Dulce de Leche No-Churn Ice Cream

3-ingredients, zero fuss...and tons of flavor.

Hi (no) Bakers!

This is the second recipe in our No Bake Summer Break series. I hope you all are keeping cool while still satisfying your sweet tooth. What would summer break be without ice cream? Not only as this recipe no bake (duh), but it is also no-cook and no-churn.

I can’t say this about most desserts, but ice cream is one treat where store-bought is typically as good (if not better) than homemade. It is easy to find, always fresh, and comes in a thousand flavors.

If you are inclined to make your own, and willing to give it a try, then no-churn is the way to go. 

No Ice cream maker? No Problem! 

This zero fuss, 3-ingredient No-Churn Dulce de Leche Ice Cream is just about the easiest thing you’ll make all summer. It is low effort with BIG rewards and needs very little equipment.

Dulce de Leche is essentially cooked and caramelized milk that tastes of brown sugar, vanilla, and butterscotch. As ice cream, it is super smooth and has a rich caramel flavor that goes as perfectly with summer fruit cobbler as it does with holiday pies or served straight up in a cone.

No-Churn Ice Cream

This recipe isn’t just for those that don’t own an ice cream maker (or those that notoriously forget to freeze the ice cream bowl ahead of time - ahem, me).  Imagine all of the richness of homemade ice cream with none of the stress. That’s the beauty of no-churn ice cream.  

Ice cream purists might disagree, but this foolproof method skips the scrambled custards, filmy mouth-feel, and other common pitfalls of making ice cream at home.

Due to a lack of stabilizers, many homemade ice creams have a tendency to turn icy rather quickly. From my own experience, no-churn ice cream remains smooth and creamy for up to a couple weeks (if it lasts that long). 

So how do we make it? Homemade ice cream typically starts by making a custard on the stove that is then cooled and churned. Churning aerates the custard to make it light and creamy. Whipping cream performs a similar role, but in a fraction of the time and energy.

With no-churn ice cream, air is beaten into heavy cream. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks. If you want to make this without any machinery, the cream may be whipped by hand.

Instead of creating a custard, sweetened condensed milk is folded into the whipped cream. No stove, no cooling, no hassle. 

For this recipe, simply swap the can of condensed milk for the product next door - Dulce de Leche. A confection from Latin America, Dulce de Leche is the result of sweetened milk that has been cooked down and caramelized until it is the consistency of butterscotch.  

Dulce de Leche No-Churn Ice Cream

The Ingredients:

2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
1 can (14 ounces) Dulce de Leche
Salt, to taste

The Method:

• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or large bowl with a hand mixer), pour in the cold cream. Whip on high speed until the cream holds stiff peaks. Do not over-mix.

• Pour the Dulce de Leche into a separate bowl. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in about ⅓ of the whipped cream until combined. Add in the remaining whipped cream and ¼ teaspoon salt (if using) and fold until smooth. 

• Tip the mixture into a metal loaf pan and spread on top until smooth. Press a piece of parchment paper on top of the mixture and freeze until solid.

• Scoop and serve! Add a pinch of flaky sea salt on top, if desired.

Baker’s Notes:

• For best results, keep your mixing bowl, whisk, and cream cold before whipping.

• Do not over-mix the cream. Once the cream begins to thicken, I recommend switching from the electric mixer to a hand whisk until the cream holds stiff peaks.

• If you accidentally over-mix and the cream turns grainy, stir in an additional tablespoon or two of cream until smooth. You may want to reserve a couple tablespoons of cream just in case this happens.

• If you can’t find canned Dulce de Leche, then you can make your own. You can make Dulce de Leche from scratch by reducing milk and sugar on the stove top. However, this method can be time consuming. Alternatively, turn a can of sweetened condensed milk into dulce de leche by simmering the whole can for a couple hours in a pot of boiling water. Make sure there is enough water that the can remains submerged during the entire process! Wait until the can cools and take extra caution when opening (you do not want hot caramel to spray everywhere).