​
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Free Ebook!Subscribe to updates & get a recipe book!

Subscribe & Receive My Free Recipe Ebook!

The Chunky Chef

Comforting Family Recipes

  • All Recipes
  • Learn to Cook
  • Shop
    • My eBooks
    • Favorite Products
  • About
  • Contact
  • Trending:

    Slow Cooker

    Easy Dinners

    Desserts

    My Saved Recipe Box
  • Browse By:
  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Main Dishes
    • Sides
    • Drinks
    • Desserts
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Sandwiches
    • Healthy-ish
  • Ingredient
    • Chicken
    • Beef
    • Pork
    • Turkey
    • Seafood
    • Meatless
    • Pasta
  • Cuisine
    • Asian
    • Italian
    • Mexican
    • Hawaiian
    • Middle Eastern
    • Comfort Food
  • Method
    • One Pot
    • Crockpot
    • Instant Pot
    • Oven
    • Fried
    • Grilling/BBQ
  • Trending:

    Slow Cooker

    Easy Dinners

    Desserts

Home / Dessert / Frozen

Cotton Candy No Churn Ice Cream

5
/5
5 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
6 Comments
Jump to Recipe Print Pin
By: The Chunky Chefpublished: 07/18/2023

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Rich and creamy ice cream is flavored with cotton candy extract, and dyed vibrant "cotton candy style" colors, for a fun summer dessert. This frozen treat is so simple to make, and no ice cream maker is required!
Rich and creamy ice cream is flavored with cotton candy extract, and dyed vibrant "cotton candy style" colors, for a fun summer dessert. This frozen treat is so simple to make, and no ice cream maker is required!
Rich and creamy ice cream is flavored with cotton candy extract, and dyed vibrant "cotton candy style" colors, for a fun summer dessert. This frozen treat is so simple to make, and no ice cream maker is required!

Rich and creamy ice cream is flavored with cotton candy extract, and dyed vibrant “cotton candy style” colors, for a fun summer dessert. This frozen treat is so simple to make, and no ice cream maker is required!

This is one of my Frozen Dessert recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!

white bowl filled with multiple scoops of cotton candy ice cream.
Pin this recipe for later!

We’re in the thick of summer, with all it’s stifling heat and bright sunshine. When the temps rise, I love to make a cool treat for the kiddos.

Especially this cotton candy ice cream. It has all the deliciously sweet flavors you’d expect, as well as the bright colors, of cotton candy, but it’s super easy and fun to make!

Making homemade ice cream is deceptively simple, and most of the time is spent just waiting for it to freeze.

Plus, this cotton candy ice cream recipe doesn’t use an ice cream maker – so you can absolutely make this, with no fancy tools required!

As a bit of an ice cream connoisseur, I can attest that homemade ice cream tastes SOOOO much better than store-bought. 

How to make cotton candy no churn ice cream?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

step by step photo collage of how to make cotton candy no churn ice cream.
  1. Beat heavy cream. This is most easily done with a hand mixer, and the heavy cream needs to be very cold.
  2. Beat milk and sugar. You’ll do this until you have stiff peaks (when you lift the beaters out of the mixture and turn them so the beaters are facing up, the peaks stay mostly upright, and don’t fold down).
  3. Divide and color. Add half of the mixture to one bowl, and half to the other. Add food coloring and stir well.
  4. Add to loaf pan. I like to do this in alternating colors, so when you scoop the ice cream, you’ll get some of both colors.
  5. Freeze. This will take several hours.

Helpful Tip!

The ice cream can be dyed any combination of colors you’d like. I just chose blue and pink to achieve that classic “cotton candy” color scheme. Any food coloring can be used, so please choose a type and color of dye that you love.

ice cream cone with a scoop of cotton candy ice cream with sprinkles on top.

Variations of this recipe

  • Larger batch – if you’d like more than the 1.5-2 quarts of ice cream this recipe makes, feel free to double the recipe (just make sure to double all of the ingredients), and use a 9×13″ pan instead of a loaf pan.
  • Cotton candy extract – without this extract, this ice cream will just taste like a less-flavorful version of vanilla ice cream. You can use any brand you’d like, but this is the cotton candy extract I use (amazon link).
  • Dyes – I like to use gel food dye, but you can use traditional liquid dye if you’d like. Just make sure it’s food-safe, and comes in the colors you want to use.
  • Sweetened condensed milk – most no-churn ice cream recipes are made using a different method, involving a can of sweetened condensed milk. If you’d like to make this recipe using that method, I’ve included those instructions down in the “chef tips” section of the full written recipe.
bowl of no churn ice cream (cotton candy flavor), with a spoon.

FAQ’s

What is no churn ice cream?

All it means is that no ice cream maker is needed. With traditional ice cream, you need to make an egg custard and add the mixture to an ice cream maker where it’s mechanically churned for a length of time. This recipe eliminates all of that.

Can you substitute heavy cream in homemade ice cream?

Unfortunately no, not with the same creamy results. Milk or half and half just don’t have enough fat content to whip into stiff peaks. Regular whipping cream will technically work, but it won’t be as creamy.

