How to Make Ice Cream without a Machine

Make homemade ice cream without machines using two simple tools you already have in your kitchen – an ice cube tray and a blender! Enjoy your favorite ice cream flavors all season long!

When I shared my favorite ice cream recipes, like Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and Homemade Apple Crumble Ice Cream, I failed to tell you one tiny little detail:

I have no ice cream maker.

Did you know you can make ice cream without a machine? You can, and it makes the best ice cream!

5 WAYS TO MAKE HOMEMADE ICE CREAM WITHOUT MACHINE

Now there are lots of different ways to make homemade ice cream without machines, but they all seem pretty cumbersome to me:

1. FREEZE & STIR METHOD

• Coined by David Lebovitz, this method requires you to stir the ice cream every 30 minutes for about 3 hours, or until the ice cream is frozen through. That’s fine if you’re home for 3-4 hours and have nothing else to do but stir ice cream, but that’s not a typical day for me and even more so in the summer.

2. WHIPPED CREAM METHOD

• I actually like this idea by Kevin and Amanda, if it weren’t for the sweetened condensed milk. I know a lot of recipes use it, but I often reduce the amount of sugar in recipes to make them a bit healthier. When you start with sweetened condensed milk, you can’t do that.
• Making Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk is an option, but sometimes I want as few steps as possible between me and my dessert.

3. PUREE & FREEZE METHOD

• Created by Not Without Salt, this method works for fruit-based flavors, meaning you’re making sorbet, not ice cream. This is great if you want a cold, fruity dessert, but not if you want vanilla or chocolate or any ice cream that’s milk or cream based.

4. BAG METHOD

• If you ever made ice cream in science class, this is probably the method your teacher used. You put the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract in a bag, within another bag filled with ice and salt. You shake the bag for 10 minutes, and the ice cream freezes before your very eyes.
• The downside to this method though is that it can be very messy if you don’t carefully seal your bags. And your ice cream will be in a bag, not in an easy-to-scoop-from container.
• I don’t like the idea of buying rock salt just to make ice cream. You can’t reuse the salt, so it just gets thrown away in the end.
• Also, the idea of losing ice cream behind in the bag – and therefore the cost of ingredients – is enough for me to steer clear.

5. DOUBLE BOWL METHOD

• The Kitchn shared this idea that’s similar to the bag method above, but instead of bags, you’re using bowls. The major downfalls for me are that you can only mix one pint (two cups) of ice cream at a time, and you have to use a hand mixer, which I don’t have.
• You also have to use rock salt to aid in the chilling of the ice cream and for me, it’s again wasting money on an ingredient that will only get thrown in the trash can.

FAIL PROOF METHOD TO MAKE ICE CREAM WITHOUT ICE CREAM MACHINE

With all the different ways to make ice cream without ice cream machines, you’d think that there would be a way that worked AND is easy, right? Well, there is!

I’ve made homemade ice cream for several weeks now using the ice cube and blender method and it’s worked every single time without fail. There’s no churning or constant stirring involved, and it only takes a few minutes of hands on time!

This method originated at the Serious Eats Food Lab, which has a great write-up on the science of ice cream. Basically, you want there to be a balance of air and ice crystal formation.

• You want there to be enough air so that it’s ice cream. Too little air makes custard, and too much air makes ice milk.
• You also want small ice crystals. Big ice crystals again lead to an ice-y result, instead of being creamy. Think chunks of frozen milk, instead of a lick-able scoop of ice cream.
• The solution is to freeze the ice cream in small portions to prevent the formation of large ice crystals. You also need to beat air into the ice cream, so that it’s not custard.

How do you make this happen? With two kitchen tools you probably already have in your house:

• ice cube trays
• a blender

HOW TO MAKE ICE CREAM RECIPE NO MACHINE METHOD

You can make your favorite ice cream recipe no machine needed by following these simple instructions.

Step 1. Start with an ice cream recipe that’s tried and true and highly recommended. I personally love my Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream recipe, but feel free to start with another ice cream base recipe.

Step 2. As you’re making your ice cream recipe, instead of adding all the liquid into the recipe as directed, set aside 1 cup.

