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





Great idea! My sister and I tried this today, it was great!!
seriously… You people freaking about eating snow and or snow cream are quite comical! We ate snow cream by the bowlful when I was a kid and we did not get sick, nor did we sprout third eyes or double ears. If you only knew what our precious government and the FDA/USDA etc hides from the American public, I’m sure snow cream would be the least of our worries!
As for me and my kids, we are enjoying the first major snowfall we’ve seen in Middle Tennessee in years and you can bet we are enjoying the fire out of snow cream too!!! :) Thanks for sharing your recipe!!
It’s snow. I’m 18 and I’ve been doing it all my life and I’m perfectly fine
We added flavored coffee creamer for variety of flavors each time! Kids love chocolate caramel the best!
My daddy made this for me when I was growing up. Living in the deep south, we hardly get snow ever so it was such a treat. I never, ever got sick and I ate a ton of it because it was so good! It is a very special memory making it with my Daddy now that he’s no longer with us and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
Awww, brings back such wonderful memories!!! I love snow ice cream…ate it all the time as a little girl and now I get to continue that tradition with my girls. We had a slight snow fall today and we have our bowls in the freezer patiently waiting till the end of school to make our first bowl..cannot wait!! (Btw, I ate this many many times as a child and never got sick)
I see you caught a lot of flack for this recipe. I’m 57 and have been making snow ice cream for my kids and grandkids for over 30 years. Not once did any of them ever get sick. It’s fun, it’s yummy and the little ones love to help!! I imagine those nay sayers wouldn’t drink rain water either. my, how did our grandparents ever survive?? LOL
Thanks for the recipe….we have 10+ inches of snow in KY today, my kids will LOVE it!! Just beware of the “Yellow” snow!!
For those worried about eating fresh fallen snow. It is ok. Really. Smart sciency people who know more about this stuff and most of us have said so. https://www.popsci.com/it-ok-eat-snow and https://chemistry.about.com/od/waterchemistry/fl/Is-It-Safe-To-Eat-Snow.htm/
Making memories today in Kansas City, thanks to your recipe! Couldn’t imagine a childhood without catching snowflakes on my tongue, making snow cream, catching frogs with our bare hands, making mud pies, or sharing an ice cream cone with your dog! It’s a miracle I’m still alive-lol.