This No-Churn Easter Ice Cream is the perfect dessert for your holiday gatherings. With its rich peanut butter base, swirls of hot fudge, and colorful peanut butter M&Ms mixed throughout, it's a delicious and festive treat everyone will love.
The best part about this Easter ice cream recipe is how incredibly easy it is to make. No ice cream maker required! Just a few simple ingredients and about 20 minutes of hands-on time is all you need. The hardest part is waiting for it to freeze before you can dive in with a spoon!
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This quick ice cream was so good! My entire family devoured it! I've been making no-churn ice cream for years, and everyone loves it. The combination of whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk creates an ultra-smooth, creamy texture that rivals any ice cream parlors. But with the ability to customize flavors however you like, homemade is so much more fun!
For this Easter-themed ice cream, I went with an irresistible peanut butter base enhanced with swirls of rich hot fudge sauce. The peanut butter M&Ms add a festive touch of color and extra peanut butter crunch in every bite. It's the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors.
Scoop it into bowls, make it into an ice cream pie, or even ice cream sandwiches! The possibilities are endless for this easy frozen dessert.
Ingredient Notes
See the printable recipe card below for all ingredients, specific measurements, and complete instructions.
- Heavy Whipping Cream - The base for creating that luscious, creamy ice cream texture without a machine.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk - Provides sweetness and a velvety smooth consistency to the no-churn ice cream.
- Vanilla Extract - Enhances the rich, creamy flavor.
- Easter-Colored Peanut Butter M&Ms - These pastel candies not only add a festive pop of color, but chewy peanut butter candy pieces in every bite.
- Creamy Peanut Butter - Gives the ice cream its peanut butter flavor.
- Hot Fudge Sauce - Swirled throughout to create decadent ribbons of chocolate fudge in the peanut butter ice cream.
How To Make No Churn Easter Ice Cream
In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip or the cream will turn to butter.
Fold in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract gently with a rubber spatula until fully incorporated and no streaks remain.
Microwave the peanut butter briefly for just 10-15 seconds to slightly soften and make it more pourable. Be careful not to make it too thin!
Fold the softened peanut butter into the whipped cream mixture with a rubber spatula until fully incorporated with no streaks.
Gently stir in the chopped peanut butter M&Ms until evenly distributed throughout the ice cream base.
Transfer half of the peanut butter ice cream to an 8x4 inch metal loaf pan and spread it out into an even layer with the back of a spoon or spatula.
Spoon dollops of the room-temperature hot fudge sauce evenly over the ice cream layer. Use a butter knife to swirl and create ribbons of fudge throughout the ice cream.
Repeat with remaining ice cream base and hot fudge layers.
Cover the loaf pan tightly with plastic wrap or foil and freeze for at least 4 hours, until completely firm. For a harder, more scoopable ice cream, freeze overnight.
Can I use a milk other than sweetened condensed milk?
Sweetened condensed milk is key for creating that dense, scoopable texture. Other milks won't work as well. Coconut milk is an acceptable dairy-free substitute.
Ice Cream Variations
- Change the swirl. Swirl in other sauces or spreads like caramel, Nutella, or marshmallow fluff inseam of the hot fudge.
- Use a different candy. Instead of the peanut butter M&M’s, try mini Cadbury eggs or another Easter candy with a pastel colored coating.
- Change the flavor. We made a peanut butter flavored ice cream for this Easter ice cream recipe, but you can make your ice cream any flavor you want! For ideas, check out my other no-churn ice cream recipes like Peppermint Ice Cream, Lemon Shortbread Ice Cream, or Nutella Ice Cream.
Storing and Freezing
Any leftover Easter ice cream can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for two weeks.
Depending on how cold your freezer is, you may need to let the ice cream sit out on the counter for a few minutes before scooping.
Recipe Tips
- Use a metal loaf pan for best results. The metal helps the ice cream freeze evenly.
- Allow the hot fudge to come completely to room temperature before swirling into the ice cream so it doesn't melt the mixture.
- For clean swirls, only run the knife through the ice cream once or twice. Overswirling can muddy the colors.
- Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping for ideal scoop ability.
You’re going to love this Easter Ice Cream recipe! It’s so simple to make and adds a festive touch to your Easter spread. I can’t wait for you to try it!
Easter Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 14 ounce heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cups Easter-colored peanut butter M&Ms (chopped)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- Jar of hot fudge (room temperature)
Instructions
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into the bowl of an electric mixer that’s fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat at high speed until the heavy cream forms stiff peaks.
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract into the bowl and fold gently into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula.
- Spoon the peanut butter into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the peanut butter is slightly thinned out and easier to pour - about 10-15 seconds.
- Pour the peanut butter into the mixing bowl and fold it gently into the ice cream with a rubber spatula until fully incorporated.
- Add the chopped peanut butter M&Ms to the ice cream and mix gently until incorporated.
- Spoon half of the ice cream into a metal 8x4-inch loaf pan. Spread out evenly with a rubber spatula.
- Dollop a desired amount of hot fudge onto the ice cream and swirl it into the ice cream with a butter knife.
- Repeat steps 6 and 7 with the remaining half of the ice cream.
- Freeze ice cream for a minimum of 4 hours for softer ice cream, or overnight for a harder, more scoopable ice cream.