10 Easy Homemade Ice Cream Recipes For Kids (Cheap, Fun & Totally Customisable!)

10 Easy Homemade Ice Cream Recipes For Kids (Cheap, Fun & Totally Customisable!) – update after publishing

Keep the kids cool and creative this summer with 10 fun, easy homemade ice cream recipes! Budget-friendly, customisable, and no ice cream maker needed!

School’s Out – Let’s Get Scooping!

Six (sometimes very long) weeks, a heatwave, and a chorus of “Muuuum, I’m boooored!” … sound familiar? The good news: homemade ice cream is cheap, creative, screen-time-busting fun that kids genuinely love. It’s hands-on, confidence-building, and you stay in control of the ingredients (and the sugar!).

If you missed them, warm up with these two reader faves:
👉🏽 School’s Out For Summer! Homemade Ice Cream Ideas For The Holidays
👉🏽 “Mum, I’m Bored!” style inspiration: Summer Holidays Day 2: “Mum, I’m Bored!” – Fun Ice Cream Ideas For Kids

Today, we’re sharing 10 super-easy, fully customisable recipes the kids can get involved with and, in some cases, make themselves – plus allergy-friendly swaps, topping ideas, and a budget sundae bar you can set up without spending a fortune.

✅ In This Article, You’ll Find

• 10 quick, kid-friendly ice cream/sorbet/lolly ideas (with mini methods)
• Budget-friendly tips (because summer is expensive enough)
• Easy dairy-free, vegan & gluten-free swaps so everyone can join in
• How to turn plain vanilla into a party with toppings (hello Sundae Bar!)
• A “Final Scoop” wrap-up + a CTA to share your family’s creations

💡 Homemade ice cream doesn’t have to be fancy — it just has to be fun, freezer-friendly, and flavoured the way your kids like it.

10 Easy Homemade Ice Cream Recipes for Kids

Below we’ve listed 10 super-easy homemade ice cream recipes and methods. All super simple. All adaptable. Most are no-churn. Use shop-bought vanilla as a base if time is tight — then swirl, sprinkle and smile.

1) No-Churn Vanilla Base (The Launch Pad)

You’ll need:

• 400ml double cream
• 1 tin (397g) condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

How to: Whip cream to soft peaks, fold in condensed milk + vanilla. Freeze 4–6 hrs.
Customise: Add crushed biscuits, strawberry purée, sprinkles, choc chips… anything!

2) Strawberry-Banana Yoghurt Frozen Ice Lollies (aka Popsicles)

You’ll need:

• 1 banana
• 8 strawberries
• 200g Greek yoghurt
• 1 tsp honey (optional)

How to: Blend all ingredients, pour into lolly moulds, freeze 4–6 hrs.
Dairy-free: Use coconut yoghurt.

3) Chocolate Ice Cream (Only 3 Ingredients)

You’ll need:

• 400ml double cream
• 1 tin condensed milk
• 100g melted dark chocolate

How to: Whip cream, fold in condensed milk + chocolate, freeze. Done.
Tip: Swap the choc for cocoa + maple syrup for a lighter version.

4) Watermelon-Lime Granita (No Dairy, No Churn, No Stress)

You’ll need:

• ½ watermelon (deseeded)
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1–2 tbsp sugar or honey

How to: Blend, freeze in a shallow tray, scrape with a fork every 30 mins till icy.

5) Cookies & Cream Blender Ice Cream

You’ll need:

• 1 litre vanilla ice cream, softened slightly (Recipe 1 or shop-bought if time is tight)
• 8–10 chocolate sandwich biscuits

How to: Blitz very quickly or just fold through crushed biscuits. Refreeze to firm.
Gluten-free: Use GF sandwich cookies.

6) Mango Lassi Fro-Yo Swirl

You’ll need:

• 2 ripe mangoes
• 300g Greek yoghurt
• 1–2 tbsp honey
• Pinch of cardamom (optional)

How to: Blend all ingredients together, pour into a tub, swirl extra mango purée through, freeze for 4 hours.

7) PB & Banana “Nice Cream” (Vegan)

You’ll need:

• 3 frozen bananas
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• Splash of oat/almond milk

How to: Blend all ingredients until creamy. Eat soft-serve style or freeze 1–2 hrs for firmer texture.

