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.
I too grew up having snow cream and continued the tradition with my kids and now my grandkids. We’ve always made it with whole milk, sugar and vanilla. The best part of winter in North Carolina is getting enough snow to make snow cream and that doesn’t happen every year. We’re on our second snow since Christmas with another snow storm on the horizon. I can’t wait!
I’m in Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and have never heard of it either. Definitely must be a Southern thing. Can you imagine how big all us northern folks would be if we made it every time is snowed.
One thing we use to do as kids was pour Maple Syrup on the snow and then gather it up. It ends up having a taffy texture.
If you find yourself without condensed milk; sweet milk, a cap or two of vanilla flavoring and 1/2 cup or so of sugar mixed with the snow will make some pretty darn good snow cream as well! Just mix to taste add more milk or sugar as needed, I’ve never measured.
We had it for lunch, first time ever for my son. Now…back to my taco soup. 🙂
We use to make snow cream when I was a kid (different recipe-raw egg, sugar, milk and we didn’t die!), but when I had kids there was as much snow as in “the old days”, but we managed to get enough a couple of times. It is good. Hope to use your recipe the next time we get enough snow. Not enough in North West Tennessee today tho…just a dusting that melted off quickly. : (
I walked 2 miles in the deep snow with an unruly dog to get a can of sweetened condensed milk. I hadn’t had snow cream in YEARS! To me, it’s even better than homemade vanilla ice cream (and that means A LOT!). I do dump in a little vanilla flavoring, but otherwise, make it the same way. If it is too sweet, I add more snow. I ate it ’til my mouth was on fire! I love reading these comments and seeing that it *might* be a southern thing. I love the south! The food just doesn’t get any better. I love your blog, Christy!
I’m jealous of all the snowy weather everyone is getting and I *never* thought I’d say that in my life. =) My grandma would make snow cream and I’ll have to ask my sister what it was but I remember she added a “secret ingredient”. In the meantime I’ll go have a shave ice and think wintry thoughts. Stay safe everyone!
This brought tears to my eyes, I grew up in Texas and every blue moon when we got snow my Grandmother and Mom would make us snow ice cream.
Thanks for the great memory!
Loved this post Christy, okay I love all your posts =)
This one takes me right back to my childhood in southern Oklahoma (I live in southern California now) when me and my grandma would make snow ice cream.
My grandma never let me eat the first snow of the season though, she said it didn’t taste as good because the Lord was using it to clean all the dirt in the air. hehehe
God bless your bones
Stay warm.
Barb
That is what my Granny told me too.