Circus Animal No-Churn Ice Cream is an easy no-churn ice cream the whole family will love. This cute homemade ice cream recipe has pretty pink-and-white swirls, LOTS of sprinkles, and chunks of frosted circus animal cookies mixed right in!
🍦 Animal Cookie Ice Cream
Watch out, friends, because this Circus Animal No-Churn Ice Cream is a dangerous recipe.
Circus animal cookies are already my kryptonite. I don’t know what addictive ingredients they’re putting into those things (um…other than sugar… *innocent whistling*) but somehow, if I get my hands on a bag of those pink and white suckers, the entire thing is gone before I know what’s happened. They are that addicting. (And when they’re added to a sky-high cake, like in my Circus Animal Layer Cake? Fuggedaboutit. Absolutely irresistible.)
So when you combine THOSE cookies with THIS ice cream recipe, you’re really tempting fate. I recommend making this when you know company is coming over, and you’ll have people to help you eat it, otherwise you just might end up gobbling the ice cream out of the container like a feral raccoon raiding the trash can. Not like I’d know anything about that. Ahem.
This ice cream is delicious on it’s own but try serving it in an edible Chocolate Bowl for an outrageously fun presentation!
Are you an ice cream lover? Check out some of our most popular recipes, like No-Churn Peach Ice Cream, No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream, and Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream!
Table of Contents
🧾 What You’ll Need
Ingredients
Grab these special ingredients and read my pro tips before getting started! (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)
- Circus Animal Cookies: These cookies are the star of the show! I recommend using Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: I recommend using heavy cream or manufacturing cream over whipping cream, when possible. Heavy cream and manufacturing cream have the most fat, which produces a better flavor and texture. For best results, make sure the cream is very cold before whipping it.
- Sweetened condensed milk: This thick and rich sweetener will ensure that your ice cream doesn’t freeze too hard and is a perfect scoopable consistency. Make sure you use sweetened condensed milk, NOT evaporated milk. The cans look similar and they’re usually in the same section at the grocery store, but they are not the same thing.
- Pink gel food coloring:To get that pretty swirl, half of the ice cream will be dyed a soft baby pink. I used Americolor Soft Pink for this recipe.
Equipment
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- Ice cream scoop: for serving of course! A high-quality ice cream scoop makes it so easy to portion the ice cream out in perfect rounded scoops.
- Ice cream storage container: an ice cream storage container keeps the ice cream fresh in the freezer. I have this set, and can personally vouch that the containers are amazing. They keep the ice cream soft and fresh, while keeping out odors and ice crystals.
Here’s an overview of how to make Circus Animal No-Churn Ice Cream! Full instructions are included in the recipe card down below.
Make the ice cream base
- Whip the cream to firm peaks.
- In a separate bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Stir well.
Separate and color
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the milk mixture, working in batches and stirring gently so the cream doesn’t deflate.
- Once combined, divide the mixture in half and color one half a soft pink color, and leave the other half white.
Add your mix-ins!
- Gently fold the cookies and sprinkles into both bowls.
- Alternate adding scoops of white and pink cream into a container or loaf pan.
Scoop and swirl
- Once all the ice cream is layered in the container, swirl a knife through the cream until the colors are mixed up in pretty swirls.
Freeze and enjoy
- Sprinkle the top of the ice cream with the reserved sprinkles and cookie pieces.
- Freeze the container for at least 4-6 hours, until very firm.
💡 Tips and FAQs
Regular ice cream is often made from an egg custard base, meaning that the mixture must be cooked and churned in an ice cream maker to turn into the dessert you know and love. Most people don’t own an ice cream churner, so no-churn ice creams were invented to allow people to make this sweet and creamy treat at home—no cooking or churning necessary!
If your no-churn ice cream is too icy, then chances are it isn’t stored properly. The key is an airtight container. If you don’t have that, then make sure it’s very tightly wrapped. Any air exposure will cause ice crystals to form.
I also recommend storing it in the back of the freezer where the cool temperature is more regulated. If it’s close to the front, opening and closing the door can cause the ice cream temp to fluctuate, which can also make it icy.
Finally, alcohol can help prevent ice cream from getting too hard in the freezer, so consider adding about 2 TBSP of your favorite alcohol. Vodka is a great choice if you don’t want to add additional flavor, or consider something like rumchata, Bailey’s, or Kahlua.
I recommend storing any leftover no-churn ice cream in the same container you used to freeze it. Simply cover the ice cream with a lid (or an airtight layer of plastic wrap) and store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
🍧 More Ice Cream Recipes You’ll Love 🍧
No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream
No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream
Don’t miss the step-by-step tutorial showing how to make Circus Animal Ice Cream – check out the web story here!
Leave a Review!
If you make this recipe, let us know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe below, and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram @elabau, or use #sugarhero on IG!
No-Churn Circus Animal Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk, (1 standard can)
- 1 TBSP vanilla extract
- Pink gel food coloring, I like Americolor brand
- 6 oz chopped circus animal cookies, (about 1 ½ cups)
- ¼ cup assorted sprinkles
Instructions
- Whip the cream to firm peaks.
- In a separate bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract, and stir well.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the milk mixture, working in batches and stirring gently so the cream doesn’t deflate. Once combined, divide the mixture in half and color one half a soft pink color, and leave the other half white.
- Divide the cookies and sprinkles between the two bowls, reserving a few spoonfuls of each to use as toppings. Gently fold the cookies and sprinkles into both bowls.
- Take a 6-cup storage container or loaf pan, and alternate adding scoops of white and pink cream into the container. Swirl a knife through the cream until the colors are mixed up in pretty swirls. Sprinkle the top of the ice cream with the reserved sprinkles and cookie pieces.
- Freeze the container for 4-6 hours, until very firm.
Video
Recipe Notes
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Nutrition
Oh my! This circus animal ice cream is so fun and fabulous! Not just for kids.
Hi Kathleen. This is definitely an adult’s guilty pleasure.
How cute is this?! I adore these cookies as a kid and now my son loves this ice cream. Thanks for your creative recipe!
Hi Michelle! The nostalgia of Mother’s cookies is generational. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
What a fun and beautiful recipe to try for my kids. Thanks for sharing this ice cream recipe.
I hope they enjoy it! Thanks for commenting.
This tastes just like the circus animal cookie blizzard from Dairy Queen!! So good!!!!
Hi Tami! Thank you for the rating and review. I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. It’s one of our favorites for sure!