This easy no-churn Peppermint Ice Cream recipe is one of my favorite holiday desserts and the perfect winter treat! It's sweet and smooth and packed with crunchy candy pieces and tons of cool peppermint flavor. It pairs perfectly with a warm mug of hot cocoa!
This dessert comes together so quickly, you’ll find yourself making it for all your holiday parties!
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Fans of peppermint ice cream, rejoice! This luscious and sweet homemade peppermint ice cream is bursting with nostalgic Christmassy flavor and can easily be made year-round.
No need to wait for November to roll around to enjoy this cool and creamy dessert, whip up a batch of this minty ice cream any time your heart desires!
The best part? You’ll only need five simple ingredients to get started. Real peppermint candies are suspended throughout an ice cream base made of heavy whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk to create this no-churn ice cream.
I find that because this peppermint ice cream pairs well with simpler toppings. Try garnishing your scooped ice cream with some mini chocolate chips, hot fudge sauce, freshly whipped cream, or some miniature marshmallows.
Serve it with these Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, Brownie Cookies or this Chocolate Peppermint Pound Cake.
You can even play up the holiday aspect of this homemade ice cream and serve it alongside some hot cocoa, decorated cookies, or candy canes.
Ingredients
See printable recipe card below for all ingredients, specific measurements, and complete instructions.
- Peppermint Candies - Crushed into small chunks.
- Heavy Whipping Cream - When whipped into stiff peaks, creates a smooth and scoopable base for this festive ice cream.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk - Adds the perfect amount of sweet richness to this dessert.
- Powdered Sugar - Adds a little extra sweetness to balance out the intense mint flavor.
- Peppermint Extract - Adds a cool crispness to this popular winter treat.
Ice Cream Variations
Add Chocolate: Everyone knows that peppermint pairs beautifully with chocolate! In fact, you can turn this no-churn peppermint ice cream into peppermint bark ice cream by adding some dark and white chocolate chips to your ice cream base. Swirl the chips throughout the ice cream mixture prior to freezing.
Make a Pie: My family loves turning this peppermint stick ice cream into peppermint ice cream pie. To do this, simply freeze your no-churn ice cream in a premade chocolate pie crust. The resulting treat will be rich and creamy with a subtle chocolatey crunch!
Use Different Hard Candy: Swap out the crushed peppermints for your favorite hard candy. Try using spearmints, root beer barrels, cinnamon discs, or butterscotch candies instead. Just be sure to also swap out the peppermint extract for an extract that will complement your chosen hard candy!
How to Make Peppermint Ice Cream
- Using an electric mixer, beat together the heavy cream, peppermint extract, and powdered sugar. Whip until the mixture reaches stiff peaks.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and crushed peppermint candies and continue mixing until evenly distributed throughout the whipped cream.
Transfer the peppermint ice cream base to a metal loaf pan and freeze until set and scoopable.
Scoop it into your favorite cone or dessert bowl and enjoy!
Recommended Tools. Here are a few kitchen items that come in handy when making this ice cream. (Affiliate links).
How To Store Ice Cream
Once your peppermint ice cream is frozen solid, I recommend transferring it to a hard-sided, airtight container. When stored this way, your homemade ice cream should stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You can freeze this peppermint ice cream in almost any container. Just be aware that the shape of your container will affect the amount of time it takes for your ice cream to completely freeze.
OXO Good Grips Classic Ice Cream Scoop,Black
Anchor Hocking 4.5-Ounce Footed Glass Sherbet Bowls, Set of 12 -Wilton Recipe Right Non-Stick Mini Loaf Pan Set, Small Loaf Pans for Baking, 3-Piece Cookware Set, 5.75 x 3 in., Steel
Recipe Tips For Making Peppermint Ice cream
- I like to crush my peppermint candies in a food processor or blender. If you like your candy chunks on the bigger side, crush your peppermints by hand by putting the candies in a Ziploc bag and smashing them with a rolling pin.
- You can make this ice cream with crushed peppermint discs, sticks, or even candy canes!
- The sweetened condensed milk acts as the main sweetener in this ice cream. The powdered sugar helps but it is mostly there to help stabilize the whipped cream.
- Peppermint extract can be found in the baking or spice section of most major grocery stores.
Frequently Asked Questions
When making your homemade peppermint ice cream, keep in mind that fat doesn’t freeze! Both sweetened condensed milk and heavy whipping cream are high in fat and help to keep your homemade ice cream soft and scoopable.
Do not swap out either of these ingredients for a light or fat-free version! If you do, your ice cream will freeze rock solid and be impossible to scoop.
Typically, yes. Commercially made peppermint ice cream is usually sold in the late fall and early winter—around the holidays.
However, you can buy peppermint candies year-round. So you can make my no-churn peppermint ice cream whenever you’re craving something crisp, cool, and sweet!
If you love the ease of making no-churn ice cream here are a few more to try!
- Nutella Ice Cream
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream
- Pumpkin Ice Cream
- Pecan Pie Ice Cream
I hope you try this delicious peppermint ice cream. It's the perfect holiday treat that uses five simple ingredients and an easy-to-follow no churn method.
You will love the crunch of peppermint candy scattered throughout this ice cream and will be amazed at how similar it tastes to traditional churned ice cream. It's the best and much better tasting than store-bought.
If you try this ice cream recipe, please come back and rate it and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from you!
Peppermint Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1¼ cups crushed peppermint candies or candy cane
Instructions
- Combine the heavy cream ,peppermint extract, and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer on high speed to whip the cream into stiff peaks.
- Once the heavy cream mixture forms stiff, freestanding peaks add the sweetened condensed milk and crushed peppermints. Reduce the hand mixer to low speed and mix the ingredients together until combined.
- Pour your ice cream into a 9x5 inch loaf pan and cover the pan with plastic wrap.
- Allow your ice cream to freeze for about 5 hours, or until the ice cream is firm to the touch.
- Scoop, serve, and enjoy!