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No ice cream maker required for this Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream recipe! This No-Churn ice cream is full of crunchy and buttery pecans with a hint of maple and is a perfect summer treat. So simple to whip up and tastes better than the ice cream shop!
lce cream is my very very very favorite dessert. Hands down, nothing beats it. And it makes so many other desserts even better so by default it wins everything.
What is pie without ice cream? Cake without a big scoop? And who wants a warm gooey brownie without the slowly melting treat. No one. Or at least not me.
This homemade no churn butter pecan ice cream recipe is hands down my favorite, but my Lemon Ice Cream and Strawberry version definitely are in the top three still. Oh wait, the No Churn Peanut Butter Cookies and Cream is TO DIE FOR as well. As for a fun protein packed ice cream? Try this Cottage Cheese Ice Cream as well!
Why You Will Love This No Churn Butter Pecan Ice Cream.
- It is so easy to make. Cook up the pecans. Whip up the cream. Fold it all together. Freeze. It’s that easy!
- The butter pecans are cooked in maple for extra flavor. Adding maple in with the pecans gives this butter pecan ice cream so much flavorful. I make these Vanilla Spiced Maple Pecans and this ice cream was certainly inspired by it.
- No ice cream maker is needed! Lots of people want to make homemade ice cream but don’t have a maker. I got rid of mine because it just collected dust.
- Keeps in the freezer well. This no churn ice cream will stay fresh in the freezer if kept in an air tight freezer safe container for about 2-3 months. Ours RARELY makes it that long!
What is “No Churn” Ice Cream?
It’s essentially ice cream you can make homemade without needing an ice cream maker or machine.
Beating heavy whipping cream and then folding it in with sweetened condensed milk makes a rich creamy almost soft serve like ice cream. So simple but SO delicious!
What You Need To Make This Butter Pecan Ice Cream:
- Heavy Whipping cream: there is whipping cream and heavy whipping cream. The heavy whipping cream will work better as it has a higher fat content.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: I have only used the full fat version of condensed milk for this recipe.
- Vanilla: for best results, use vanilla extract versus the imitation. If it’s all you have, you will still be ok!
- Pecans: you can use halves or pieces. If you have an allergy, feel free to sub for pecans or cashews.
- Butter: I use unsalted but if you have salted, just skip the sea salt or lessen it a bit.
- Maple Syrup: I love the flavor of maple which is why I chose this. You can use brown sugar here if you prefer!
- Sea Salt
- Cinnamon (optional): I love tossing a touch of cinnamon in with the pecans sometimes when I make this. I guess I may have to call this recipe Maple Cinnamon Butter Pecan No Churn Ice Cream but that doesn’t seem to roll off the tongue quite as well.
How To Make This Ice Cream Recipe:
To make this irresistible no churn butter pecan ice cream, you will need to do the following:
- Grab a skillet and combine the butter, maple and pecans over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Transfer to parchment paper to cool. You can add a pinch of sea salt to the pecans in the skillet or some vanilla as well for extra flavor. A splash of bourbon is always great too!
- While the pecans cool, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and pinch of sea salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, or in your standing mixer bowl, add the heavy whipping cream. Beat on high for until stiff peaks form. Make sure not to over beat as the whipped cream will become hard and almost butter like clump. When you start to see the peaks form, you are set!
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture until incorporated. Stir in about 3/4 of the cooled pecans.
- Transfer the mixture to a freezer safe container, I like to use a bread pan as it seems to be the perfect size. Sprinkle remaining pecans over top. Freeze for about 4-6 hours before serving.
That is it!!
Recipe Tips:
- When toasting the pecans, keep an eye on them. Don’t walk away and forget about them like I have before. They burn easily if unattended. Promise.
- You can roast your pecans as well–always a great option to make things a bit easier. I find you can multitask better here. All you do is toss the melted butter, maple, pecans and sea salt together. Then roast at 350°F for about 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool before folding in to the ice cream.
- When serving this butter pecan ice cream, always let it sit out to thaw for about 10 minutes. This will make scooping a lot better.
- Make sure to whip the whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks. This will ensure the best thickness to your ice cream.
Try these other ice cream and frozen treats:
- Red, White and Blue Milkshake
- Homemade Lemon Ice Cream
- Strawberry Ice Cream
- Homemade Pudding Pops
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Coffee Smoothie
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Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream – No Churn
No ice cream maker required for this Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream! This No-Churn ice cream recipe is full of crunchy and buttery pecans with a hint of maple and is a perfect summer treat. So simple to whip up and tastes better than the ice cream shop!
