No Churn Peppermint Ice Cream Recipe

Chill the pan first. Sixty minutes minimum. Cold metal changes everything.

Why You’ll Love This No Churn Peppermint Ice Cream

Takes 12 minutes of actual work. The rest is the freezer doing it. No machine. No churn. No ice cream maker taking up a cabinet. Tastes like homemade because it is. Way better than the stuff in the tub. Peppermint hits different when the candy stays crunchy—doesn’t get watered down or soft. Humid day or not, the texture comes out creamy. Dense but scoopable. That’s the condensed milk doing the work.

What You Need for No Churn Peppermint Ice Cream

Two cups heavy whipping cream—cold matters. Straight from the fridge. Warmer cream won’t whip properly, full stop.

One 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk. Some people use 13 ounces if they want less sugar. Makes a difference but not a huge one.

A teaspoon of vanilla extract. Real vanilla. The imitation stuff tastes like chemicals here.

Fine sea salt. Just a quarter teaspoon. Sharpens the whole thing. Regular table salt works too, maybe use slightly less.

One cup of crushed peppermint candies—the hard kind. Andes mints work if you want softer texture, though they melt a bit more. Candy canes work. Just crush them with a rolling pin inside a bag.

Nine-inch metal loaf pan. Glass works but takes longer to freeze. Metal gets cold faster.

Heavy-duty aluminum foil. Plastic wrap lets ice crystals form. Foil seals better.

How to Make No Churn Peppermint Ice Cream

Start by getting the pan cold. Freezer. Minimum 55 minutes. It sounds like overkill. It’s not. Cold metal prevents the slushiness that happens when you pour warm mixture into room-temperature pans.

Mix the condensed milk with vanilla and salt. Whisk it. Don’t rush. The salt dissolves and sharpens the flavor—you can actually taste the difference if you wait. Take like a minute.

Whip the heavy cream. Use a stand mixer if you have one, whisk attachment. Or a chilled bowl and a hand whisk if you don’t. Cold metal bowl helps a lot. Look for stiff peaks—the kind that don’t droop when you lift the whisk. Takes about two to two and a half minutes with a cold setup. Warm cream takes forever and doesn’t peak right.

Fold one cup of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture. Gently. Folding keeps the air. Sloppy mixing ruins everything—you lose volume, the ice cream gets dense. Do it slowly. Then fold in the rest of the cream until it looks uniform but still fluffy. Not smooth. Still airy.

Pour it into the chilled pan. It should look like a cloud. Cover it tight with foil. Seriously tight. The freezer will try to dry it out.

How to Get No Churn Peppermint Ice Cream Creamy and Scoopable

Freeze it for about two hours. Not overnight. Two hours. Check it—the edges should feel firm, the center slightly soft. Not hard yet. That’s your signal.

Pull it out. Fold in the crushed peppermint candies. Don’t mix aggressively. You want the pieces spread through but not broken into dust. The crunch matters. The peppermint aroma bursts when you bite a piece.

Cover it again. Back in the freezer for seven to twenty-two hours. The range is real. Seven hours and it’s scoopable. Twenty-two hours and it’s perfect—firm but still gives when you press the spoon. Poke it gently to test. You’ll feel the difference.

Let it sit five minutes before serving if it’s hard from the freezer. Easier to scoop.

No Churn Peppermint Ice Cream Tips and Common Mistakes

Over-whipped cream. This kills it. You whip it a minute too long and it starts getting grainy—that’s the fat separating. Watch the peaks. When they stop drooping, you’re done. Done. Not more.

Folding too hard. People stir it like it’s soup. Stop. Fold gently, slowly, trying not to lose air. That air is literally the only thing keeping it from being a dense brick.

Peppermint timing is crucial. Add the candy too early and it melts partway through the first freeze. You lose texture. You lose flavor impact. Wait until two hours in. Always.

Humid days? Use colder bowls and beaters. Humidity fights whipping. Cold equipment helps.

No mixer at all? Hand whisk works but your forearms will know about it. Takes longer. Way longer. Just keep whisking until you see peaks forming slowly. Takes like five to seven minutes. People give up. Don’t.

No metal pan? Glass loaf pan works but freeze time goes longer and the edges freeze faster than the center, texture gets weird and separated. Metal’s better. Use metal if you can.