8) Coconut Chocolate Chip Dairy-Free Ice Cream

You’ll need:

• 400ml full-fat coconut milk
• 80g maple syrup
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• Dairy-free choc chips

How to: Whisk, chill, churn (or freeze + stir every 30 mins for 3 hrs).

9) Birthday Cake Funfetti Ice Cream

You’ll need:

• No-churn vanilla base (Recipe 1)
• ½ tsp almond extract
• Rainbow sprinkles
• Crushed sponge cake

How to: Fold the crushed sponge cake into the vanilla base, add the vanilla extract and freeze. Party = sorted.

10) Gluten-Free Brownie Fudge Swirl

You’ll need:

• No-churn vanilla base (Recipe 1)
• GF brownie chunks
• Chocolate fudge sauce

How to: Layer and ripple. Freeze. Scoop big.

Note: To ripple you simply drag a fork or skewer through your combined mixture to create a ripple effect pattern before freezing.

💡 Let kids pick the mix-ins — ownership = enthusiasm (and fewer “I don’t like it” moments).

🌱 Vegan, Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free? No Problem.

The rise of allergies and intolerances means flexibility is key. With some simple swaps, you can easily adapt the recipes listed above:

Dairy-free / Vegan:

• Use full-fat coconut milk, oat cream, or cashew cream in place of dairy.
• Try banana “nice cream” (Recipe 7) — cheap, fast, naturally sweet.
• Use plant-based yoghurt (coconut, almond, oat) for fro-yo recipes.

Gluten-free:

• Pick GF cookies, GF brownies, or swap biscuit chunks for nuts, cocoa nibs, or fruit ripples.

Lower sugar:

• Sweeten with fruit purées, dates, honey, or maple syrup (adjust for kids under 1).
• See our guide: Learn How To Make Ice Cream Without Added Sugar That Still Tastes Amazing

Turn Plain Vanilla into a Party – Toppings & Sundae Bars

A tub of vanilla + a tray of toppings = instant “best day ever”.

Homemade doesn’t have to end up being super expensive. Keep it simple with the following ideas:

Budget Topping Ideas

• Crushed biscuits/cornflakes/cereal
• Mini mallows, choc chips, sprinkles
• Fruit compotes, warm chocolate sauce, or honey
• Nuts, seeds, coconut flakes

👉🏽 For the full setup, check out our article – Sundae Funday — Your Guide To Creating a DIY Ice Cream Bar at Home

💡 A £2 tub of sprinkles + a few chopped biscuits = hours of “decorating” and very happy scoopers.

⛑️ Quick Kitchen Safety for Little Sous-Chefs

• Supervise blenders, stand mixers and hot syrup.
• Pre-portion sharp tools (e.g., knives for older kids only).
• Let little ones handle mixing, sprinkling, layering, decorating — all the fun bits!

📌 Related Reads

• School’s Out For Summer! Homemade Ice Cream Ideas For The Holidays
• Fun Ice Cream Recipes for Kids – Getting Children Involved in the Kitchen
• Summer Holidays Day 2: “Mum, I’m Bored!” – Fun Ice Cream Ideas For Kids
• What Equipment Do You Need To Make Homemade Ice Cream?

The Final Scoop

Homemade ice cream can be affordable, hands-on, and endlessly creative — the perfect holiday project for hot afternoons and restless little minds. From banana “nice cream” to rainbow funfetti scoops, there’s a recipe here for every taste, every diet, and every “can we make another one?” moment.

Now it’s your turn: pick a base, add the fun, and let the kids take the lead.
Tag us @FrostedFusions — we love seeing your freezer adventures!

We hope that you have enjoyed our article – 10 Easy Homemade Ice Cream Recipes For Kids (Cheap, Fun & Totally Customisable!) – and that we’ve inspired you to turn your kitchen into a scoop-happy summer lab for the kids. Whether you’re whipping up strawberry lollies or banana nice cream, these recipes are all about fun, flavour, and freezer-friendly family moments.

If you have any questions, please drop us a comment below, and we’ll be happy to get back to you.

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