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Cinnamon ice cream is the perfect ice cream for the fall—especially if you add it to a warm apple pie, pumpkin pie, or my skillet apple crisp! This recipe is inspired by the most delicious cinnamon gelato I had in Cinque Terre, Italy. It was a life-changing experience and unlike anything I tasted during the entire trip.
My cinnamon ice cream is rich and dense with an unmatched creamy texture. The flavor is unreal and will remind you of your favorite cinnamon breakfast cereal. However, the best part about this recipe is how easy it is to make without the need for an ice cream machine or any fancy equipment.
Cinnamon also takes center stage in a crispy-topped creme brûlée.
Table of Contents
How to Make No-Churn Ice Cream
No-churn ice cream is the process of making homemade ice cream without an ice cream machine. An ice cream machine allows you to quickly freeze and aerate heavy cream by churning it in a frozen metal container. It also allows you to swirl in toppings without them sinking to the bottom.
It’s ideal, but you can get around it by simply whipping the cream in a standard mixer until stiff peaks just form, adding condensed milk, and folding in your toppings. From here you can freeze for about 4-5 hours. The ice cream will take on a lighter, more airy texture similar to creamier frozen whipped cream.
Incorporating the cinnamon consists of folding spoonfuls of ground cinnamon into the simple creamy base with a touch of vanilla extract for added flavor. Most cinnamon ice cream recipes I’ve come across only call for 1-2 tablespoons of cinnamon. I doubled my addition with a 1/4 cup, which is the perfect amount for bold cinnamon flavor.
Cinnamon Is Just the Beginning
The base of this recipe can be used with an unlimited number of different toppings—it’s generic enough to work with just about anything. You can use this base ice cream recipe for your favorite chocolate candy, peanut butter, Oreos, Snickers, caramel…you get the picture.
Date Night Favorites
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
No-Churn Cinnamon Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 14- ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
- 3-4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Set aside.
- Whip the cream with a mixer on medium-high speed until firm peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.
- Fold 1 cup of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture using a rubber spatula until combined.
- Fold the condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream until fully combined. Stir in the cinnamon until fully mixed throughout using a spoon or rubber spatula.
- Pour mixture into a chilled 9×5 inch metal loaf pan, cover, and freeze for 4-5 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I had high hopes for this recipe but sadly we did not like it. The ice cream was not creamy and the cinnamon made it very grainy.
It always comes out ultra rich and creamy for me. Did you follow the steps exactly? What was the consistency like?
I don’t have to make this recipe to know it will work and be super creamy because no churn ice cream has a precise chemistry involving the sugar (sweetened condensed milk) to fat (heavy cream). You have to follow the ratio. If you cut back on the milk or use lower-fat cream, you won’t get the creamy results. This recipe has the exact proportions for the base I’ve been using with success. I just came looking for the amount of cinnamon to add for the volume (I’ll probably cut it a TAD because I’m adding cinnamon cookies!).