This no-churn Blue Moon ice cream is a dreamy blend of lemon, raspberry, and vanilla - shockingly easy to whip up and bursting with nostalgia. It's cheeky, creamy, and mysteriously fruity.
If you're from the Midwest, chances are you grew up with Blue Moon ice cream - that mysterious, electric-blue scoop that always stood out in the freezer case. It's a nostalgic favorite, especially in Wisconsin and Michigan, where nearly every local ice cream shop has their own take on it.
For those who've never tried it, Blue Moon is one of those flavors that's hard to pin down - sweet, creamy, and just a little bit fruity. The most common comparison? It tastes a lot like the leftover milk from a bowl of Froot Loops or Trix. Kids love it for the bold color, adults love it for the wave of childhood memories it brings back, and everyone agrees: it's one of the most iconic regional ice cream flavors out there.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sweetened condensed milk - Make the ice cream sweet and rich.
- Cold heavy cream - This is the base for the ice cream!
- Raspberry extract - I like this one. You can swap for raspberry syrup if you have trouble finding the extract.
- Lemon extract - I prefer this brand of lemon extract. But fresh lemon zest works too, if you can't find the extract.
- Vanilla extract - Classic vanilla extract is essential for that nostaligic flavor.
- Blue gel food coloring - I like this royal blue one. Gel food coloring gives bolder color with less dye compared to liquid colorings.
How to Make Blue Moon Ice Cream
With a mixer, beat heavy whipping cream until it's very thick. Next, pour in sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, raspberry extract, and lemon extract.
Fold it all together until smooth. Once mixed, add in the gel food coloring and stir until you get that beautiful blue hue.
Next, pour the ice cream into a freezer-safe container. Finally, freeze for 5-6 hours or overnight.
When it is time to serve, remove from the freezer and let the ice cream sit on the counter to soften for 5-10 minutes before serving. This will make sure it's scoopable!
Fun Variations
Once you make this No-Churn Blue Moon Ice Cream recipe at least once, feel free to take the base recipe and customize. Simply swap-in your favorite flavors, mix-in's, and any number of toppings.
Try adding chocolate chips, cherries, a swirl of caramel or even your favorite candy. Consider the no-churn ice cream base recipe as your jumping-off point to have fun and be creative! Or try some of these ideas to get started:
- Superman Swirl - Layer in cherry and lemon ice creams for the stripes! Use the technique in this Birthday Cake Ice Cream to get the multi-colored look!
- Candy Crunch - Fold in Fruity Pebbles or white chocolate chunks.
- Boozy Blue Moon - Stir in a splash of Amaretto or Blue Curaçao for adults-only fun.
More Frozen Treats
If you love this recipe, be sure to check out all my homemade ice cream recipes, and these reader favorites:
- Berry Pie No-Churn Ice Cream
- Double Chocolate Chunk No-Churn Ice Cream
- No-Churn Salted Caramel Pecan Ice Cream
Recipe
Blue Moon Ice Cream (Easy, No-Churn Recipe!)
Equipment
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- freezer safe container for freezing/storing the ice cream
Ingredients
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups heavy cream cold
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon raspberry extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 drops blue gel food coloring adjust to get desired color
Instructions
- With a mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream until very thick.
- Pour in the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and all extracts. Fold in until smooth. Add in food coloring and stir to combine.
- Pour mixture into a freezer safe container. Freeze for 5-6 hours or overnight.
- When it is time to serve, remove from freezer and let sit on the counter to soften for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
Alice says
This is by far the best blue moon ice cream recipe I've found. I love the no churn recipes - so easy and less messy.