Delicious, creamy snow ice cream is one of the best parts of winter! There are many ways to make snow ice cream. You can use snow as the main ingredient or you can use it to freeze any other ice cream recipe.
Snow Ice Cream With Snow as an Ingredient
If you live in a climate that gets a lot of snow, it’s safe to eat it or use it as an ingredient. Collect the cleanest snow by setting a large, clean bowl outdoors when it’s snowing. Otherwise, use the freshest snow you can find. Unless you’re using freshly fallen snow, scrape away the uppermost layer and use the pure white snow beneath it. Don’t use discolored snow, as it contains impurities.
Easy 2-Ingredient Snow Ice Cream
The quickest, easiest snow ice cream is a simple mixture of snow and sweetened condensed milk. Some snow ice cream purists consider this to be the only recipe!
- 8 to 12 cups of freshly fallen snow
- 1 10-oz (300 ml) can of sweetened condensed milk
For the best results, freeze a large metal or glass pot or bowl and then go outside and collect snow. This helps keep the snow from melting too quickly. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the snow. Mix it with a wooden spoon. Store any leftovers in the freezer.
Options for spicing up the recipe include:
- Add 1 tsp vanilla extract for vanilla ice cream
- Mix in 1/4 cup cocoa powder or cocoa mix for chocolate ice cream
- Add chocolate syrup for chocolate ice cream
Another 2-ingredient snow ice cream recipe is pouring pure maple syrup over fresh snow. Technically, this isn’t ice cream, since there is no “cream” but it’s still delicious.
Easy Snow Ice Cream Recipe
Not everyone has a can of sweetened condensed milk, but most people have the ingredients for this recipe on hand:
- 8 to 12 cups snow (at least 2 liters)
- 1 cup (250 ml) milk
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- dash of salt
Whisk together the milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture over the snow and mix it in.
Easy Chocolate Snow Ice Cream
Cocoa powder tastes great, but it’s much easier to mix a liquid into snow:
- Big bowl of snow
- 1 cup chocolate milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Stir the chocolate milk and sugar together before pouring the mixture over the snow.
Boozy Cake Batter Snow Ice Cream
Snow ice cream isn’t just for kids 🙂
- 8 to 12 cups fresh snow
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) white or yellow cake mix
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) birthday cake flavored vodka
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) milk
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
Whisk the liquid ingredients into the cake mix. Pour the mixture over the snow.
Snow Ice Cream Without Eating Snow
If your snow isn’t clean and fresh, but you still want snow ice cream, you can use the snow to freeze the treat. Basically, you use any ice cream recipe. Place the ingredients in a metal or glass bowl (because they conduct heat) and set this bowl inside a larger bowl filled with snow and salt. Another option is putting the ice cream mixture into a zipper-top plastic bag and placing the bag in a bowl of snow and salt. The snow and salt mixture gets below freezing thanks to freezing point depression.
You will need:
- 8 to 12 cups of snow (clean or not)
- 6 Tbsp (90 ml) salt
For the Ziploc bag:
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) half and half
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp (2 ml) vanilla extract
- 1-gallon Ziploc bag (or other brand)
- Pour the half and half, sugar, and vanilla in the bag.
- Squeeze out the excess air and zip the bag closed.
- Place the bag in the bowl of snow and salt. One way to squish the bag around without giving yourself frostbite is to push onto the bag with a wooden spoon. You could use kitchen gloves, too.