A fresh watermelon ice cream that is creamy and made in a blender with 3 ingredients, no churn, using fresh watermelon and milk. Easy to customize, wonderfully sweet and refreshing.
This simple creamy watermelon ice cream is the perfect treat for a hot summer barbecue or even a palate cleanser between courses at your dinner party. Like my watermelon popsicles and watermelon slush, this ice cream is creamy but also hydrating. The addition of vanilla helps keep it creamy and not icy, and a bit of salt adds that last bit of savoriness. And I deepened the pink color by throwing in a few frozen red raspberries!
This watermelon ice cream is creamier than watermelon slush thanks to the addition of a creamy milk of your choice, and as sweet and summery as watermelon popsicles, watermelon juice, and even watermelon pizza.
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Why You'll Love It
Super hydrating. Watermelon is 92% water, and adding a bit of salt boosts the electrolyte levels so this ice cream is actually as beneficial as drinking an electrolyte drink.
Easy to make. No ice cream maker needed! Just blend and freeze. The vanilla alcohol stops it from icing, and letting it defrost a bit before scooping also helps
Super healthy. Watermelon is rich in antioxidants such as lycopane which gives the dessert the lovely pink-red shade but also helps to block free radicals that cause disease.
Ingredients
- Frozen Watermelon chunks. You will need a frozen watermelon for this recipe. Buy a fresh watermelon, slice and freeze chunks for at least 4 hours.
- Milk. Choose any dairy free milk or yogurt for a creamier texture ice cream.
- Raspberries. You don't need many, just a few red raspberries will bring out the gorgeous pink watermelon color.
- Vanilla. Use vanilla extract and don't skip it because the alcoholic base prevents ice crystals in this ice cream.
- Salt. Boost watermelon's healthy and hydrating electrolytes by adding a pinch of salt.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Equipment Needed
- Measuring cups, spoons
- Knife, cutting board
- Blender, or food processor
- Loaf pan
How to Cut & Freeze Watermelon
- Wash the watermelon before cutting. Washing prevents contaminating the inside of the watermelon with field dirt.
- Cut the watermelon in half, and those halves into quarters.
- Cut slices and then cut chunks about 1-2 inches in size.
- Freeze the chunks on a baking sheet for 30 minutes. Use the chunks for this recipe, and save in the freezer any left overs for other recipes such as watermelon slushie.
Steps by Step Instructions
For more detail, visit the complete recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.
Step 1: Add your frozen watermelon chunks to a blender. Then add chilled milk and vanilla. Blend for 1 minute or in 15 seconds intervals to scrap down blender. You can add a touch more milk if the blender won't blend without it.
Step 2: Add the frozen raspberries, and blend just enough to break them down and turn the ice cream a deeper pink. You can add more if you'd like, up to ½ a cup.
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Step 3: Pour the mixture into a parchment-lined loaf pan and freeze for 2 hours to be ready for scooping and same-day eating.
Step 4: Cover the pan or transfer into a container with a sealed top. Freeze until ready to eat. If you freeze it overnight, allow it 20 minutes or more to thaw before attempting to scoop.
Storage
Watermelon ice cream stores easily frozen for up to a month. After that it becomes icy. You can rejuvenate it by allowing it to thaw 2o minutes, and re-blending with a few tablespoons of milk.
Recipe Tips
When to eat. Eat this ice cream directly after blending for a soft serve texture. If you freeze it, give it time to thaw before eating.
Milk & Yogurt Choices:
- Canned Coconut Milk. The thickness and creaminess will be impacted by the type of milk you choose. Full fat coconut milk from a can is the creamiest but will impart a coconut flavor. Light coconut milk from a can will contribute a creamy texture, though not as creamy full fat, but will impart less of a coconut flavor.
- Dairy free milk. High fat milks are best for texture, such as almond or cashew milk.
- Yogurt. Choose a high-fat yogurt for the creaminess, such as almond or cashew yogurt. Coconut also would work, but will impart a coconut flavor.
Adding sweetener: Watermelon tastes sweet but the level of sweet depends on how ripe your melon is. If you don't mind adding sugar to your ice cream, consider adding a refined-sugar-free type such as maple syrup or agave. Start with 1 tablespoon, taste test and move up as needed.
Variations
Watermelon Blueberry Ice Cream. Add ½ cup frozen blueberries.
Watermelon Pineapple Ice Cream. Add ½ c up frozen pineapple.
Ice Cream Add-ins. Once the ice cream is blended, feel free to fold in other add-ins before freezing. Some choices are chocolate chips which to mimic watermelon seeds, blackberries which turn the ice cream purple, or chopped mint leaves.
If you have an ice cream maker and want to make it creamier, freeze your empty ice cream tub overnight, chill the blended watermelon mixture 2 hours in the refrigerator, and churn according to your machine's instructions, probably 20 minutes.
If you have a Ninja Creami, pour the mixture into Creami containers and freeze overnight. Process on the ice cream setting. If it comes out dry or crumbly, fold in more milk and re-spin one or two times.
Other Watermelon Recipes
FAQS
Blend up watermelon and milk to make watermelon ice cream. Freeze and scoop. Very customizable.
Yes, this recipe can be made dairy free, gluten free, nut free, egg free and vegan.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Watermelon Ice Cream
Equipment
- Measuring cups & spoons
- chopping knife, cutting board
- blender or food processor
- loaf pan, parchment paper
Ingredients
- 4 cups watermelon, frozen
- ½ cup dairy free milk or yogurt
- ¼ cup raspberries, frozen
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
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Instructions
Prep
- Buy a fresh watermelon, and slice the inside meat into roughly 2 inch chunks. They don't have to be uniform, just small enough to be blendable when frozen. You should probably remove seeds or use a seedless watermelon.
- Freeze the chunks for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper so it hangs over the long sides.
Make ice cream
- Blend or use a food processor to combine frozen chunks, chilled milk and vanilla for about 1 minute. You might have to blend in 15 second intervals and scrap down the blender between each rotation. Add a few tablespoons of milk if the blender won't blend without it.4 cups watermelon, frozen, ½ cup dairy free milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Once blended, add the frozen raspberries, and blend again just enough to bring out the pink color. You can add more raspberries to deepen the pink.¼ cup raspberries, frozen
- Pour the mixture into a parchment-lined loaf pan and freeze for 2 hours to be ready for scooping and same-day eating. If you freeze it overnight, allow it 20 minutes or more to thaw before attempting to scoop.
- Cover the pan or transfer into a container with a sealed top. Freeze until ready to eat.
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