This no-churn recipe for Quick & Easy Homemade Cherry Ice Cream uses frozen cherries instead of fresh so you can make it all year round! There’s no need for an ice cream maker! This cherry ice cream is something anyone can make!
The best part about making your own ice cream is that there are no preservatives or artificial ingredients. Once you try it, you’ll never want store-bought again!
Why this recipe works:
- Uses the juice from frozen cherries to make a simple syrup without adding extra sugar.
- No need for fancy appliances.
Ever since I made my Cherry Vanilla Shortbread Tart, I’ve had cherries on my mind and I’ve been trying to think of new things to do with them. I recently saw a recipe for homemade ice cream on a cooking show that required no churning and my interest was piqued.
I’ve never made homemade ice cream before. I always thought to make your own, you had to own an ice cream maker. In my research, I saw that some recipes called for eggs, but I have a paranoia about using raw eggs in a recipe. When I found other recipes that used condensed milk, I ran with it and started creating one of my own.
When it comes to cherry ice cream, many recipes said to cook the cherries with sugar and water or lemon juice to create cherry juice. I know from past experience that if you freeze fresh cherries and then leave them to thaw before using them, you end up with a lot of juice from the thawing process, so that’s what I did.
To add sweetness and some structure to the whipped cream, I used powdered sugar and left the cherries and juice natural, but if you think it’s needed you can add a tablespoon or two of sugar to the cherries once they are thawed (before draining the juice). With the sweetness from the sweetened condensed milk, I think it ended up with just enough sweetness so you get a really lovely, creamy flavor.
This recipe really did come out delicious. I never cared much for cherry ice cream before; it always had an artificial taste when I had it store-bought, but this is something completely different. This recipe tastes natural, light and creamy. Now that I’ve made homemade ice cream and know how easy it is, and how good it tastes, I can’t imagine buying it again.
Here’s how to make it:
Roughly purée the thawed cherries with a blender. Don’t make them too smooth – they should still have a little texture.
Next, mix it into the condensed milk, followed by folding in the whipped cream.
Add the mixture to a freezer-safe container and freeze until it’s your desired consistency.
Serve and enjoy!
Cook’s Tips:
- Freezing time can vary. The first time around, I like to freeze it until it’s a soft ice cream. (This is a real treat for my boy.)
- Not sweet enough? If you think it’s needed you can add a tablespoon or two of sugar to the cherries once they are thawed (before draining the juice).
Variations:
- Try adding chocolate chips for an extra treat and crunchy texture.
- Use frozen blueberries and lemon zest instead of vanilla to make a whole new flavor.
- Try using frozen peaches in place of the cherries for peaches and cream ice cream.
★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
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Let's Make Quick and Easy Homemade Cherry Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 12 oz frozen cherries stoned
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
- 5 tablespoons cherry juice taken from the frozen cherries
- 1¼ cups whipping cream
- 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Put the cherries in a medium-sized bowl and allow to thaw for about 2 hours. At the same time chill the condensed milk.
- Once thawed, drain the cherries and reserve the juice.
- Take a handful of cherries and set aside.
- Roughly purée the remaining cherries with a blender. Don’t make them too smooth – they should still have a little texture.
- Whip the cream until it holds its shape, then mix in the powdered sugar.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cherry purée, cherry juice and reserved cherries with the condensed milk.
- Pour the mixture into a plastic container and freeze for at least 5 hours.
- Remove from the freezer 15 -20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Update Notes: This post was originally published in June of 2017, but was republished with step by step instructions and tips in June of 2018.
MrsKey says
My husband is American and loves cherry ice cream- which is very difficult to get in Scottish supermarkets (where we live). Hubby was too impatient to wait for the ice cream maker bowl to freeze over night after I mentioned cherry ice-cream, so I did the no-churn way.
This was delicious and so easy to make! Hubby likes his sweets, so found this perfect! I liked this one, especially the cherry chunks.
Erren Hart says
Thank you for trying our Cherry Ice Cream, MrsKey! We’re glad you and your husband enjoyed it. The no-churn method is a great way to make ice cream without an ice cream maker, and we love that you enjoyed the addition of cherry chunks. Thanks for letting us know what you think.
Andrew E says
For me, this is over-the-top sweet as-is, but by leaving the sweetened condensed milk out entirely, it’s perfect. My wife always wants me to make another batch. Thanks for the recipe!
Erren Hart says
Hi Andrew, I’m glad you found a way to make the recipe work for you! Thanks for the feedback!
Chrissy o says
Delish! Tried this last weekend for a brunch, this weekend used strawberries. Instead of a large container, I used silicone muffin cups lined with thinly sliced strawberries. Individual, less time to freeze, and can put into a ziplock when frozen
Erren Hart says
Hi Chrissy, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and found a way to make it work for you! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review with such great feedback!
Melissa says
I use a dairy free whipped cream but I was wondering what you could substitute for the condensed milk because my family are not able to do dairy? Thank you.
Erren Hart says
Hi Melissa, I’m sorry, but I haven’t tested any products like you’re looking for so it would be hard to recommend the right thing.
Claire McMillan says
You can buy coconut condensed milk in cans and it works well in ice cream. I buy in health food shops or online.
Gloria clarkson says
What is powdered sugar??
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi, this is also known as confectionery sugar or icing sugar. I hope this helps 🙂
Anne Walker says
I am camping and I made this recipe it was delicious I’m so glad I came upon it I also shared this recipe to my sisters as they have small children. next time I will try the peaches thank you❤️
Erren's Kitchen says
That’s fantastic Anne, I’m so pleased you liked it 🙂
Sarah Lake says
This makes a killer ice cream!! It’s delicious. I got cherries for $.60 a pound (and bought like 5 pounds!) and have made this twice now.
Because it’s a quintessentially “cherry” flavor to me, I added a touch of almond extract. Then added some good chopped dark chocolate.
Holy crap. YUM. YUM. YUM.
Thanks for this recipe!!
Erren's Kitchen says
I’m so glad you like it Sarah, dark chocolate is a great addition! 🙂
Elizabeth Mann says
So easy and tasty. I’ll never buy ice cream again. It was yummy !
Andrew Palsha says
This recipe has strong merit to make homemade ice cream just in superb texture alone with out all the churning. What I will say is we have adjusted things though to fuse the flavors more. We made a cherry compote basically with orange zest and a little orange juice. Then while still warm not hot added the condensed milk to really fuse the flavors together. Then added the cream and some chocolate small chunks. This really brought out the cherry flavor more. Condensed milk can dominate if not fused. Can’t wait to use this exact recipe for peanut butter chocolate!
Erren's Kitchen says
I’m glad you enjoyed it Andrew, and your additions sound amazing!
Jenna says
Follow the recipe. It was delicious. Very sweet though. Could have probably omitted the powdered sugar and would have been great too.
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you Jenna 🙂