Made without an ice cream maker, all you need are mangoes, condensed milk and cream to make this homemade Mango Ice Cream recipe that is creamy and scoopable, just like the ice cream you buy in tubs at the shops. Except this is ice cream money can’t buy. Because shop bought will never be able to capture the flavour of real mango like when you make it from scratch at home!
Homemade Mango Ice Cream
You won’t believe it until you try it. This really is a creamy ice cream made without an ice cream machine.
Regular readers know one of my big gripes is pretty photos of food for so so recipes. And my other gripe is watching cooking shows where the host is serenely scooping a perfect ball of ice cream and popping it in a cone when in actual fact, it’s a frozen solid mass, and if you leave it out to soften, it just turns into a puddle of liquid. I’ve been caught out so many times!
Such is the case with any recipe made with just milk, cream or yoghurt + sugar/honey. If you take it out of the freezer after 5 hours 17 minutes and 43 seconds, there is the chance that it will have frozen to that perfect stage where it is firm enough yet still scoopable. If you miss that window of opportunity by a mere second (or heaven forbid, you don’t eat it all in one sitting), it will be a frozen solid block of ice. Leave it out to soften, and, just like ice, it goes from frozen to melted.
So this homemade Mango Ice Cream recipe is dedicated to all of you who, like me, have been disappointed by efforts to make a homemade ice cream in the past. That is, without an ice cream maker! ?
A traditional ice cream starts with a sweetened mixture of cream and eggs which is then poured into an ice cream machine which churns as the ice cream gradually freezes. The churning serves two purposes: it aerates the mixture to make it light and fluffy and it stops icicles from forming so the ice cream is creamy rather than icy.
And all of this is replaced with two simple ingredients: condensed milk and cream. The whipped cream aerates the mixture and the condensed milk is the ingredient that keeps the mixture creamy, like ice cream. I must profess I don’t know the science behind why this works, I just know it does!
Whip the cream, fold through the condensed milk, add a touch of vanilla, freeze it and voila! 12 hours later, you will have an ice cream that looks like it’s store bought. Go wild with the add ins! Chocolate chips, coffee, spices, rum and raisin!
For this version, I added MANGOES!
FOR THE FOOD NERDS ?
The recipe base of condensed milk and whipped cream lends itself to flavour variations that can be stirred through (like choc chips) or infused into the cream (like spices). However, if you start adding liquid content into the mixture – like fruit purees – the addition of water based ingredients affects the creaminess of the ice cream.
Originally, I just plonked pureed mangoes into the mixture. It didn’t make the whole ice cream icy, it was still scoopable and creamy, but when I ate it, there was definitely teeny tiny bits of fine icy bits in the ice cream.
So to solve that problem, I reduced the mango puree by simmering it on the stove. The added bonus of this was that I could use more mango puree and thus get a more intense mango flavour in the puree, while avoiding those teeny tiny icicles in the ice cream.
Finally. After quite a number of batches, I was finally happy with my homemade Mango Ice Cream. Not that I was short of taste testers, even for the initial experimental versions!
And how does it compare to store bought tubs of ice cream?
Well, here’s the clincher: this mango ice cream is something you simply can’t buy at the shops. This has the real flavour of mango, not a single bit of artificial flavouring in sight. It’s really incredible. For mango lovers everything, this is your mango dream come true!
In terms of texture, this ice cream is creamier than ice cream made in an ice cream churner / store bought. You can see this in the photo above – you see how thick the drips are? If this was traditional ice cream, the drips would be thinner.
The ice cream really is scoopable, like real ice cream. Between about 12 – 18 hours of freezing, it only needs a couple of minutes out of the freezer to be easily scoopable, like what you see in the video. After about 24 hours, it freezes firmer but the key thing is that after 5 minutes or so on the counter, it softens to become scoopable without melting into liquid which is the problem with no churn ice cream recipes made without condensed milk.
