Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream | Creamy no-churn ice cream, generous on the cinnamon flavor and liberally dotted with no-bake dough chunks. No ice cream maker is needed for this cozy cinnamon ice cream recipe.
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Cinnamon rolls are one of the dreamiest, coziest desserts in my opinion. I love imagining new desserts based around cinnamon rolls, like my cranberry sweet rolls that have a cranberry jelly filling instead of butter, cinnamon, and sugar.
One of the most popular recipes on my blog is my Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats - they are amazing and so easy to make and full of cozy cinnamon flavor.
If you've never tried making no-churn ice cream before, don't worry it's also super easy to make.
The base of no-churn ice cream is a can of sweetened condensed milk and a pint of whipping cream that is whipped to stiff peaks. Once you combine the two you'll have a base that you can flavor any way your heart desires. I've done peanut butter and double dark chocolate.
I've done the classic Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, and recently I made a Pumpkin Pie ice cream. Both are fantastic.
If you've already tried those ice cream recipes, try this festive cinnamon roll ice cream recipe next - it would be a great Christmas or Christmas Eve dessert.
The ice cream base is cinnamon flavored BUT there's also dough chunks in it! I'll show you how to make the no-bake dough chunks (think cookie dough) and right before you freeze everything, you'll dot the dough chunks throughout your ice cream. This makes the finished ice cream taste seriously like cinnamon buns!
Ingredients
About the ingredients for this recipe.
See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- whipping cream - This is labeled as whipping cream or 35% fat cream. Whipped to stiff peaks, the cream makes up the volume of the ice cream recipe and makes the base recipe creamy and fluffy
- sweetened condensed milk - this sweetens the ice cream and is half of the 2-ingredient no-churn ice cream base
- vanilla + cinnamon - to flavor the ice cream
- flour, butter, and brown sugar - these ingredients are the base of the dough bits dotted throughout the ice cream
Instructions
Note: Watch the video tutorial above to see exactly how to make this recipe.
To make this cinnamon roll ice cream, we'll start with the dough chunks first. It's basically a no-bake edible cookie dough.
To make the cookie dough, you need to first heat treat the flour. You do this because raw flour has a high probability of containing contaminants like Salmonella and E. coli. Heat treating can make it safe to eat. Ben & Jerry's recommends heating your flour to 165°F (74°C).
I've recently read this article by Purdue University, that states heat treating flour at home may not be a 100% risk-free process. I feel it's safe for me. Please make your own decisions and do what's best for you. The ice cream will still be nice and cinnamon-flavored if you skip the dough chunks.
How to Heat Treat Flour
Spread the flour on a microwave-safe plate or bowl. It's a good idea to add a bit extra as some flour tends to stick to the plate.
Microwave the flour in increments of 30 seconds, stirring in between. Use a thermometer to make sure the flour reaches a temperature of 165°F (74°C). This takes about 60-90 seconds for this recipe.
How to make the dough chunks
Cream the butter and sugar together. I do this with a spatula. You could use a mixer if you wanted to.
Add the salt, vanilla, and cream to the butter and sugar and mix it well with a spatula (or mixer). I used a cinnamon-flavored coffee creamer made by Starbucks.
Sift the flour in and mix together well. You're looking for a thick dough, just like cookie dough but softer than playdough. You may need to add more flour (heat-treated) or cream depending on the moisture level in your flour.
Once the cookie dough mix is done, store it in the freezer to thicken and harden up a bit while you make the ice cream base. You only want to leave it in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. You can leave the dough in the fridge instead, for about 30 minutes. See a photo of the dough before freezing below.
You'll only need half of this dough recipe but I found it difficult to make in smaller quantities. It's hard to get temperature checks on small amounts of flour. You can try it if you want or just save the cookie dough for another use, like snacking. Snacking is fun.
How to make the ice cream base
Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. You can do this with a stand mixer, a whisk, or an electric mixer. I use my trusty 3 in 1 blender/mixer with the whip attachment.
Once the cream is whipped, carefully fold in the sweetened condensed milk. You don't want to knock out all the air that you just whipped into the cream so go slowly and use a gentle hand. This works best with a spatula.
To make the ice cream have a cinnamon swirl in it, pour a third of the ice cream into a different bowl. This part of the ice cream will stay white and look like cinnamon roll icing. You can skip this part if you want to and just flavor all of the ice cream with cinnamon.
Add the cinnamon to the bowl containing two-thirds of the ice cream mix. Mix well to fully incorporate the cinnamon. Now you're ready to put the ice cream together.
