No-Churn Ice Cream
Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 1
Chapter 2 · No-Churn Ice Cream
Skill goal
Make a no-churn base and turn it into four flavours by whipping, folding and rippling.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
No-churn ice cream gets its smoothness from whipped cream (the air) and sweetened condensed milk (the sugar and the body). The base is always the same: cream whipped to soft peaks and folded into condensed milk. Flavours are stirred in before the cream or folded in at the end.
The method
- Chill everything: cold cream whips faster and holds more air.
- Whip to soft peaks, not stiff: over-whipped cream turns grainy and buttery when folded.
- Fold gently: use a big spatula and slow strokes. Stirring knocks the air out and makes a heavy ice cream.
- Add flavour to the condensed milk, not to the whipped cream, so that it mixes in smoothly.
- Freeze in a shallow tub for 6 hours or more, covered.
Flavours that work and ones that need care
| Add | How | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa or chocolate | Dissolve cocoa in hot water, cool; or melt chocolate and cool | Hot mix melts the cream |
| Fruit | Cook down to a thick sauce and cool | Raw fruit freezes to ice |
| Biscuits and cookies | Crush and fold in last | They soften: add late |
| Coffee | Dissolve instant coffee in 1 tsp hot water and cool | Decaf for the evening |
| Alcohol | Not used in this course | Too much stops it freezing |
Allergens and freezer
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.Freezer storage: keep the freezer at -18°C or colder, store ice cream in a covered, labelled container, and eat it within about a month for the best taste and texture (general guidance). Don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely, and throw it away if it has been left out for hours.
Eggs: use eggs with the British Lion mark and wash your hands after handling raw egg. This course never serves raw egg: custards are cooked, and the no-churn and sorbet recipes have none. Pregnant women, babies, older people and anyone unwell should check current FSA advice before eating egg dishes, even cooked custard.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Vanilla no-churn ice cream (the base recipe)
Every no-churn flavour is this base plus something extra. Make it carefully once and the rest are easy. A pinch of salt makes the vanilla taste stronger.
Ingredients (5 portions)
- 300 ml double cream, well chilled
- 200 g sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste (or the seeds of half a vanilla pod)
- 1 pinch salt
- Whip the cold cream to soft peaks.
- Stir the condensed milk, vanilla and salt in a large bowl.
- Fold in the cream in two or three additions with a large spatula, cutting down the middle and lifting up, until just combined.
- Pour into a shallow tub, cover and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Freezer and allergens
Freezer storage: keep the freezer at -18°C or colder, store ice cream in a covered, labelled container, and eat it within about a month for the best taste and texture (general guidance). Don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely, and throw it away if it has been left out for hours.Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.
Level 1 · Flavour
Chocolate no-churn ice cream
Cocoa powder needs dissolving in a little hot water first, or it makes grainy specks. Cool the paste fully before mixing into the base, or it will melt the whipped cream.
Ingredients (5 portions)
- 1 batch base recipe
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
- 3 tbsp hot water
- 50 g dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (optional)
- Whisk the cocoa with the hot water in a small bowl to a smooth paste. Let it cool completely.
- Stir the cocoa paste into the condensed milk mixture from the base recipe until smooth.
- Whip the cream and fold it in as before. Fold in the chocolate chips for the last few strokes.
- Freeze in a shallow tub for at least 6 hours.
Freezer, allergens and small children
Freezer storage: keep the freezer at -18°C or colder, store ice cream in a covered, labelled container, and eat it within about a month for the best taste and texture (general guidance). Don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely, and throw it away if it has been left out for hours.Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.
Small children: hard lumps, frozen fruit pieces and nuts can be a choking risk for very young children, so keep pieces small and sit with them while they eat.
Level 2 · Ripple
Strawberry ripple
Raw strawberries are full of water and freeze to ice, so the fruit is cooked down first into a thick, jammy sauce. Cool it completely and chill it before you ripple.
Ingredients (5 portions)
- 1 batch base recipe
- 250 g strawberries, hulled and chopped
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Simmer the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice for 8 to 10 minutes, mashing, until thick and jammy. Cool, then chill for at least 1 hour.
