Easy Recipe For Snow Ice Cream (2024)

This recipe for snow ice cream (also called snow cream, ice milk / milk snow, snowflake ice cream, condensed milk ice cream, southern snow cream milk or snowman ice cream) is one of those fun winter day activities for kids that you can make with just 3 ingredients! This is the best snow ice cream recipe because it’s such a quick and easy recipe for kids – about 5 minutes after you gather the snow! Definitely add it to your snow activities for kids or snow day recipe ideas!

HOW TO MAKE A RECIPE FOR SNOW ICE CREAM

This recipe for snow ice cream is something that I used to make with my mom and brother growing up. (Yes, it’s dessert snow!) About this winter ice cream dessert recipes (aka: snowstorm ice cream)…

How do you make snow cream snow?

Basic snow ice cream can be made with just three ingredients! (If you’re looking for an easy ice cream recipe, this is it!) Here’s how to make ice cream out of snow (and what is snowcream)…

What is snow ice cream made of?

Snow Ice Cream Ingredients:

• Snow from fresh snowfall (you will need double as much snow as you think, so use a large mixing bowl!) OR shaved ice (with a shave ice machine)
• Whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, half and half, evaporated milk, or a milk substitute (you can make it as a snow ice cream recipe with milk or without milk!)
• Sugar or powered sugar
• Vanilla extract (optional) — we’ve made our snow ice cream recipe without vanilla and with vanilla and it’s good both ways! (You’ll be surprised what flavor a teaspoon of vanilla extract adds, but it’s also yummy as snow ice cream no vanilla!)
• Chocolate syrup (optional)
• Sprinkles (optional)
• Pinch salt (optional)
• Toppings (optional, but makes for a fun recipe for ice cream from snow)

*Some people also add raw egg, but we don’t make this as a snow ice cream recipe with eggs. Also, some people use shaved ice if they don’t have access to fresh snowfall. KEEP SCROLLING for the step by step how to make snow ice cream printable recipe card and the full snow ice cream ingredients list (and answers to other common recipe questions including is it ok to eat snow from outside!).

I have fond memories making this homemade ice cream recipe with my mom and brother — getting a large bowl and filling it with cups of snow and a milk mixture to make a frozen treat!

(It’s a southern homemade ice cream recipe from my mom — a really simple snow cream recipe!)

Whether you have a few inches of snow or a few feet of snow, be sure to try this winter recipe with kids!

(It really is one of our favorite winter season activities and a family tradition that we look forward to each year!)

So, if you’ve seen snow cream Pinterest pins and heard people talking about homemade snow cream and are wondering can you make ice cream out of snow, the answer is YES! So, put this homemade ice cream out of snow on your winter kids activities list!

What do you need to make snow ice cream?

Snow cream how to make alternative ways: Some people also make their snow ice cream recipe with eggs or their snow ice cream with heavy cream, but if you want a healthy snow ice cream you can leave those out.

(We make this as a 3 ingredient ice cream as a sweet treat or milk snow.)

We’ve made our homemade snow ice cream with sweetened condensed milk and with plain milk and it’s good both ways. (Next time, try the snow recipe both ways and see what you think!)

If you can’t have any ingredient in ice cream, play around with the snow cream (like substitute oat milk or almond milk if you need dairy free ice cream).

If you like a richer flavor, add the vanilla for a vanilla snow ice cream.

It’s a surprisingly simple recipe and the snow cream ingredients are probably things you already have around your house to make snow milk, so definitely add it to your homemade ice cream recipes for winter or easy kitchen snowed in recipes!

Want more homemade ice cream snow ideas?

ALSO TRY ADDITIONAL SNOW CREAM RECIPES!

(AKA: How to make snow ice cream chocolate! More ice cream quick recipe ideas and how to make real snow ice cream with flavors!)

Before we get to the full recipe card for how do you make snow ice cream, here are some common questions

Do you put eggs in snow cream?

Some people make their snow cream with eggs, but it’s not necessary! Snow cream is perfectly creamy and yummy with the regular snow cream ingredients and leaving out the eggs.

(We do not make this as an old fashioned homemade ice cream recipe with raw eggs.)

For this quick and easy snow ice cream, you can also have a lot of fun with toppings!

What toppings can you put on snow ice cream?

Any ice cream toppings that you love will be good on ice cream snow, too! Along with the key ingredients, you can also adding different ice cream toppers!

