The end has come, my friends. It’s the end of my vacation and the end of my while-I’m-gone dessert series here on Budget Bytes. And I’ve saved the most dangerous (IMHO) recipe for last. I’ve seen many recipes for no-churn ice cream before, but this no-churn method is 100% ice crystal free, and is also the easiest homemade ice cream I’ve ever made. The basic recipe is literally two ingredients, heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk, and takes very little effort. I wanted to keep things simple with my first batch, so I made mint chocolate chip ice cream, but I can’t wait to try more interesting and complex flavor combos in the future. And don’t worry, I will definitely share them with you when I do.
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This recipe made about 1.5 quarts, or 6 cups. While the total price for the recipe does seem kind of steep, it’s still less than premium ice cream brands, and in this case you’re paying for knowing what’s going into your ice cream. The base is just heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk, which is literally just milk and sugar. No guar gum, other stabilizers, or other questionable ingredients. What you add in after that is up to you and what you’re comfortable with. I added some mint and vanilla extract, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, and called it a day.
So, are you ready to see how easy super smooth no-churn ice cream is to make?? I’ll apologize ahead of time for any damage this may do to your diet.
No-Churn Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Servings 6 cupsIngredients
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk ($1.78)
- 1 1/2 tsp mint extract ($0.43)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract ( $0.14)
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream ( $2.54)
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips ($0.23)
- 1/4 cup chocolate syrup ( $0.26)
Instructions
- Chill a 2 quart or larger glass or metal casserole dish or bread pan in the freezer while you prepare the ice cream mixture.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, mint extract, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate large bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form (use a hand mixer or a whisk and some elbow grease). Be sure not to over whip the cream to the point where it breaks down and separates.
- Take a scoop of the whipped cream and fold it into the bowl with the sweetened condensed milk. This will help lighten the thick condensed milk a bit.
- Now take about 1/3 of the sweetened condensed milk and fold it into the bowl of whipped cream. Fold gently until it is incorporated, then add 1/3 more and gently fold the mixture again. Repeat this process until all the sweetened condensed milk is incorporated into the whipped cream and the mixture is smooth.
- Spoon the ice cream mixture into the chilled dish and spread the top smooth. Cover and chill the mixture for two hours. After chilling, drizzle the chocolate syrup over top and add the chocolate chips. Gently fold the syrup and chips into the chilled mixture to create a marbled texture (don’t over stir). Return the ice cream to the freezer and freeze until solid (6-8 hours). Scoop and enjoy!
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Love no-churn ice cream? Try these other no-churn ice cream flavors: Balsamic Peach Ice Cream or No-Churn Strawberry Ice Cream.
How to Make Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream – Step by Step Photos
Chill a 2-quart or larger glass or metal casserole or bread dish in the freezer. For the ice cream, start with a 14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk. This thick mixture is literally just milk and sugar that has been evaporated until it is really rich and syrupy.
In a medium bowl, stir 1.5 tsp mint extract and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract into the sweetened condensed milk.
In a separate large bowl, whip one pint of heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Be careful, though, because if you over whip the cream can break down and separate.
The sweetened condensed milk is really heavy and thick, so we need to lighten it up a tad before adding it to the whipped cream, or else the whipped cream will collapse and become dense. So, take a scoop of the whipped cream (about one cup) and fold it into the sweetened condensed milk. It doesn’t have to be folded until completely smooth. Mine still had a few lumps.
Now take about 1/3 of the slightly lighter condensed milk mixture and add it to the big bowl of whipped cream. Fold that in (it might not be completely smooth again), then add 1/3 more and fold again.
Repeat until you’ve folded all of the sweetened condensed milk into the whipped cream. It might not start out smooth, but it will smooth out as you go. Just be sure to gently fold rather than stirring vigorously. Once they are folded together, spoon the mixture into the chilled dish and smooth out the top. Cover the dish and freeze for about two hours.
After it has chilled for a couple of hours, add 1/4 cup chocolate syrup and 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips. Fold them into the whipped cream to create a marbled texture. Cover the ice cream again and then freeze until solid (6-8 hours).
Once it’s completely frozen, it’s ready to scoop!
Scoop and ENJOY! :D
Seriously. You won’t believe how smooth and creamy this no-churn mint chocolate chip ice cream is.
Totally dangerous. 😍
It’s sooooo gooooooood.
My grocery store was out of mint extract so I got orange instead and added white chocolate chips. I tasted the flavored sweetened condensed milk ahead of mixing it with the whipped cream and ended up adding extra flavoring since the orange was a bit mild otherwise. It all turned out perfectly and it tastes like a creamsicle
Hi Beth and Team:
Is there a way to reduce the sugar, in addition, to eliminating the chocolate syrup? I don’t want to eliminate the sugar completely. I only want to reduce it, as I am diabetic. Thank you in advance. P.S., I love your recipes.
