How to Make Snow Ice Cream
My snow ice cream recipe uses only four ingredients, and it's the perfect way to celebrate a fresh snowfall! I've been making this exact recipe for creamy, vanilla-flavored snow cream since I was a kid, and it always makes a snow day feel just a little more special.
🔍 Recipe At-A-Glance: Snow Ice Cream
- ⏰ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- ❄️ Flavor Profile: Sweet, creamy, frosty vanilla goodness! Imagine if ice cream and slushies had a vanilla-flavored baby
- ⛄️ Good For: Snow day fun, family projects, easy sweet treats, post-sledding treats (pair with with my slow cooker hot cocoa!)
- 🧡 Difficulty: I've been making this since I was 4 years old!
"I just want to say THANK YOU! for this! I shared this post with lots of my friends who have kids, and we have all made it! It is such a neat idea, and it is so so so yummy!"
- Justine -
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🧡 Why You'll Love This Recipe
Hey friend, we're diving deep into childhood nostalgia with this one! This snow ice cream recipe is the exact recipe my family has been using since I was a wee little one sledding down the hills of Southern Indiana. It's fun to make, it's easy, it requires no speciality ingredients, and best of all, it's SO tasty!
Here's why you'll love this recipe:
- No Special Ingredients: Who wants to drive to the store after a snow storm? Hard pass. This recipe uses ingredients you already have on hand.
- Super Tasty: Packed full of vanilla flavor, this snow ice cream is as tasty as it is fun.
- Tips for All Snow: Dry snow? Wet snow? Doesn't matter. I'll show you how to make snow ice cream with any kind of snow.
- So Easy To Make: Literally a toddler could do this!
- Fun to Customize: Color your snow ice cream, use sprinkles, flavor however you want! Have fun and experiment.
❄️ The Ingredients You Need
- Fresh Snow: If you're thinking ahead, place a bowl out on an elevated surface before the snow starts and let it fill up, otherwise scoop snow from a clean spot. Avoid areas with pollution, dirt, leaves, etc. And obviously, avoid yellow snow. 😉 If you're concerned, you can always use snow from a snow cone machine. We have this one and LOVE it!
- Milk of Any Kind: I've made this with cow's milk, oat milk, coconut milk, almond milk-it really doesn't matter! I've even made it at Christmas using my easy eggnog recipe. Use what you have.
- Granulated Sugar: Regular ole white sugar is what works best here.
- Vanilla Extract: What gives the snow ice cream it's flavor!
- Sprinkles and Food Coloring: Optional, but adds a bit more fun!
Make sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, along with quantities and my expert tips and tricks.
🔁 Variations & Substitutions
- Use honey or maple syrup: My kiddo's favorite snow ice cream is made with maple syrup because she loves the maple flavor! Swap in honey or maple syrup for the granulated sugar if you'd like.
- Use sweetened condensed milk: Some folks swap out the sugar and milk for a can of sweetened condensed milk in their snow cream. It is absolutely delicious, but I never have sweetened condensed milk on hand when there is a snowstorm!
- Use flavors other than vanilla: Vanilla is the classic snow ice cream flavor, but kinda like with my easy sugar cookie icing, you can also swap in any other extract-lemon, almond, mint, maple, whatever!
☃️ How to Make Snow Ice Cream
Step 1: Collect fresh, clean snow. Get a giant bowl worth!
Step 2: Combine snow with sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir well.
Step 3: Depending on the moisture content of the snow, you might need to add more fresh snow to get the right texture.
Step 4: The right texture is slightly thicker than a slushie. Add more snow to thicken and more milk if you need to thin out.
Step 5: Divide your snow ice cream into separate bowls and tint with a few drops of food coloring, if desired.
Step 4: You can serve immediately, or pop it into the freezer for 30-60 minutes for a more solid texture.
🙋🏻♀️ Snow Ice Cream Recipe FAQs
Snow ice cream uses fresh snow, milk, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Some recipe call for sweetened condensed milk.
Yes! Snow ice cream is a mixture of fresh fallen snow, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract to make a sweet snow day treat.
👩🏻🍳 My Expert Tips & Tricks
- Nail down the texture: Some snow is light and fluffy (dry snow) and some is dense and heavy (wet snow). You can make snow ice cream with either, but you might need to add more or less snow during the mixing process to get the right texture. You're looking for a final texture of a very thick slushie.
- Prep ahead: If you know a snowstorm is coming, place the largest bowl you have in an open area on an elevated surface (like a patio table). That way the bowl will fill with fresh, clean snow as it comes down.
- Stay safe: If you live near a heavy industrial area, busy roadway, or other area with air quality concerns, make your snow ice cream using a snow cone machine or try my no-fail mason jar ice cream! Never use snow from near where ice melt or salt has been put down.
☕️ More Fun Family Snow Day Recipes
If you tried this Snow Ice Cream Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Snow Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups fresh fallen snow plus more to adjust texture
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup milk of any kind, plus more to adjust texture
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- food coloring optional
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the snow sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Stir well to combine.
- Depending on the texture of your snow, you may need to add more milk to thin it out or more snow to thicken it up. You're looking for the texture of a very thick slushie.
- Divide the snow ice cream into separate bowls and tint with food coloring, if desired.
- Enjoy immediately for a softer snow ice cream, or freeze for 30-60 minutes for a more solid ice cream. Top with sprinkles, if desired.
Notes
- Only use fresh, clean snow from an area low in pollutants. If you're concerned, you can always use snow from a snow cone machine.
- How much snow and milk you add to the recipe will depend on the moisture content of the snow. For very heavy, wet snow, you'll need less snow and less milk. For very dry, light snow, you'll need more snow and maybe more milk.
- Snow ice cream will get very hard when left in the freezer for a few hours, so it's best to eat it immediately.
- You can swap out the granulated sugar for maple syrup or honey. I've had better luck with mixing in maple syrup. Start with 2 tablespoons, then add more to taste.
- Try other flavors: swap in lemon, almond, maple, coconut, or mint extract for the vanilla extract. Start with ¼ teaspoon and add more if desired.
- This recipe works great with non-dairy milks like oatmilk and almond milk.
Nutrition
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This is such a classic recipe for snow cream! Save this recipe for next time you get a snow storm.
I need too know how to compare and contrast snow ice cream and regular ice cream
Have waited years to try this recipe! Never had enough snow or cold enough temps, or lived in an apartment where I wouldn’t trust any of the snow. Now that I live in the middle of nowhere and the most delightful giant snow storm came throughthis weekend, this could finally happen! Delicious. Used maple syrup instead of sugar and vanilla and it was just lovely. Such a fun thing! Thank you for sharing this so many years ago. :). Can’t wait for another big snow to come through!
I have been wondering if you could flavor the snow ice cream with Jello? It would give it color and flavor I think. What do you think?
Those spoons are amazing! I'm assuming they are vintage but do you know the maker?
Nope! Not vintage. From Crate and Barrel. The porcelain ones arecondiment spoons and I LOVE them! And the silver one is an espresso spoon.
Oh, awesome. I'm picking up some of the porcelain ones now, thanks!
Wheeee - we got snow! (Buried under it) and so today was an ice cream day. AWEsome!