I'm such a cynic that normally when I see the words, "trend", "hack", or "viral" I just keep on scrolling. But lately, it seems that everywhere I turn, there's another recipe for no-churn ice cream.
My first thought was, oh, c'mon just buy the ice cream maker and make it the normal way, it's not that hard. I doubted that no-churn ice cream could ever taste like ice cream made the traditional way. I couldn't imagine it could possibly be any good.
But after seeing recipes a couple more times, and realizing that I actually had a few cans of sweetened condensed milk in the pantry as well as a pint of heavy cream, I decided to give it a whirl.
And quite, honestly, I was shocked. Not only by how easy it was, but also how good it came out! It truly does taste like "regular" ice cream. Amazing. I am a convert.
It was super creamy (be sure to always wrap in plastic wrap AND foil to avoid freezer burn or crystallization forming) and smooth. I'm not sure I could tell the difference between this ice cream and ice cream made the traditional way with milk, eggs, etc.
The basic vanilla ice cream recipe only requires four ingredients: heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla (I highly recommend using vanilla bean paste), and salt.
I decided to mix in some add-ins to mine, but you can absolutely just stop with the four ingredients and you'll have an excellent basic vanilla ice cream.
So, while I will continue to be wary of anything that's supposedly viral, I will be keeping the ingredients on hand to make more no-churn ice cream! I'm already dreaming up some interesting flavors I want to try.
And I was thrilled to be proven wrong this one time.
No-Churn Ice Cream with Caramel, Walnuts, and White Chocolate
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Pinch Kosher salt
Optional Add-ins:
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/2 cup roughly chopped white chocolate
1/4 cup caramel sauce
In a clean bowl with a whisk attachment, beat the cream to stiff peaks. You can use a stand or hand mixer.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the condensed milk, vanilla, and salt until no streaks remain.
Pour or scoop the mixture into a loaf pan or other freezer-safe container and press plastic wrap onto the surface.
Cover with a piece of foil and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours.
For the Optional Add-Ins
Before covering with the plastic wrap, gently fold in the nuts and chocolate, then drizzle the caramel over the top and use the spatula to swirl the caramel into the base. Then press with plastic wrap and cover with foil.