Making no churn ahead of time

No churn ice cream is perfect for making ahead, since it has to freeze for at least 5 hours.

Although, I recommend letting it freeze overnight just to be sure it’s fully frozen.

cotton candy ice cream cone with sprinkles on top.

Storage

Ice cream needs to be frozen in an airtight container, and will last for 2-3 months.

If you use a 9×5″ loaf pan (as depicted in these photos), cover it tightly with 2 layers of foil, or a lid (if it came with one).

More Ice Cream Recipes:

clear bowl of s'mores ice cream garnished with candy bar and graham crackers
Smores No Churn Ice Cream
three scoops of turtle brownie ice cream in loaf pan
Turtle Brownie No Churn Ice Cream
close up view of a scoop of chocolate and mint swirled ice cream
Chocolate Mint No Churn Ice Cream
bourbon vanilla ice cream
Bourbon Vanilla No Churn Ice Cream
hand mixer

My Favorite Thermometer!

I’ve had this mixer for years, and it still works just as well as it did the day I got it. It’s perfect for making homemade no churn ice cream!

Get on amazon

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!

white bowl filled with multiple scoops of cotton candy ice cream.

Cotton Candy No Churn Ice Cream

5 from 5 votes
Author: The Chunky Chef
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Freezing Time: 5 hours hours
Total Time: 5 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
Calories: 215
Servings: 10 servings
(hover over # to adjust)
Print Rate Pin
Rich and creamy ice cream is flavored with cotton candy extract, and dyed vibrant "cotton candy style" colors, for a fun summer dessert.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream cold
  • 1 cup whole milk cold
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp cotton candy flavor extract
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 – 3 drops red or pink food dye coloring
  • 2 – 3 drops blue food dye coloring
  • sprinkles for garnish

Instructions

Prepare

  • Add a 9×5” loaf pan to the freezer to chill. If your freezer is large enough, you can also add a large mixing bowl (for when you whip the cream). If not, just make sure it's not warm or hot.

Whip the cream

  • Add the cold heavy whipping cream to the cold large mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on MED-HIGH speed until peaks are starting to form.

Add milk, sugar, and flavoring

  • To the bowl, add whole milk, granulated sugar, cotton candy extract, and vanilla extract. Beat with mixer on MED speed until stiff peaks are formed. **see Chef Tips note #2 for more information on stiff peaks**

Add colors

  • Divide the mixture in half, adding half to a smaller mixing bowl, and leaving the other half in the large mixing bowl.
  • To one bowl, add red/pink food coloring, and stir well to combine. To the other bowl, add blue food coloring, and stir well to combine.

Add to pan and freeze

  • Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the mixture, and add to the prepared loaf pan in an alternating pattern (one blue, then one pink), repeating until you run out of both mixtures.
  • Cover tightly, and freeze for about 4-6 hours, or until hard.

Serve

  • Scoop ice cream into a cone or bowl, top with sprinkles, and enjoy!
  • Ice cream will have a purple-ish color when melted.

Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!

Chef Tips

  1. Recipe makes approximately 1.5 quarts, which I’ve estimated is around 8 – 12 servings. Of course, feel free to break this up into as many (or as few) servings as you’d like.
  2. Stiff Peaks – When you turn the mixer upside down (with it OFF), so the beaters are facing up, the cream will stand up in a peak (like a little mountain), and not fold over onto itself. This is a great visual guide from Taste of Home.
  3. For the best storage, I recommend a container like this one (amazon link).
  4. Exact time needed for freezing will depend on how cold your freezer is.

Sweetened Condensed Milk Version:

  • Replace the whole milk and granulated sugar with a 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk.
  • After beating the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, add the sweetened condensed milk, cotton candy extract, and vanilla extract, then gently fold with a rubber spatula.
  • Proceed with the recipe as directed.

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

Did You Make This?Tag @the_chunky_chef on Instagram and hashtag it #thechunkychef so I can see what you made!
Tag on Insta! Leave a Rating Save for Later Saved!

You May Also Like...

  • Rich and creamy ice cream is swirled with gooey marshmallow creme, rich chocolate bar pieces, and crumbled graham crackers. This frozen treat is so simple to make, and very easy to customize! Plus, no ice cream maker is required!
    S'mores No Churn Ice Cream
  • Rich and creamy ice cream swirled with sweetened cream cheese, cherry pie filling, and crushed graham crackers. Everything you love about cherry pie, but in a cool and refreshing frozen treat. Plus, no ice cream maker is required!
    Cherry Pie No Churn Ice Cream
  • Bourbon Vanilla No Churn Ice Cream | This rich and creamy no churn ice cream is studded with flecks of vanilla bean and laced with warm Bourbon, for a tempting treat that's perfect year round! | http://thechunkychef.com
    Bourbon Vanilla No Churn Ice Cream
  • Rich and creamy ice cream swirled with gooey caramel, rich brownies, and toasted pecans. This frozen treat is so simple to make, and very easy to customize! Plus, no ice cream maker is required!
    Turtle Brownie No Churn Ice Cream
Previous Post
Next Post

Meet The Chunky Chef

Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

Learn More

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question, comment, or review below.