I’d love to know what you think if you try it! – Nagi x
More Mango recipes
We can never have enough during mango season!!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Homemade Mango Ice Cream recipe video! Two areas to note: The stiffness of the cream (it’s not softly whipped, it’s stiff peaks) and how thick the mango puree is when cooked down (see how when I drag the wooden spoon across the skillet, it leaves a clear path through the mango puree). Oh! And of course, notice how the ice cream is truly scoopable like real store bought tubs of ice cream!
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Homemade Mango Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large mangoes , ripe and juicy - to make 2 cups puree (Note 1)
- 395 g / 14 oz sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
- 2 cups thickened cream / heavy cream / whipping cream , cold
- 1/8 tsp yellow liquid food colouring (optional) (Note 5)
Instructions
- Dice the flesh of the mango (see video for how I do it). Puree using a blender, food processor or stick blender then measure out 2 cups of mango puree (about 2 1/4 cups of diced mango).
- Pour puree into a non stick skillet over medium low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 8 - 10 minutes or until it reduces by half. The test is when you can drag a wooden spoon across the skillet and the path remains there for a second (see video). Or measure out the puree to ensure it's reduced to at least 1 cup - less is even better!
- Cool puree.
Ice Cream
- Combine cooled mango and condensed milk in a bowl. Add food colouring if using. Whisk until combined.
- Beat cream with a hand held beater or stand mixer until stiff peaks form (see video).
- Take a scoop of cream and put it in the mango mixture. Fold through until mostly combined - lumps is fine (this is just to lighten it up a bit).
- Then pour the mango mixture into the cream. Fold through (see video) rather than mixing vigorously like you would cake batter, until lump free. This will take a few minutes.
- Pour into a container (preferably with a lid). I recommend glass, if you can, or other non reactive container.
- Place a piece of baking / parchment paper on the surface. Then place lid on or using cling wrap.
- Freeze for 12+ hours.
- Remove parchment paper. Stand for 5 minutes to soften slightly, then scoop and serve!
- If frozen for 24 hours or longer, it will need a couple of extra minutes to soften to a scoop able consistency.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Me – currently skiing in Japan. Him – seems to be doing just fine without me….
Since the mangoes in Texas really don’t have much flavor I want to ask if anyone has used canned Alphonso purée with any success. I think one other reviewer asked this but no answer yet!
Hi Nagi, I just want to ask if I can use the frozen mangoes from Aldi.
Thanks for the reply.
I tried a reduced amount of swconmilk using strawberrys and the result was less creamy. The trade off is worth it for me. I think the ratio of 1 can(14 oz) to 2 cups cream will always be too sweet for me.
Hi David, yes reducing it will change the consistency unfortunately! N x
Love the texture and the flavor but it was way too sweet. I used local hairy mangoes found in The Bahamas. I want to use 7 oz condensed milk instead of 14 oz. Will the texture change if I use less condensed milk?
Too sweet for me, used a Kiett or a Kent mango. Not 100% sure which one I used. I made a half batch. 1 mango, 1cup cream, 1/2 can swconmilk. Texture was awesome. All recipes I’ve seen use the same ratio you use. Mango is used was really sweet. First time I ever used swconmilk.
Came out way too sweet for me. And though I can taste the fresh mango flavor, the taste of the condensed milk overpowered it.
Hi Sivan, sorry you found it too sweet, it could possibly be the type of mango you used – can I ask what type you used for this recipe? N x
Awesome flavor and texture. I also made passion fruit and guava
for a variation, 1)separate the sweetened condensed milk into two parts (or evap milk plus sugar to make SCM)
2) in the microwave in a tall mixing bowl (that doesn’t get hot) microwave the SCM for 1 minute on full power. Then 50 seconds on 50% power. Stay there and keep going in 30-50 second segments, all at 50% power. Each time you see the milk boil to top of container, stop the microwave for 3-4 seconds. Finally the milk will not rise again. Stir it and then 20 more seconds.
3) spray parchment paper with cooking spray and spread out the caramel you just made fold over so not messy.
4) into freezer for 4 minutes.
5) cut up some soft batch cookies if desired and fold into the the main whip mix.
6) take out cooled caramel and pull off chunks and swirl into main whip mix.
