This post may contain affiliate links.
Cereal Milk Ice Cream captures that magical last sip at the bottom of the cereal bowl, steeping fruity cereal in heavy cream and whipping it with sweetened condensed milk into a creamy no churn treat. I made it over a *lazy weekend* and Maddie and Lizzie decided ice cream for breakfast should be legal. If fun frozen treats like my orange creamsicle pie make you smile, this one tastes like Saturday morning cartoons.
Sweet fruity cereal steeped into cream, whipped with condensed milk, and frozen into scoopable nostalgia.
Cereal Milk Ice Cream Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 519kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet and creamy with fruity cereal flavor and a crunchy cereal topping
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, no machine needed, on par with my no bake cheesecake
Quick Answer
Steep fruity cereal in heavy whipping cream, letting it sit about 5 minutes, then strain the cream through a fine mesh colander, pressing out every drop. Repeat the steep with a second bowl of fresh cereal so the flavor is doubled. Whip the chilled cereal infused cream to soft peaks in a cold metal bowl, mix in the sweetened condensed milk, and fold in a handful of whole cereal. Freeze in a metal pan for at least 6 hours, then scoop and top with more cereal.
Jump to:
- Cereal Milk Ice Cream Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Cereal Milk Ice Cream
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Cereal Milk Ice Cream FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Frozen Desserts
- No Churn Cereal Milk Ice Cream
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Steeping twice doubles the flavor. Soaking two rounds of fresh cereal in the same cream pulls maximum fruity flavor into every drop without letting the cereal soak up all your cream.
- Pressing the soggy cereal saves the good stuff. Pushing the strained cereal with a spatula squeezes out the most concentrated, flavor packed cream that would otherwise be lost.
- A frozen bowl whips faster. Chilling the metal bowl and beaters keeps the cream cold, so it whips to soft peaks in minutes and holds more air for a lighter scoop.
- Condensed milk replaces the churn. Its sugar and milk solids keep ice crystals small as the mixture freezes, which is the whole secret to creamy no churn ice cream.
- Folding, not stirring, keeps it fluffy. Gently folding in the condensed milk and cereal preserves the whipped air bubbles that make the final texture light instead of dense.
- A metal pan freezes it faster. Metal conducts cold better than glass or plastic, so the ice cream sets quicker with smaller ice crystals and a smoother scoop.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It tastes exactly like the sweet milk at the bottom of a bowl of fruity cereal, in scoopable form.
- There is no ice cream machine, no custard, and no cooking, just steep, whip, fold, and freeze.
- It is a no machine dessert like my jello cloud mousse, the freezer does all the hard work.
Key Ingredients
Three ingredients and a freezer, that is the entire recipe.
- Heavy whipping cream: The base. It steeps with the cereal to become flavored cereal milk, then whips into the fluffy body of the ice cream.
- Fruity cereal: The flavor. Fruity pebbles are the classic pick, steeped twice for maximum flavor, plus a handful folded in whole for color.
- Sweetened condensed milk: The magic. It sweetens the base and keeps it creamy and scoopable without an ice cream machine.
- Extra cereal for topping: The crunch. A sprinkle on each scoop brings back that fresh from the box texture.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Any cereal in the pantry can star in this ice cream.
- Use cinnamon toast style cereal for a churro flavored version, or cocoa cereal for chocolate cereal milk.
- Fold in mini marshmallows and freeze dried strawberries for a cereal sundae vibe.
- Swirl in a few spoonfuls of strawberry jam before freezing for a fruity ripple.
- For a boozy grown up cousin, my limoncello pudding shots are a party favorite.
- Sandwich scoops between two soft cookies for over the top ice cream sandwiches.
How to Make Cereal Milk Ice Cream
- Place a metal bowl and your hand mixer whisks in the freezer. Put a half cup of cereal in each of two bowls, pour the heavy cream over the first bowl, and let it sit until soggy, about 5 minutes.
- Strain the cream into the second bowl of fresh cereal through a fine mesh colander, pressing the soggy cereal with a spatula to push out as much liquid as possible. Let it steep another 5 minutes, then strain again, repeating the soak and strain one more time before straining into the chilled metal bowl.
- Beat the cereal infused cream on medium speed until it forms soft peaks, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix until combined.
- Fold in the remaining quarter cup of whole cereal, transfer the mixture to a metal pan, and freeze for at least 6 hours. Scoop, top with extra cereal if you like, and enjoy.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Freeze the bowl and beaters first. Cold equipment whips cream faster and higher, which makes the final ice cream lighter.
- Do not rush the steeping. A full 5 minutes per soak lets the cereal release its flavor and color into the cream.
