placing a layer of ice cream mixture, then swirling in some toppings, then layering in more ice cream mixture, etc. until you use all of your base mixture.
- Pour into container and freeze for at least 6-8 hours or until firm.
Notes
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- Store your finished ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer and eat at your leisure.
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- Experiment with different flavors- we love crushed Oreos, mashed banana, fresh strawberry, cinnamon-graham cracker with apple pie filling, peanut butter banana with chocolate chips, Nutella, you can’t really go wrong here, folks! Good ol’ fashioned caramel from a jar works just fine too.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 244kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 56mg, Sodium: 53mg, Potassium: 162mg, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 671IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 120mg, Iron: 0.1mg
Calories: 244kcal
Cost: 6
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Questions & Reviews
I tried this recipe and it turned out super yummy! I added some chocolate chips and a little mango, and it made it even better. It’s so quick and easy, perfect for hot days. While I enjoy my ice cream, my dog enjoys his dog ice cream too. Feels nice when both of us can enjoy something cool and tasty together. Thanks a lot for sharing such a fun recipe
What would you add to make it chocolate?
You could whip cocoa powder in with the whipped cream (make sure to sift it in as it might clump!)
Fabulous. Easy and yummy
Perfect, just perfect. I always stabilize my whip cream and did so with your recipe. Worked just as you said it would. Did blackberry jam and cheesecake cut into bite size pieces. Devine. Second go round did add half cup more cream as it was a bit sweet for me ( could have been the jam) and worked great. Added crumbled waffle cones and ice cream fudge in the jar. Home run. Thx! Not sure I will ever go back to making custard base. Makes enough to do 2 flavors each batch. Thx!
This recipe is delightful. Our condensed milk comes in 300 ml cans which is about 10 oz. Will the 10 oz work with 2 cups of whipping cream.
Yes that should be just fine!
I love that this recipe is so easy. Have you tried it with the tins of caramelised condensed milk? Also my favourite is rum and raisin but alcohol reduces the freezing point of the ice cream. How much can I add before it stops it from freezing in my home freezer?
I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard the rule of thumb is no more than one and a half tablespoons of 80-proof alcohol for every quart of ice cream base, so I’d start there!
Oh My Goodness Gracious Sakes Alive!!! This is the bomb — made 2 batches gone in 24 hours. Added a drizzle of butterscotch and chocolate syrups between layers an swirled it in with a knife…. My hubby ate it for breakfast.
This looks amazing!! I read up in the post that it would be ok to omit the vanilla! Because I don’t have any on hand, will the tasted be affected greatly? Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!!
You could leave out the vanilla. I think it helps add flavor since there are so few ingredients, but it will still work just fine 🙂
As soon as I discovered this recipe, I keep it on hand at all times in the freezer. I serve it to my one-year-old on a daily basis as part of my program to “fatten her up” a bit; she is extremely lean. But Mama takes little tastes, too- this stuff is heavenly! I am intrigued about adding fruit, but I want to go beyond just adding fruit chunks as I’d like the flavor to completely permeate the ice cream. I’m dreaming of peach puree in addition to peach chunks, but I’m unsure how much to add…I don’t want it to change the consistency. I toyed with the idea of the creamy fruit freeze, but I love the taste and texture of the ice cream so much and I’m worried I won’t get the same taste. Any suggestions for how much puree to add? I am using the no ice cream maker version. Thanks in advance- adore your blog!!