No-churn ice cream with whipped cream and condensed milk

Three ingredients, a mixer and a freezer. Whipped cream provides the air, sweetened condensed milk the smoothness.

The easiest route to ice cream without an ice cream maker. The air isn’t churned into the mix as it freezes but added beforehand — by whipping the cream. Sweetened condensed milk is high in sugar and milk solids and low in water, so ice crystals have nothing to grow from and the ice cream stays smooth without stirring. It deliberately has more fat and solids than a typical cream ice cream — otherwise the whipped cream wouldn’t hold, and without a machine it’s your only insurance against iciness.

Type: Classic cream ice cream · Servings: 8 · Difficulty: Easy

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 480 g whipping cream 33 % (well chilled, at least 33 %)
  • 340 g sweetened condensed milk (1 tin (about 400 g), minus a little)
  • 180 g whole milk 3.5 % (cold)
  • 8 g vanilla extract (2 teaspoons)
  • 1 g salt (a pinch)

Making the mix

  1. Put the mixing bowl and the beaters in the freezer for 15 minutes.
  2. In another bowl, stir the condensed milk with the milk, vanilla and salt until smooth.
  3. Whip the chilled cream to soft peaks — it should hold its shape but must not be stiff or grainy.
  4. Whisk a third of the whipped cream into the condensed milk to loosen it. Then gently fold this into the rest of the whipped cream with a spatula until evenly combined.

Method — No-machine method

  1. Transfer the mix to a lidded container (a loaf tin, for example), level the surface and cover with cling film.
  2. Freeze for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. Don’t stir — the air from the whipped cream would escape.

Unlike the other no-machine recipes, this ice cream is not stirred while it freezes. The milk added to the whipped cream thins it slightly; for an even airier result, leave it out (the ice cream will be sweeter and richer).

Total time: 6 h 15 min

Stages

Preparation
15 min
Freezing
6 h
Total time
6 h 15 min

Serving and storage

You can scoop it straight from the freezer. Slice it like a parfait or pile it into cones.

In a sealed container it keeps well for about 2 weeks — the sugar from the condensed milk protects it from ice crystals.

Tips

  • Flavours: 2 tablespoons of instant coffee dissolved in the milk, 150 g of fruit purée instead of the milk, or chopped chocolate and biscuits folded in at the end.
  • Whip the cream only to soft peaks. Over-whipped cream starts turning into butter and the ice cream will be greasy.
  • You can layer fruit purée or caramel in the container and swirl it through with a spoon for a ripple effect.

Why it works

When cream is whipped, its fat globules partly break and link into a network around the air bubbles — just what an ice cream maker does during churning. Condensed milk brings sugar and milk solids without water. The fat (about 19 %) and total solids (about 45 %) are deliberately above the usual range for cream ice cream — they make up for the missing churning.

Sources