Once upon a time I considered buying an ice cream machine. I’m really glad I didn’t because this simple no-churn ice cream method is almost effortless and creates ice cream that is every bit as velvety smooth and fluffy as churned ice cream, with no special equipment required. #WIN While I haven’t made no churn ice cream in a while (because it’s is possible to have too much of a good thing), with all the fresh peaches in stores this time of year, I couldn’t help making this tangy, sweet, and creamy No Churn Balsamic Peach Ice Cream featuring the best of the summer peaches and a deliciously tangy homemade balsamic glaze.
Can I Substitute…
NO. Ha, sorry to be so stern, but you can not substitute the heavy whipping cream OR the sweetened condensed milk in this recipe. The science behind keeping this no-churn ice cream fluffy and smooth without having to churn it depends on the high fat content of the heavy whipping cream and the high sugar content of the sweetened condensed milk. Without these two elements, it will not work.
You CAN however substitute a different fruit for the peaches. Strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries all go very well with balsamic vinegar as well. Just keep in mind that if your berries are particularly tart, you may want to increase the brown sugar a smidge.
Can I Use Frozen Fruit Instead of Fresh?
Yes, I’ve actually made this recipe both ways during the testing phase. If using frozen peaches, just make sure to fully thaw them before chopping them up.
Can I Add Waffle Cone to The Balsamic Peach Ice Cream?
I served my No Churn Balsamic Peach Ice Cream with pieces of waffle cone on the side, but I thought it might be kind of tasty to crush up some waffle cone and swirl it into the ice cream as well. Just keep in mind that the waffle cone will soften from the moisture in the ice cream.
Folding is Key
The one thing about no churn ice cream that is really important to know how to fold ingredients together. Folding is a really gentle way of combining ingredients that prevents whipped ingredients from deflating. If you were to simply stir the light, airy whipped cream and the super heavy and dense sweetened condensed milk together, the cream would deflate and you’d end up with a super dense ice cream. No good.
No Churn Balsamic Peach Ice Cream
Servings 7 1 cup eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.27)
- 2 cups chopped peaches (about 2 peaches) ($0.87)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar ($0.55)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk ($1.09)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.28)
- 1 pinch salt ($0.01)
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream ($1.55)
Instructions
- Peel and chop your peaches into small pieces (smaller pieces "float" in the whipped ice cream instead of sinking to the bottom). Add the butter and chopped peaches to a skillet and sauté over medium-low for about 5 minutes, or until the peaches have softened. Make sure the butter does not brown during this step.
- Add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar to the skillet. Turn the heat up to medium and sauté for about 5 minutes more, or until the balsamic vinegar has reduced to a glaze. Set the balsamic peaches aside to allow them to cool.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk to a medium bowl and stir in the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.
- Using either a whisk, a hand mixer, or a stand mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks in a separate bowl.
- Add a large dollop of the whipped cream to the bowl with the sweetened condensed milk. Fold the ingredients together to lighten up the sweetened condensed milk.
- Add 1/3 of the lightened sweetened condensed milk back to the bowl with the whipped cream and gently fold them together. Repeat that two more times until all of the sweetened condensed milk has been folded into the whipped cream.
- Pour the whipped ice cream mixture into a 2-quart, freezer safe container. If your container is deep (like a bread pan), add half of the whipped mixture first, top with half of the balsamic peaches, then repeat. If using a wider shallow dish (like the baking dish in my photos), you can do one layer of whipped ice cream and then just top with the balsamic peaches.
- Use a spatula to lightly swirl the balsamic peaches into the whipped ice cream mixture. Do not over stir here. You want distinguishable ribbons of balsamic glaze. Just run the spatula through the mixture once.
- Cover the dish and freeze the ice cream for 8 hours, or until solid, then serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Love no-churn ice cream? Try these other no-churn ice cream flavors: No-Churn Strawberry Ice Cream or Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.
How to Make No-Churn Balsamic Peach Ice Cream – Step by Step Photos
Start by peeling and dicing two peaches, or about 2 cups once diced. Make sure to dice them into small pieces so they aren’t too big and heavy. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the ice cream.
Add the diced peaches and 2 Tbsp butter to a skillet. Sauté over medium-low heat for about five minutes, or until the peaches have softened. These peaches were super ripe, so they broke down quite a bit. Yours might not be so mushy. Make sure not to let the butter brown in this step.
Add 2 Tbsp brown sugar and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar to the sautéed peaches.
I recently found this balsamic vinegar, which I find to be a good balance between being affordable and still having a really rich, not-too-acidic flavor. This is not sponsored, just letting you know which kind I prefer, especially for a recipe like this where the balsamic flavor is forefront.
Turn the heat up to medium and continue to sauté for about five minutes more, or until the balsamic vinegar has reduced to a glaze. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside to allow the balsamic peaches to cool.
In a medium bowl, stir together one 14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
In a separate large bowl use a whisk, hand mixer, or stand mixer to whip the heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks.
