Description
A creamy, rich, and indulgent no-churn ice cream featuring a silky vanilla base swirled with buttery homemade caramel sauce. This easy recipe requires no ice cream machine and delivers a dessert that tastes artisanal with minimal effort.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (cold)
- 1 can (14oz / 397g) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup homemade caramel sauce (cooled)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Flaky sea salt (for finishing)
Instructions
- Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on the sides, and place it in the freezer to chill.
- Ensure the caramel sauce is completely cool. If using homemade, melt the 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter into the caramel sauce.
- Pour the cold heavy cream into a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip into butter.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and fine sea salt until smooth and free of lumps.
- Add about one-third of the whipped cream to the condensed milk mixture and gently fold it in to lighten the mixture.
- Pour the condensed milk mixture back into the remaining whipped cream. Gently fold together using a figure-eight motion until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour half of the ice cream base into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Drizzle half of the caramel sauce over it and swirl gently with a knife or skewer to create ribbons.
- Repeat with the remaining ice cream base and caramel sauce, creating a marbled pattern on top.
- Cover the loaf pan tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and freeze for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight, until solid.
- To serve, lift the ice cream out of the pan using the parchment overhang. Let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften slightly before scooping. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
Notes
Heavy cream must be very cold to whip properly. Do not use light cream or half-and-half. Ensure caramel sauce is completely cool before swirling to prevent melting the whipped cream. For best texture, store in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent ice crystals.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of loaf
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 36
- Sodium: 120
- Fat: 24
- Saturated Fat: 15
- Carbohydrates: 38
- Protein: 4
Keywords: no-churn ice cream, salted caramel ice cream, easy dessert, homemade ice cream, caramel swirl, summer dessert, freezer dessert