How to Make Soft Serve at Home Without an Ice Cream Machine

Is there anything that says All-American Summer more than a swirl of vanilla soft serve ice cream with rainbow sprinkles on a cake cone? I don't think so. We often hit up the closest Dairy Queen or McDonald's when we're craving some soft serve, but what if we told you that you could make this quintessential summer treat right in your own kitchen—without an ice cream maker? We've seen some of this sweet summer sorcery in our social media feeds and we're excited to give it a try IRL. Read on for the full scoop.

Related: So *That's* Why McDonald’s Ice Cream Machines Are Always Broken

What Ingredients Do You Need to Make Homemade Soft Serve Ice Cream?

There are lots of variations online, so you have options. The folks over at Delish did several DIY soft serve tests to find the best method, which gives us confidence that it'll work in our home kitchen. Their recipe calls for heavy cream, sugar, salt, vanilla and sweetened condensed milk. You'll also need a piping bag with a large piping tip, a hand mixer and a large container with a lid (and space in the freezer, of course).

Related: I Tried the Viral McDonald's Hash Brown Ice Cream Sandwich and It’s Actually Amazing

How Do You Make Homemade Soft Serve Ice Cream?

Heat the cream gently in a saucepan with the sugar and salt. When the sugar and salt are dissolved, remove from the heat, add a splash of vanilla and stick in your container for about an hour or until it's chilled. Remove from the freezer and whip on medium speed for about 8 minutes or until soft peaks form. Fold in the sweetened condensed milk and return to the container. Freeze for another one to two hours. After the mixture is frozen add into your piping bag fitted with a piping tip (or use a gallon freezer bag and snip the corner) and swirl into your favorite cone.

The taste is reminiscent of your favorite hometown ice cream shop (or the Golden Arches themselves), without the car ride or long lines—sweet, creamy and rich, with a subtle hint of vanilla and a touch of salt. It impressively pipes onto a cake cone with ease and melts on your tongue without a heavy film. " 😝 Now I don’t have to hear them say the ice cream machine is broken," says one TikToker.

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Tips and Tricks for Making Homemade Soft Serve Ice Cream

After watching many homemade soft sever TikTok videos we pulled together a few helpful tips if you want to give this treat a try.

1. Don't let the cream boil on the stove. Stir until the sugar is just dissolved and the cream is heated just a little bit.
2. Make sure your cream is cool. Don't try to whip up your cream unless it's been in the freezer for a considerable amount of time.
3. Use a loaf pan to freeze. Some of the recipes on social media use a loaf pan to freeze the mixture (lined with parchment), so that it's easy to remove and add into the piping bag after it freezes.
4. Work fast! Piping this into cones is a two-person job and the cream melts fast, so make sure you're ready when you take it out of the fridge.

Up next: Dua Lipa’s Trick for Making Ice Cream Taste Like It Came From a Fancy Restaurant