Red Velvet Ice Cream
If you like red velvet cake you are going to absolutely love this recipe for homemade Red Velvet Ice Cream!
Our Red Velvet Ice Cream is made in an ice cream maker, using a Philadelphia-style recipe that requires no cooking and no eggs.
This homemade ice cream recipe is nut-free and can be made gluten-free if you like.
Ice cream flavors that have cake in them are completely brilliant.
I’m a huge fan of birthdays where there is often a cake served with scoops of ice cream on the side. Making cake ice cream like Birthday Cake Ice Cream gives me both, all in one bowl.
Cake and ice cream just go so well together. The coarse texture of cake (and today we’re talking specifically about red velvet cake) is a nice contrast to the creaminess of ice cream.
If you agree that cake and ice cream are a perfect match, you might also like my Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream recipe.
If you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day idea, serve this red velvet ice cream over heart shaped brownies.
Why You’re Going to Love this Red Velvet Ice Cream Recipe
Gorgeous Red Velvet Color – The color in this ice cream comes from red food coloring, since that’s traditional in red velvet cake. The red ice cream and the white cream cheese swirl make for such a pretty scoop.
Rich Chocolate Flavor – If you didn’t know it already, red velvet flavor is actually chocolate, disguised by food coloring. This ice cream recipe includes plenty of cocoa powder to give us deep, rich, chocolate flavors.
No eggs, No Cooking – I love custard-based ice cream recipes for their creaminess and richness, but don’t think that this egg-free ice cream recipe is any less. The cream, milk, and sugar work together to make perfectly creamy ice cream without eggs.
Ingredients in Homemade Red Velvet Ice Cream
Heavy Cream – This is the base of our ice cream, and what makes the ice cream creamy!
Whole Milk – Using both heavy cream and regular milk gives the creamiest texture to our homemade ice cream recipes.
Granulated Sugar – For sweetness and amazing ice cream texture, plain, white, granulated sugar is the perfect choice.
Cocoa Powder – Good quality, unsweetened cocoa powder gives this red velvet ice cream the right flavor.
Red Food Coloring – Red food coloring is key to getting the right color in this red velvet ice cream. I used a tablespoon of liquid food coloring here, but you can also use a few drops of gel food coloring if you have that.
Vanilla Extract – To flavor our ice cream base, a good quality pure vanilla extract is key.
Kosher Salt – A bit of salt balances the sweetness in this recipe.
Red Velvet Cake – You can bake a red velvet cake just for this ice cream, or pick one up at your local bakery. I had half of a small cake leftover that still had some frosting on it, (I scraped most of it off) but if you just want to bake up a boxed red velvet cake mix, that will work just fine.
Choose or bake a gluten-free red velvet cake to make your homemade ice cream gluten-free.
How to Make Red Velvet Ice Cream from Scratch
Start the day before by making sure that the bowl for your ice cream maker has at least 24 hours to freeze solid.
- In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, red food coloring, vanilla extract, and kosher salt.
- Whisk for 2-3 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved into the mixture. You can rub a bit between your fingers to check that there’s no more grittiness left.
- Churn the ice cream mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions (mine took 25 minutes), until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
- In the last two minutes of the churn, add the pieces of red velvet cake and churn until it’s evenly distributed. Don’t over churn the ice cream or the cake pieces will break up too much.
How to Make Cream Cheese Swirl for Homemade Ice Cream
- While the ice cream is churning, make the cream cheese swirl. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and continue to mix until smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. Cover and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
- Spoon half of the red velvet ice cream into a loaf pan or other shallow ice cream container. Dollop half of the cream cheese mixture on top and swirl gently with a knife or spatula. Repeat with the remaining ice cream and sweetened cream cheese.
- Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
How to Store Red Velvet Ice Cream
Store this homemade Red Velvet in the freezer in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper pressed on top for up to one month.
Tips for Making This Red Velvet Ice Cream Recipe
Use quality ingredients – When making homemade ice cream, you’ll want to make sure you are using high-quality ingredients for the best outcome.
Chill out – If possible, always start with chilled ingredients. This is important for homemade no-churn ice cream recipes and ice cream maker recipes.
Don’t skimp on the fat – High-fat milk and cream are essential when making homemade ice cream. Opting for a low-fat option often leads to icy ice creams and inconsistency in the texture.
