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!
I’ve eaten snow cream all my life and i’m just fine.
We had a big snow fall yesterday ,18″! My cousin shared this recipe just before dinner and I surprised the kids and hubby with it . I replaced the sugar with dark maple syrup and added another tsp. of vanilla after tasting the milk mixture . We all LOVED it ,extra sprinkles of course ;) ! We grew up with sugar on snow here in Vt . and always ended up eating some of the snow after the syrup was all eaten up as well as eating it all the time outside . We never had an issue, in fact it was part of normal childhood . In the city I might be a little wary and I myself would keep it as a treat maybe 2-3 times with fresh fallen snow and not over do it ,but otherwise go for it I say :) !
OMG People its SNOW!!!! You run a greater risk eating chicken!
Fun project to do with the kids post New England Blizzard and it tasted just like fresh homemade vanilla bean ice cream!
My son and I just made this and it came out great! Quick & delicious. Thanks!
Snow cream is not just something you eat, it’s an experience. It’s a memory that is carried with you throughout your life. The day you ate Snowcream. It’s ice cream but not ice cream. I hope you really enjoy.
It’s snow, people! I eat fresh fruit off of trees and vegetables out of the garden, how is snow any worse?? Made this with my son today and he loved it! P.s. I am also a nurse.
Great post, and one we’ll have to try out later today or tomorrow as we ride out this big storm! For those all hysterical some poor child is bound to get sick blah blah blah- what kid doesn’t eat snow when they go outside to play in the snow? Mine do it ALL the time and no one’s worse for the wear (side note- we DO live in a very rural area). There’s risk in eating the meats and produce we bring into our house, yet still we eat them. I think this is no different. Use some common sense about the snow you use and enjoy yourselves!
This is a little irresponsible of you. Snow has all kinds of pollutants and bacteria in it, and eating that quantity can get your kids sick. Try this instead and use snow instead of ice for a bacteria-free version: Try this instead :for a bacteria-free version: https://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/09/ice-cream-in-a-bag/ and use snow instead of ice. You can use regular table salt instead of rock salt, too. Just make sure the kids wear gloves and don’t get the salty snow on their hands = frostbite.
What is the salt for? I don’t see it in the recipe, but it’s in the picture.
DO NOT eat this!! Fun to make, dangerous to eat. I’m a pediatric nurse and everyone, especially little ones, can get serious stomach issues from eating snow. Even freshly fallen snow, away from city streets is dirty. Please put a disclaimer that this is not an edible craft!!
Oops…