Note: This liquid should have a high-fat content, like heavy cream or coconut milk. If your recipe doesn’t have a liquid with a high-fat content, then set aside what you can.

Step 3. When the directions say to “pour into machine and follow manufacturer instructions,” pour the ice cream mixture into ice cube trays instead. I’ve found that most ice cream recipes fill up 2 ice cube trays, but you may want to have a third tray handy, just in case. You can also use small Tupperware containers if you don’t have a third tray.

Step 4. Put the ice cube trays in the freezer for at least 6 hours, but 8 hours overnight is best.

That was maybe 5 minutes of hands-on time so far, right? Easy!

Step 5. When the ice cream cubes are frozen, use a butter knife to gently pop them out of the tray and into a blender. (I have a Blendtec like this one.) Use the knife to gently scrape out any remaining ice cream from the crevices of the ice cube tray. Work fast, because these little cubes of ice cream will melt faster than the finished ice cream will.

Step 6. Add the reserved 1 cup of liquid to the blender with all the ice cream cubes and blend for 30 seconds, or until the mixture is smooth.

Add your mix-ins now if you want them! See ideas below.

Step 7. Pour into a container with a lid and freeze until solid, 8-12 hours. Congrats! You just made homemade ice cream without machines!

Note: If you need containers, these reusable ice cream containers hold a quart of ice cream each, are BPA-free, and dishwasher safe. Of course, you don’t HAVE to have separate containers for your ice cream, but it certainly helps to have your normal leftover containers available for leftovers!

ICE CREAM MIX-INS

I’m a big fan of regular ole’ vanilla ice cream, but you can easily mix it up with fun add-ins!

Fold in your mix-ins after you blend the ice cream, and before you store it in a container to freeze.

Here are a few fun ideas:

• Chocolate chips
• Crumbled Oreo cookies
• Diced strawberry or blueberries
• Mini marshmallows
• Caramel sauce
• Chocolate chip cookie dough
• Sprinkles
• Butterscotch chips

IS HOMEMADE ICE CREAM WITHOUT MACHINES HEALTHY?

Is homemade ice cream healthy? Should I even eat ice cream?

Those are valid questions.

Consider this: even if your priority is to eat real food, or you’re trying to “eat better”, or you’re trying to lose weight, do you want to give up treats?

I sure don’t!

So, I find ways to make my favorite treats, like ice cream, with high-quality, simple ingredients, and this no machine ice cream method with a blender and ice cubes makes that super easy. Real food? Done.

To me, “eating better” means that I am fueling my body while still enjoying what I eat. That means mindfully including treats in my day. Eating better? We’ve got that covered.

And as for losing weight, what if I told you that you could still lose weight even if you have a treat? No food is off limits. We aren’t going to give up eating anything indulgent ever. What we ARE going to do is accurately track those treats, make them fit with our daily macro goals, and fill up the rest of the day with plenty of protein and produce.

Making homemade ice cream without machines means you know exactly what’s going into the batch, so you can accurately track the portion that you eat. So you’ll definitely see me making and enjoying ice cream, especially as the weather gets warmer!

Want to learn more about macros, nutrition goals, and accurately tracking what you eat? Grab my free guide here to start achieving your real body goals by eating the foods you love.

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM NO MACHINE METHOD FAQS

NO ICE CREAM MAKER BUT YOU WANT ONE?

My ice cube and blender method is frugal and makes ice cream just fine without a machine, but it doesn’t offer instant gratification like an ice cream maker. If you make homemade ice cream often and want to invest in a machine (or you just want to have ice cream ready in under an hour), Cuisinart seems to have the best reviews.

• Their base model makes 1 ½ quart and runs for about $55.
• The mid-range model makes 2 quarts in about 35 minutes and costs around $70.
• Their top-end model makes 2 quarts in about 20 minutes and runs around $120.

MORE YUMMY COLD TREATS

• Homemade Ice Pops
• Coconut Cream Popsicles
• Healthy Homemade Fudgesicles
• 3-Ingredient Yogurt Popsicles
• Cherry Limeade Popsicles
• Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

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