Nutella Ice Cream is rich, creamy, and incredibly easy to make with just 4 ingredients and no ice cream maker required. This no-churn recipe delivers deep chocolate hazelnut flavor with little effort and is perfect for keeping in the freezer during the warmer months. If you love easy Nutella desserts, this homemade ice cream pairs perfectly with my Nutella Pie for serious chocolate-hazelnut fans.
Nutella Ice Cream At A Glance
- 🍫 Keyword: Nutella Ice Cream
- 🕒 Total Time: 6 hours 25 minutes
- ✨ Hands-On Time: Just 25 minutes
- 🍦 Method: No-churn ice cream with no machine required
- 🌰 Flavor Profile: Rich chocolate hazelnut flavor with a creamy, mousse-like texture
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Nutella, heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla
- ❄️ Perfect For: Summer desserts, dinner parties, make-ahead entertaining, and chocolate cravings
- 🌿 Optional Add-In: Roasted hazelnuts for extra crunch and deeper nutty flavor
- 📦 Storage Notes: Keep tightly covered in the freezer to prevent ice crystals and freezer odors
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: This Nutella Ice Cream tastes surprisingly luxurious for a 4-ingredient dessert and comes together with almost no effort. It's the kind of freezer dessert people immediately ask about after the first bite
Save And Summarize This Recipe
If you love easy frozen desserts that can be made ahead, this Nutella Ice Cream fits right in alongside the Peach Sorbet and Strawberry Sorbet for warm-weather entertaining and summer snacking. For something a little richer and more chocolate-forward, the Nutella Puff Pastry has that same simple, crowd-pleasing appeal with very little effort.
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The roasted hazelnut flavor in this ice cream also pairs naturally with other nut-forward desserts like the Chocolate Nut Clusters, Pistachio Ricotta Cake, or even a homemade Pistachio Latte when you want something that feels a little coffee-shop inspired at home.
Key Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Nutella Ice Cream Recipe:
- Nutella - Use a good-quality Nutella, as this is the star ingredient. It provides the signature hazelnut chocolate flavor. During testing, warming the Nutella slightly for a few seconds in the microwave made it much easier to blend smoothly into the whipped cream mixture without overmixing. A few extra spoonfuls swirled across the top before freezing also gave the finished ice cream a richer chocolate hazelnut flavor and a prettier texture once scooped.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk - Sweetened condensed milk is what gives this Nutella Ice Cream its smooth, creamy texture without needing an ice cream maker. During testing, full-fat sweetened condensed milk created the richest texture and helped keep the ice cream soft enough to scoop straight from the freezer. Make sure it is fully blended into the whipped cream mixture so you do not end up with dense streaks once frozen.
- Heavy Cream - Use very cold heavy cream straight from the refrigerator. In testing, colder cream whipped faster and created a lighter, creamier texture after freezing. Be careful not to overwhip the cream before adding the other ingredients or the final ice cream can become slightly grainy instead of smooth and mousse-like.
See the recipe card for quantities.
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Variations:
- Nutella Swirl - Swirl in some extra Nutella before freezing.
- Chopped Hazelnuts - Swirl these into the ice cream before freezing.
- Banana - Our perfect pairing in our home. Chop the banana into small bites and swirl it into the ice cream before freezing. You can also blend the banana and add that to the chocolate base before freezing.
- Sea Salt - Another perfect pairing. Top the ice cream with flaky sea salt before freezing.
- Chocolate Chips - Swirl these, or another chip of your choice, into the ice cream before freezing. Try a drizzle of melted chips on the top of the ice cream!
How To Make Nutella Ice Cream: Step-By-Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with the exact ingredients are in the printable recipe card:
Step 1: Whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer until medium peaks form.
Step 2: Incorporate the sweetened condensed milk, Nutella, and vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Step 3: Transfer the mixture to a loaf pan or freezer-safe container.
Step 4: Top with a few spoons of Nutella and the chopped roasted hazelnuts, if using. Freeze for a minimum of 6 hours.
Recipe Tips
- Use cold heavy cream for the best whip on the cream.
- Cover the ice cream after it has set in the freezer so it doesn't pick up unwanted odors.
Gwen's Pro Tip
Do you want those beautiful ribbons of Nutella in your ice cream? Reserve a couple of spoonfuls and swirl them in after you pour the base into the loaf pan. Swirl with a knife or spoon without mixing it much.
Nutella Ice Cream FAQ's
This ice cream will last up to 2 weeks in the freezer if stored covered or in an airtight container.
Yes. Look for a sweetened condensed coconut milk and a full-fat coconut cream. You can also whip a plant-based whipping cream to make this ice cream. It won't be as fluffy as dairy cream, will it will yield a creamy texture once folded in. You will also need to find a chocolate hazelnut spread that doesn't contain milk.
If the ice cream becomes too hard to scoop, allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Warm the Nutella slightly before mixing. Microwave the Nutella in 15 second increments until it is smooth and spreadable.
More Mediterranean Desserts
Let me know your thoughts on this Nutella Ice Cream by leaving a star rating below or by sharing it on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Thank you!
Gwen
Easy Nutella Ice Cream (No Churn, 4 Ingredients)
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Equipment
- 1 Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup Nutella
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup hazelnuts roasted and chopped, optional
Instructions
- Whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer until medium peaks form.2 cups heavy cream
- Incorporate the sweetened condensed milk, Nutella, and vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Be careful not to overmix.1 can sweetened condensed milk, ½ cup Nutella, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Transfer the mixture to a loaf pan or freezer-safe container.
- Top with a few spoons of Nutella and the chopped roasted hazelnuts if using (See Note)¼ cup hazelnuts
- Freeze for 6 hours or more or until firm.
Gwen Wolken says
So easy!