Snow Ice Cream Toppings Ideas:

• Sprinkles
• Assortment of berries (strawberry snow ice cream is yummy!)
• Bananas
• Chocolate ice cream drizzle / chocolate syrup (especially if you want to make chocolate snow ice cream!)
• M&M candies
• Chocolate chips
• Crushed candy canes
• Maple syrup
• Lemon zest
• Marshmallow cream
• Crushed cookies
• Nutella
• Whipped cream
• Crushed graham crackers
• Nerds candies
• Snow cream snow cone syrups (yes, like that kind you use for snow cones! You can make snow syrup!)

Snow creams are fun with toppings! Go with popular ice cream toppings or make up your own fun recipe or different flavors. Divide the ice cream snow into a small bowl for each person and let everyone add their own toppings. This is such a fun kid friendly ice cream recipe!

Snow Ice Cream Ingredients Pro Tip: If you’re using chocolate syrup on your snow cream, you may want to make this as a snow ice cream recipe without sugar. Otherwise, it may be too much sweet snow (especially if you’re making it as snow ice cream made with sweetened condensed milk).

Can you freeze snow ice cream?

If you have leftover snow ice cream, you can freeze it by putting it in a freezer safe container. However, while the flavor will be good, it will not retain that light, fluffy texture of the snow cream (which is one of the best parts!). So, if you’re wondering can you freeze snow cream, you can but it’s better to eat it fresh. It’s not a great idea because it’s really not as good the next day.

You can whip up this snow ice cream easy recipe in no time! It’s a simple basic ice cream recipe for how to make ice cream without ice cream maker!

MORE SNOW FUN IDEAS (Other Things To Make With Snow): Paint The Snow Activity For Kids (Fun make snow for toddlers activity, too, for fun play snow ideas.)

Before we get to how to make homemade ice cream with snow recipe, here’s some info in case you’ve never heard of this frozen treat recipe and that will also help with snow ice cream ingredients questions.

About Making Ice Cream With Snow (Ice Milk Recipe)

If you’ve never heard of it, you may be wondering what is snow cream (or what is ice milk).

What is snow ice cream?

Snow ice cream is simply a frozen ice cream treat made from (you guessed it!) fluffy snow! Using the ingredients (like snow and cream!) to make snow cream, snowing ice cream becomes a frozen, creamy treat for a winter day.

Making ice cream from snow is something your kids will remember as a fun childhood activity!

(That’s why I wrote about it!)

What are the ingredients of ice cream versus snow ice cream?

What is the difference between snow ice cream and real ice cream?

Snow ice cream is made with snow and a few other simple ingredients (like condensed milk and sugar) and is lighter and fluffier than regular ice cream (like a shaved ice cream for snocream), which is a more dense and heavy frozen dessert treat. However, vanilla ice cream and snow ice cream have similar flavors.

Some people like to call this sno cream ice cream because it’s like an ice cream sno cone (but I think snowflakes ice cream is a cute name!).

It’s a snow cream recipe easy to make with pantry ingredients you probably already have!

Can you make snow cream recipe milk free?

What can you use instead of condensed milk in ice cream?

How To Make Snow Ice Cream Without Milk

Yes, you can make a snow ice cream recipe without milk! You can make dairy-free homemade snow ice cream by using milk alternatives like oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk or any other milk substitutes you use to make snow cream recipe with milk free.

(You can even make it a recipe for vegan ice cream with coconut milk or a vegetarian recipe as snow cream with almond milk!)

You can make it as a snow ice cream recipe without condensed milk, whole milk, or a snow ice cream recipe with half and half, but the flavors may be a little different. The creaminess of milk products make it more of a snow ice cream custard recipe.

You may be wondering how to make snow ice cream with evaporated milk…

Can you use evaporated milk instead of heavy cream for ice cream?

Evaporated milk is just a shelf-stable milk in a can. You can use evaporated milk for your snow ice cream, but it won’t be as creamy or sweet as when you use sweetened condensed milk, so you may need to adjust the sugar if you like sweet ice cream. So, you can definitely make evaporated milk ice cream!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE TO TRY: Fried Ice Cream in the Air Fryer (more fun how to make ice cream at home ideas after you make the snow icecream recipe!)

What flavor is snow cream?

If you use vanilla in your snow cream recipe, the flavor will have a slightly vanilla flavor. However, you can omit the vanilla and snow ice cream will still taste sweet because of the sugar added.

You may be wondering is snow clean to eat, can you eat snow ice cream safely, is snow ice cream bad for you, or are there dangers of snow ice cream?

