No-Churn Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream is a homemade frozen treat that's loaded with bits of maraschino cherries. It's easy to make, but it tastes like it comes from your favorite ice cream parlor!

I know I just posted a recipe for how to make no-churn ice cream last week, but my kids have this crazy plan to make a different flavor each week. Actually, it's not that crazy. I mean, I love the stuff, and homemade is definitely better than anything you can get from the store. So, we shall see.
We made s'mores flavor ice cream last time, so this time around, I persuaded the kids to try something a little simpler. Personally, I like vanilla. I know, boring, right? So, vanilla is about as basic as you can get, but you can always add your favorite mix-ins and toppings to dress it up and make it not so boring. And, I think that if you can make a good vanilla, you can make just about anything.
But, the kids wanted something slightly more exciting, so we settled on cherry vanilla. My younger ones adore maraschino cherries, so they were all for this one!
This is also one of my dad's favorite flavors, but it's hard to find around here. He's from Pittsburgh, and he used to always get cherry vanilla at a place called Isaly's. Since Father's Day is coming up, I thought it would be nice to try and re-create this flavor as a gift. Dad's can be difficult to shop for, but they almost never turn down their favorite foods!
I've never tasted the kind served at Isaly's, but I have had cherry vanilla before, and I was going off of that memory. I wanted the vanilla to stand out, so I added plenty of vanilla extract. I also wanted to make sure that there were plenty of cherries, so my daughter and I used an entire jar, and we took turns slicing them in half.
This can get messy, and you may end up with red fingers -- just saying. But it's all worth it in the end!
How to Make No-Churn Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream
Recipe
No-Churn Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 14- oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 ½ teaspoons organic vanilla extract
- 1 cup small jar maraschino cherries drained about 1
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream with a mixer until soft peaks form
- Place whipped cream in the refrigerator
- Blot the cherries on a towel, and cut in half
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk into another bowl, and stir in the vanilla extract
- Fold in the whipped cream
- Gently stir in the sliced cherries
- Pour the mixture into a shallow dish or narrow loaf pan, and place in freezer
- Freeze for about 4 to 6 hours or overnight
- Enjoy!
Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.
Nutrition
If you love ice cream as much as we do, try our Easy Homemade Oreo Ice Cream recipe. Or, try making this homemade Pumpkin Ice Cream in the fall.
This no-churn cherry vanilla was a huge hit with our family. It's smooth, creamy and has plenty of vanilla flavor. Plus, you get a burst of sweetness from the cherries with every bite -- yum. I can't wait to see what my dad thinks!
Janice Kurkiewicz says
I have a kitchen aid ice cream maker but it is really complicated to use and it calls for a lot of eggs to make. So, I bought another ice cream maker that doesn't require as many eggs, but it didn't come with a marischino cherry ice cream recipe and as I received a whole bunch of marischino cherries, (I couldn't get ahold of fresh ones), from Walmart, I was looking for a recipe that would take those kind of cherries. Imagine my pleasant surprise when not only did I find your recipe that not only used my kind of cherries, but also did not have to use an ice cream maker. Can't wait to try it out.
Dee says
So happy you found the recipe, Janice! Let me know how it goes. 🙂
missyb says
I'm going to make this tomorrow! It sounds really really good. Did I miss when to add the vanilla extract? Thanks!
Dee says
Whoops! You add it to the milk before you add the whipped cream. I just corrected that, so thanks! 🙂
Rebecca West says
My daughter would love this! We may try it ourselves this summer...Thanks for linking up with us at Welcome Home Wednesdays, can't wait to see what you have for us this week!
Dee says
Thanks for visiting, Rebecca. This is one of our favorites!
Abigail Cain says
wow I've never heard of anything like this. I will most certainly give it a try! 🙂
Dee says
It really is good, and the cherries give it a little extra sweetness. Let me know if you try it. 🙂
Cathy Trochelman says
Yum!!! Those cherries in there POP with color and I'm sure flavor, too!
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
This would be a big hit at my house too. Perfect for summer for sure!
Dee says
We go through so many frozen treats in the summer. 🙂
carrie @ frugal foodie mama says
We call this ice cream flavor White House Cherry around these parts- it is SO good! And I live about 2 hours south of Pittsburgh, so this is definitely a regional/local favorite. Looks perfect! 🙂
Dee says
Thanks! That's probably why it's so hard to find the flavor here in Phoenix! 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
This is my kind of ice cream - easy and delicious! I am a HUGE maraschino cherry fan so this is right up my alley 🙂
Dee says
Thanks, Trish. My kids enjoyed it so much that they finished it up today! 🙂
Jenn @ peas and crayons says
This would seriously be a dream come true for my cherry loving toddler! A must-try!
Dee says
Thanks, Jenn. My kiddos absolutely loved this!
Becky Hardin | The Cookie Rookie says
This sounds absolutely delightful
Dee says
Thanks! All of us really enjoyed it. 🙂
Krista says
Oh my goodness this looks like heaven! Love this!
Dee says
Thanks so much. I think this will be gone by tonight! 🙂