How to Make Snow Cream With 2 Ingredients
This easy snow cream recipe takes just two ingredients, fresh clean snow and a can of sweetened condensed milk, and you can stir up a big bowl of homemade snow ice cream in about five minutes.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Snow Cream
- Serves: 8
- Main Ingredients: dishpan or large bowl fresh clean snow (or shaved ice), sweetened condensed milk
- Why You'll Love It: Want to learn how to make snow cream? All you need is clean snow and condensed milk to make this sweet homemade ice cream.
It’s sweet, creamy, and a little bit magical, especially down here where a real snow day only comes around every few years. When it does, this is the first thing my family asks for, and if you have kids at home, my snowman soup kits make another fun snow day treat.
A Southern Snow Day Tradition
Living in Alabama, snow isn’t something we see often, and we usually count ourselves lucky to get a dusting once a decade. So the morning we woke up to a full 10 inches, folks started asking about snow cream on Facebook before I’d even had my coffee.
My snow cream recipe is simple, because I’m not one to complicate a good thing. You stir sweetened condensed milk into freshly fallen snow until it’s smooth and creamy, and that’s it. Serve it the same way you’d serve a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and pair it with a mug of old-fashioned stovetop hot chocolate once everybody comes in from sledding.
The usual disclaimers apply, of course. If the dogs have already tromped through the yard this morning, you’re probably better off with plain old ice cream. I set clean dishpans out the night before so there’s a pile of fresh snow waiting when we wake up.
Snow Cream Ingredients
- Fresh, clean snow: You’ll need about 8 to 12 cups, but there’s no need to measure exactly. Eyeball it and add more snow if the mixture gets too soft. Shaved ice works if you’re short on snow.
- Sweetened condensed milk: One can is all it takes to sweeten and thicken the snow. Make sure you grab sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk, since they’re very different. I explain the difference in my post on evaporated milk.
The full recipe is in the card below.
Helpful Tips Before You Start
- Catch the snow in a clean pan. Setting a clean dishpan or large bowl outside overnight keeps the snow away from the ground, the street, and anything the wind blows around.
- Use it the same day. Wind tends to leave a fine layer of dirt on snow within a day, so make your snow cream as soon as your pan is full.
- Chill the condensed milk. Popping the can in the fridge for an hour or so before you start keeps the snow from melting as quickly when you stir.
- Work fast and serve right away. Snow cream is at its best the minute it’s mixed, so have your bowls, spoons, and toppings out before you bring the snow inside.
- Add a pinch of salt. A tiny pinch of salt balances the sweetness, the same way it does in homemade hot fudge.
How to Make Snow Cream
1. Add the Condensed Milk
Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the freshly fallen snow in a big bowl.
2. Stir Really Well
Stir it well, and then stir it a little more, until the milk is mixed all the way through and the snow cream is smooth and creamy.
3. Serve
Scoop the snow cream into glasses or bowls and serve it right away. The kids love to add sprinkles, but you can top it however you like, and it’s especially good next to a mug of red velvet hot chocolate.
Flavors and Toppings for Snow Ice Cream
- Vanilla snow cream: Stir in a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract along with the condensed milk.
- Peppermint: Use a little peppermint extract and top it with crushed candy canes.
- Chocolate: Drizzle it with chocolate syrup, Nutella, or warm hot fudge.
- Caramel: Spoon over some homemade dulce de leche or caramel sauce.
- Nutty: Sprinkle on chopped nuts, candied pecans, or walnuts in syrup.
- Cookies and candy: Crushed Oreos, gingersnaps, graham crackers, chocolate chips, M&Ms, or chopped candy bars all work.
- Fruit: Chopped strawberries or other fresh fruit make it taste a little like strawberry ice cream.
No condensed milk in the pantry? Mix 1 cup of milk with 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and chill it while the snow falls, then stir it into the snow the same way. I think the condensed milk version is richer, but this works in a pinch.
Make It a Snow Day
Snow days don’t happen often around here, so when they do we make a whole day of it. Snow cream is the main event, but a pot of soup from my cozy soup recipes list keeps everybody warm at lunch, and a batch of homemade hot chocolate mix means there’s always a warm mug waiting by the door.
If the snow sticks around long enough, it’s also a good excuse to bake. My Christmas cut-out cookies are a fun project for little hands, and they hold up well for decorating.
Storing Snow Cream
I usually set the leftover snow cream on the back porch so we can go back for seconds later in the day. You can also cover it or move it to an airtight container and keep it in the freezer for up to 1 week. It will firm up as it freezes, so let it sit out for a few minutes before scooping. If you’d like a homemade ice cream that’s made to keep in the freezer, my no churn blackberry ice cream is a good one.
Snow Cream FAQs
Is it safe to make snow cream out of snow?
Fresh, clean snow is what you want. Catch it in a clean pan or bowl so it never touches the ground or the street, and make your snow cream the same day before wind and dust settle on it. And of course, stay away from yellow snow.
Can you make snow cream from the first snow?
You can use the first snow or the last, as long as it’s fluffy, freshly fallen, and clean.
Why do some people wait for the second snow?
Some folks say the first snow cleans the air, so they wait for the second one. Down here in the South, snow doesn’t come often enough for us to be that picky.
Can I make snow cream with evaporated milk?
Not as written. Evaporated milk isn’t sweetened, so you’d need to add sugar. You can read more about how evaporated milk is different if you’re curious. The milk and sugar substitution above is a better option if you’re out of condensed milk.
How long does snow cream last?
Stored in an airtight container in the freezer, homemade snow ice cream will keep for up to 1 week.
Snow Cream
Ingredients
- 1 dishpan or large bowl fresh clean snow (or shaved ice)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Combine snow and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl or dishpan.1 dishpan or large bowl fresh clean snow (or shaved ice), 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- Stir really well then serve immediately. Add toppings if desired.
We used regular milk and flavored it with green creme de menthe when we were kids (50+ years ago). An ounce of creme de menthe split between 4 kids but we thought we were hot stuff! Still make it occasionally just for fun.
And sugar, forgot we also added sugar. Which is not required if you use sweetened condensed milk.
Snow Cream is fun isn’t it!?
It is snowing tonite. yummy stuff. remember to save a pint of snow from the first snow in Jan, Feb and March (you can add them together) for storing in the fridge to treat mild burns in the kitchen. Something My grandmother taught me.
I had never heard that one Barbara, thanks for sharing!!
Like you, I put a large pan out on the hood of my car and caught a bunch of clean snow. Have always used regular condensed milk, but this time I just happened to have a can of the Dulce de Leche…it was a lot thicker but stirred some in with the condensed milk. Yummy change of pace.
Perfect timing!! I was just telling my mother about this recipe!! I will be sure to share it with her!! We just got 18.8 inches of snow yesterday, and 9.3 inches last week!! We can have a neighborhood Snow Cream Party!!! lol Thanks for sharing!!! Have a great day!! 🙂
WOW Judy, I think you have enough snow to have a snow cream party or most of the nation!
Oh my! I am 60 and have lived in the Florida since I was 10 so the last time I had snow cream was when I was 9. It’s been many years since I’ve even thought about it. I was born in Delaware and my grandmother used to make this for us. She used canned milk, vanilla and sugar as I recall. It was such a special treat. Thank you Christy for a chance to recall a very happy childhood memory!