Pudding Mix Ice Cream

Using instant pudding mix to make ice cream is the ultimate cheat. With just three ingredients you can quickly create all sorts of flavors – butterscotch, pistachio, cheesecake, cookies ‘n creme, lemon, pumpkin spice. If it’s available as an instant pudding mix flavor, you can use it to make ice cream.

You can even use my homemade instant chocolate pudding mix. It produces a chocolate ice cream that’s a dead ringer for a Wendy’s Frosty.

My pudding mix ice cream recipe requires no cooking or chill time. Just mix up a batch, and it’s ready to churn. Since pudding mix contains thickeners, it even thickens up to the same consistency as a custard ice cream, with no eggs and no fussy steps.

This is the perfect ice cream recipe to make with kids, since there’s no stove or wait time involved. And it’s the perfect take-along on a camping trip. Just pack milk, heavy cream, a box of pudding mix and your churn.

I own an older version of this Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. I keep the cylinder in the freezer, so I can make ice cream whenever a craving hits.

Pudding Mix Ice Cream Recipe

This recipe makes approximately 1 quart of ice cream. For this tutorial, I used pistachio instant pudding mix.

*If you’re using my homemade pudding mix, add two teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Whole milk produces the creamiest ice cream, but low or no-fat milk will also work in this recipe.

What You Do:

In a medium bowl, combine the milk and pudding. Beat with a whisk, or electric hand mixer, until the pudding mix dissolves.

Add the heavy whipping cream, and stir to combine.

Then, pour your pudding mix ice cream base into an ice cream machine, and churn, until it reaches the consistency of soft-serve ice cream, about 20 minutes.

If you’d like to include any mix-ins, add them during the last 5 minutes of churning. I usually add 1/2 cup of chopped pistachios, whenever I use this method to make pistachio ice cream. It enhances the flavor and texture quite a bit.

Enjoy your pudding mix ice cream right out of the churn, for a soft-serve consistency, or transfer it to a covered freezer-safe container, and freeze it for at least 2 hours, to achieve a hard-scoop consistency.

Here’s some chocolate and vanilla ice cream made with instant pudding mix. Just imagine all the ways you could customize them with mix-ins and toppings.

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