No ice cream machine? No problem! This no-churn ice cream is rich and creamy – plus, you can customize it however you like. This version has homemade caramel sauce and brownie bites making it a decadent summer treat.
A few weeks ago, I was preparing for a long two-weeks away and preparations included, among other things, laundry, giant suitcase packing, and a turbo-charged cooking fest in order to make and photograph recipes to share while I was away for work in California. Now I’m finally here at the end of the trip to share this decadent caramel brownie no-churn ice cream and it feels like I made and photographed it a million years ago.
It’s been a long two weeks and some ice cream is totally in order.
No-Churn Ice Cream
Did you know you can make creamy rich ice cream without an ice cream maker? I know – I was skeptical, too, but it’s true! The best part? It’s not difficult to whip up a batch – it’s almost too easy, which means a big bowl of ice cream is just within reach. Plus, once you know how to make the no-churn ice cream base you can customize it however you want.
You only need three simple ingredients…
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- Vanilla
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
Combine the condensed milk with the vanilla. In a large bowl whip the cream until it holds soft peaks and then gently fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk. Folding it in ensures you don’t lose all of the air that was created when you whipped the cream.
At this point, if you want the ice cream plain, all you need to do is transfer it to a container and freeze it for at least six hours. Or you can fold in some ice cream add-ins – I did brownie pieces and caramel sauce – and then freeze it.
Ice Cream Add-Ins
I went a little crazy with my adds ins and folded in brownie pieces and caramel sauce both of which I made from scratch. There’s no shame in buying some brownies and caramel sauce instead of making them!
Some other ideas…
- Crushed Oreos
- Chopped Peanut Butter Cups
- Chopped fresh fruit like strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries
- Or any other sweet treat you like in your ice cream! Like I mentioned, once you know how to make the ice cream base you can make it as simple or over-the-top as you like.
Happy ice cream-making!
More Summer Desserts
- Nutella Pudding Cups | Rich and creamy pudding cups made with Nutella. These are a chocolatey decadent treat.
- No-Bake Cheesecake Parfaits | These easy no-bake cheesecake parfaits have layers of blackberry sauce and vanilla wafer cookie crumbles. They’re a great make-ahead summer dessert.
- Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles | Creamy and fruity homemade popsicles made with Greek yogurt, honey, and fresh strawberries.
Caramel Brownie No-Churn Ice Cream
No ice cream machine? No problem! This no-churn ice cream is rich and creamy – plus, you can customize it however you like.
I made brownies and caramel sauce to fold into the ice cream, but you can substitute your favorite ice cream add-ins!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Churn
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Brownies
- 1/4 cup of butter, melted
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon strongly brewed coffee, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/ 3 cup of flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
For the Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
For the Ice Cream Base
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
Instructions
Make the Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a standard-sized muffin tin with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl mix the butter, sugar, vanilla, egg, coffee together until smooth. In a small bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Fill the muffin cups about 1/2 way with the batter (you’ll have enough batter to fill 4-6 of the cups). Add about a tablespoon of water to the empty cups. Bake the brownies for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow them to cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, chop them up into bite-sized pieces.
Make the Caramel Sauce
- Melt the sugar in a medium pot over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once the sugar has melted let it come to a boil and stop stirring. Once the sugar turns to an amber color (it won’t take long) add the butter and whisk it all together until the butter is melted.
- Once the butter is melted, remove the pot from the heat and slowly pour in the heavy cream. Whisk continuously (be careful – the cream will bubble up) until the cream is incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Let it cool for a few minutes and then transfer it to a glass container.
Make the Ice Cream Base
- In a large bowl stir together the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl (or stand mixer) whip the heavy cream until you get soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk and vanilla mixture until combined. Gently fold in the chopped brownies. Pour the ice cream mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Using a spoon swirl 1/2 of the caramel sauce in the ice cream (see notes). Cover the dish and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours or until the ice cream is set.
Notes
- Caramel sauce from Simply Recipes. It will make more than you need for this recipe, so keep the leftover sauce in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/12 of recipe
- Calories: 532
- Sugar: 50.7g
- Sodium: 201.3mg
- Fat: 33.4g
- Saturated Fat: 21.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9.7g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 56g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 6.3g
- Cholesterol: 112.1mg
Keywords: no churn ice cream, brownie ice cream recipe, caramel ice cream
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Suzanne says
This looks so good! Could I make other flavors with this method?
Trish says
This recipe sounds yummy. You think it could be done in a ice cream maker?
April says
Hi Trish! So, this recipe isn’t meant for an ice cream maker and I don’t know how it would turn out. I would recommend following a recipe written for an ice cream maker if you want to use one. This one is for people who don’t have one. Hope that helps!
Jenn says
Fabulous recipe! I am LOVING all the mix-in and the more brownie swirled into my ice cream the better! Love that it’s no churn too.
★★★★★
April says
This is the perfect recipe for when you’re sad and need to drown your sorrows. Or for when you’re happy. Or when you want to sit in front of a movie and stuff your face. I just love everything about it. 😉
★★★★★
Naina says
Whoa, what a gorgeous ice cream! Those caramel swirls have me drooling 😀
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Holy Ice cream batman! I love this, April, it has all of my favorite things ever!
Jennifer Stewart says
Hey April! This ice cream is out of bounds (didn’t mean tot channel Guy Fieri there) but it is! I love caramel and brownies and the fact that I don’t have to churn! That means I can eat more with less effort! Thanks for sharing with us on #SaucySaturdays! I hope you will link up with us next week too!
Julie @ HostessAtHeart says
Wbat a great start to this new link party! What’s not to love? This recipe looks amazingly delicious!
Christine says
You are such a good blogger. I’m heading out of town for 4 days and am completely unprepared. I think I’m going to have to blog on the road. I’ll consider it an adventure. Anywaysssss….so much to love about this ice cream. I LOVE that you made your own brownies to put in it. I LOVE that you don’t need an ice cream maker cuz I don’t have one. Too tempting! And I love that caramel sauce. My mind is running with all kinds of uses for that. Also, so jealous of the romantic wine tour getaway. Sounds heavenly. Thanks for linking up to #SaucySaturdays.
Dini @ The Flavor Bender says
I love a good no churn ice cream!! 😀 Even better with Caramel and brownie chunks?? Exactly what you need for a weekend!
There’s nothing a like a wonderful wine tasting!! 🙂 I love going for those, and I’m never the one to spit it back into the bucket 😀
This ice cream looks delicious and thank you for sharing it with us at #SaucySaturday! 🙂