Is it safe to make snow ice cream?

Many people wonder is fresh snow ice cream safe to eat and is snow edible? You definitely need to gather fresh clean snow. (Yes, even from the first snowfall!) We do this by putting a bowl outside and collecting the snow while it’s falling fresh or we gather a clean patch of snow off the top of something (like a table) right after it has fallen. You’ll have to decide and eat snow at your risk. If you see particles in your snow, discard it.

(Never eat yellow snow or dirty snow! Learning how to make snow icecream is not worth that!)

How To Make Snow Ice Cream Without Snow

Can you make snow cream recipe without snow?

Yes, you can make a snow freeze ice cream without snow! You can also make this old fashioned snow cream recipe using shaved ice cream instead of snow using a snow ice cream machine (especially if you don’t live in a snowy climate and you’re wondering how to make it snow!). It’s a little more like a vanilla snow cone, but it’s still good for a shaved snow recipe!

Then you can make sno ice cream even if you don’t live in an area with snow! (And you don’t have to search snow cones near me or shaved ice near me!)

The texture with a snow cream recipe for shaved ice will be a little different than with fluffy snow fresh fallen, but still good for a simple ice cream recipe or creamed ice.

Try these other fun winter kids activities, recipes with snow, and ideas for your next snow day (and create more favorite family traditions with recipes with snow!):

Homemade Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty With Snow (yummy mixed ice cream and another twist on ice cream in the snow)

(More homemade ice cream from snow if you’re looking for additional snow cream recipes!)

Easy Snow Taffy/ snow ice cream recipe maple syrup

(More recipes for what to make with snow / snow candy recipe ideas – great to go with the ice cream made out of snow recipes!)

Homemade Hot Chocolate Without Hot Chocolate Mix

(Great for after ice cream made from snow!)

Snow Activities for Winter Fun or Snow Days

Do You Wanna Build A Snowman Treat Bags

Why should you not eat the first snow?

Can you make snow ice cream with the first snow?

Yes, you can make snow ice cream with the first fallen snow — as long as it’s the fluffy kind of snow and as long as you collect the snow in a from a clean area. We prefer to collect the snow in a big mixing bowl as it’s falling and the amount of snow you collect will depend on how much snow cream you want. (It will reduce down when you add the milk and other ingredients, so be sure to get enough snow.)

As with any recipe, use your own judgment and eat the snow at your own risk when making your ice cream made of snow.

Even though Lucy van Pelt says, “It’s too early. I never eat December snow. I always wait ’til January,” you can still make snow ice cream with the first snow for yummy snow treats.

This icecream recipe is a best part of winter or being stuck at home during a snow storm and you’ll want to add making ice cream out of snow an annual winter-time tradition!

DEFINITELY add it to your recipes for ice cream (or even shaved ice recipe ideas if you want to make snow cream without snow)!

You’ll be shocked at learning how making ice cream from snowflakes is so fun! (Definitely add this to your vanilla ice cream recipes with milk!)

On to how to make snow cream (how to make ice cream easy recipe!)…

Let’s get to our icecream recipe for how do you make ice cream out of snow.

Here’s our particular recipe snow cream and how to make snow ice cream with milk (aka: snow ice milk).

It’s so much fun that you’ll want to put this on your winter bucket list or winter break kids activities if you’ve never made this favorite winter treat!

(And bonus? It doesn’t take a long time to make! You can also make a big batch or even a single serving ice cream just for you or how to make ice cream for kid and no one else!)

How Make Snow Ice Cream (Three Ingredients Ice Cream)

You can actually make this as snow ice cream 3 ingredients only – snow, milk or a dairy substitute, and sugar. All the rest of the snow cream ingredients are optional!

(Don’t miss our how to make homemade snow ice cream chocolate flavored below after learning how to make snow cream with sweetened condensed milk! KEEP SCROLLING after the recipe card!)

What is the recipe for snow ice cream?

Some people make this as snow ice cream in a bag, where you add the snow to a resealable bag, then add all the ingredients, seal the bag and squish around with your hands. It’s a fun way to make snow cream with milk for the kids!

You can even make it as snow ice cream with whole milk or other milk substitutes!

Don’t be afraid to play around with the ingredients for snow ice cream. You can make this homemade ice cream with condensed milk, regular milk, milk substitutes (like snow ice cream with almond milk), snow ice cream with half and half, or even snow cream with heavy cream and chocolate syrup!