Hi! You might be able to reduce it some, but the sugar is part of why it doesn’t freeze solid into a rock, so reducing it too much will affect the texture.
Oh man, I thought I had Sweetened condensed milk in the cupboard but I only have evaporated milk. Can I just mix in sugar or do I have to heat the evaporated milk in order to mix in the sugar? Thanks Beth!!
You can absolutely make sweetened condensed milk from evaporated, though I do suggest you take the step of making it instead of just adding sugar, as you want those granules completely dissolved. Combine one 12-oz can of evaporated milk and 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar in a sauce pan, stir while you bring it to a boil. Continue cooking and stirring until the sugar dissolves, and the milk thickens slightly. Let it cool before using. XOXO
This is so good! I can’t believe that I made ice cream! I didn’t put the mint or the chocolate chips. Instead, I doubled the vanilla extract and added crushed Ferrero Rocher chocolates (our family favs). Still added the chocolate syrup but Walmart was out of Hershey’s so I bought Ghirardelli instead – so much better!! Everyone agreed this is better than premium ice cream. Thanks for the recipe!
This is AMAZING and I can’t wait to try out even more flavor combos! Really excited to know how to make a delicious ice cream base without having to purchase an ice cream maker, which wouldn’t be good for my wallet or my waistline. This website is the best.
OMG! This is legit ice cream!! I was reading through the recipe and thought there was NO WAY this was going to be any good. I was positive it was going to be some crummy pinterest-pseudo-recipe that would be minty and cold, but not really ice cream. But I persevered because I trust you, Beth. You haven’t steered me wrong yet. So I made it. And holy crackers! It’s GOOD. Like, really really GOOD! Where has this been all my life? THANK YOU!!!
I cannot believe how well this worked! I’m so proud of myself. :) I’m going to make this all summer. Mint chip is my favorite anyway, but let us know if if you make more flavors…
Do you have to use a hand mixer or can you use a stand mixer? Also can you put green food coloring in the mix?
Yes, you can use a stand mixer and add green food coloring, if you’d like. :)
Boy, does this sound good! I can already see making this in individual bowls so each kid can can add their own choice of extras.
I was glad to see the photo of the hand held electric mixer, as I pictured the manual mixer that you hold with one hand and turn the crank with the other.
PS I want to make peppermint ice cream because it only seems to be available in the stores at Christmas time, and it’s my favorite (after chocolate). When I was a child (60 years ago), I would always have a cone with one scoop of peppermint and one scoop of chocolate, and I was in heaven!
I was feeling lazy so I put the sweetened condensed milk and the whipping cream in the chilled bowl of my mixer, added vanilla and almond extracts, then whipped it all at once. It came out beautifully!
WOW! I’m surprised it still whipped up well! Thanks for sharing. :)
I used your basic instructs to make a Coconut Mango ice cream, making a mango purée and substituting coconut milk for heavy cream, and it was amazing. The coconut flavor can be kinda intense, but the texture was spot on. Almost ate half the bowl this morning
WOW! Thanks for sharing that!! I can’t wait to try it. I LOVE coconut.
Really excited to find an ice cream recipe. Ilove them, so thank you so much for this recipe! Quick question,can you change the whipped cream with something else? Whipped cream is kind of expensive here…
No, unfortunately that ingredient is key to getting the right texture.
Thank you for this recipe! I tasted just a bit of it but when I finally took it out if the freezer to eat, my dish fell and shattered so I had to throw it away :-( I’m so upset. I’m going to need to find some sort of plastic dish or metal to make it in next time. Ugh
Oh no!! That is so sad! I’ve seen people make it in metal bread pans as well. I think glass, ceramic, or metal might work better than plastic because of the way they transfer heat out of the mixture and help it chill faster.
This recipe is dangerous! It’s delicious and almost exactly like regular ice cream. Once in awhile the condensed milk flavour comes through a bit too strongly. So excited to try different flavours :) I’ve thought about pumpkin spice, birthday cake, hazlenut, coconut, almond roca….mmm…dangerous!
I made this for my husband’s 79th birthday and he was pleasantly surprised at the richness of the ice cream. He eats ice cream every night and his version was vanilla. I used 1/4 cup Torani sugar free vanilla syrup mixed in to the sweetened condensed milk. It was cold perfection! I will certainly make this again. Thank you for your wonderful blog!!
I am very very excited about this recipe! Mint chocolate chip ice cream is my favorite flavor, and I’ve been disappointed by so many store brand versions that just weren’t quite right, so to be able to make my own without an ice cream maker is pretty thrilling. ;P I’m also excited to see what other flavors you come up with – in the meantime, do you have any thoughts about how making a version with fruit might work? If the fruit was blended/pureed, I have a feeling it might somewhat alter the texture. I’m sure just putting chunks in would work…maybe lots of tiny chunks? I may have to experiment with this.
