Especially a hot summer day like the ones we’ve been having, right?! That is why this week we decided it would be a good idea to explore the cooler side of our kitchens: the one where we can make the magic of ice cream happen!

Making ice cream at home may sound a little daunting for most people: we’ve all seen those churning machines they use in cooking shows, and while thinking “wouldn’t it be cool to have that at home”, not a lot of us have the space (or the budget) to get one. So… how do you make ice cream without it?

Who's up for a couple of scoops? Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream (with roasted marshmallows) by anne (left); No-churn Espresso Chocolate Ice Cream, by Linh (right)

It’s so much easier than you think! Here, we give you three methods to achieve creamy cold deliciousness without any special gizmos:

Method 1: the easiest sundae ever!

Chill a can of condensed milk in the fridge for a couple of hours. Get yourself a pint of whipping cream and beat it until stiff (you can use an electric mixer, but if you do it by hand it counts as a calorie-burning workout!). Keep mixing while you slowly empty the condensed milk into the whipped cream. Now, add any flavorings you desire: cocoa powder, vanilla extract, any fruit jam, peanut butter, Nutella, dulce de leche, olive oil (yes, olive oil! look below)… get as creative as you want! Put the mixture in an airtight container and freeze. Done!

A touch of the exotic: Pecan pie ice cream, by Natalie Truscello (left); Olive Oil Flavored Ice Cream, by Olive Oils from Spain (right)

Method 2: the twice-frozen ice cream

Go to Cookpad and look for an ice cream recipe you like. Make the mixture according to the recipe and pour it into a ziploc bag. Seal, trying to squeeze as much air as possible and lay flat in your freezer. Wait until it’s frozen solid. Now, take it out of the bag and place the frozen slab in your food processor or blender and pulse until you achieve complete, 100% smoothness. Pour into an airtight container and freeze again. Voilá!

Vegan ice cream of the delicious sort: Coconut Chocolate Ice-cream, by Fiona Ó Ruairc (left); No Churn Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream, by TrailerParkBoils (right)

Method 3: The Vegan Method

Vegan ice cream is widely available in stores, but it tends to be considerably more expensive than non-vegan. But with this method, you won’t need to part with any extra cash!

This is just like method 1, but you substitute the pint of whipping cream with coconut whipped cream (recipe here), and the condensed milk with 16 oz of date paste.

What is date paste, you ask? It goes like this: get 16 oz of pitted dates and soak them in lukewarm water for 10 minutes. Then, put them in a food processor or blender and turn them to dust. Add hot water little by little, mixing thoroughly, until you get a thick paste.
Once you’ve mixed the coconut whipped cream and the date paste, add your flavorings, place in an airtight container and freeze. Plant-based scrumptiousness!

We've all had days so tough we just NEEDED some ice cream! "Tough day" Ice Cream, by KTDoll80

So, there you have it! No more hot, ice-cream-less days in your future! Now, it’s your turn: create some dazzling sundaes and share the recipe with the Cookpad family, or make any of the recipes featured in this post and delight their authors with a Cooksnap!

And, above all, have fun with your ice cream!