You’ll see that we’ve added some optional ingredients in icecream, but you can definitely make it a yummy treat for kids with just the first three ingredient items!

Snow ice cream small recipe: One of my favorite things about the snow cream recipe is that you can easily make this as snow ice cream recipe for one (snow ice cream recipe single serving) or an easy group recipe for simple snow ice cream recipe! Just half the ingredients (for a single serving snow ice cream) and double the snow cream ingredients for a bigger batch.

This is the best snow cream recipe that I remember from a childhood recipe — a Southern snow cream recipe (aka: snow ice cream sweetened condensed milk)!

(And it’s a super easy snow cream recipe to make with kids of all ages!)

RECIPE NOTE: Some people have asked me if you can make this as powdered milk ice cream, as snow ice cream with pudding mix, or as an ice cream in a bag recipe. I’ve never made it those way, but let me know if you do! We just make it as an old fashioned vanilla ice cream recipe with sweetened condensed milk!

Here’s the DIY snow cream recipe (be sure to see how to make ice cream without condensed milk after this recipe card)…

We made our snow ice cream using milk (and snow ice cream sweet condensed milk), but you don’t have to make it as homemade ice cream with sweetened condensed milk and whole milk at all to still make it one of the best snowstorm recipes!

For example, you may be wondering can you make snow ice cream with almond milk (aka: snow ice cream no sweetened condensed milk). The answer is YES!

You may need to play around with the dairy milk substitute and sugar ratio to get it to your liking for how to make snow cream with milk – free.

Can you make vegan snow ice cream?

You can make vegan snow cream or dairy-free homemade snow ice cream. Just leave out the dairy products and substitute anything that you would use for milk or cream or just use raw sugar or unrefined sugar.

You don’t have to make this as a sweetened condensed milk snow cream or snowcream recipe with milk to enjoy this cold weather recipe! (Your recipes for snow cream doesn’t really need cream, it will just have a different taste and texture.)

To make it a snow ice cream without condensed milk, just use a dairy substitute and raw sugar.

Again, you can make this snow ice cream without vanilla extract, too. Play around with your ice cream ideas for dessert and add things to your own taste!

For our snow days ice cream, we’ve paired it up with (what else?) a book about winter and snow for extra fun with a recipe for snow icecream!

(One of our favorite winter activities is a recipe and read and this snowing ice cream is perfect for that!)

Here’s what we paired up with our simple treat for cold winter months and a recipe for snow cream…

RECIPE AND READ FOR KIDS: Snow Ice Cream Recipe paired with It’s Winter! Children’s Book

Here’s a great book for to pair with learning how to make ice cream from snow for kids!

(Tell your kids that you’re learning how to make snow cream with snow and watch their faces!)

It’s Winter! (Celebrate the Seasons!)by Linda Glaser is a winter snow book that follows a young girl who completely appreciates the offerings of winter.

Like most kids, she loves the snowflakes and sledding and even the hibernating animals and snow angels.

The illustrations are so cool in this book, with a feeling of cut out images that have been pasted onto the page.

(If you know me, you know how much I love unique illustrations.)

This really is a great book for any winter ice cream dessert ideas!

Listed Age Range: Ages 5-9

With all the snowy talk in the book, the snowcream milk is a perfect pairing for a theme recipe for kids activities!

Plan ahead the night before a snowstorm (or during the day while it’s snowing) and put a big bowl outside to catch some clean snow.

(Keep the ingredients for ice cream from snow in your pantry so you’re ready with every homemade ice cream ingredient!)

Then, after an afternoon of playing in the snow, bring in your bowl of snow and make your snow cream ice cream!

You’ll have a fun, snowy snack from your recipe for old fashioned snow ice cream while you read your winter book!

Let us know your snow.ice.cream recipe turns out! It’s one of my favorite snow ice cream recipes!

ALSO CHECK OUT: What Can You Make With Snow With Kids?

LOOKING FOR MORE ICE CREAM USING SNOW? MAKE THIS NEXT: Snow Ice Cream How To Make It Chocolate (aka: chocolate recipe for snow cone cream / how to make snowcream with chocolate). Another quick snow activity for kids!

We hope we’ve helped with how do you make ice cream with snow! Don’t forget to check out our other fun snow activities and recipes using snow!

Let us know your recipe for making snow ice cream tips and if you’ve learned how to make ice cream with snow in a bag because we want to try that next!

Happy ice cream making and enjoy this fun treat and learning how to make ice cream with snow!

Let us know what you think about this recipe for snow ice cream!

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