The sweetened condensed milk is super heavy and dense, so you need to lighten it up a bit before beginning to fold it into the whipped cream. Take a dollop of whipped cream and add it to the bowl of sweetened condensed milk. Fold them together.
Then add about 1/3 of the sweetened condensed milk back to the whipped cream and gently fold them together.
Continue gently folding the sweetened condensed milk into the whipped cream in batches until it has all been incorporated. You should have a smooth and fluffy mixture.
Pour the whipped ice cream mixture into a 2-quart freezer-safe dish. If you’re using something deep, like a bread loaf pan, do this in two layers. If you’re using something wide and shallow like this baking dish, you can just do one layer. Drizzle the balsamic peaches over top, then use a spatula to just barely swirl them together. You still want there to be distinguishable ribbons of balsamic glaze.
Cover your dish and freeze for 8 hours.
After 8 hours the No Churn Balsamic Peach Ice Cream will be solid, but still plenty soft enough to easily scoop.
I’m in love!
Totally impressed. This unusual recipe turned out amazing! Everyone at our cookout enjoyed. I will need to do a better job reducing the balsamic.
We have enjoyed your “no churn” ice cream all summer. One change we made was freezing it in a loaf pan lined with parchment exceeding the sides both ways. We’d pull it out of the loaf pan and onto a cutting board and slice it like a loaf of bread when serving. Garnish it with a mint spring and berries & it was as beautiful as it was tasty. Living in West Michigan, our favorite variation was cooking down fresh blueberries with lots of fresh ginger and a dash of lime. This was fun for all of our summer guests to make & enjoy! Thank you for another great recipe!
I noticed that in the no-churn strawberry ice recipe (which I just made and can’t wait to try!!), it called for whipping the sweetened condensed milk, heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and salt all together. Would that same process work here? Or does folding in the sweetened condensed milk as described in this recipe make a difference?
Thanks for always providing easy, yummy, and cheap recipes!
Hi Katie! We haven’t tested whipping the cream, milk, and vanilla together in the Balsamic Peach Ice Cream recipe, just folding the milk into the whipped cream. But I don’t doubt you would still get great results. Let us know if you do it! XOXO – Monti
Wondering if I could just incorporate your balsamic glaze recipe into this. I recently made a batch and used it on the caprese pizzas. (Fantastic, by the way). Looking for other ways to use up the glaze.
Yes, I think that would work well. :)
This was delicious! I added some hand canned peaches, i should have used the juice instead of the sugar to get more of a glaze though.
I’m not the biggest fan of basalmic so I used a Molasses swirl to cut the sweet of the peaches and syrup.
A truely dangerous recipe.
This was good, but I had a couple issues. The balsamic flavor in mine is a bit too much – probably my vinegar was a bit too old or low quality, or the peaches weren’t flavorful enough to balance it. I pulsed the cooked mixture a little with my immersion blender (good idea, Samantha!) to leave it in small chunks. That worked well. The other problem was that when frozen, the swirl of peach balsamic is quite icy, and the base melts pretty fast. So, I have to either eat just-right base with an icy swirl, or melted base with a just-right swirl. Still, I had fun making this and I think it’s pretty tasty overall!
It was delicious! Even the kids liked it! I will definitely make it again, it was so simple. Thinking about pureeing the peach/balsamic vinegar after cooking and swirling it thru the base that way instead next time.
Oh man a swirl?! YUM!
I wonder, if you already have some ice cream on hand, would the Peach/Balsamic mixture make for a good topping on its own? Think it would refridgerate well?
Yes, that would be awesome! :) It should hold up for a few days in the refrigerator.
This ice cream is GOOD. Like so good, I’m going to try to never make this again unless I am going to a potluck. It’s dangerously delicious. I made a batch last week and have been sneaking in little spoonfuls here and there. Don’t make this unless you have an army to feed or are willing to work off those midnight spoonfuls.
Hahaha, I had the same problem. I think I ate the whole first batch myself!
I wanted to love this, because it was so easy, but unfortunately I didn’t. I can’t really explain it, but it had a slightly weird taste to me, and a chalky residue after eating. It was also pretty sweet, likely because of the condensed milk.
If I’m not going to buy a machine, I think I’ll stick with buying the good stuff.
I made this for a pot luck movie night and I barely had any to take home! One person said it was the creamiest, smoothest ice cream she had ever had, and another immediately asked where I got the recipe. She bookmarked it during the movie. Needless to say, it was a hit, and I was told many times that this “experiment” was a keeper. Utterly fantastic!
So glad everyone liked it! :)
I’m very self-conscious about cooking and not very confident. I also never used a hand mixer before and never folded anything until this recipe. And my ice cream came out really well! The recipe looked easy enough and I borrowed my roommate’s hand mixer. So simple! If I can make this, anyone can. Thank you for creating this recipe!
Awesome!! I’m so glad you took a chance and found that you can do it!