Another year, another fruit salad. Skip the yearly routine for something way more exciting: no-churn fruit salad ice cream. Bonus: Make ice cream sandwiches!
No-churn ice cream requires no special equipment or complicated techniques—just whipped cream, condensed milk, and a freezer. It’s creamy, indulgent, and endlessly versatile.
Now pair that with classic Filipino fruit salad—also made with cream and condensed milk. The result? Fruit salad ice cream: your favorite Christmas dessert, made richer, creamier, and perfectly scoopable.
No-churn ice cream relies on two main steps:
Once the base is ready, fold in your choice of mix-ins. We used canned and drained fruit cocktail for a full fruit salad vibe, but fresh fruits with low water content, like mangoes and bananas, will work wonderfully, too. Fruit jams? Even better. Or skip the fruit altogether and save it until ready to serve.
After freezing the mixture overnight, you’ll wake up to fruit salad ice cream!
Whipping the cream is a non-negotiable step. Without it, your ice cream base would freeze into a dense, icy block of frozen milk rather than that light, silky ice cream texture we want. The air whipped into the cream creates tiny bubbles, ensuring the final product is light and fluffy.
The easiest way to whip cream is with an electric mixer, whether it’s a stand or handheld type. Whipping by hand is doable, but requires effort and a lot of stamina—best to use a soft-wired whisk and make circular scooping motions, lifting the whisk out of the cream with each pass.
Nestlé All-Purpose Cream whips up beautifully and quickly, creating the necessary volume and airiness for a no-churn base. Unlike heavier creams, it’s also more forgiving, making it ideal for beginners. Plus, its distinct flavor is essential to that fruit salad you grew up eating. There are no substitutes!
For best results, chill your all-purpose cream in the fridge before whipping. This firms up the cream a little bit, giving you a headstart in the whipping process.
Scoop your fruit salad ice cream on top of cookies, graham crackers, otap, or a slice of pandesal, then sandwich with a second piece. Serve immediately or wrap individually with cling wrap, then freeze for at least 3 hours.
Prepare milk base: Combine condensed milk and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl.
Whip cream: In a separate bowl, whip Nestlé All-Purpose Cream to stiff peaks. Fold the cream gently into the milk mixture. Add drained fruit cocktail and fold to incorporate. Transfer mixture to a freezable container.
Freeze: Cover mixture with cling wrap or wax paper pressed directly on the surface of the ice cream. Freeze until set, at least 6 hours. The longer, the better.
Serve: Scoop and serve, with additional drained fruit cocktail or fresh fruits if desired.
