How To Make Ice Cream At Home With Milk — No Fancy Equipment Needed

Homemade desserts are perhaps some of the best sweet treats to present to children during the holiday season. For parents who want to get creative in the kitchen, one of the simplest and tastiest sweets to prepare is indulgent ice creams, complete with all the richness of milk. No fancy equipment, no fussy techniques: a simple ice cream making hack promises delicious, customisable flavour options.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for….well, parents know very well the last word of that phrase! 

Holiday season means children at home, vying for all things sweet and delicious. Parents who want to cut down on outside treats to focus more on home cooked recipes can look at homemade ice creams as a delicious frozen dessert to prepare on festive days. Endlessly customisable and filled with the rich and creamy notes of milk, homemade ice creams can be prepared without fancy equipment or fussy techniques, using just the simplest of churning and freezing techniques. With basic culinary hacks and straightforward pantry staples, creative parents can whip up creamy ice creams that will elevate the dessert game for the kids.

Why Homemade Ice Cream Works

One of the reasons homemade ice cream is such an effective dessert for creative parents is because it is very low-fuss and requires little to no equipment. During holidays, parents who want to work on imaginative sweets can go for this budget-friendly alternative. What’s also interesting is that with homemade options, parents can keep watch on the amount of sugar and added flavourings that go into the ice cream. And most importantly, homemade ice creams can also be turned into a fun, DIY activity which gets all the kids on holiday involved in the kitchen. They can participate in layering the ice cream with flavours and then curating their own sundae bowls when it is time to have dessert. Without fancy equipment, and just a basic blending technique executed using a hand blender, homemade ice cream can be converted into a worthy holiday dessert, befitting the cheery vibe of the season. 

Simplest Milk Ice Cream Base

To make homemade ice cream, start by preparing the base using full fat milk, fresh cream, sugar, cornflour and vanilla essence. Bring everything together in a creamy mixture that acts as the foundation for the flavours you would eventually build into the ice cream. One of the easiest ways to make the base is to first mix cornflour and about a couple of tablespoons of milk in a saucepan on low heat, before adding the rest of the milk. Stir the sugar into the slurry next and let it dissolve completely. Let the mixture thicken well before taking it off the heat and stirring in the cream and vanilla. This artisanal method of making the ice cream base leads to the creation of a thick and dense dessert, quite rich and indulgent.

Pro Tip: Freeze the mixture for a couple of hours. Then bring it out and whisk it using an electric hand blender before freezing it again. This additional step prevents ice crystals, doing away with the need to bring in heavy machinery or equipment.

Flavour Add-Ins

Once the base for the cold dessert is ready, it is time to engage in the fun part. This is an activity where kids can contribute and participate. They can suggest flavours and prepare the add-ins under parental supervision. Before the final freeze, choose from assorted flavours such as:

– Strawberry Swirl: Bring together mashed strawberries and about a tablespoon of sugar and stir these into the ice cream lightly for a ripple effect. Fruity, acidic and bright, strawberries add a pleasant pink pop into the ice cream.

– Chocolate Chips Galore: One of the most favoured ice cream add-ins among children, chopped chocolate, white and dark chocolate chips or gems can all be sprinkled into the simple ice cream base to lace it with denser chocolatey notes.

– Mango Milk: For fruitier flavours and brighter colours, replace about a quarter portion of milk with mango milkshake. A tropical touch and sweet nuance shall take centre stage in this ice cream. Skip the vanilla essence to make the mango ice cream, for enhanced tropical flavour.

Storage And Freezer Hacks

Homemade ice cream is indulgently creamy. It requires little in terms of effort, but is more about creative cooking and shared family time during the holiday season. That’s why a well-made ice cream stored effectively can be made to last for at least 3-4 days so the whole family can revel in the joys of such a well-executed culinary endeavour. 

To store the fresh ice cream in the freezer, first cover it with parchment to prevent the formation of ice crystals. This step is essential before the ice cream is sealed. When it is serving time, bring the ice cream out of the freezer and let it rest at room temperature for about five minutes. This will soften the ice cream slightly which eases scooping.

‘Build-Your-Own’ Ice Cream Bar

After the raw material for the ice cream is ready, it is time for creative parents to bring children into the culinary foray at dessert time too. Create a DIY ice cream station where kids can decorate their homemade ice creams with all manner of sweet and sour treats. Think crushed chocolate chip cookies to make a homemade cookies and cream version, sprinkles for their bright touch, sour candy for a lipsmacking flavour contrast, chopped fruits for a tropical and sometimes even seasonal flourish and honey or chocolate sauce as garnishing drizzles. 

Children can scoop out the ice cream and add it to their own bowls to then choose from this array of toppings and experiment with different combinations. This can be a fun activity on a festive evening that gets the kids’ creative juices flowing.