Easy Fudge Ice Cream

This fudge ice cream recipe is so easy to make! Intensely fudgy, it is a real treat that is great for showing off at a dinner party. Even better, it only has three ingredients and doesn’t need an ice-cream maker or hand churning. The hardest part is waiting for it to freeze!

Easy Fudge Ice Cream

Great ice cream from the store can be expensive. We find it is far more fun to make your own, using the exact flavour, or flavours, you want. This easy no-churn fudge ice cream recipe is perfect for beginners and produces impressive results. 

We make no-churn ice cream on a regular basis. There’s no way around the fact that a modest batch results in some leftovers, so I’ve scaled the recipe to use one regular 300 ml pot of double cream and half of a standard sized (397 ml) can of condensed milk. The leftovers can make a second batch, or you can double the recipe if you have enough space in the freezer. 

We used chocolate-coated fudge bars for this – the sort that is a popular and affordable childhood treat in the UK. However, you could also use a soft and crumbly traditional fudge, or even make your own fudge.

Making Ice Cream Scoopable

Generally ice cream needs churning as it freezes. The churning stops the formation of ice crystals, which will make your ice cream set solid, or have a gritty granular texture. 

When you make homemade ice cream you have three options:

• You can take it out of the freezer and give it a good stir by hand, put it back and repeat, so it freezes but does not solidify. 
• You can use an ice cream machine that churns and freezes at the same time. There are two types, one with a bowl that you pre-freeze (you need to be organised, and have room in the freezer), or one that has a compressor that will churn and chill at the same time. These are heavy, noisy and expensive, and I find that you still need to put the freshly made ice cream in the freezer to firm up.  
• Or you can make a no-churn ice cream recipe – which is the winner here. Just mix and freeze. There’s no need for making custards and using ice cream machines. Positively fuss-free!

The secret to no-churn ice cream is a mixture of condensed milk and whipped cream which freezes into exactly the right soft, scoopable, silky smooth consistency every single time! It is fool proof!

It works because the high sugar content of the condensed milk means it won’t freeze solid at domestic freezer temperatures. Now anyone can make perfect ice cream with no specialist equipment. 

How to Make Easy Fudge Ice Cream

This is so easy to make that you really don’t need step-by-step photos, but here we go anyway.

Step One – Assemble your three ingredients! Crumble or chop the fudge into small pieces. 

Step Two – Put the condensed milk in a saucepan and add two thirds of the fudge. Heat gently and stir to dissolve the fudge, making a rich fudge sauce. This will take about 10 minutes. Let the mixture cool. It needs to be cold when you move on to the next stage. 

Step Three – Whip the cream until you have reached the soft peak stage. Use an electric mixer or a stand mixer, or if you’re feeling fit you can whip it by hand. Don’t worry if you over-whip the cream – just fold in a little milk to loosen it.

IMPORTANT – The condensed milk and fudge mix MUST be cold before you add it to the cream. Otherwise the whipped cream will collapse and it will not whip up again. Don’t be tempted to cheat to save time here. If you do, you will have to throw everything away and start again.

Step Four – Add the condensed milk and fudge mixture and gently fold into the whipped cream with a spatula. Try not to knock the air out of the mixture. Fold in the remaining fudge pieces reserving a little for decoration.

Step Five – Spoon into a freezer-proof container. Then sprinkle the last of the fudge on top of the ice cream and place in the freezer. Leave until frozen. 

Top Tips for Making Ice Cream

Store it in the freezer in an airtight pot (about 600–700 ml). Ignore all the pretty photos of ice cream in a loaf pan. It needs to be stored in an airtight container to prevent the ice cream from going grainy. 

Allow it to freeze overnight or failing that, at least six hours before you eat.

Keep leftover condensed milk in the freezer ready for the next batch, but beware! It will leak out of any container that isn’t upright. Use a Lock & Lock or similar container that has a good seal.  

If you over-whip the cream, you can rescue it by folding in a little milk. Then slowly whisk until you have the right consistency.  

