No Churn Mango Ice Cream

No ice cream machine? No problem! This Alphonso mango no churn ice cream is creamy and vibrant, fit for summer. It is a seasonal treat but makes the wait worthwhile. Few ingredients and little effort is needed to make this cooling dessert.

If there was a childhood memory of food that is engraved in me till today it has to be Alphonso Mango Ice Cream from Naturals in Bombay. If you have tried it even once in your life you will know what I am talking about as it is one of those forget me not moments you will have. I remember growing up, school would get over by the end of March and holidays went on till June. This was summer and prime season for Alphonso Mangoes. Over the weekend mom would take us for a treat to Natural Ice Cream parlor and it was joy just to go there.

I recall entering the ice cream heaven like place and being greeted with the aroma of fresh waffle cones wafting through the air, servers holding out cups of ice cream filled to the brim and handling the ice cream scoop like a samurai handles a sword. The place was always packed with people. The best part of all this was the tasting, we could request a taster of each ice cream which would help those who were confused on what to get from the 20 odd flavors (I wasn’t one of those, I wanted the Alphonso mango ice cream in a waffle cone with two scoops. No toppings). The joy about tasting was not only free ice cream but trying out what’s in season as they only used natural ingredients in their ice cream, hence the name Naturals! So the Alphonso mango ice cream was seasonal, just like the custard apple and strawberry etc.

This recipe hits those nostalgic spots of Naturals for me and the best part is, you don’t need fancy ingredients or equipment to make it. The freezer does the job for you however the only thing you do need is patience, patience to let it chill. Its better to make it in the night so that when you go to sleep it freezes and when you wake up, you have ice cream! If you want to speed up the freezing process you can transfer the mixture into smaller bowls/containers and it will freeze faster. The average time it needs to freeze is 6 hours in your freezer, if your freezer isn’t cold enough it will take longer to set. You do need a whisk to whip up the cream and a blender to make the mango puree but other than that you don’t need any major equipment to bring this together. I like storing the ice cream in a metal tin (as it freezes faster) that is wrapped in cling film.

The ingredients are straightforward hence there aren’t many substitutions. If you don’t have alphonso mangoes you can use any mangoes you have but the sweetness will affect the overall flavor hence you might need to add some more condensed milk. Speaking of which, you need the condensed milk here as this helps the ice cream become creamy and not icy once frozen. I have used whipping cream here but you can use coconut cream or any dairy free whipping cream to make this ice cream as long as it whips up you are good. Which ever cream you use ensure not to over whip it as it will split and become grainy. I love added some pieces of fresh mango into the mixture but you can leave it out. There are many way to increase the flavor quotient, you can add a pinch of salt, vanilla extract, cardamom powder, tasted coconut, cashews, rose essence etc. I personally love adding a little vanilla and pinch of salt.

The joy of making your own ice cream especially if you have barely lifted a finger o make it is so fulfilling but to make an ice cream that blows your mind is not merely fulfilling but it becomes a part of your home, your life and very soon it becomes a tradition. Today, we make this ice cream during season at least 3-4 times before we run out of mangoes. I have also frozen the mango puree for 1 month and made the ice cream out of season. I personally wouldn’t recommend that as the our does loose a little color and flavor in the freezing process.

Once the ice cream has been made you can store it in the freezer for up to 1 month, making sure it is covered well. I doubt it would last that long though. You know, once you make this at home, eating any mango ice cream from outside will never be the same so eat it on your own accord. Happy mixing Ninjas!