Poor Man's Ice Cream Uses 3 Simple Ingredients And Starts With A Can Of Evaporated Milk

Despite the vast selection of store-bought brands, there's nothing like a batch of homemade ice cream. A vintage poor man's ice cream recipe — so named for its simple and affordable ingredients — calls for three basic kitchen staples, a convenient hand mixer, and just a touch of patience for letting your refrigerator and freezer work their magic. YouTube user B. Dylan Hollis demonstrates how all it takes is a can of evaporated milk, a dash of vanilla extract, and powdered sugar for this no-churn ice cream to come together.

Start with a pre-chilled glass bowl or similar and a single can of evaporated milk that you've chilled in the fridge overnight. To this, add 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract before whipping all the ingredients together using a hand mixer. This is the best method for homemade no-churn ice cream, but can also be adapted for use with a stand mixer to which you've affixed a whisk attachment.  

Let the mixture thicken before putting your bowl in the freezer to let it chill for at least one hour. It helps if you cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a suitable lid. After retrieving your bowl from the freezer, whip the mixture one final time and then replace it in the freezer to let it sit for between six and eight hours. From there, you can scoop your ice cream and enjoy it in a variety of delightful ways alongside other complementary ingredients.

Poor man's ice cream is one of the best ways to use canned evaporated milk. With this as your base, your sweet frozen treat is even easier to make and customize to your taste preferences. Consider all the extracts, sauces, fruits, candies, nuts, and other ingredients that would complement your batch. Crush up candy bars for an extra decadent version of poor man's ice cream or lean into seasonal fruit flavors.

For example, take inspiration from a 1924 Better Homes and Gardens recipe for homemade peach ice cream and adapt your poor man's ice cream to include fresh summer peaches. You can combine other ingredients such as bananas and peanut butter for a frozen dessert that's packed with potassium and protein. With no churning and a handful of accessible ingredients, this recipe is easy to enjoy all year long.

Use hearty scoops of your homemade poor man's ice cream in a fizzy root beer float or top it off with hot fudge and rainbow sprinkles. It would even make a perfect pairing atop a warm slice of apple pie for an unforgettable a la mode serving. Just be sure to check out B. Dylan Hollis on YouTube, explaining how to prepare a poor man's ice cream.