- Make the base recipe and spoon half into a tub.
- Drizzle over half the sauce, add the rest of the base, then the rest of the sauce.
- Draw a knife through twice to ripple. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Hot sugar, fruit and freezer
Hot sugar syrup and custard: sugar syrup is much hotter than boiling water and sticks to skin, so keep the pan handle turned in and don't touch it. Don't let anything boil over, and keep children away from the hob.Fruit: wash fresh fruit before use. If you use frozen berries, heat them until boiling and simmer for a minute before using them cold, as is usual UK advice for frozen berries (general guidance: check the pack).
Freezer storage: keep the freezer at -18°C or colder, store ice cream in a covered, labelled container, and eat it within about a month for the best taste and texture (general guidance). Don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely, and throw it away if it has been left out for hours.
Level 2 · Mix-in
Cookies and cream
Cookie pieces soften in the ice cream, so keep some in big chunks for texture and let some crumble to colour the base. Don't fold them in until the last moment.
Ingredients (5 portions)
- 1 batch base recipe
- 8 chocolate sandwich cookies, roughly crushed (check the label for allergens)
- 1 tbsp milk, if needed
- Make the base recipe up to the end of folding in the cream.
- Crush the cookies in a bag with a rolling pin into a mix of crumbs and chunks.
- Fold three quarters of the cookies into the base with 3 or 4 strokes. Spoon into the tub and scatter the rest on top and press in lightly.
- Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Allergens and small children
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.Small children: hard lumps, frozen fruit pieces and nuts can be a choking risk for very young children, so keep pieces small and sit with them while they eat.
Freezer storage: keep the freezer at -18°C or colder, store ice cream in a covered, labelled container, and eat it within about a month for the best taste and texture (general guidance). Don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely, and throw it away if it has been left out for hours.
Experiments
Experiment
Soft or stiff peaks
Whipping stage.
- Make two small batches of the base, one with cream whipped to soft peaks and one to stiff peaks. Freeze overnight.
Look for: Soft peaks give a smooth, creamy ice cream. Stiff peaks give a heavier, slightly buttery, less smooth one. Stop whipping sooner than you think.
Experiment
Condensed milk amount
More or less sweet.
- Make three small batches with 150 g, 200 g and 250 g of condensed milk per 300 ml of cream.
Look for: Less condensed milk gives a firmer, less sweet ice cream that freezes harder. More gives a sweeter, softer one. Choose your balance.
Experiment
Folding or stirring
Technique.
- Fold one batch gently and stir another vigorously with a whisk.
Look for: The folded batch is light and airy; the stirred batch is denser and heavier. This is why folding matters.
Experiment
Freezing time
6 or 12 hours.
- Test a spoonful of the base after 6 hours and after 12 hours.
Look for: At 6 hours it is soft and scoopable; at 12 it is firmer. Overnight is the safest. Stand it for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla | ||||
| Chocolate | ||||
| Strawberry ripple | ||||
| Cookies and cream | ||||
| Soft or stiff peaks | ||||
| Condensed milk amount | ||||
| Fold or stir | ||||
| Freezing time |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy, dense | Over-stirred or under-whipped cream | Whip to soft peaks; fold gently |
| Grainy or buttery | Cream over-whipped | Stop at soft peaks |
| Specks of cocoa | Cocoa not dissolved | Make a paste with hot water first and sift |
| Icy ripple | Sauce too thin or watery | Cook the fruit until thick; chill before rippling |
| Soggy cookies | Mixed in too early | Fold in at the last moment; scatter some on top |
| Too sweet | Too much condensed milk | Cut back; add a pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon |
Freezer and allergens
Freezer storage: keep the freezer at -18°C or colder, store ice cream in a covered, labelled container, and eat it within about a month for the best taste and texture (general guidance). Don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely, and throw it away if it has been left out for hours.Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can whip cream to soft peaks and stop.
- I can fold a base gently so it stays airy.
- I can add a flavour without making it grainy or icy.
- I can cook fruit down to a thick ripple.
- I stand ice cream before scooping.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 1, chapter 3 is Custard-Base Ice Cream: cooking a custard safely for a richer, smoother result.