I remember hearing about no-churn ice cream when I was a kid in the 1990s, where you could use condensed milk mixed with whipped cream as the base for a frozen dessert that very closely resembled the texture of ice cream. But I think it has been around for much longer than that as a recipe idea.
This no-churn frozen dessert seems to have become popular again recently, which I think is great—especially if you don’t have an ice cream maker at home!
Part of the trick here is making sure to whisk is with an electric blender until you reach a very thick consistency.
No-Churn Salted Caramel Ice Cream
I remember hearing about no-churn ice cream when I was a kid in the 1990s, where you could use condensed milk mixed with whipped cream as the base for a frozen dessert that very closely resembled the texture of ice cream. But I think it has been around for much longer than that as a recipe idea. This no-churn frozen dessert seems to have become popular again recently, which I think is great—especially if you don’t have an ice cream maker at home! Part of the trick here is making sure to whisk is with an electric blender until you reach a very thick consistency.
Ingredients
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 6 Tbsp salted butter (cold, cut into cubes)
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 can (about 15 oz condensed milk)
- ¼ cup evaporated milk
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Start by preparing the salted caramel mixture.
- Add the white granulated sugar in an even layer in the bottom of a small sauce pot.
- Carefully pour the water over the white granulated sugar.
- *You want the sugar in an even layer because you want it to cook evenly and you don’t want to disturb it while it caramelizes.
- Increase the heat to medium, and wait carefully for the water to boil and evaporate, leaving behind the sugar to continue caramelizing.
- *Do not stir the sugar while it is cooking, just leave it be. You can do this without the added water, I just find the process to be a bit more forgiving if you add the water to the sugar before you heat the sugar up. It will take a bit longer, but I’d rather have a more relaxing caramel-making process. Try it both ways!
- When the sugar begins to change color from clear to light golden, reduce the heat to low and continue to carefully cook for another 2 minutes, or until the mixture has achieved your desired color.
- *Once the sugar begins to change color, keep a very close eye on your pot, as you can easily burn the contents if you aren’t careful.
- Take the mixture off the heat, and carefully stir in the cold cubed butter until it has melted.
- Add the Kosher salt at the end, and mix gently to combine.
- Set the salted caramel mixture aside for later.
- Using an electric hand mixer, or the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, combine the condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract in a large bowl.
- Whisk the mixture until you have reached a thick consistency.
- Transfer the mixture into freezer-safe pint or quart containers, leaving a little room for the caramel.
- Pour the cooled caramel mixture on top of the whipped condensed milk, and gently use a spoon to push some of the caramel down into the condensed milk mixture.
- *The goal here is to leave some visible streaks of salted caramel in the mixture, not to blend or incorporate the condensed milk fully with the caramel.
- Cover the containers with a lid or plastic wrap, and freeze for about 6 hours or overnight.
- When the ice cream has hardened, you are ready to serve!
Notes
You can take this dessert idea in a million directions—have fun with it, and add whatever you like! I love adding in Oreos, or chopped up bits of my favorite candy bars, like Snickers.