Forgot to chill the pan? It’ll still freeze, just takes longer and might be slightly icy instead of creamy. Not ideal. Chill it next time.

Wrong peppermint product? Liquid peppermint extract will freeze strangely and taste medicinal. Avoid it. Crushed hard candies, candy canes, or Andes mints—that’s the list.

No Churn Peppermint Ice Cream Recipe

By Emma

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Prep:

12 min

Cook:

0 min

Total:

720 min

Servings:

8 servings

Ingredients

• 2cups heavy whipping cream
• 1can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk (reduce to 13oz for less sweetness)
• 1tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4tsp fine sea salt
• 1cup crushed peppermint candies (or substitute Andes mints for softer texture)

Method

1. 1 Start by chilling a 9-inch metal loaf pan in the freezer minimum 55 minutes; cold container prevents slushiness.
2. 2 In a bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt. No rushing here; salt sharpens flavor layers.
3. 3 Using a stand mixer with whisk attachment or a chilled metal bowl, whip heavy cream to stiff peaks. Look for firm, distinct peaks that don't droop when you lift the whisk. Takes roughly 2–2.5 minutes with a cold bowl; warm cream won’t whip properly.
4. 4 Gently fold one cup of the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture. Folding preserves air and prevents deflating; sloppy mixing will yield dense ice cream. Then fold in remaining whipped cream until uniform but still fluffy.
5. 5 Pour that cloud-like mixture into your chilled metal pan. Important to cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil to avoid ice crystals.
6. 6 Freeze the pan for about 2 hours—or until the edges start feeling firm, the center slightly yielding. Not hard solid yet.
7. 7 Remove pan and fold in the crushed peppermint candies. Candy pieces give crunch and bursts of peppermint aroma on each bite. Don’t stir too aggressively; you want mix-ins dispersed but not melted.
8. 8 Cover again and freeze for another 7 to 22 hours. Texture firm, scoopable but not icy—test by poking spoon gently.
9. 9 If no peppermint candies, crushed candy canes or chopped Andes mints work. Avoid liquid peppermint extract; concentration can freeze oddly and taste medicinal.
10. 10 Beginners frequently over-whip cream or fold too aggressively—both crush air pockets. Whipped cream volume dictates final creaminess. On humid days, use chilled bowls and beaters.
11. 11 If metal pan unavailable, glass loaf pan will do but freeze time will increase and texture may be softer.
12. 12 No electric mixer? Whisk by hand but takes longer and forearms get taxed—look for slow forming peaks and avoid over-whipping bitter fatty taste.
13. 13 Peppermint candy timing crucial. Mix in too soon candy partially melts and flavor loss follows.
14. 14 Serve straight from freezer; let sit 5 minutes for easier scooping. Shiny foil cover traps aromas better than plastic wrap.

Nutritional information

Calories

320

Protein

4g

Carbs

28g

Fat

22g

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Frequently Asked Questions About No Churn Peppermint Ice Cream

Can I make this without an electric mixer? Yeah. Whisk by hand in a chilled bowl. Takes longer, maybe five to seven minutes, and your arms will feel it. Watch for slow peaks forming. Stop before it gets grainy.

What if I don’t have crushed peppermint candies? Candy canes work. Andes mints work but they’re softer so they melt more. Honestly, both work fine. Just crush them up.

How long does it actually last in the freezer? Good for about a month, maybe longer. Gets icier the older it is. The first two weeks are best.

Can I use milk or evaporated milk instead of heavy cream? Not really. Cream whips. Milk doesn’t. You need the cream to get the texture right. There’s no substitute here.

What if the mixture is too sweet? Use 13 ounces of condensed milk instead of 14. Cuts the sweetness noticeably. Or reduce the vanilla. Or add more peppermint—the candy flavor balances sugar.

Does the pan really need to be metal? Glass works. Just freeze it longer and the texture might not be as smooth. Metal gets cold faster, freezes more evenly. If you have metal, use it.

Can I add other flavors—like chocolate or vanilla? Sure. Use less peppermint or skip it, add crushed cookies or chocolate chunks instead. The base recipe works with anything.

Why does mine come out icy instead of creamy? Pan wasn’t chilled enough. Or you’re not folding gently enough and losing air. Or the freezer’s too cold. Try chilling the pan longer—full 55 minutes minimum. And fold like you mean it. Gently.