I was thinking about fruit and I decided that I would probably cook the fruit down a bit with a little sugar to make it almost like a compote, then cool it, and stir it in at the point where I stirred in the chocolate sauce and chips. :)
Hey Beth! I’ve got a vanilla base chilling in the freezer right now. My plan is to dice some granny smiths and saute them with sugar, cinnamon, and a little water to make something similar to an apple pie filling – I’m gonna cool it down and mix it in at the 2 hour mark. I’ll let you know how it goes!
WOW. That sounds amazing!!
I gotta say, this was my first time making ice cream outside of science class, but it turned out fantastic. I think I should have let the ice cream set for longer than 2 hours, as the filling mostly went to the bottom. However, one scoop reaches the bottom of my pan so it actually is very satisfying to get a strip of syrupy cinnamon apples mixed in with the cream as opposed to it being dispersed. I doubled it up with a warm apple cinnamon syrup on top. Great recipe! You just have to be very careful with the whipping and folding and it will turn out fantasic!
Harm done; apology accepted :-)
I too have been searching for a ice cream maker free creamy recipe! Thanks for this one Beth – you’ve made my day!
I have been using this method for over a year, and I love it. So far my favorite flavor was Pumpkin Pie. Cinnamon Vanilla was next. This is the only way I use now! And I plan on doing a vegan one soon by making my own Vegan Sweetened condensed milk.
Ooh can you attempt a thai ice tea flavor? I’ve been searching for a recipe for a no churn version but none have been satisfactory. I’ve never had a recipe of yours go wrong (and I’ve made a LOT), so if anyone can do it, you can!
Ooooh SUCH a good idea! Thank you for that! I’ll be trying it for sure.
Awesome! Hope to see it on the blog :) Been a loyal reader/recipe maker for years!
I’d think it would be as easy as gently heating the cream with some Thai tea steeping in it, straining out the tea leaves once the cream is fully infused, letting the cream chill, and then making the “base” recipe with cream and sweetened condensed milk (and maybe a little cinnamon and vanilla!)
I tried this method with some Thai Iced Tea bags that I bought at World Market, and it didn’t quite have that classic Thai Iced Tea flavor. I could taste black tea but not the herbal/spice notes that really make you think of the restaurant version. Perhaps more tea, or a different brand. It also had some ice crystals, maybe from the heating of the cream? Hence I need Beth’s cooking and science expertise!
I think you might need to add the actual spices. That’s what I’m going to try! :) I’m not sure what might have caused the crystals… you steeped the crystals in the cream?
You can buy the real Thai iced tea online. The authentic stuff restaurants use!
This is a nice variation on the Food Network no-churn recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/grilling/grilling-central-frozen-treats/next-level-no-churn-ice-cream.page-2.html) that came out in early summer. This recipe is identical to the FoodNetwork recipes (they give a vanilla, strawberry and chocolate recipe with all kinds of suggestions for add-ins like cookies and cream).
Otherwise, identical except for the addition of mint. Have to try this one now too, as the others all worked really well!
Why the two star review? Sounds like you haven’t even tried the recipe yet.
I had trouble rating a different recipe. The site wouldn’t let me rate past 4 stars- and that was a challenge in itself- it bounced back to 1 or 2 stars the more I tried clicking 5. I may be wrong, but I’m giving Kathy benefit of the doubt she had similar technical difficulties and went with what she could get.
Same thing is happening to me on my iPhone… So I’m just not rating!
Can this be made in a ice cream maker as well?
Your mint choc chip looks amazing. I am already thinking about Lemon Velvet, Raspberry Rumble, Bananas Foster, etc.
Thank you for an exceptionally easy recipe.
I’ve never actually used an ice cream maker, so I’m not sure if this would work or not.
As far as I know, most ice cream bases are similar to this. However, I dont believe you have to whip the cream first.
I agree. I think the whipping replaces the aeration that happens during churning. :)
Yes please! I would probably be forced to add green food dye though – when I was little mint chocolate chip was my favorite, but moooostly for the color. :P
I LOVE mint chocolate chip ice cream!!! I’m looking forward to making this soon. :-)
Ahhh! I literally am half-way through a different ice cream recipe right now that I am attempting to make sans-churner! I wish I’d checked my Instagram sooner, I just saw that you posted this! Will definitely need to try this; it looks way simpler than what I’m going through.
This looks amazing!
I love this! Nothing better than chocolate and mint. Nothing! Thank you!
I’m simultaneously happy and sad that I don’t have a mixing bowl that can whip the cream for this. (Unless there’s an attachment for my Cuisinart that will do the job.)
Big pots can be used as mixing bowls in a pinch. Just make sure you don’t use nonstick or if you do, don’t scratch the edges.