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Cookies and Cream Ice Cream is the creamy, cookie-packed frozen treat you can make at home with just four ingredients and zero ice cream maker. I whipped up a batch on a hot summer afternoon and Lizzie declared it better than the scoop shop. If you love easy frozen desserts, our Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is another no churn winner.
No churning, no custard, no special equipment, just whip, fold, and freeze for the dreamiest homemade ice cream.
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 10 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 389kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet, creamy, and loaded with crunchy chocolate cookie chunks
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, no machine required, like our no churn chocolate ice cream
Quick Answer
Whip cold heavy cream to soft peaks, then fold in sugar, vanilla, the scraped-out cookie filling, fine cookie crumbs, and chopped cookie chunks. Spread the mixture into a loaf dish, cover it, and freeze for at least six hours. The whipped cream traps air the way churning would, so you get a smooth, scoopable no churn ice cream with no eggs and no cooking.
Jump to:
- Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Cookies and Cream Ice Cream FAQs
- Other Recommended No Churn Ice Cream Recipes
- Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Whipped cream replaces the ice cream machine. Whipping the heavy cream to soft peaks folds in air, which keeps the frozen base light and scoopable without any churning.
- The cookie filling sweetens and stabilizes. Folding the scraped-out cookie cream into the base adds sweetness and a touch of structure so the ice cream stays creamy, not icy.
- Two textures of cookie. Fine crumbs flavor every bite while chopped chunks give you those craveable cookies-and-cream pockets.
- Only four ingredients. Heavy cream, cookies, sugar, and vanilla are all you need, so there is no custard to cook or temper.
- No eggs, no cooking. This is a fully no-cook recipe, which makes it fast, beginner-friendly, and perfect for hot days.
- Totally customizable. Swap the sandwich cookies or stir in extras to make a dozen different flavors from one simple base.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is incredibly easy, just whip, fold, and freeze with no ice cream maker in sight.
- It uses only four simple ingredients you probably already have, like our no churn cookie dough ice cream.
- It is endlessly customizable, so you can switch up the cookies for a brand-new flavor every time.
Key Ingredients
Just four ingredients stand between you and a creamy homemade pint. Here is what each one does.
- Heavy cream: Use cold, full-fat heavy whipping cream so it whips up tall and gives the ice cream its rich, scoopable body.
- Chocolate sandwich cookies: Classic chocolate sandwich cookies bring the signature flavor, with the filling sweetening the base and the wafers adding crunch.
- Granulated sugar: A little sugar balances the cream and keeps the texture soft once frozen.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla rounds out the flavor and makes the cream taste like a real scoop shop treat.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
One simple base, endless possibilities. A few of our favorite spins:
- Switch the cookies: Use mint, golden, or peanut butter sandwich cookies for a whole new flavor, or try it like our mint chocolate chip ice cream.
- Add mix-ins: Fold in mini chocolate chips, a swirl of fudge, or a handful of crushed candy bars.
- Make it boozy: Stir in a tablespoon of vanilla vodka or coffee liqueur for an adults-only version that stays extra soft.
- Go gluten-free: Use your favorite gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies and the recipe works exactly the same.
How to Make Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
- Whip the cold heavy cream to soft peaks, then set it aside in the fridge.
- Twist apart 20 of the cookies and scrape the cream filling into a small bowl.
- Add the de-filled cookies to a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs.
- Fold the sugar, vanilla, and reserved cookie filling into the whipped cream.
- Fold the cookie crumbs into the cream until evenly streaked.
- Chop the remaining cookies into chunks, fold them in, then spread into a dish and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use cold cream and a cold bowl so the heavy cream whips faster and holds more air for a fluffier texture.
- Do not overwhip the cream, stop at soft peaks so it stays smooth and folds in easily without turning grainy.
- Fold, do not stir, to keep all that whipped-in air and a light, scoopable result.
- Save the filling from 20 cookies to sweeten the base, then leave the rest whole for big cookie chunks.
- Press plastic wrap right onto the surface before freezing to prevent ice crystals from forming.
- Let it sit out for 5 minutes before scooping so it softens to that perfect creamy scoop.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This Cookies and Cream Ice Cream is a dream scooped straight into a bowl or a crisp waffle cone with an extra cookie tucked on the side. It is rich enough to stand alone but plays beautifully with classic summer desserts.
Pile a scoop onto warm brownies, sandwich it between two cookies for an ice cream sandwich, or serve it next to our chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels for a fun sweet-and-salty dessert spread.
It is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser at barbecues, birthday parties, and movie nights. Make a double batch and store it in the freezer so a creamy treat is always just a scoop away.
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream FAQs
This no churn version is made with just four ingredients: heavy whipping cream, chocolate sandwich cookies, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. The whipped cream forms the creamy base while the cookies provide both fine crumbs for flavor and chopped chunks for crunch.
No, this recipe is completely no churn. Whipping the heavy cream to soft peaks folds in the air that an ice cream machine would normally add, so you get a smooth, scoopable texture with nothing but a mixer, a bowl, and your freezer.
Freeze the mixture for at least 6 hours, or overnight for the firmest scoop. Cover the surface with plastic wrap first to keep ice crystals from forming and to lock in that creamy texture.
Keep it in an airtight container or the original dish with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface, and store it in the back of the freezer where the temperature is most stable. It will keep well for up to two weeks.
Iciness usually comes from underwhipped cream or warm cream that did not trap enough air. Use cold heavy cream, whip it to soft peaks, fold gently to keep the air in, and freeze it quickly for the creamiest result.
Absolutely. Golden vanilla, mint, peanut butter, or even gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies all work beautifully and let you create a brand-new flavor from the same simple base.
Hungry for more frozen treats? Scoop up our no churn chocolate ice cream or a batch of cookie dough ice cream next.
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 30 regular chocolate sandwich cookies divided
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form in the body of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, set aside in the fridge.2 cups heavy cream
- Remove the cream filling of 20 cookies and set aside.30 regular chocolate sandwich cookies
- Add the sandwich cookies without the filling to a food processor and process until crumbs form. Set the cookie crumbs aside.
- Add the vanilla, sugar, and sandwich cookie filling to the whipped cream and fold it in.3/4 cups granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the cookie crumbs to the cream and fold them in as well.
- Chop the remaining sandwich cookies into 4th or 6th and fold those into the cream for larger chunks.
- Add the mixture to a 6-cup or 1.5-quart dish, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until frozen, 6 hours or up to overnight.
Notes
- Chill your large bowl before whipping the heavy cream to help achieve stiff peaks more easily.
- Consider using a rolling pin to crush your cookies to get both fine crumbs and big chunks for texture.
- Add a few drops of vanilla bean paste for an enhanced creamy vanilla ice cream flavor.
- Freeze in a loaf pan covered with plastic wrap for easy storage and serving.
- Let the ice cream sit out for a few minutes to soften for easier scooping.
- Mix the cookie pieces in gently to maintain their integrity for that perfect cookies n cream ice cream experience.
Nutrition
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