Cotton Candy Ice Cream Recipe (No Churn)

Jump Pin Save
6 hours 15 minutes

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

This No Churn Cotton Candy Ice Cream Recipe makes the perfect sweet treat. Smooth and creamy with a delicious cotton candy flavor, this easy recipe will be everyone’s new favorite dessert!

Subscription Form – New Recipe

Save this recipe for later! Sign up to have this link sent directly to your inbox.

Cotton candy ice cream with vintage spoon

What happens when you take two treats that everyone loves, ice cream and cotton candy, and combine them into one? You end up with one super delicious dessert!

I’m talking No Churn Cotton Candy Ice Cream! We made our first homemade ice cream recipe awhile back and were totally hooked. Now we’ve made everything from butterbeer ice cream to mint chocolate chip ice cream. There’s even a colorful out-of-this-world galaxy ice cream. How can you not love recipes that are this easy, fun and delicious!

What Is No Churn Ice Cream

While some homemade ice creams require an ice cream maker, you don’t need any fancy equipment for no churn recipes. In fact, all you really need are two basic ingredients: sweetened condensed milk and heavy whipping cream.

These form the base and along with a little vanilla extract, will give you a tasty vanilla ice cream. After that, all you need are a few add-ins and you can make whatever flavor you want. Scroll to the end for other fun flavor combinations.

Why We Love This Recipe

Easy – Not only can you make this easy ice cream recipe without an ice cream maker but you don’t need a lot of ingredients either. Just four simple ingredients and about 15 minutes prep time is all it takes!

Kid friendly – It’s so easy that the kids can even help. They’ll have a blast making their own cotton candy ice cream…and even more fun eating it!

No special equipment needed – I don’t know about you but the last thing I need is another piece of bulky equipment in my kitchen. Some things I just can’t live without, like my blender, stand mixer and food processor. However, I just don’t have room to store an ice cream maker too.

Ingredients For Cotton Candy Ice Cream

Ingredients for cotton candy ice cream
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk: This is where your ice cream gets all that sweetness.
  • Heavy Whipping Cream: The whipping cream is what gives your ice cream that smooth and creamy texture.
  • Cotton Candy Extract: It’s not cotton candy ice cream without that sweet candy flavor. That’s where the extract comes in.
  • Food coloring: Adds fun pink and blue colors to get that cotton candy look.

How To Make Cotton Candy Ice Cream

Step 1: Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper. Place loaf pan in the freezer while you prepare the ice cream.

Step 2: Pour heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, a hand mixer will work too). Use the whisk attachment to whip the cream until stiff peaks form.

Whipped cream in a metal bowl

Step 3: Combine condensed milk and cotton candy flavoring in a large bowl. A little cotton candy extract goes a long way so be sure not to overdo it. Mix well, then fold in whipped cream and mix until completely combined.

Whipped cream, cotton candy extract and condensed milk

Step 4: Divide mixture evenly between two separate bowls. Add blue food coloring to one bowl, mixing until completely blended. Add more food coloring a little at a time until you get the desired color.

Ice cream mixture with blue food coloring

Step 5: Repeat the same process with the other mixture, stirring in pink food coloring until you get just the right color. I went with a pastel look but you can add more for brighter colors.

Ice cream mixture mixed with pink food coloring

Step 6: Spoon some of the pink ice cream mixture into the pan. Add blue mixture and keep alternating until you’ve used all of the mixture.

Step 7: Take a butter knife and gently pull it through the layers to get a soft, swirly look. Be careful not to overmix or the colors will blend too much.

Ice cream mixture swirled in loaf pan

Step 8: Freeze for at least six hours, preferably overnight.

Cotton Candy Ice Cream in loaf pan

Step 9: Scoop into ice cream cones or bowls and garnish with pieces of cotton candy. Enjoy!

Cotton candy ice cream in a glass bowl and an ice cream cone

This delicious ice cream is one of my new favorite easy recipes! It’s a fun recipe for a birthday party or just a yummy treat for the family! Who doesn’t love the sweet taste of cotton candy?!

Cotton candy ice cream in a glass bowl and a cone

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should you freeze no churn ice cream

You want to be sure that it has enough time to harden so that you can scoop it. I like to freeze it for a minimum of six hours but overnight is even better.

How to store cotton candy ice cream

Be sure to cover the loaf pan firmly with plastic wrap. You’ll want it air tight so the taste isn’t affected by freezer odors.

You can also transfer it to an air tight container with a lid. I recommend this if you plan to keep it awhile. It doesn’t last more than a few days in our house though! Either way,you’ll want to store it towards the back of the freezer to avoid temperature fluctuations.

