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This soft and creamy No-Churn Nutella Ice Cream features a decadent chocolate-hazelnut spread swirled into homemade chocolate ice cream. Even better? It’s made without an ice cream machine and is naturally gluten free!
Why You’ll Love This Nutella Ice Cream Recipe
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: No-bake, No-cook
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free
- Skill Level: Easy
I love Nutella and I love love love ice cream. Soc naturally the obvious thing is to combine the two. This gorgeous ice cream tastes just like chocolate soft serve with a hint of hazelnut. It features a blend of cocoa powder and Nutella (or other hazelnut spread) folded into pillowy clouds of whipped cream.
You can make the recipe as written, or stir in some toasted hazelnuts for crunch. This is a favorite in our house, and I know you’ll love it too. A few highlights:
- Easy and egg-free. No-churn ice cream by default means that you don’t need an ice cream maker to whip up a wonderful frozen treat. It’s made with sweetened condensed milk instead of eggs so you won’t have to deal with using the stove or making a custard.
- Not your ordinary ice cream. One of the best parts about making your own ice cream is that you can make whatever flavors you like, especially ones you won’t see in stores. Think about it – have you ever seen Nutella ice cream in the freezer section? Not to worry, you can easily do it yourself whenever you have a craving!
- Adaptable. Another argument for making homemade ice cream is that you can adjust it however you like. Like more chocolate? Stir in some chocolate sauce or chocolate shavings. Like the crunch of chopped nuts? You’ll love popping in some toasted hazelnuts into this recipe for Nutella ice cream.
What You’ll Need
I’ve outlined what you’ll need for this recipe for Nutella ice cream below, plus some notes. Don’t forget to check the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.
- Heavy Cream: Keep your heavy cream very cold in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: You can use a can of regular or fat-free sweetened condensed milk. Make sure you use sweetened milk because there is no added sugar in this ice cream recipe.
- Nutella: Go with the classic, or use your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread.
- Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder so that it doesn’t make the ice cream overly sweet.
- Vanilla Extract
Mix-In Ideas
I don’t always like to mess with a good thing – and I consider this Nutella ice cream to be high on my good list! – but it can be fun to dress up this creamy ice cream with some add-ins. A few favorites include:
- Nuts – My preference is to add chopped, toasted hazelnuts to carry out that hazelnut undertone, and they are stellar in this ice cream. You can also try finely chopped walnuts or peanuts.
- Chocolate – Chop up your favorite chocolate bar (semisweet or milk chocolate is great) into slivers, and stir them into the ice cream base. Or, add 1 cup of mini chocolate chips for extra chocolate flavor.
- Toffee – Crumbled toffee bits will add a little more texture and flavor.
- Fudge – Swirl a thick layer of Hot Fudge Sauce into Nutella ice cream to make it ultra-luxe.
How To Make No-Churn Nutella Ice Cream
Here’s a look at how to make this easy ice cream. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Whip the cream. Use a cold bowl when you whip the cream into soft peaks. Add the sweetened condensed milk, 1⁄2 cup Nutella, cocoa powder, and vanilla.
- Combine. Beat until soft peaks form again.
- Place in pan. Transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe container. Melt the remaining Nutella, then swirl it into the ice cream base.
- Freeze and enjoy. Freeze for at least 6 hours. Let it soften for a couple of minutes before scooping.
Tips For Making No-Churn Ice Cream
No-churn ice cream is a wonderful way to make ice cream because it involves so much less work than a custard-based ice cream, yet yields a perfectly smooth and creamy ice cream every time. This Nutella ice cream recipe is one of the best.
Go gentle on the whipping. Beat the heavy whipping cream until you achieve soft peaks, then stop whipping so that they don’t get too firm. You want softly whipped cream to create the best consistency.
Use whatever type of hazelnut spread you prefer. I call this Nutella ice cream and Nutella is a fantastic choice for that gorgeous chocolate-hazelnut combination. But, you can use any brand of hazelnut spread, or even make it yourself!
The ice cream will be soft. The beauty of this ice cream, for me, is that it mimics soft-serve ice cream. So, don’t be alarmed if your ice cream is slightly soft – it’s supposed to be this way!
Eat it quickly. As with all homemade ice cream, Nutella ice cream will not last quite as long as store-bought ice cream. I try to eat up my homemade ice creams within about two weeks for maximum freshness, flavor, and texture.
Proper Storage
Note that homemade ice cream does not last as long as store-bought ice cream, so you’ll want to eat it up quickly. To store Nutella ice cream, place it in a freezer-safe container, press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the ice cream to help prevent ice crystals from forming, and keep it sealed in the freezer for no more than 30 days, preferably about 2 weeks.
Serving Suggestions
Add scoops of Nutella ice cream to gluten free cones for an easy handheld serving option, or try one of my other ideas below:
- Make an easy topping: Whip the remaining heavy cream with a couple of teaspoons of sifted powdered sugar plus a splash of vanilla extract for a fluffy whipped cream topping to dollop atop each scoop of ice cream.
- Build a sundae. You can also make sundaes with hot fudge, caramel sauce, sprinkles, chopped hazelnuts, or cherries. Or, add a rich chocolate Gluten Free Brownie as the base for your sundae.
- Add dessert sauce. My recipes for Caramel Sauce and chocolate sauce (linked above) make the perfect finishing touch for Nutella ice cream!
- With fruit. There’s something about the combo of Nutella ice cream and sliced strawberries that makes me so happy. Raspberries are nice, too.
- Cookies. A selection of gluten free cookies with Nutella ice cream is always a great choice. Try my recipes for Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies, Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies, and Flourless Mexican Chocolate Cookies, or browse all of my cookie recipes. Crumble some on top or make ice cream sandwiches!
No-Churn Nutella Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream , well chilled
- 14.5 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk , regular or fat free
- ¾ cup Nutella or your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread , divided
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place a large glass or metal bowl in the refrigerator or freezer for whipping the cream.
- Add the heavy cream to the chilled bowl. Using an electric mixer or whisk, beat the heavy cream until it just forms soft peaks.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, 1⁄2 cup Nutella, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Beat again until the soft peaks are formed again.
- Transfer to a container that you can freeze, such as a 9-inch loaf pan.
- Melt the remaining 1⁄4 cup of the Nutella in the microwave for a few seconds, until just thin enough to pour. Pour over the ice cream mixture in the pan and swirl a butter knife, skewer, or chopstick if desired.
- Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours or until frozen completely.
Notes
- This ice cream has the consistency of soft serve, just slightly firm, and tastes just like chocolate soft serve with a hint of hazelnut.
- Store in the freezer. Let thaw for a few minutes before scooping.
- Whip the remaining heavy cream with a couple of teaspoons of powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla extract for a whipped cream topping for the ice cream. You can also make sundaes with hot fudge, caramel sauce, sprinkles, chopped hazelnuts, or cherries.
- Feel free to add chopped toasted hazelnuts, mini chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, or even toffee for a little texture and extra flavor.
Did you make this?
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