This fun snow ice cream recipe is super fun and easy to make in just 5 minutes!
When life gives you snow, make snow ice cream! ♡
If you’ve never whipped up a batch of this fun snow day treat, it couldn’t be easier. All you need are 4 simple ingredients, a bowl and spoon, and a few scoops of fresh snow (or shaved ice). And in less than 5 minutes, a cute and legit-delicious bowl of snow cream can be yours to enjoy!
It’s the perfect quick and easy activity for kiddos of all ages (or, hey, any of us kids at heart). And it’s of course completely customizable with whatever different flavors, nuts, chocolate chips, sprinkles, or any other ice cream add-ins that you love best.
So the next time you wake up to a winter wonderland, go scoop up some fresh snow and let’s make some snow ice cream together!
Snow Ice Cream Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Snow Ice Cream Ingredients
Here are the 5 simple ingredients that you will need to make this snow ice cream recipe:
- Milk: You can use just about any kind of milk that you prefer for this recipe — dairy or plant-based, plain or vanilla or chocolate, sweetened or unsweetened, up to you!
- Sugar: We typically make snow cream with basic white granulated sugar, but feel free to use whatever type and amount of sweetener you prefer.
- Vanilla extract: We’ll add a little splash of vanilla extract as our main flavor.
- Fine sea salt: I also highly recommend adding a pinch of fine sea salt to bring out the vanilla flavor.
- Fresh snow (or shaved ice): Finally, you’ll need about 8 cups of fresh clean snow. Or if you prefer not to use snow, you’re welcome to use shaved ice instead. I recommend placing the snow in a metal mixing bowl or a chilled glass bowl to prevent it from melting if you bring the snow inside.
Snow Cream Tips
Detailed instructions are included in the recipe below for how to make snow ice cream. But here are a few extra tips to keep in mind too!
- Freeze snow while prepping: I’m sure this goes without saying, but fresh snow melts quickly! So I recommend either popping your bowl of fresh snow in the freezer while you prep the other ingredients. Or wait to go scoop up the fresh snow (or make the shaved ice) until you have already whisked the other four ingredients together.
- Adjust the sweetener to your liking: Please feel totally free to add however much (or little) sweetener that you prefer. If you are using a sweetened/flavored milk, you will likely also need to use less sweetener.
- Add sprinkles just before serving: Most sprinkles will start to bleed their coloring into the ice cream after a minute or two, which is no big deal — they’ll still be delicious. :) However if you would like the sprinkles to look nice when serving the ice cream, I recommend waiting to add them until the very last moment.
- Enjoy immediately: In our experience, fresh snow ice cream doesn’t hold up all that well in the freezer. So it’s best to enjoy immediately. :)
Fun Variations
Here are a few ideas for fun add-ins you can mix into or sprinkle on top of your snow ice cream:
- Cocoa powder: To make chocolate snow cream, mix 1 heaping tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder into the milk mixture before adding in the snow.
- Chocolate chips: Semisweet, white, butterscotch, vegan, etc.
- Cookies/candies: Crumbled Oreos or gingersnaps, chopped candy bars, M&Ms, etc.
- Fruit: Chopped berries, cherries, peaches, pineapple, etc.
- Nuts: Chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios, etc.
Snow Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk (any kind)
- 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 8 cups clean snow or shaved ice (more or less, depending on the density of the snow)
- optional topping: sprinkles!
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk milk, sugar, vanilla and salt together until combined. Go scoop up some fresh (clean!) snow, and immediately stir it into the milk mixture until you reach your desired consistency. (The ice cream should be fluffy, not runny. But it melts quickly, so dive in quickly.)
- Top with sprinkles or other ice cream toppings if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
first time i made it it tasted so GOSH DARN GOOD but i tried again today it didnt work, tried again again a third time and once again failed =< i don't know wht the heck happened
I remember my Grandmother making this for me when I was young. We always had to wait for the 2nd snow so it would be clean and we would put pots out to catch the snow. She would add an egg in her recipe, so I am happy to find an egg less recipe. At least until I find a source for fresh eggs. 🥰
I have been making this the last couple of years and adding maraschino cherries with some juice. It gives it some good flavor and color. We finally got enough snow to make some!
My kids loved this and, I have to admit, it was more delicious than I expected!
Thank you for this recipe. I had forgotten the recipe…70+… My grandchildren loved it! I cut to the chase and simply used sweetened condensed milk to the snow. Thanks again! Making memories with the grands😍
Thank you for the recipe- it’s been a loong time since I made any and refresh to the memory is useful! My mom usta make snow cream every winter when I was growing up and the years I was I’ll with strep throat she’d sneak and eat some before I got up since I couldn’t have any. In my college years my roomies thought I was daft when I mentioned making it but were believers when they tasted it! Yum!!
Couldn’t believe that this was a real recipe.
The snow ice craem was realy good and im a 13 year old and haave never had snow ice cream so i just want to thank yall for puting theese wonderfull recipes on here
I loved this! My little brother, Neighbors, and I all made it this morning and it was so good! (Even I went a little hyper on the sugar though!)
I love snow cream it is the best my mom makes the best snow cream but never told me how to make it!