Recipe Rating




  1. Sandra says

    Posted on 7/20 at 4:13 pm

    This is so fun!! The best treat for summer! My kids enjoyed making and eating this!

    Reply
  2. Beti says

    Posted on 7/20 at 2:38 pm

    Such an amazing summer treat!! I love it!

    Reply
  3. katerina says

    Posted on 7/20 at 2:37 pm

    Wow! This is such a fun treat! Can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  4. Catalina says

    Posted on 7/20 at 12:45 pm

    wow! This ice cream looks amazing! All the kids will go crazy over it!

    Reply
  5. Erin says

    Posted on 7/19 at 11:49 pm

    Such an amazing treat! Can’t wait to make this!

    Reply
  6. Beth says

    Posted on 7/19 at 12:33 pm

    Oh, my. Now that looks delicious and so perfect for a hot day! There’s nothing more summer than ice cream that looks AND tastes like cotton candy!

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

welcome!

Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

New! Save Recipes To Your Own Account!

Free eBook!

Subscribe & receive my most popular recipes compiled into an easy ebook format!

download now!

Subscribe & Receive My Free Recipe Ebook!

Game Day Recipes!

These crowd-pleasing tender meatballs are smothered in a super flavorful honey garlic bbq sauce.  Perfect for parties, this crockpot meatball recipe couldn't be more simple to make! #meatballs #crockpot #slowcooker #honeygarlic #bbq #appetizer #party #honey #garlic #easyrecipe

Honey Garlic Crockpot Meatballs

2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Smooth and silky queso dip, made using NO velveeta!  Packed with flavor, yet so easy to make, and party ready in just 20 minutes! #queso #dip #cheese #mexican #appetizer #party #cincodemayo #easyrecipe

Queso Dip Recipe

20 minutes minutes

Creamy, cheesy, and oh so addicting, this bacon cheeseburger dip is just like your favorite gooey cheeseburger... but in a party-ready dip form! #bacon #gameday #cheesy #cheeseburger #party #appetizer #dip #easyrecipe

Creamy Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

32 minutes minutes

Insanely tasty chicken wing recipe, dry rubbed, then hickory smoked to perfection.  And don't forget the homemade bourbon bbq sauce! #chickenwings #wingrecipe #smoked #smoker #smokedchickenwings #bourbon #bbq #crispy

Bourbon BBQ Smoked Chicken Wings

3 hours hours

This easy game day appetizer combines classic buffalo wing flavors with cool creaminess in an easy dip made in the crockpot. Perfect for any party, serve it up with chips or celery sticks and watch everyone go back for seconds!

Buffalo Chicken Dip (Crockpot Recipe)

2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Chicken Taco Mexican Pinwheels | These pinwheels are filled with a creamy chicken taco filling, which is easily customizable, and rolled up to make a perfect appetizer or party food! | http://thechunkychef.com

Chicken Taco Mexican Pinwheels

15 minutes minutes

More Holiday Recipes >

Who doesn’t love free stuff?

Who doesn't love free stuff? Get an ad-free ebook of my most popular recipes, plus be the FIRST to know about new things coming to the site!

Looking for something?

As Seen On…

Stay Connected

subscribe to get new posts via email:

Quick & Easy

Dinner Favorites

Hearty and positively soul-warming, this beef barley soup simmers all day in the slow cooker, which makes for an incredibly rich soup recipe! #beefbarley #soup #slowcooker #crockpot #comfortfood #barley #beefsoup #easyrecipe #dinner
M

Crockpot Beef Barley Soup

white bowl of chicken and dumplings
T

Instant Pot Chicken & Dumplings

HONEY GARLIC SALMON - Succulent and tender salmon filets cooked in a mouthwatering simple honey garlic sauce, then broiled until sticky and caramelized.  Made with simple ingredients, in one pan, and in just 20 minutes! #salmon #honeygarlic #onepan #easyrecipe #dinner #seafood #fish
W

Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon

Light and filling, this Italian Wedding Soup is perfectly delicious comfort food, all year round.  Made in one pan, and ready in 30 minutes, this recipe is great for a weeknight meal! #soup #souprecipe #Italianweddingsoup #onepot #30minutemeal #weeknight #dinner #easyrecipe #homemaderecipe
R

Italian Wedding Soup

This Honey Garlic Chicken is one incredible weeknight dinner idea. Juicy chicken coated and cooked with a glorious sauce made with soy, hoisin, garlic, honey and more! Toss it all in the slow cooker and let it do the work for you! #dinner #chicken #asian #honey #garlic #honeygarlic #easyrecipe #weeknight #slowcooker #crockpot
F

Honey Garlic Chicken

S

Swedish Meatballs

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window
free e-book!

Download MY Free Recipe eBook!

Subscribe & receive my most popular recipes compiled into an easy ebook format!

get my copy!

Subscribe & Receive My Free Recipe Ebook!

As Featured On:

Back to Top

Recipes

Dinners

Appetizers

Desserts

Slow Cooker

Learn to Cook

Start Here

Tips & Tricks

e-Cookbook

Easy Recipes

  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Privacy
  • Contact
© 2023 The Chunky Chef
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top