This no-churn homemade Watermelon Ice Cream bursts with watermelon flavor and with only three ingredients it is easy to make. It’s the perfect summer treat on a hot summer day or a fun treat for summer cookouts.
Homemade Watermelon Ice Cream
My youngest son is always bringing me fun ideas he finds on tik-tok. He always wants to try them out, and sometimes we do it just for fun. This time, however, I thought the idea would be a great one to share with you all – that is if the recipe was any good. Sometimes, what looks good behind the camera is not always the tried and true version.
With that said, I did have to make a couple of modifications to the fun idea. I tweaked the recipe, a little bit and ditched serving it by slicing a frozen rind into watermelon pieces. Let me tell you, that was nearly impossible and frustrating – to say the least. No worries, it’s just as much fun to scoop watermelon-flavored ice cream out of a rind.
Things I love about this Recipe:
- It’s simple to make
- there are only three ingredients that are really easy to find
- it’s a no-churn recipe that is done quickly
- the kids can help make this yummy recipe
FAQs
Make-Ahead and Storage:
Can I make Watermelon Ice Cream ahead of time?
Yes! This ice cream is better if you make it at least twenty-four hours in advance
How long does homemade ice cream last in the freezer?
Homemade ice cream can last up to two weeks in the freezer
Storage: Store homemade ice cream in a sealed container in the freezer
Can I store this watermelon ice cream in the rind?
Yes – for a certain amount of time. After a couple of days, I would transfer the ice cream to an air-tight freezer-proof container for storage in the freezer
How do I find a Sweet Watermelon?
- find one that is uniform in shape. It can be round or oval, just not irregular
- look for a super heavy watermelon. This means it has more water content and is probably more sweet
- find a field spot, which is a round white, brown, or yellow spot on the watermelon is something to look for. Find one that is darker in color – either yellow or brown. That means it has been on the vine longer and is sweeter
- go for large webbing – a large spider-like web on the watermelon is a sign of it leaking sweetness which is a good sign
- find a watermelon dull in color and shine – The more shine means it’s still too young
Tips and Tricks:
- make sure you strain the watermelon after blending it. This will get rid of pulp and most of the seeds
- you can make this recipe in any order that you want – just make sure the heavy cream is at a soft peak before adding in the other ingredients
- make this the day before your party, or better yet – two days
- if you make this watermelon overnight, the next morning you can expect the top half to be firm, but it may be slushy in the middle and even have juice standing in the bottom. This is fine for a fun treat, but if you are serving at a party you might want to let it freeze for at least 1 day in advance to ensure it is frozen through
- you can try to cut the rind and make watermelon slices, but I don’t recommend it. The frozen rind is as hard as a rock. You’ll have to work very hard to achieve this and to me, it’s not worth it. Just scoop the ice cream and enjoy
- trying to find a sweet ripe seedless watermelon. The more flavor the watermelon has, the more flavor your ice cream will have
- leaving some flesh on the rind. It will help flavor the ice cream as it freezes
Are you ready to make this delicious Homemade Watermelon Ice Cream? Let’s make sure you have everything you’ll need:
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Ingredients:
Heavy Cream – heavy cream is necessary for the cream portion of this ice cream recipe. It is easy to find and can usually be found near the milk at your local grocery store
Sweetened Condensed Milk – This is to sweeten the watermelon even more, but be careful not to add too much. The sweetener can tend to overpower this recipe and you’ll lose that natural watermelon flavor that makes this recipe so refreshing
Watermelon – You’ll need to find a seedless, ripe watermelon. There are tips above on finding the perfect sweet watermelon
How do you make Homemade Three Ingredient Watermelon Ice Cream?
Instructions:
full instructions in printable below…
Step One
- cut the watermelon in half and scoop out the flesh
- blend the watermelon flesh to make juice
- strain the juice into a medium-sized bowl
Step two
- in a mixing bowl, mix the heavy cream until it forms soft peaks
- add the watermelon juice and sweetened condensed milk
Step three
- pour the mixture into the scooped-out rind and freeze overnight
Expert Tip
The most important part of shopping for this recipe is getting a ripe watermelon. If you get a tasteless watermelon, then your ice cream flavor will reflect that. Be sure to follow my guide in selecting a sweet and ripe watermelon.