- Press the strained cereal firmly. The last spoonfuls you squeeze out are the most flavorful part of the whole batch.
- Whip to soft peaks only. Stop when the cream holds a gentle curl. Overwhipped cream turns grainy and can break when you fold in the condensed milk.
- Press plastic wrap onto the surface. Covering the ice cream directly before freezing prevents ice crystals and freezer smells.
- Let it sit 5 minutes before scooping. No churn ice cream freezes firm, and a short rest on the counter makes perfect scoops.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Scoop it beside a slice of my orange creamsicle pie for a nostalgic dessert night.
My sand pudding keeps the playful dessert theme going for kids.
Serve small scoops with my almond joy cookies on the side.
Or crumble my Oreo balls over the top for a candy shop sundae.
Cereal Milk Ice Cream FAQs
It is ice cream made from cream that has been steeped with breakfast cereal, capturing that sweet, toasty, slightly fruity flavor of the milk left at the bottom of a cereal bowl. The idea was made famous by Momofuku Milk Bar in New York, and this no churn version gets you there with three ingredients and no ice cream machine.
Fruity pebbles are the classic because they release tons of flavor and a pretty pastel tint into the cream. Any sugary cereal works, cinnamon squares make a churro version, cocoa puffs make chocolate cereal milk, and frosted flakes give a buttery, toasty flavor. Avoid plain unsweetened cereals, the ice cream depends on that sugary coating.
One soak flavors the cream, but two soaks with fresh cereal each time makes the flavor unmistakable. The cereal absorbs some cream with every soak, which is why you press the soggy cereal in the strainer, to reclaim that concentrated liquid. The double steep is the difference between subtle and tastes exactly like the bottom of the bowl.
Usually the cream was underwhipped or the mixture sat unfrozen too long before going into the freezer. Whip the cereal cream to soft peaks so it traps plenty of air, fold gently, and get the pan into the coldest part of the freezer right away. A metal pan and a layer of plastic wrap pressed on the surface both help keep crystals small.
It is at its creamy best within the first week and keeps well for up to 2 weeks tightly covered. After that it is still safe but slowly picks up ice crystals and freezer flavors. Store it in the back of the freezer where the temperature is steadiest, not in the door.
Yes, with a couple of swaps. Use a full fat coconut cream that whips, steep the cereal in it the same way, and use a dairy free sweetened condensed milk, coconut or oat versions are in most stores now. The texture is slightly denser than the dairy version but the nostalgic cereal flavor comes through perfectly.
Made this cereal milk ice cream? Leave a comment and a star rating below, and tell me which cereal you used!
And for the raw dough loyalists, our safe to eat cookie dough truffles are the treat to beat.
No Churn Cereal Milk Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 Cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/4 Cup fruity pebbles or sugary cereal of your choice
- 14 Oz sweetened condensed milk
- more cereal for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Place metal bowl and hand mixer whisks in freezer while making the “cereal milk”.
- Get two bowls and place 1/2 cup of cereal in each. Pour heavy cream over cereal in first bowl. Let sit until soggy about 5 minutes. Strain cereal into the second bowl with fine mesh colander and with a spatula or the back of a spoon, push out as much of the liquid as possible. Place soggy cereal back into first bowl. Repeat the first step, get the second bowl of cereal soggy for about 5 minutes. Strain this again back into the first bowl. Let sit another 5 minutes, strain into second bowl and let sit 5 minutes. (adding the cream a second time to the soggy cereal makes sure all the flavors can be absorbed without the cereal soaking up too much of the cream) Take out metal bowl and finally strain the last of the soggy cereal through the fine mesh colander. Discard soggy cereal.
- With hand mixer, beat on medium speed until cream forms soft peaks about 3-5 minutes. Add in the condensed milk and mix until combined. Fold in the remaining 1/4 Cup cereal. Place in metal pan of your choice and freeze. This should take at least 6 hours.
- Serve and enjoy, top with additional cereal if desired.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
sounds so yummy! Makes me want to experiment with different cereals! nom nom!
Whoah! What a great idea! I saw your post title on the Mix-it-up-Monday link party, and just had to come see if this was what it sounded like.
I am indeed lactose intolerant, sadly, although I do still love cereal (even though I have had to cut back on that delicious leftover milk). I don’t like cereal with any substitute milk, either, so I’m outta luck I suppose. 🙂 So while I personally probably won’t be making this, I still wanted to say it’s a great idea! And so are those crumbs at the bottom of the box cereal bars!
What yummy looking ice cream! I love cereal and ice cream – a bowl of this would keep me very happy!
Oh goodness this looks delicious! I know my boys will LOVE this! 🙂