Don’t go crazy with the add-ins – If you’re adding in additional ingredients, pick one or two and make sure they are chopped into pieces no larger than a blueberry or pea.
Don’t skimp on the sugar – Sugar not only adds sweetness to homemade ice creams, it also helps with the texture. Sugar is essential for the creamy texture of ice cream.
Food Coloring – I used liquid food coloring here, but you can use gel food coloring instead if you prefer. Add a bit, stir, and add more until you get the desired shade of red.
If your cake has frosting – feel free to leave it on, or you can scrape it off. It’s totally your choice!
What can be used instead of red velvet cake?
If you can’t get your hands on a red velvet cake to add to this recipe, you can do a few different things.
First, you can just leave the cake out. You’ll still get the flavor and color of red velvet in this ice cream recipe.
Another great option is to use crumbled chocolate cake instead of red velvet. After all, they are the same flavor!
No Churn Red Velvet Ice Cream Directions
Chill a shallow container or a loaf pan in the freezer while you mix the ice cream ingredients.
Pour the red velvet ice cream mixture into the prepared pan and freeze for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to add air. This will help create a creamy, smooth texture.
After two hours, swirl in the cream cheese mixture, then freeze again for 2-3 hours until solid.
Red Velvet Ice Cream Add-Ins
This red velvet cake ice cream recipe already has plenty of add-ins with the cake pieces and cream cheese frosting swirl, but don’t let that stop you!
Toss in some mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate – White or dark chocolate would be delicious.
Can I Use Pre-made Cream Cheese Frosting?
You can use a premade cream cheese frosting if you prefer, although I think you’ll like the flavor and consistency of our homemade version much better!
Does Ben and Jerry’s still make Red Velvet Ice Cream?
According to their website, Ben and Jerry’s discontinued the Red Velvet Cake ice cream flavor in 2021. Luckily, you can still cover that craving with this homemade version!
What Flavor is Red Velvet Really?
Really, red velvet is chocolate flavored! Traditional red velvet cake is a chocolate cake with red food coloring mixed in to create a deep, dark red color.
More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Chunky Monkey Ice Cream
- Dulce De Leche Ice Cream
- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Don’t miss out on these other amazing frozen treats too! Use your homemade ice cream to make an Ice Cream Cake or the perfect Ice Cream Sundae!
Our Favorite Ice Cream Making Tools:
- Cuisinart 2QT Ice Cream Maker – Works with ice cream, sorbets, and frozen yogurt.
- Ice Cream Scoop – Make sure you have a good ice cream scoop. This is one of our favorites.
- Ice Cream Containers – We love keeping a couple of ice cream containers on hand for when we make homemade ice cream.
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Red Velvet Ice Cream
Ingredients
Ice Cream Base:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups red velvet cake chopped or crumbled
Cream Cheese Swirl:
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Chill the ice cream bowl for at least 24 hours or until solid. You should not hear any water sloshing around when you shake the bowl. In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, red food coloring, vanilla extract and kosher salt.
- Whisk for 2-3 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved into the mixture. You should not feel any grit if you rub the mixture together between two fingers.
- Churn the ice cream mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions (mine took about 25 minutes), until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
- In the last two minutes of the churn, add the red velvet cake and churn until it is evenly distributed.
- While the ice cream is churning, make the cream cheese swirl. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Spoon half of the red velvet ice cream into your loaf pan. Dollop half of the cream cheese mixture on top and swirl with a spatula or knife. Repeat with remaining red velvet ice cream and cream cheese mixture.
- Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use full fat cream and whole milk to create the ice cream base. Lower fat dairy products won't work in this recipe.
- Be sure that everything is very cold before you mix up the recipe. This includes all of your ingredients as well as the ice cream maker bowl, which should be frozen solid.
- For the red velvet cake, you can bake one (from scratch or a box mix), or buy a small cake or cupcakes from your favorite bakery. If the cake comes with frosting, you can either leave it on, or scrape it off. If you can't find red velvet cake, you can omit it from the recipe, or use chocolate cake instead.
- I used liquid food coloring here, but you can use gel food coloring instead if you prefer. Add a bit, stir, and add more until you get the desired shade of red.