***by whip mix I refer to make whipped cream out of the cups of liquid whipping cream and fold in mango and remainder of SCM
***I made mango preserves the night before which were cooled and jam like in water content and very thick.
****made very soft batch cookies the evening before and refrigerate covered.
****skip the food coloring so the eaters can see the caramel swirls and pieces of mango.
separate into individual size containers and freeze.
Hi Nagi! I don’t like condensed milk much and I do have an ice cream maker at home, so do you think I could replace the condensed milk with more cream or milk and make it in the ice cream maker instead? Thanks!
Freezing fruit first is the trick here!! Freeze mango chunks solid first Then wiz them in the food processor to break up the chunks but not too much! Work fast so that the fruit stays cold! Use half the amount of sweetened condensed milk and half the amount of whipping cream. Run food processor until smooth but not too long the key is keeping it cold and still semi frozen! IF you do it this way-You can soft serve immediately bc fruit was frozen! Or place in an airtight container for a couple hours if serving later.. By freezing the fruit FIRST it helps eliminate ice crystals! Also unflavored gelatin or ava cream can be used as well to prevent ice crystals. IF your eating the same day the gelatin/ava cream isn’t necessary! By freezing the fruit first you will get more mango flavor and less ice crystals! This works really well with frozen fruit puree chunks too such as pitaya brand puree chunks sold for smoothies ect. Whole foods carries these in the freezer section. I used the passion fruit puree cubes to make it this way as well.
You will get more fruit flavor and less sugar and fat!
You can Melissa, but it’s a different recipe. By cooking down the mango, you intensify the flavour resulting in a better tasting ice cream that is creamer as you’ve cooked out the water that can make ice-cream icy. N x
Made yesterday and wait for result. I am going to try tonight 😋
How was it?
Delicious 😋
Could I make this with evaporated milk if I’m trying to skip the sugar?
Unfortunately as it’s a different consistency to condensed milk, the ice cream will turn out icy – N x
We are on a mango season now here in the Philippines, and picked 3 large baskets of mangos from the tree next to our house. My wife suggested that I make mango ice cream, and when I searched google I found and guessed your recipe would be the best. I’m making it today.
Hi Nagi, made this ice-cream and it was superb 👌 My kids loved it. A keeper. Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe.
Hey nagi.1 request pls.. can u pls post some sugarfree dessert receipes. I wanna make them for my dad & brother. Plsplspls. I know they wuld love the dessert ve i if i follow ur receipes… waiting for more
Hey nagi. I made the mango icecream & it was appeciated by entire family. So much.. it turned out even better than the store one. U r the best.every dessert i try form ur receipe is a total hit.. always wait for ur new receipes…
Hi Nagi! Do you think this recipe would work the same if I use coconut cream instead of heavy or whipping cream? I was wondering how to make desserts with less or without dairy. 🙂
I use heavy whipped coconut cream and Badia has canned coconut condensed milk
I did that too and it was delicious! It didn’t melt as quickly either despite the tropical heat that reached 40°C.
Hi, do you know how I should go about this with frozen passion fruit purée?
I do that all the time throw the frozen puree cubes in food processor- I normally use 1/2 the amount of sweetened milk and cream- wiz in food processor and you can soft serve immediately! Or put in a container for later! FYI You may want to add all the sweetened condensed milk if your passion fruit is really tart!
I freeze any fruit I’m using first (cut in chunks layer on a cookie sheet) or use pre-cut frozen! Throw all ingredients in food processor work fast! You want to keep it cold bc that stops the ice crystals – then store in freezer! Adding ava cream gets rid of ice crystals too!
Tastes delicious ! thx!
Quick question! Can this still work with diced mangoes that have been in the freezer? Thanks!
Hi Nagi,
I made this last weekend and have to say it was hands down the best ice cream we’ve eaten. My guests raved about it. So simple to make. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you!
I made this yesterday and its soo good creamy ,simple & without all the extra hassle,will definitely make again
Thank you for sharing!
I just made the mango ice cream and it tasted quite good. Frozen it have not eaten it yet! Thank you so.much.
I’m so glad you love it, thanks so much for letting me know Anne! N x