Make Summer Treats Simple With This 3-Ingredient No Churn Ice Cream

Did you know you don't have to invest in an ice cream maker to make delicious homemade ice cream? With just three ingredients (cold heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and a flavoring of your choice), plus a stand mixer or a mason jar with a lid, you can make the perfect summer treat. 

To start, gather your three ingredients, with the third being your choice of extract, fruit, chocolate, crushed cookies, etc. Whip the heavy cream until soft to firm peaks form (you'll be whipping it more in a moment), then fold in the condensed milk. Whip again until stiff peaks form before folding in your final addition. Transfer the mixture to a plastic-wrap lined loaf pan or baking dish, cover, and freeze until set, a few hours to overnight. 

If you're using a mason jar, instead of whipping the cream, you'll be using your arm muscles to shake the ingredients in the jar until the cream thickens. Then, cover and freeze the mixture. Before you serve this no-churn ice cream, let it sit on the counter at room temperature for a few minutes before digging in with an ice cream scoop. It should be smooth and creamy, and people will be surprised when you tell them you didn't actually churn the dessert in an ice cream maker. 

For your first time making this ice cream, an easy cookies and cream flavor is a crowd-pleaser — but if that's not your favorite flavor, fret not. The beauty behind this recipe is how versatile and customizable it is. Simply swap out crushed cookies and cream cookies with anything you love, such as diced fruits or berries, milk or dark chocolate, other types of cookies, nuts, or even mochi bits. 

The third ingredient can also be a powder (like matcha, cocoa, or ube), an extract, or even a spirit like Japanese whisky (or Beyoncé's new whisky, SirDavis) if you're craving something a little boozy and luxurious. Of course, you also don't have to stick to only three ingredients to make this ice cream. No one will judge you if you pack your homemade treat with even more mix-ins. For example, we're craving a delicious durian ice cream flavored with miso and a little bourbon. 

It also wouldn't be surprising if you made a halo-halo inspired ice cream; this is the Filipino dessert that Anthony Bourdain loved. We'd make the ice cream ube halaya-flavored and packed with corn flakes, sweetened corn kernels, and diced jackfruit.