I originally posted this recipe on my Instagram feed back in March when blood oranges were in season, but this recipe is so versatile you can easily switch in the blood oranges for any other citrus fruit of choice. Personally I love pink grapefruit or sweet, juicy oranges or zesty lemons for a fresh, summery flavour. This is essentially a cocktail in a cone! Adding a little alcohol to the mixture helps make your ice cream scoop-able and creamy, rather than “crunchy” which can sometimes happen with no-churns. It’s also important to use condensed milk as this has a low water content so doesn’t freeze in a way that would make your ice cream chewy.
This ice cream takes less than 6 hours to solidify meaning you can make it at lunchtime and have it ready in time for an evening cooler. Serve into bowls, drizzled with fresh cream {that will set to a hard creamy crust, which I personally love}, or scoop into waffle cones for an easy-to-eat delight!
What alternative ingredients can I use?
- Cream: I always use double cream in my recipes for no-churn {single cream won’t work, as it doesn’t whip!} but you can also find whipping cream in supermarkets that will work as a great alternative.
- Cream cheese: I love adding a little cream cheese to my no-churn so it’s not too sweet, but Greek yoghurt or mascarpone are also amazing if that’s all you have in the fridge!
- Condensed milk: you can substitute cream of coconut is a great substitute. It’ll add a slight tropical, nutty flavour but will add a gorgeous richness to your ice cream.
- Citrus fruit: as mentioned above, any citrus fruit works beautifully in this recipe.
- Vanilla bean paste: vanilla extract will work just as well in this recipe, or beans scraped directly from a vanilla pod!
- Salt: this helps to balance the sweetness of your ice cream, so always add a pinch to elevate the flavours.
- Alcohol: adding a small amount of alcohol helps make your ice cream smooth and scoop-able. If you don’t have campari, aperol or rum and whisky are great alternatives – but you can always leave this out if you prefer!
What you’ll need to make this recipe
Citrus No-Churn Ice Cream
- 396g can condensed milk
- 3tsp grated citrus zest
- 120ml freshly squeezed citrus juice
- 1tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
- 1tbsp campari or aperol
- Pinch of salt
- 60g cream cheese
- 475ml double cream
- A few drops red food colouring (optional, if you want a pink-ish tinge)
METHOD
- In a large bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, blood orange juice, seeds from your vanilla bean + the vanilla bean paste, Campari, orange zest and salt until completely combined.
- In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth then add the double cream, whisking slowly until stiff peaks start to form. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to over-whip your cream!
- Add the whipped cream to the condensed milk mixture and whisk on a slow speed until no streaks remain. You can now add your food colouring if you’re using it to make it a little pinker!
- Pour into a 9-inch loaf tin or Tupperware container, cover with clingfilm and freeze for at least 6 hours until firm.
Your ice cream should keep for a few weeks.