More Fun Summer Recipes
Five Ingredient Tropical Smoothie
Here’s a video on how I made this delicious homemade ice cream
Homemade Watermelon Ice Cream {Three Ingredients}
Ingredients
- ½ seedless round watermelon Look for a sweet and flavorful melon. Tips are below. Amount: You will ultimately need about 4 cups of strained watermelon liquid from the watermelon
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- scoop out the watermelon flesh – leaving about 1/2 inch of flesh on the rind for added flavor
- place watermelon flesh in the blender and blend until liquified
- place a strainer over a medium-sized bowl and pour the liquid through the strainer
- strain as much liquid as you can – you are ultimately trying to get about 4 cups of liquid from the watermelon for this recipe
- in a stand-up mixing bowl or using an electric mixer and bowl, whip the heavy cream at a fast speed until soft peaks form
- to the whipped cream, add about 4 cups of juice and the condensed milk
- mix well
- pour into the watermelon rind (do not cover) and freeze overnight
Notes
How do I find a Sweet Watermelon?
- try to find one that is uniform in shape. It can be round or oval, just not irregular
- look for a super heavy watermelon. This means it has more water content and is probably more sweet
- find a field spot, which is a round white, brown, or yellow spot on the watermelon is something to look for. Find one that is darker in color – either yellow or brown. That means it has been on the vine longer and is sweeter
- go for large webbing – a large spider-like web on the watermelon is a sign of it leaking sweetness which is a good sign
- try to find a watermelon dull in color and shine – The more shine means it’s still too young
Watermelon Size:
Tip – Don’t worry too much about the size. You’d be surprised at how much liquid you can get out of a small watermelon. Concentrate more on finding a sweet, ripe melon.- Round Seedless Watermelons are generally small (around 10-15 lbs.), but their size and proportion can still vary. Personal watermelons are really tiny, and just like the name implies, they are enough to feed yourself. Oblong-seeded watermelons are large (usually about 20-30 lbs.)
- Round seedless watermelons are not perfectly round, they will still be somewhat oblong
- You should end up with about 4 cups of strained watermelon liquid, so if you don’t have that in your first half, then you might have to scoop out more from the other half to achieve that. On the flip side, if you wind up with too much juice then you might have to use the excess for a drink.
- Specific measurements from a watermelon like the one I used in the recipe are about 15 lbs., 16 inches long, and 27 inches in circumference
uhhmmmmm… any measurements for the watermelon? The size changes with the seasons…..
You are in luck. I just so happen to have a round seedless watermelon on my counter that is just like the one from the recipe. I never in a million years thought about measuring the watermelon for the recipe, because generally round seedless watermelons, compared to the other common oblong variety are what I would consider on the smaller side. But you are right, they still will vary in size and proportion and certainly in the change of seasons. The one I have at home right now is 15 lbs., 16 inches long, and 27 inches in circumference. If you get a watermelon anywhere close to that size, you will be good to go. Also, if you look in the directions, I mention that you are trying to get about 4 cups of strained watermelon juice from your one half of watermelon. I will definitely add a note in the ingredients to avoid any confusion. Thank you for pointing out my mistake. I hope that helps and I hope you love the ice cream as much as we did!
Can’t wait to make this recipe! I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker. Can i just churn instead of freezing in the watermelon?
I don’t see why not. I haven’t used that method, yet but freezing inside the watermelon rind is not necessary. It just adds a touch of fun and maybe a smidgen of flavor. If you churn it, please do come back and let us know how it turns out. 🙂
I did churn it! It turned out great! The ingredients made two 5-cup batches. I really like how fresh it tasted and everyone loves it, but next time i might add more sweetener. I’d increase to 3/4c sweet condensed milk. For reference, i use 1/2c sweetener (usually organic cane sugar) for one 5-cup batch of ice cream.