Cotton Candy Ice Cream
This smooth and creamy cotton candy ice cream tastes just like your favorite carnival treat. This easy no-churn recipe takes just a few minutes of work.
I love how easy and delicious no churn ice creams are. I've previously shared fun flavors like Bubble Gum, Blue Moon, cake batter, and Orange Creamsicle. This cotton candy ice cream is my favorite one yet. It reminds me of being a kid at the carnival. Before we left, I'd always get a big bag of fluffy blue and pink cotton candy. It's perfect for hot summer days and birthday parties too! Bonus: As written, it is gluten-free too!
Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips
- Heavy Cream: Use heavy whipping cream. Low-fat or non-dairy ingredients are not recommended.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: The sugar lowers the freezing point of the cream, giving it the perfect texture. Be sure to get sweetened condensed, NOT evaporated, as it doesn't have the sugar we need. Look for it in the baking aisle of your grocery store.
- Food Coloring: If possible, use gel food coloring. They are more vibrant and will not add any excess liquid.
Cotton Candy Oil
This is available in some craft stores in the baking and cake decorating area. It is also available online at Amazon.
I am partial to the brand LorAnn.
How To Make Cotton Candy Ice Cream
- Whip Cream: Beat cream until stiff peaks form.
- Stir in sweetened condensed milk, and cotton candy flavoring.
- Add Color: Divide the mixture into three bowls. Learn the first bowl white. Dye the other 2 bowls blue and pink.
- Swirl: Add some of each color to a freezer-safe pan. Swirl, add sprinkles and repeat.
- Freeze for 4-6 hours.
Leftovers
- Store in an air tight container in the freezer for up to a month.
- Cover with plastic wrap to prevent ice crystals from forming.
- Also, try to store it near the back of your freezer where the temperature is consistently the coldest.
Krystle's Tips
- Easy Cleanup: Line your pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper for super easy cleanup.
- The colder, The Better: For the best results, start with ice-cold ingredients, a chilled bowl, and a chilled pan.
- The Pan Matters: If you don't have a 9x13-inch pan, you can also use a loaf pan. Avoid using a deep bowl. The smaller the surface area, the less risk of freezer burn or ice crystals.
- Whip It Real Good: Be sure to whip your cream to stiff peaks. This is when you can lift the beater or whisk out of the mixture, and the peaks stand straight up falling over. Do not overmix though, or you'll end up with butter! Jessica Gravin has a good guide with visuals on this.
Mom Hack
Stick a marshmallow in the bottom of your ice cream cone to prevent drips.
❓FAQS❓
Whip your cream until it just reaches stiff peaks as overwhipping can make the texture grainy.
Always use full-fat milk products as well.
Finally, freeze immediately in the coldest part of your freezer to prevent ice crystals from forming.
More Ice Cream Recipes I Love
📖 Recipe
Cotton Candy Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 14 Ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 16 Ounces Heavy Cream
- 2 Teaspoons Cotton Candy Flavoring
- Blue and Pink Food Coloring
- Sprinkles
- Cotton Candy If Desired
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- Add sweetened condensed milk, and mix well. Stir in cotton candy flavoring.
- Divide mixture evenly into 3 bowls. Leave one bowl white. Add blue food coloring to one bowl, and pink to the other.
- In a 9x13 inch pan, add dollops of each color. Add sprinkles and swirl with a knife. Repeat.
- Freeze for 4-6 hours. Garnish with cotton candy if desired.
Notes
-
- Heavy Cream: Use heavy whipping cream. Low-fat or non-dairy ingredients are not recommended.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Be sure to get sweetened condensed, NOT evaporated milk. Look for it in the baking aisle of your grocery store.
- Cotton Candy Oil: I am partial to the brand LorAnn.
- Food Coloring: If possible, use gel food coloring. They are more vibrant.
- Easy Cleanup: Line your pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper for super easy cleanup.
- The colder, The Better: For the best results, start with ice-cold ingredients, a chilled bowl, and a chilled pan.
- The Pan Matters: If you don't have a 9x13-inch pan, you can also use a loaf pan. Avoid using a deep bowl.
- Whip It Real Good: Be sure to whip your cream to stiff peaks. This is when you can lift the beater or whisk out of the mixture, and the peaks stand straight up falling over. Do not overmix.
Nutrition
I like to make cotton candy ice cream with my family it was the best dessert ever because I like to put on sprinkles and gummy bears too
Cotton candy ice cream is delicious my kids enjoyed as their summer treat.
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Oh my, this treat looks enticing and very tempting! An instant favorite for me us, I am a lover of cotton candy. My kids will definitely gonna love this too. Thanks for sharing this with us.
This recipe was so easy to follow, and the results were amazing! It's a fun and festive dessert that's perfect for any occasion. We had kids over and this was a hit! ????
This was so yummy! Super easy to make and my kids loved it!
This was so fun and my kids devoured it. Thanks!
This recipe is absolutely perfect for ice cream! Such a fun flavor everyone loves
This was so good and cute! We did a unicorn themed birthday for my daughter and she wanted everything pink and sprinkles. The girls loved it, thank you!
The kids went crazy for this ice cream! They couldn't get enough of the playful colors and the delicious cotton candy flavor! I'm definitely making more!
This is every good thing about summer rolled up into one dessert, and I love it so much!
I love cotton candy Ice cream! But I am not a big fan of sprikles.
My kids thank you!! They are addicted to cotton candy & this ice cream makes them so happy! It's so good!
This EASY cotton candy ice cream recipe is PERFECT for summertime! I love this recipe and its perfect, everyone loves this flavor.
This ice cream was amazing, thank you for sharing all of those tips they were super helpful! Everyone adored this ice cream!