Ingredients
- 2 c heavy whipping cream
- 1 14 oz. can condensed milk
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/4 c pecan halves or pieces
- 2 T butter
- 2 T maple syrup (or brown sugar)
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- In a skillet, combine butter, maple and pecans (and cinnamon if preferred) over medium heat and toast for about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and allow to cool.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine condensed milk, salt and vanilla. Â Set aside.
- Using a standing or hand mixer, mix the whipping cream on high until strong stiff peaks begin to form. This will take several minutes. Gently combine the whipped cream mixture with the condensed milk mixture until fully incorporated.
- Fold in pecans, reserving 1/4 cup for the top.
- Pour into a freezer safe container and add the rest of the pecans. Freeze fore at least 4 hours and thaw for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- When toasting the pecans, keep an eye on them. Don’t walk away and forget about them like I have before. They burn easily if unattended. Promise.
- You can roast your pecans as well–always a great option to make things a bit easier. I find you can multitask better here. All you do is toss the melted butter, maple, pecans and sea salt together. Then roast at 350°F for about 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool before folding in to the ice cream.
- When serving this butter pecan ice cream, always let it sit out to thaw for about 10 minutes. This will make scooping a lot better.
- Make sure to whip the whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks. This will ensure the best thickness to your ice cream.
Nutrition
Calories: 393kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 85mg, Sodium: 89mg, Potassium: 233mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 25g, Vitamin A: 881IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 155mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question?Leave a comment below!
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Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I love any ice cream. My sister and I will eat it anytime and anywhere so to be able to make our own. MMMMMMMM.
I haven’t made no churn before so am desperate to try this out. I will be sure to add a review and am sure it will be five star. Thank you from a warm but cloudy Scotland.
Gloomy and gray here–hoping this will give us all a little sunshine in the end!
Thank you so much for your recipe. First time trying ice cream like this and it was awesome. I added a twist by accident and may have discovered a great modification that is certainly worth a try. We had a number of cans of evaporated milk in the cupboard and I grabbed one out in preparation for making the recipe. I opened the lid to find a rich caramel colour milk and was a little surprised. I looked at the label and it was dulce de leche flavour of evaporated milk. Not to open another can, thought I would use it anyways. It came out fantastic just the same. I will be sure to double check the can before opening the next can for the next batch as I really love butter pecan, but this was a great twist on the recipe.
Oh, wow! Now I am so intrigued and will need to try it this way as well. Yum!!!
This is by far the best ice cream and so easy to make. The secret is the cinnamon-for me it is not optional! I find whipping the cream with the condensed milk and then adding the prep’d nuts keeps the volume of the whip better and the nuts are spread evenly.
Ohhh interesting. I will need to try it like that! Thanks for the tip. Glad you love this one as much as I do!
So did you try whipping the cream with the sweetened condensed milk as someone commented?
If so no whipping the cream first? Just mix them together and whip but it will not make stiff peaks, right?
How long do you whip it?
Hi! I have not tried it that way so I’m not sure entirely. Sorry!!
Thank you for this recipe. Butter pecan ice cream is my very favorite flavor. I made mint chocolate chip no churn for my husband, a few days ago. I was shocked at how easy and how GOOD this no churn stuff is! I’m going to make the buttered pecan flavor later today. I have some butterscotch flavoring I bought by mistake last year, and since I don’t like maple, I’m going to add a tiny bit of that in, with the vanilla. I’m also going to use 3 cups of heavy cream, instead of 2, because I like my ice cream a little less sweet. Wish me luck! BTW, I discovered the ice cream tasted much better the second day. Curing is pretty important with ice cream, I guess.
Thanks so so much for sharing Cindy! Good to know it still works with 3 cups heavy cream because I find some of these kinds of ice creams to be on the sweeter side so may have to do that next time as well!
This is the 2nd time ive made this butter pecan icecream and it was a hit
Yay! Thanks so much! It is a BIG favorite around our house as well!
The recipe calls for a pinch of Sea Salt. But, I do not see in the instructions what to do with it.
Thanks for pointing that out, Dave! It gets mixed in with the condensed milk. I just edited the recipe to include. Thanks again!
The recipe has me adding vanilla to the condensed milk and setting aside. Then it has me whipping the heavy cream with vanilla….? I want to make this, but, I want to make it correctly. Looks Yummy!!
Oops! Nice catch Cindi! I added it to the condensed milk. I do t think it’d be a problem either way but I will update it. Thanks again!!
Butter pecan is one of my favorite flavors! I have never made it at home, so can’t wait to give it a try!!
You will love it! So easy and sooooo delish!
Okay this looks crazy delicious. I’ll take any excuse to make ice cream so this recipe is a must! Thanks for sharing
Seriously–same. All the ice cream please and thank you!
I’ve never made my own ice cream! This looks like a great recipe to start with
Yes, I will have to agree with you on that one. Enjoy!