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Decadent Red Velvet Ice Cream is so easy to make without an ice cream maker! This beautiful frozen treat swirls chunks of colorful red velvet cake into a creamy base with a perfect tangy touch of cream cheese. And it’s a dessert that’s easily made gluten free.
Why You’ll Love This Red Velvet Ice Cream
Red velvet is such a beautifully colored cake and I love adding it to homemade ice cream. Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:
- No churn. This is a no-churn ice cream recipe, which means you won’t have to bother dragging out the ice cream maker!
- Simple. Just 10 minutes of active preparation time is all you’ll need to make this red velvet ice cream. Then let your freezer do the rest of the work.
- Easily made gluten-free. It’s so easy to turn this recipe into a gluten free ice cream! Simply use gluten free red velvet cake and you’ll be all set. The rest of the ingredients needed are already naturally gluten free.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration:Â American
- Primary Cooking Method:Â No-Bake
- Dietary Info:Â Gluten-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
What Flavor Is Red Velvet?
Red velvet has a light chocolate flavor that comes from the cocoa powder added to the cake batter. It has more of a hint of chocolate taste rather than a deep dark chocolate cake flavor. It’s also a red color from the added red food coloring (this doesn’t affect the cake’s flavor), and is usually covered with cream cheese frosting.
Recipe Ingredients
Below you’ll find an overview of what you need to make this red velvet ice cream recipe. Check the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.
- Cream Cheese: You can use light or regular block cream cheese. This gives the ice cream base the flavor of cream cheese frosting that pairs so well with red velvet.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Regular or fat-free milk is fine to use. Make sure it is sweetened condensed milk because there is no sugar added to the ice cream base.
- Salt
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream adds smooth richness to the ice cream.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract will give the best flavor.
- Red Velvet Cake: You can use gluten free red velvet cake or regular as needed. It’s also a great way to use up extra red velvet cupcakes.
How to Make No Churn Red Velvet Ice Cream
Follow along with my method outlined below to make this red velvet ice cream recipe. The recipe card lower down contains detailed instructions.
- Mix. Using an electric mixer beat together the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt.
- Whip the cream. Beat the heavy cream to soft peaks.
- Combine. Gently fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream, then mix the cake cubes into the ice cream base.
- Assemble. Place the ice cream in a container and top it with more cake cubes.
- Freeze. Cover the ice cream and freeze for 4-6 hours.
Tips for the Best No-Churn Ice Cream
- Use room-temperature cream cheese. Cream cheese is one of those ingredients that need to be at room temperature before you use it in recipes because it can get clumpy. Make sure to use softened cream cheese for the smoothest ice cream base.
- Chill the cream. On the other hand, you’ll want to use cold cream in a cold bowl so that it gets nice and fluffy!
- Add gluten free cake. See my red velvet cake recipe linked below so you can make a wonderful homemade gluten free red velvet cake to use in this ice cream and make it into an entirely gluten free dessert.
- Don’t store the ice cream too long. See my tips below for how to keep this red velvet ice cream fresh-tasting for as long as possible. Remember that store-bought ice cream lasts longer, so you’ll want to eat homemade ice cream within a month or less.
Proper Storage
Homemade ice cream doesn’t last quite as long as store-bought ice cream, so you’ll want to keep track of how long you’ve had it in the freezer. To keep this red velvet ice cream as fresh as possible, transfer it to a freezer-safe container, cover the ice cream with plastic wrap to help keep ice crystals from forming, and keep it sealed in the freezer for no more than 30 days.
Ways to Enjoy Red Velvet Ice Cream
I love serving bowls of red velvet ice cream just as it is, but sometimes I like to add a little more. Here are a few of my serving suggestions:
- With chocolate sauce. My Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce would be lovely drizzled over scoops of red velvet ice cream to add an extra chocolate touch.
- Top with caramel sauce. For more sweetness, you can spoon homemade Caramel Sauce onto servings of red velvet ice cream.
- Make a sundae. A sundae always makes for such a nice presentation. Build a red velvet ice cream sundae with chocolate sauce, lots of whipped cream, and some toasted nuts.
- Or do a brownie sundae. Go for it and make a gluten free brownie sundae! Make my Easy Gluten-Free Brownies or Gluten-Free Mug Brownies to use as a base for a red velvet ice cream sundae. Or double your red velvet pleasure with Gluten Free Red Velvet Mug Brownies.
- Serve in ice cream cones. Pick up a package of (gluten-free) ice cream cones and make everyone happy with a hand-held dessert.
Red Velvet Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
- one 4.5 ounce can sweetened condensed milk, regular or fat free
- pinch of salt
- 1 pint heavy cream, well chilled
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-3 cups red velvet cake cubes (about half of an 8-9-inch round layer or about 4-6 cupcakes), with or without frosting
Instructions
- Place a large glass or metal bowl in the refrigerator or freezer for whipping the cream.
- Using an electric mixer or whisk attachment, beat together the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Set aside.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract to the chilled bowl. Using an electric mixer or whisk, beat the heavy cream to soft peaks. Then add the cream cheese mixture into the heavy cream, stirring to combine.
- Gently fold about 2 cups (or more, depending on how much cake you want in your ice cream) of the cake cubes into the ice cream mixture and gently fold in.
- Transfer to a container that you can freeze, such as a 9-inch loaf pan. Top the ice cream mixture with the additional 1 cup of cake cubes, if desired.
- Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 4-6 hours or until frozen completely.