Gluten Free No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

Gluten Free No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream is the easiest way to make homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker. Smooth, creamy, and made with real vanilla, it has a texture that’s surprisingly close to traditional churned ice cream. No complicated steps, no special equipment - just a handful of ingredients and a little patience while it freezes.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Heavy Cream: Heavy cream is whipped and folded into the base of this Gluten Free Vanilla No Churn Ice Cream Recipe to create a light, airy texture that mimics the effect of churning. The air incorporated during whipping helps prevent the ice cream from becoming dense or icy. It also adds richness, giving the finished ice cream a smooth, creamy consistency.

Sweetened Condensed Milk: Sweetened condensed milk is cow’s milk with most of the water removed, creating a thick, rich, and sweet base (not the same as evaporated milk). It’s the key to no-churn ice cream, keeping the mixture smooth and scoopable while stabilizing the whipped cream. It also adds a subtle caramelized sweetness that gives the finished ice cream extra depth and flavor.

Sour Cream: I add a little sour cream to my gluten free no churn vanilla ice cream to balance out the sweetness. It also gives the ice cream a more complex flavor. Its creamy consistency also contributes to a smooth, rich texture. In no-churn ice cream, it helps create a slightly softer, silkier finish.

Vanilla: Do not skimp on the vanilla when making vanilla no churn ice cream. This is where the ice cream gets its flavor from. You can use vanilla bean, vanilla paste, or a combination of both for the best flavor and those signature specks. Vanilla extract works too, but it won’t give you those classic vanilla bean specks.

Rum or Bourbon: This is an optional ingredient! Alcohol lowers the freezing point, which helps keep the no churn ice cream softer and easier to scoop instead of freezing rock hard. It also adds a subtle depth of flavor. I use Captain Morgan Spiced Rum. Like most major rum brands, it’s naturally gluten free since it’s made from sugar cane, yeast, water, and spices.

What is No Churn Ice Cream?

No-churn ice cream is a simple homemade ice cream recipe that requires no ice cream maker or special equipment. Instead of churning, it relies on whipped heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk to create a smooth, creamy texture that freezes beautifully in a loaf pan or freezer-safe container.

This easy method produces rich, scoopable ice cream with endless flavor possibilities, from classic vanilla to chocolate, fruit, or cookie mix-ins. Because it skips the traditional churning process, no-churn ice cream is perfect for beginners or anyone who wants homemade ice cream with minimal effort and maximum flavor.

How to make Gluten Free No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

Making no churn vanilla ice cream is simple, uncomplicated, and surprisingly quick. I like to line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper and place it in the freezer while I prepare the ice cream base. This helps everything set up faster once it’s ready to freeze.

1. Step 1: Start out by lining a standard loaf pan with parchment paper and place it in the freezer. I like to lightly spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray to make sure the paper sticks to the pan.

2. Step 2: In a mixing bowl combine the sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, kosher salt, rum (if using) and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. If you use a whole vanilla bean, place the vanilla bean on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to slice it lengthwise. Open the pod and scrape out the seeds (“vanilla caviar”) with the back of a knife or a small spoon. Add the seeds to the condensed milk.

3. Step 3: Whisk the ingredients until smooth and no lumps of sour cream remain. Place the bowl in the fridge while you whip the heavy cream.

4. Step 4: Add the cold heavy whipping cream to the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whisk at a medium speed until stiff peaks have formed. This takes around 2-3 minutes depending on how powerful your mixer is.

5. Step 5: Retrieve the bowl with the condensed milk mixture from the fridge.
6. Step 6: Fold in the whipped cream in thirds, starting with one portion to lighten the base, then gently folding in the rest until smooth, airy, and fully combined. A whisk or flexible rubber spatula works best for this.

7. Step 7: Before freezing, no-churn ice cream should look like a thick mousse. Be careful not to overmix it, or the whipped cream will deflate.

8. Step 8: Retrieve the prepared loaf pan from the freezer and transfer the no churn ice cream to it.

9. Step 9: Cover the no churn vanilla ice cream with a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper and place it in the freezer for at least 6hrs before serving.

How to store No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

Gluten free no-churn ice cream can typically be stored in the freezer for about 2 to 3 weeks for the best texture and flavor.

After that, it’s still safe to eat if it’s been kept frozen consistently, but it may start to develop ice crystals, lose some creaminess, and become a bit harder to scoop. For the best results, store it in an airtight container with a piece of parchment or plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface to help prevent freezer burn.

Serving Ideas

The options are endless when it comes to serving no churn vanilla ice cream. Serve it in a homemade gluten free waffle cone, hot fudge sauce or roasted strawberrie rhubarb compote. It's also delicious on top of many of my gluten free desserts like my Gluten Free Fudge Brownies, Gluten Free Air Fryer Peach Cobbler or my Gluten Free Whiskey Coffee Caramel Sundae.

Note about Salt in my Recipes

I use Diamond Kosher Crystal Salt in all of my recipes unless otherwise stated. If use use a different brand or kind of salt in your kitchen please adjust accordingly since some salts can be saltier. If you use Morton’s Kosher Salt please be aware that their salt granules are smaller in size, denser, and crunchier and twice as salty.

Baking in grams

I share my recipes in grams and by weight since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and easy to use. You can purchase them on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. For small amounts under 10 grams, I like to use this Precision Pocket Scale. Measuring cups are very inaccurate which can cause significant errors when it comes to gluten-free baking or baking in general. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons. To learn more about Baking with a digital scale, make sure to check out my post about Baking by weight.

Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures

All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.

If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Convection oven can cause baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Since takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.

Substitutions and Modifications

Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. I test my recipes several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you find on our website.