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3 Ingredient Homemade Ice Cream Recipe Without an Ice Cream Maker

This 3 ingredient homemade ice cream recipe takes just minutes to put together for some of the creamiest ice cream ever. The best part is you don't even need an ice cream maker!

I don't know about you, but no matter if it's nearly 100° or even near 0°, I love ice cream year round.

Mr. Savvy and I recently took a few nice relaxing days for a long weekend and I made this homemade vanilla ice cream recipe.

Let's just say it was SO good that I made 2 batches in 3 days. Yep, just for the 2 of us.

I think Mr. Savvy ate ¾ of it himself and says he is now ruined for his favorite store-bought ice cream.

This holds quite the significance as Mr. Savvy is very picky about his ice cream. Let's just savor the creaminess a moment more, shall we?

Vanilla ice cream in a black bowl on a distressed wood background

3 Ingredient Homemade Ice Cream Recipe Without an Ice Cream Maker

Mmmm. Ahem, no, of course, I'm not eating another spoonful while writing this post...

I am so in love with this ice cream for a few reasons. First of all, it only takes 3 ingredients that a lot of us always have around the house.

Secondly, it literally takes minutes to make, other than freezing time, and you can easily customize it to whatever flavor you want.

The thing I love most is that it doesn't take an ice cream maker and yet is the creamiest ice cream I've ever made.

vanilla ice cream in a clear plastic container on a gray background

This is perfect for us because in our rental unit we have a tiny freezer that has no shelves and would be impossible to store one of the electric ice cream maker containers in.

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3 ingredient ice cream pinterest photo
Black square bowl filled whit 3 scoops of no-churn vanilla ice cream

3 Ingredient Homemade Ice Cream Recipe Without an Ice Cream Maker

Yield: ~1.5 quarts
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes

This super easy homemade ice cream recipe can be made into pretty much any flavor with a few extra ingredients. Best of all, you don't even need an ice cream maker!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Whip cream with mixer or whisk until stiff peaks form. Make sure you use cream straight from the refrigerator or it may not whip up properly.
  2. Pour sweetened condensed milk into a large bowl and stir in your desired flavorings and/or mix-ins. For this recipe I added a splash of vanilla to my cream as it whipped and a tablespoon to the milk. I would have also added some vanilla bean if we had any.
  3. Gently fold the whipped cream into the milk mixture until it’s well combined. You want to keep that creamy light texture, so don't take out any frustration on it. ;)
  4. Pour into a 1.5 - 2 quart freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 6 hours. I like using this 7-cup freezer-safe container by Rubbermaid or a 1 quart + .5 quart deli/soup container.
  5. Serve and enjoy while trying to not eat the whole container in one sitting. This ice cream is very creamy so you usually don’t need to leave it out to soften to scoop. This can depend on how cold your freezer is or how many mix-ins you put in.

Notes

Unless you're going to eat all of the ice cream within a few days I recommend placing some plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream before covering so it doesn't form ice crystals.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: ½ cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 135Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 11mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information may not be accurate. Optional garnishes and toppings aren't included. Nutrition information is calculated automatically by and provided by Nutritionix. Exact nutrition information depends on the specific ingredients, brands, and amounts you use.

Did you make this recipe?

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I hope you enjoyed this 3 Ingredient Homemade Ice Cream Recipe Without an Ice Cream Maker - be sure to check out our other recipes!

LM

Thursday 16th of April 2020

I tried this recipe today. Can’t wait until it freezes to eat. I added purée mango for a added bonus.🙂

Smart Savvy Living

Saturday 25th of April 2020

That sounds like a delicious addition, LM. Hope you enjoyed!

Sinead

Friday 24th of June 2016

This is a great recipe but I came up with a ice cream recipe that is even easier! Just mix in a bowl vanilla,sugar and milk! I don't yet have measurements but mine was delicious! When the ice cream mix is done just put it in the freezer until it is as hard as you want it! Please note that when it is done it will be a little hard but you can always let it thaw.

Steph

Monday 30th of November 2020

@Sinead, Wow! does it work with brown sugar?

Smart Savvy Living

Saturday 25th of June 2016

Hey Sinead,

That is so great to know, thanks for sharing!

Steph

Friday 27th of May 2016

Is this recipe in UK cups or US cups?

Sinead

Friday 24th of June 2016

I'm pretty sure US

Smart Savvy Living

Friday 27th of May 2016

Hi Steph,

Thanks for stopping by. All of our recipes are for US measurements.

gloria

Thursday 12th of May 2016

great recipe,added strawberries, blackberries & blueberries, I can taste bthe condensed milk. what did I do wrong? should I add whole milk to reduce the sweetness?

Lisa

Tuesday 29th of September 2015

I made a mint chocolate chip flavor and a rocky road flavor. They both were delicious!! I am so excited to make other flavors 😊😊😊 the flavor ideas are infinite!☺

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