It's About Time You Tried Making Ice Cream With Canned Condensed Milk

If canned sweetened condensed milk isn't already a staple in your pantry, it might be time to consider making a change. This sweet syrup has hundreds of different functions in baking and cooking recipes, from sweetening a warm cup of coffee to doubling as an equally decadent alternative to caramel sauce. 

While many are familiar with its more common uses, some might be surprised to learn that canned condensed milk can also be the perfect ingredient to use for making homemade ice cream. A big bonus to using this ingredient? There's no churning needed; you'll just need a little elbow grease.

Most sweetened condensed milks are made with simple ingredients, i.e. milk and sugar. So the syrup already has the main ingredients of ice cream. Because of its makeup, sweetened condensed milk can easily become ice cream without the help of a big machine. Here's more on how it works.

To make ice cream in a pinch, you only need a few things: a can of sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and a hand mixer. These ingredients come together to create ice cream by replicating the traditional ice cream creation process. 

When making traditional homemade ice cream, you have to start by creating a base with cream, sugar, and eggs. The job of a churning machine in these recipes is to introduce air into that base, which gives it those luxuriously creamy textures. In the no-churn version, sweetened condensed milk already has everything needed to make an ice cream base, so you don't have to whip up anything extra. The hand-mixer in this recipe also has the same job as a churning machine and simply introduces air into the mixture.

The ingredients for both versions of ice cream are relatively the same; it's just the process that changes. For anyone seeking a bowl of something delicious in a flash, this is a great option, and it's entirely customizable, too. You can add any kind of fixings you have on hand, or, if you prefer, simply leave it plain.

While ideas like this one sound good on paper, they don't always come out perfectly in practice. Luckily, you won't be the first to give this no-churn ice cream hack a try — and the guinea pigs have shared some insight.

One Reddit user praised the extra-creamy texture of this ice cream and claimed that the condensed milk gave the treat a "whole body of flavor." The user even toyed with the idea of starting an ice cream business based on the simple recipe. In another Reddit thread, a fan of the treat was shocked at how easy it was to make, while another suggested switching things up by using caramel condensed milk for extra flavor. One user remembered how their mother used this hack in their childhood to make mango ice cream. 

It's clear that many fans love condensed milk ice cream. But if you're not feeling up to using a little elbow grease, you can always opt to use that can to make Vietnamese iced coffee instead.