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’m 41 (and also a pharmacist) and have been making & eating this almost every year year since I can remember. It came from a cookbook that was my great-great grandmother’s. She also ate it almost every year along with almost every family member. No one got sick or died (just a bit chubby). The only thing I say to change is to use cream, not milk……way better!
Thanks for sharing Tanya! I love hearing about the memories certain foods/recipes conjure up for people. I will definitely try it with cream sometime, when I’m feeling like a real splurge! : )
I love snow ice cream me and my great- grand maw make it all the time in the winter. I understand people being concern making this recipe with snow on street side walks. But if your out in the country it is fine. I mean come on who has not ate snow as a kid. I was always told “if it is brown or yellow leave it be, if it is white then it is clean.”
Oh, pashaw. The only thing you’re not supposed to do is eat the snow (for water) if you’re stranded in a survival situation because it’ll dangerously lower your body temp. I guess you bitter Bettie’s don’t drink tap or spring water, breathe the air, eat meats/plants/veggies, or exist in reality… because there are pollutants everywhere. If you expect the FDA to be point with standards of safety, you’re missing the boat. I for one, and going to live on the edge – with my kids – and get outside today and put our 12″ to good use! Thanks for the post that’s still going strong!!
I have eaten snow cream for at least 65 years and I am perfectly fine and I have wonderful memories. It is snow NOT bird or swine flu or mad cow disease! Enjoy it and make some memories. If you are still concerned Pray over it first, which is what you should do with everything you eat.
Omgz! I luv this recipes! It’s so easy and delicious! Thank u so much!
that was fast and easy
Me and my cousins made this yesterday, and instead of vanilla we used strawberry syrup. It was actually very delicious, and fun to make. We really enjoyed it.
This is the BEST ice cream in the world! I ate this so much as a kid and I did not get sick, I ate it by the bucket full. I am book marking this page ant telling all of my friends about this! Thank you for this awesome recipe!!!
#The BEST
This Was Great! I heard my vice principal of my old school always talking about how she made the best snow cream, well now i know that’s not true!! Lol thanx for the recipe :) I surprised my mom with this today and it just tasted so awesome i had to make another batch. I added another 1/3 cup of sugar, a little more vanilla extract, and 1/2 a cup more whole milk. Second batch was just awesome!!! Great recipe im definitely book marking this page
Or for those of us that are dairy sensitive, we replace all kitchen ingredients with maple sugar. Mmm. It’s also a fast alternative to wax on snow (or sugar on snow, however you grew up calling it)