The Easiest, Best Soft Serve Ice Cream Recipe (plus Easy Chocolate Shell Topping)

I realize that an ice cream recipe is of no use whatsoever when trying to answer the daily question of what the heck to have for dinner that doesn’t require 1) an hour of prep right at 5:30pm when the kids and I are at our hangriest and clingiest, or 2) a trip to the store, or 3) meat, or 4) processed meat substitute, or 5) pasta, AGAIN.  However, for some reason if I know we are having pasta again—and therefore blessedly we will have that 5 o’clock witching hour to run around outside and thus enter the evening with partial sanity intact) then I can throw together a quick ice cream base that can churn while we eat, and I know that people will get protein and fat to go with the noodle and veggie main and it all will sort of balance out maybe.  Like my dad always used to say when I was growing up, “It all ends up in the same place.”

This is the recipe I sometimes ALMOST wish I didn’t know because it makes it too easy to make ice cream.  However, the benefits of having ice cream at my fingertips—ice cream every night!!—always outweigh the potential pitfalls of having ice cream at my fingertips—ice cream every night????—simply because it is helping us build our self control muscles and also it tends to lose some of its glitter once you know you can have it again tomorrow if you want. It’s almost more delicious made with blitzed dates in place of sugar!  I don’t make it too often these days but when I do I am reminded of the pure genius of simplicity.

The benefits of this “Philadelphia-style” ice cream made at home are many:  short ingredient list, no eggs or cooking required, it can be easily made vegan, the flavor combos are infinite, and it tastes delicious with way less sugar and none of the additives in most store-bought ice creams.  It is quicker than driving to the store to buy ice cream, almost always.  You can make it with maple syrup or another sweetener.  It’s cheaper per serving than high-quality store-bought ice creams.  And, the chocolate version tastes like a Wendy’s frosty but way better.  

The only conceivable drawback here is that it requires a decent ice cream maker.  I love the cuisinart, but any good ice cream maker that has a freezer canister will work well.  (Hint:  you can often find ice cream machines at thrift stores—those poor people who got rid of their dusty, seldom-used ice cream makers because they thought you had to cook a custard every time you wanted ice cream!!). The secret to having homemade ice cream any time you want is to store the canister in the freezer.  After each use, just rinse it well with lukewarm water (I don’t scrub, and I don’t use hot water or even usually soap, as it might damage the lining), and then put it immediately back in the freezer so it’s always frozen and ready.  Yes, it takes up space in there but I can store other frozen stuff inside the hopper and overall having an easy homemade ice cream option makes it well worth the used freezer space.  I hope you’ll find the same thing!

The Easiest No-Cook Soft Serve Ice Cream Recipe (with Egg-Free, Sugar Free (Date-Sweetened), and Non-Dairy Options) plus Easy Chocolate Shell Topping

Notes:  The mixture needs to be fridge-cold in order to freezer properly in the ice cream machine.  If I’m using dairy that has already been in the fridge, I can mix and freeze it immediately, but if I’m using coconut milk or cream, or any flavors or fruit that are warm or voluminous, the mixture requires chilling for at least an hour or longer before freezing (unless you thought ahead to stick your coconut milk or cream in the fridge in which case you are way more organized than I!). 

Ingredients:

—2 c cream (for dairy ice cream I use one cup heavy whipping cream and one cup half and half), or one can coconut milk or coconut cream or a mix of the two.  

—3-4 T sugar, to taste (I start with three and add more as necessary), 2-3 T maple syrup, or 1/4 to 1/2 cup pitted, packed Medjool dates (about 4-8 large dates)

—1 tsp vanilla or a pinch of vanilla powder, optional

—pinch of salt

—2 heaping tablespoons good cocoa powder, to taste, optional

—mix-ins (cooked and cooled fruit, lemon juice and zest, chopped cookies, nuts, chocolate chips, etc)

Directions:

In a bowl or large glass measuring cup, combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth.  If you’re using dates for sweetener, and/or any other fruit for fruit ice cream, blend the dates and/or fruit with the rest of the liquid mixture with an immersion blender, or in a food processor, until only tiny specks of date remain.  If you’re using coconut milk and/or dates and/or fruit (or if any of your ingredients besides the sugar, salt, and vanilla are not fridge-cold), chill the mixture in the fridge for at least an hour—the longer the better.  This part can be done in advance and the mixture can chill covered in the fridge for several hours to overnight.  Keep any whole mix-ins like nuts or cookies in the fridge to chill also so they don’t melt the ice cream when you drop them in.  

Twenty minutes to a half an hour before you want ice cream (right before you sit down to dinner, if you’re me), plug in the machine, get the hopper churning and ready, and retrieve the chilled mixture.  Give it a quick stir to re-combine and then whisk the mixture while pouring it into the ice cream maker. If you have cookies or mix-ins, wait until the mixture begins to freeze (you can hear the machine working harder, and it looks like soft serve) to add the chilled mix-ins, and let churn for an additional minute or so.  It should take 15-20 minutes total to get soft serve ice cream.  Serve immediately or scrape into a container to freeze further (for the “hard-serve version”).  I only use silicone or wooden utensils inside the ice cream canister so as not to scratch the delicate lining! 

Super Easy “Like Magic” Chocolate Shell Topping

—1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

—2 tsp coconut oil

Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil on lowest possible heat, stirring until melted.  Keep slightly warm until time to serve.  Drizzle over ice cream!  

I realize this isn’t the best photo; I will update it soon. This is from a long time ago when I attempted to make waffle cones—11/10 recommend if you have time for a big project—and it shows two flavors of ice cream that didn’t chill properly before freezing, so they are a bit blobby/melted. A little time in the freezer and they came right around.