Cotton candy ice cream in waffle cone

How to serve cotton candy ice cream

Serve in a waffle cone or a bowl and if you like, top with sprinkles and cotton candy. You could even put it between two large sugar cookies to make cotton candy ice cream sandwiches. There’s no wrong way to serve this yummy treat!

Cotton candy ice cream in glass bowl

Tips and Tricks

  • Be sure you don’t mistake evaporate milk for sweetened condensed milk. They are very different and your ice cream will not be the same.
  • Can’t find cotton candy extract? Usually you can find it on Amazon and sometimes in the baking section of your local craft store. However, if you’re having trouble finding it, you can substitute cotton candy syrup. You’ll just have to adjust the amount you add to the recipe.
  • For best results, chill your loaf pan and the bowl for the whipping cream ahead of time.
  • No churn ice cream tends to melt a little faster than regular ice cream so be sure to put it back in the freezer as soon as you’re done scooping. It’s kind of a mix between regular ice cream and soft serve, giving you the best of both worlds!

Cotton candy ice cream with cones all around

Variations

The best part about this recipe is that once you have the ice cream base, you can make pretty much any flavor you want! Here are a few tasty ideas for add-ins:

  • Vanilla – Vanilla extract
  • Chocolate – Cocoa powder
  • Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough – Edible cookie dough (available in the refrigerated section of the grocery store
  • Cookies & Cream – Oreo pieces
  • Birthday Cake – Cake batter extract, colorful sprinkles, whipped frosting
  • Smore’s Ice Cream – Marshmallow fluff, graham cracker pieces and chocolate chunks

Cotton candy ice cream in glass with spoon
5 from 3 votes

Cotton Candy Ice Cream Recipe (No Churn)


Course Desserts & Sweets
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
With the delicious tastes of ice cream and cotton candy all rolled up into one smooth and creamy dessert, this No Churn Cotton Candy Ice Cream gives you the best of both worlds!

Ingredients
 

Instructions

  • Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper. Place the pan in the freezer while you prepare the ice cream.
  • Combine condensed milk and cotton candy extract in a large bowl. Mix well.
    14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 teaspoon cotton candy extract
  • Pour heavy whipping cream into the bowl of a stand mixer. (If you don't have a stand mixer, a hand mixer will work too). Use the whisk attachment to whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
    2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • Fold whipped cream into the condensed milk.
  • Divide the mixture evenly between two bowls.
  • Add pink food coloring to one bowl and mix until completely blended. You can add more food coloring, a little at a time, until you get the desired color. Repeat the same process with the second mixture, stirring in blue food coloring until you get just the right shade.
    Food coloring – pink and blue
  • Scoop some of the pink mixture into the pan. Add blue mixture and keep alternating until you've used the entire ice cream mixture. Take a knife and gently pull it through the layers to get a soft, swirly look on top.
  • Freeze for at least six hours, preferably overnight.
  • Scoop into ice cream cones or bowls and garnish with cotton candy. Enjoy!
    Cotton candy for garnish

Notes

  • For best results, chill the loaf pan and the whipped cream bowl in the freezer beforehand.
  • This ice cream melts a little faster than traditional ice cream. Be sure to put it back in the freezer as soon as you’re done scooping.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 483kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 321mg | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 1343IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 240mg | Iron: 0.2mg
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used.

Did You Make This Recipe?

Share it with me on Instagram @funmoneymom and follow on Pinterest @funmoneymom for more!

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m super excited to be one of Google’s paid early testers as part of their Thank with Google pilot program! This new experimental feature gives you the option to purchase a virtual sticker to show that you’re enjoying my content and finding it useful. I love being able to see what my work means to you and the bonus is that we’ll feel more connected and engaged!

It’s been a lot of fun to see the variety of stickers and messages my readers have selected so far. Plus, every time you send a paid sticker, you can leave me a personal message, which I always love receiving. These virtual stickers also translate into direct revenue to support the work that goes into creating the content you enjoy on my blog.

You can find the Thank with Google feature in several different places on my site, including the sidebar and at the top and bottom of all my posts. If you try it, I’d love to hear what you think. Thanks as always for all your support!

Let’s be friends!

Did you love this post? Make sure to comment below and let me know your thoughts! And don’t forget to follow on your favorite social network below!

Fun in your inbox

Get the latest recipes, crafts and more straight to your inbox

Subscribe
Notify of

4 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

i love cotton candy and thank u for this recipe i know for sure i will be making a lot of this . summer look out cotton candy is on its way<3

I am going to get the cotton candy flavoring asap. Your pictures were great and I am going to make this ice cream. I jokingly say “cotton candy is my favorite food.” I can’t wait to try this.

Similar Posts