No-Cook Blender Vanilla Ice Cream

This recipe used to be called No-Cook Blender Vanilla Ice Cream, but I recently started making it in a mixing bowl and like the results just as much if not better. So I guess now it's just No-Cook Vanilla Ice Cream. Or maybe No-Egg Vanilla Ice Cream, because this is a recipe you just stir together. There are no eggs, so you don't have to worry about making a cooked custard.

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I originally learned how to make this ice cream from Carl at Dream Scoops. Carl is an ice cream genius, and if you want to know the chemistry of ice cream making he's shared much of his knowledge online and in print. He has several other recipes, but this one is my personal favorite because it's a good base for other flavors. It also motivated me to try making my Rocky Road recipe in a blender, and it worked! So now that recipe is easier too. And so is this one. I recently updated it a bit to increase the sweetness, so if you have an old version you might notice I increased the condensed milk a tiny bit and decreased the milk by a tablespoon.

Blender Vanilla Ice Cream Notes

I have gone back and forth between this recipe and the "Philadelphia Style" which has 2 cups of cream and 1 cup of milk. The Philadelphia one has a fattier, creamier mouthfeel. This one has less cream and more milk, plus the extra condensed milk which tones down that slimy cream feel. Adding too much xanthan gum can also create a slimy feel, so be sure to measure it carefully. I've actually cut it down slightly to ⅜ teaspoon from ½.

Blending and Measuring

In the past I mixed the xanthan gum with the sugar, milk powder and salt, then put all the ingredients in a blender. Now I'm putting the sugar, milk powder and salt in a bowl and whisking in some of the milk so that I can watch it slightly thicken and be sure the xanthan gum is properly dissolved. I then whisk in the remaining milk and all the ingredients, then chill only if needed so that it goes into the machine cold. And I measure most everything by weight. The scale I use is this one.

Blender Vanilla Ice Cream Ingredient List

• Cane Sugar (just regular sugar that says cane sugar on the bag)
• Xanthan Gum
• Salt
• Whole Milk
• Heavy Cream or Whipping Cream
• Nonfat Dry Milk
• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract

The ingredients are all easy to find, including the xanthan gum, which is widely available now thanks to the popularity of gluten-free baking. It's pricey, but will last you a long time and is useful for other things. Nonfat dry milk is also handy to have around. I use Bob's Red Mill brand which I have to order. As for the vanilla bean paste, you can substitute regular vanilla, but the paste makes the ice cream so much better! I made my last batch with Nielsen Massey and it was the best.

Packaging Homemade Ice Cream

If you try the (No) Blender Vanilla Ice Cream and find yourself making it over and over, treat yourself to some ice cream containers! They're fun to use and you can decorate the cartons or make your own labels. I kept thinking I would, but never got around to it and ended up just labeling my cartons with a Sharpie. The exact cartons I bought are no longer available, but the ones I've linked to seem to be the same with the matte outside and slick coated inside.

• Oat Flour Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
• Favorite Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies
• Gluten-Free Raisin Bread
• Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Oreo Ice Cream Cake

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