How to Make Rolled Ice Cream at Home


Posted on July 20, 2018

In the world of fad foods, you can always find a new trend to chase. Who remembers the Unicorn Frappuccino or Boba tea served in light bulbs? With a little ingenuity, you can recreate these fads at home and end the day with a room full of joyful friends and family.

One exciting trend which may cure your sweet tooth’s craving is rolled ice cream. Sometimes called “Thai-style” or “stir-fried ice cream”, the craze has started taking hold in major American cities and is spreading throughout neighborhoods everywhere.

What is Rolled Ice Cream?

Created in Thailand about 10 years ago, rolled ice cream got the nickname “stir-fried ice cream” because it looks like it is made on a hot grill. However, the flat surface isn’t hot, but incredibly cold.

The runny milk or cream runs across the flat surface as cookies, sprinkles, and other add-ins are mixed with it. As the creamy concoction is spread around, it freezes into a flat sheet. Sections are cut and a paint scraper-like spatula is used to roll the flat sheet into a roll about the size of a roll of quarters. Several rolls are popped into a bowl and drizzled and topped as you wish.

How Do You Make Rolled Ice Cream?

One of the delights of this dessert is its flexibility and adaptability. Many recipes simply call for soy or cow’s milk flavored to taste. Others require heavy cream or flavorful additions like green tea or vanilla extract.

Our favorite recipe is simple and Tasty. You’ll need:

  • 1 pint of heavy cream
  • 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • Your favorite sprinkles or cookie crumbles
  • Toppings of your choosing

Creating the base is easy. First, you add the heavy cream, sweetened condensed, and salt to a bowl and combine it. Then pour the combination onto a half-sheet pan (or multiple smaller sheet pans).

 

Sprinkle the mixture with your sprinkles (or other crushed up add-ins) and then whisk it in. Put the sheet pan flat into a freezer for four hours.

Once the ice cream is frozen, use a paint scraper-like spatula (or an actual paint scraper that’s never been used) to roll sections of the pan. Add the rolls to a Joy Cone waffle bowl and top with your choice of toppings.

If you don’t have the freezer space or don’t want to devote the necessary time to waiting for your ice cream to freeze, you can try using dry ice. The same recipe will work, you’ll just freeze your ice cream base on a surface cooled to below freezing with dry ice.

If you’re thinking of using dry ice, never forget it is much colder than regular ice. You should never allow dry ice to touch bare skin. When you’re transporting it there are some important rules to keep in mind as well to keep you safe.

What Should I Add to Rolled Ice Cream?

One of the reasons for the rise in rolled ice cream’s popularity is the ability to create it exactly the way you want. The additions to your ice cream are only limited by your imagination. Some favorite add-ins include:

  • Crushed cookies
  • Chopped fruit like pineapple, strawberries, and cherries
  • Candy bars
  • Nuts
  • Hardshell candies
  • Gummies

If you search the internet for suggestions, you can find interesting spinoffs of these ideas and more. You can even watch a video where a slice of pizza is added to the rolled ice cream.

After the ice cream is stuffed with add-ins, adorably rolled, and stacked into an ice cream cone (or any bowl), you can further customize your treat by adding toppings. Some of our favorite toppings include:

  • Chocolate fudge or caramel sauce
  • Cherries or whole blueberries
  • Toasted marshmallows
  • Peppermint bits
  • Mini chocolate chips
  • Pretzel pieces

Is This Trend for You?

You don’t have to be on top of the latest trends to be able to Bring Joy Home to the people you love. All sorts of ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sherbet are delicious when topping your favorite Joy Cone.

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