How to freeze no-churn ice cream
I like to use a bread loaf pan for my homemade ice cream. It freezes nice and quickly and fits the whole recipe. If you use a taller container, more like an ice cream pail, it'll take longer to freeze. You can also use a shallow food storage container with a lid.
To assemble the ice cream, bring the cookie dough out of the fridge or freezer. It will have thickened up a bit. This makes it easy to pinch little dough bits off of it. I do this all at once - using half of the recipe and pinching off dough bits to drop into the ice cream.
Remember you only need half of the dough recipe. Save the rest for snacking - add in mini chocolate chips and roll small amounts into cookie dough truffles.
So now you'll have the cinnamon-flavored ice cream, a base ice cream, and the cookie dough bits. You'll layer these into the bread loaf pan.
Add a third of the cinnamon-flavored ice cream into the loaf pan. Add a third of the base ice cream on top by randomly dropping spoonfuls. Use a skewer or something similar and gently swirl the skewer through the ice cream, creating swirl patterns. Drop in a third of the dough bits, spacing them out.
Repeat this for the rest of the ingredients. Be gentle swirling the second and third layers, only sticking the skewer in about an inch so that you don't disturb the layers underneath.
Once you've got everything in the pan, cover the ice cream with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap to the surface. This helps prevent ice from forming on top of the ice cream. If ice does form, just carefully remove it before serving.
Now freeze the ice cream for 6 hours, or overnight. After 6 hours you'll have a soft-serve consistency. If you leave the ice cream to freeze overnight, you'll have a hard ice cream consistency. I prefer leaving the ice cream to freeze overnight. I think the texture is better and it's not as soft and fluffy. Try both ways and see how you like it.
To make the ice cream easier to scoop when serving, let it sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes.
Substitutions
✔ This recipe is vegetarian.
Feel free to omit the dough if you just want a cinnamon swirl ice cream.
Equipment
For this recipe, I use my 3 in1 blender/whisk with the whip attachment for whipping the cream. I use a bread loaf pan to freeze the ice cream. You'll need a spatula for mixing, and an ice cream scoop helps when serving the ice cream. You'll also need a cooking thermometer for heat-treating the flour. I'll link all of these tools for you to check out.
Storage
Store this ice cream tightly covered in the freezer. It should stay good for a few months, but you'll probably eat it before then.
Recipe Tips
EXPERT TIP: Let the ice cream sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes before serving to make it easier to scoop.
Recipes FAQs
No-churn ice cream recipes do not need an ice cream maker to make the ice cream. The ice cream base is made with whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk instead of an egg-based custard.
More Ice Cream recipes
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
- Oreo Ice Cream
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Recipe
Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream
Ingredients
Ice cream
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1 15 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dough Bits
- ½ cup all purpose flour + 2 tablespoons, heat treated* see instructions
- ¼ cup butter at room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1-2 tablespoons cream I used a cinnamon coffee creamer
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the dough bits
- Heat treat the flour by microwaving in 30 second increments, for a total of about 60-90 seconds or until it each 165°F (75 °C). Heat more than you'll need because some might stick to the plate.
- Cream the butter and sugar together with a spatula or a mixer.
- Add the salt, vanilla, and the cream. Mix again.
- Sift in the flour and mix. I had to add another 2 tablespoons on top of my ½ cup. The dough shouldn't be too soft, like a thick cookie dough.
- Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes, or freeze for 10 minutes while you make the ice cream base.
For the ice cream
- Whip the cream to stiff peaks.
- Fold in the sweetened condensed milk.
- Pour a third of the mix into another bowl.
- Mix in the cinnamon into the remaining two thirds of the ice cream base.
- Get the cookie dough from the freezer. It should be thicker now. Use half the mixture and pull off little chunks which you'll drop into the ice cream. Save the other half of the dough for another use or add mini chocolate chips for a snack.
- Add a third of the cinnamon ice cream mix to a loaf tin. Add a third of the reserved plain ice cream mix by dotting it around randomly with a spoon. Use a skewer to swirl the two together. Drop in a third of the cookie dough bits. Repeat twice more for the rest of the mix.
- Lay plastic wrap on top, pressing it into the ice cream to prevent ice crystals forming.
- Freeze for 6 hours to overnight. I prefer overnight.
Notes
- Skip the dough bits if you want to.
- You'll only need half of the dough recipe but it's difficult to make half of the recipe because it's hard to heat treat small amounts of flour so save the other half of the recipe for another use. Add mini chocolate chips to it and make cookie dough bites.
- Feel free to skip separating the ice cream in steps 3 + 4 and just flavor all of the ice cream base with cinnamon.
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
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