Simple 3-Ingredient Ice Cream

This simple no-churn 3-ingredient ice cream is the best way to beat the heat. The finished consistency is a little more rich and elegant than a sorbet, but easier and lighter than ice cream!

This post was originally published in July 2011 and updated in May 2019.

While I get my self settled back in from vacation I have a special guest for you.  You have probably heard of  the fabulous site Our Best Bites?  Or maybe you’ve picked up their cookbook?  Sara and Kate are two girls who love to cook and show us that home cooking can be easy and fun!

No-Churn 3-Ingredient Ice Cream Fruit Freeze

Hey there! I’m Sara from Our Best Bites and I’m thrilled to be hanging out with y’all today! My blog partner Kate and I are c-r-a-z-y about homemade ice cream, but we get lots of emails from folks that don’t own ice cream makers and still want in on the creamy homemade action. No fear! This non-ice-cream-maker friendly recipe is one of our favorites!

It’s so easy and only takes 3 ingredients. Seriously, three! Fresh fruit, sugar, and whipping cream. The finished consistency of this 3-ingredient ice cream is a little more rich and elegant than a sorbet, but easier and lighter than ice cream. It falls somewhere in the middle.

The great part is that you can customize the flavor and make it with whatever fruit you happen to have on hand. I happened to have some gorgeous blackberries, and perfectly ripe mangoes, so I went with that! Let’s get cooking, shall we?

How To Make No-Churn Ice Cream with Fruit

First, pop your fruit in a food processor with some sugar to make a puree.

Puree until it’s nice and smooth (you could strain the seeds out at this point if you’re one of those people who cringes when biting down on a berry seed; I am not one of those people!)

You’ll set aside a little of this puree to use later in the recipe.

Next, you just need some fresh whipped cream. Definitely lick the beaters when you’re done. Totally necessary.

Are you ready for this? We’ve already used all of our ingredients and this is going to get super duper complicated. Just a warning.

Fold the whipped cream into the puree.

Whew! We made it. It’s amazing that something this simple can be so delicious! Now, make sure not to stir at this point. Folding means to gently scoop from the bottom and fold it over to the top. That way you don’t use all of that nice fluffy air in the cream.

Guess what? Almost done! Just pop it into a freezer safe container now and chill until it’s at a good scooping consistency. A few hours should do it.

When it’s ready to eat, spoon into bowls and use the reserved puree as a sauce.

Amazingly delicious and oh so easy! Try it with strawberries, peaches, you name it!

More Frozen Desserts You Might Enjoy

Homemade Pina Colada Sorbet is a perfect summer treat for those yearning for a tropical beach. It’s a pineapple island sorbet spiked with a bit of coconut milk and rum for the big kids.

2-Ingredient Peach Sorbet is ready to eat in two minutes! Sherbet is sorbet’s creamier cousin — it’s cold, creamy and SO easy to make at home!

1-ingredient Ice Cream – Yep, you read that right! Frozen bananas can become a creamy cold treat similar to soft serve ice cream.

Banana Pineapple Italian Ice. Known as granita in Italy, this frozen treat does not require dairy products or eggs.

3-Ingredient Ice Cream

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes

A non-ice-cream-maker friendly recipe with only 3 ingredients.

Ingredients

• 4 cups of berries or roughly diced fruit
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. Combine fruit and sugar in a food processor and process until smooth.
2. Reserve 1 cup of the puree (store in fridge until ready to use).
3. In a mixing bowl, whip heavy whipping cream until soft-medium peaks form.
4. Gently fold into the remaining puree just until combined.
5. Place in a freezer safe container and freeze until firm (about 2-4 hours).
6. Scoop into bowls and serve with remaining puree and extra berries if desired.

Notes

Recipe courtesy of Sara at Our Best Bites.

Variations: You can customize the flavor and make it with whatever fruit you happen to have on hand.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6
Serving Size: 1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 323
Total Fat: 15g
Saturated Fat: 9g
Trans Fat: 0g
Unsaturated Fat: 5g
Cholesterol: 45mg
Sodium: 12mg
Carbohydrates: 49g
Fiber: 4g
Sugar: 43g
Protein: 2g

Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used and are just estimates. We encourage, especially if these numbers are important to you, to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

I hope you guys enjoy this easy treat as much as I do. Come visit me at ourbestbites.com any time!

About Our Best Bites:

Our Best Bites is a fun, fresh food blog created by two girls who like to cook, Kate Jones and Sara Wells. Both mothers of small children, Kate and Sara know what it’s like to juggle cooking and entertaining with a busy family life. The blog is full of mouth-watering recipes, as well as tips and tutorials.  These two girls will show you that cooking at home can be delicious and fun, with a little humor mixed in.