Transport yourself to India with every single scoop! This stunning No Cook Indian Saffron Ice Cream is inspired by a real trip to India where I enjoyed a saffron and pistachio kulfi. Incredibly rich and creamy, it's infused with aromatic saffron and cardamom, studded with pistachios, and garnished with gorgeous edible rose petals. The best part? No cooking, no churning, and no ice cream maker needed!
This Indian Saffron Ice Cream recipe was inspired by a recent trip to India, where my husband and I were treated to a Saffron and Pistachio Kulfi (an Indian milk based no churn dessert).
Of course I absolutely had to try to recreate that dish when I returned home! Although this isn't technically kulfi, my No Cook Indian Saffron Ice Cream is absolutely delicious and super easy to make and is now one of my favorite desserts!
You've GOT TO TRY this unbelievably easy no churn no cook ice cream recipe for ice cream! No ice cream maker or ice cream machine is needed, all you need is your blender to make the best homemade ice cream ever!
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Why You Will LOVE This Ice Cream Recipe!
I promise that you will fall head over heels for this delicious Indian Saffron and Pistachio Ice Cream! Here are but a few of the reasons:
- This dessert is spectacularly delicious. Richly sweet, it has a distinct taste of cardamom and saffron. From your first taste to your last, you'll be treated to a beautiful culinary experience when enjoying your homemade saffron ice cream.
- It couldn't be simpler to make this easy homemade ice cream. No special equipment is needed to make this frozen dessert with a wonderful creamy texture, only your blender! The hardest part of making this no cook no churn recipe is waiting for it to freeze!
- It's supremely satisfying to make your own homemade ice cream, which is far superior to store-bought ice creams!
So let's take a few minutes to create some magic in your kitchen by making this Indian Saffron and Pistachio ice cream!
🥘 Ingredients
Good news! You'll be happy to know that you only need a few simple ingredients to make this Indian style no cook ice cream:
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Regular milk (use whole milk; nonfat or low fat milk is not recommended for this recipe)
- Heavy whipping cream
- Raw unsalted pistachios (both for your ice cream and for garnish) - pistachios are one of my favorite add-ins!
- Whole green cardamom pods
- Saffron
- Edible rose petals (optional and beautiful garnish for your dessert)
You should be able to get all of these ingredients (except for the rose petals) at a well stocked grocery store. I have also linked to Amazon for some of these ingredients if you would like to order from there.
🔪 Instructions
Heat up 5 tablespoon of the milk in a heatproof bowl in your microwave. Remove the pods from the whole cardamom and discard the pods. Add the cardamom seeds and the saffron to the hot milk, and allow to infuse for 15 minutes, during which time the mixture will cool down to room temperature. Once the mixture has cooled, you can strain the milk to remove the cardamom seeds and saffron threads if you want. I tend to leave them in!
Add the sweetened condensed milk, 5 tablespoon cold milk, and the pistachios to your blender. Blend for a bit until the pistachios are broken up and the mixture is well combined.
Once the 15 minutes has elapsed, add the cool saffron and cardamom infused milk to the sweetened condensed milk mixture, along with the heavy cream. Blend for a few seconds until well combined.
Pour into a container or ice cream canister that is suitable for freezing ice cream in your freezer, and place in your freezer overnight or for 6 hrs until the ice cream is perfectly set.
Your creamy ice cream is now ready to savor!
Suggestions For Serving
Do you agree that the hardest part of this recipe was waiting for your creamy no churn ice cream to set? Now that you've overcome that difficulty, it's time to enjoy your saffron ice cream!
I highly recommend adding edible rose petals and crushed pistachios to your frozen dessert to make it extra pretty and extra special. These ingredients elevate this dessert to divine status.
Also consider serving your frozen treat with a little bit of fresh fruit such as strawberries.
Enjoy your delicious homemade ice cream! I'm positive this will become one of your favorite ice cream recipes!
How long will it be before you make your second batch of this saffron ice cream?
You'll find a printable recipe card for this amazing ice cream at the bottom of the post!
FAQ
This saffron ice cream is not kulfi, although it is similar in that it doesn't contain egg yolks and they are both absolutely delicious! However, kulfi is much denser, doesn't melt as quickly as this ice cream, and has a different method of preparation.
This Indian saffron and pistachio ice cream is the beautiful end result of a no cook and no churn ice cream recipe. It's so incredibly easy to make!
There are a couple of things you can do to help prevent ice crystals on your ice cream. You'll want to freeze your ice cream in a container with a lid, and you can also place some plastic wrap on top of the ice cream surface prior to covering it with the lid.
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
Here are some other recipes that you may enjoy:
- Unique and Scrumptious Icelandic Rye Bread Ice Cream
- Delicious Hatch Green Chile Ice Cream
- Easy Carolina Reaper Chocolate Brownie Recipe
1,000 Foods To Eat Project
In conclusion, saffron is listed in the book 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, by Mimi Sheraton. I am working my way through the foods listed in this book. This is called my 1,000 Foods to Eat Project. Saffron is food #83 in my project! Please visit the 1,000 Foods To Eat Project page to see some other MUST TRY foods of the world that you may love to try!
Join Me On A Fun Food Journey!
I invite you to come along on this food journey with me! Please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food comfort zone! It's an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here.
Cheers!
Grace
Easy No Cook Indian Saffron Ice Cream Recipe
Equipment
- blender
- container suitable for freezing ice cream
Ingredients
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 10 tbsp whole milk split (5 tablespoon will be heated up, and 5 tablespoon will be cold)
- ⅔ cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup pistachios raw and unsalted
- 4 each green cardamoms pods removed (we will only use the seeds)
- pinch saffron
Optional For Decoration
- edible rose petals!
- crushed pistachios
Instructions
- Heat up 5 tablespoon of the milk in a heatproof bowl in your microwave. Remove the pods from the whole cardamom and discard the pods. Add the cardamom seeds and the saffron to the hot milk, and allow to infuse for 15 minutes, during which time the mixture will cool down. Once the mixture has cooled, you can strain the milk to remove the cardamom seeds and saffron threads if you want. I tend to leave them in!
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, 5 tablespoon cold milk, and the pistachios to your blender. Blend for a bit until the pistachios are broken up and the mixture is well combined.
- Once the 15 minutes has elapsed, add the cool saffron and cardamom infused milk to your blender, along with the heavy whipping cream. Blend for a few seconds until well combined.
- Pour into a container that is suitable for freezing ice cream in your freezer, and place in your freezer overnight or for 6 hrs until the ice cream is perfectly set.
- Add edible rose petals and crushed pistachios to your ice cream to make it extra pretty and extra special! Enjoy!
Grace
This ice cream is absolutely heavenly! Beware once you start on this you won't be able to stop! Super easy to make as well great recipe!