The easiest salted caramel ice cream doesn’t require a machine
When you urgently need a frozen treat without leaving the house to get it، the most satisfying shortcut might be a cold and fluffy no-churn ice cream.
Made from sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream، it’s almost absurdly minimalist and doesn’t even require an ice cream machine. There’s no fussing over curdle-prone egg yolks، because you don’t have to cook a custard. Simply whip some cream، fold in the milk and a few flavorings — a pinch of salt and some vanilla extract will do the trick — then let it sit in the freezer until scoopable. It’s the perfect hack for any hot day.
The reason this recipe works so well is because although there are only a few ingredients، each one does double duty. The cream’s fat content lends a rich، tongue-coating texture، and the air you whip into it creates volume and buoyancy، allowing the ice cream to stay supple when frozen.
Then there’s the condensed milk: Because the sugar in it is already a liquid، it doesn’t need heat to dissolve. Viscous، syrupy and low-moisture، it also helps prevent ice crystals from forming، which makes for an especially smooth and velvety ice cream.
In this version، I tweak the ingredients slightly، substituting store-bought dulce de leche for the condensed milk. The flavor is deeper and more complex، with toasty caramel notes replacing milky vanilla. Then I swirl more dulce de leche into the ice cream base for irresistibly sticky ripples of caramel throughout.
To punctuate the sweetness with a few crunchy، savory pops، add a pinch of flaky sea salt to the dulce de leche before swirling it into the ice cream base. And while you’re at it، you can also mix in a few tablespoons of chopped nuts، shredded coconut or chocolate chunks or chips.
Once it’s frozen، scoop this delightful ice cream into cones or mound it on a sundae or banana split. Then again، you could take the time-honored، lazy-summer approach and spoon it up، languidly and meltingly، right from the container and into your mouth.