This is also a useful tip for making whipping or double cream go further: slightly over-whip it and then add milk and gently fold it in. You can add about 20–30% by volume, depending on the fat content and thickness of the cream, how hard you whip it and how warm your kitchen is.

How Long Will It Keep?

No-churn ice cream is at its best if you keep it for no more than two weeks in a tightly sealed container. I’m fairly confident that if you make this easy fudge ice cream, it will all be gone before the two weeks are up!

 Variations and Serving Suggestions  

• Try different flavours of fudge – chocolate or salted caramel are good. Experiment with your favourites.
• Swirl some chocolate sauce through the mixture before freezing, for a chocolate fudge ice cream. A generous dollop of my chocolate sauce would be delicious.  
• Add a spoonful of Greek yogurt to the cream when whipping it, to make the ice cream a bit lighter and less sweet. 
• Serve with some hot fudge sauce for a fudge sundae.

If you love this recipe, why not try my no-churn bounty ice cream? 

If you try this Easy Fudge Ice Cream please tag #FussFreeFlavours on Instagram or Twitter. It is amazing for me when for me when you make one of my recipes and I really do love to see them. You can also share it on my Facebook page. Please pin this recipe to Pinterest too! Thanks for reading Fuss Free Flavours!

5 from 19 votes

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Easy Fudge Ice Cream

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Freezing time

6 hrs

Total Time

6 hrs 20 mins

 

This easy fudge ice cream is an intensely fudgy treat that’s great for enjoying on the sofa watching TV, or is good enough for showing off at a dinner party. Just 3 ingredients and no churning or ice cream machine needed!

Course: Dessert, Ice cream and sorbets

Cuisine: International

Keyword: Fudge Ice Cream

Servings: 20 scoops (makes about 600 ml)

Calories: 100 kcal

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Ingredients

• 150 ml condensed milk (half of a 397g can)
• 120 g fudge
• 300 ml double cream (heavy cream)

UK Metric - Cups

Instructions

1. Crumble or cut the fudge into small pieces. Put the condensed milk in a saucepan and add two thirds of the fudge. Heat gently and stir to dissolve the fudge. Let the mixture cool. It needs to be cold before you add it to the cream.

2. Whip the cream to form soft peaks. Don’t worry if you over-whip the cream – just fold in a little milk to loosen it.

3. Gently fold the cooled condensed milk and fudge mixture into the whipped cream.  It is important that the mixture has cooled to room temperature before you do this. Try not to knock the air out of the mixture.

4. Fold in the rest of the fudge, reserving a little for decoration.

5. Spoon into an airtight freezer-proof container. Then sprinkle the last of the fudge on top and place in the freezer. Leave until frozen; this will take at least 6 hours.

Recipe Notes

Store it in the freezer in an airtight pot (about 600–700 ml). Ignore all the pretty photos of ice cream in a loaf pan. It needs to be stored in an airtight container to prevent the ice cream from going grainy. 

Allow it to freeze overnight or failing that, at least six hours before you eat.

Keep leftover condensed milk in the freezer ready for the next batch, but beware! It will leak out of any container that isn't upright. Use a Lock & Lock or similar container that has a good seal.  

If you over-whip the cream, you can rescue it by folding in a little milk. Then slowly whisk until you have the right consistency.  

This is also a useful tip for making whipping or double cream go further: slightly over-whip it and then add milk and gently fold it in. You can add about 20–30% by volume, depending on the fat content and thickness of the cream, how hard you whip it and how warm your kitchen is.

How Long Will It Keep?

No-churn ice cream is at its best if you keep it for no more than two weeks in a tightly sealed container. I'm fairly confident that if you make this easy fudge ice cream, it will all be gone before the two weeks are up!

Nutritional Information

• This recipe is 5 WeightWatchers Smart Points per portion

Nutrition Facts

Easy Fudge Ice Cream

Amount Per Serving

Calories 100 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 24mg8%

Sodium 18mg1%

Potassium 47mg1%

Carbohydrates 9g3%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 250IU5%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 34mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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