No-Fry Fried Ice Cream

No fry fried ice cream recipe shows you how to make fried ice cream with a crispy coating without frying it! This simple five-ingredient recipe makes an easy dessert.

I’ve never met a Mexican or Tex-Mex dessert that I didn’t like. When I worked at a Mexican restaurant in college, I fell in love with the desserts. They had flan, buñuelos, and fried ice cream, and I liked them all.

As great as that fried ice cream was, frying foods can be messy and time-consuming. This easy no-fry version gives you a scoop of ice cream with a sweet, crisp coating without all of the work and mess that goes along with frying.

How to make no fry fried ice cream

Six scoops of vanilla ice cream in a muffin pan.

Step 1: Place scoops of ice cream on a tray or in a muffin tin. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and freeze until solid, about 1 hour.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 350 F.

Crushed cornflakes, sugar, and cinnamon on a sheet pan.

Step 3: Toss corn flakes, sugar, and cinnamon together on a small rimmed baking sheet.

Step 4: Drizzle with butter, and toss to combine.

Baked cornflake mixture on a rimmed baking sheet.

Step 5: Bake corn flake mixture until toasted, about 4-5 minutes. Let corn flake mixture cool completely.

Step 6: Roll each scoop of ice cream in corn flake mixture until well-coated.

Six scoops of vanilla ice cream coated with cornflake mixture in a muffin tin.

Step 7: Re-freeze scoops for at least 2 hours, or until frozen solid. Can serve topped with a drizzle of honey, chocolate sauce, or whipped cream.

No-Fry Fried Ice Cream on a white dish next to a blue spoon and blue cup

Recipe FAQs

How is this different than fried ice cream?

The no-fry version is largely made the same way as the fried restaurant version. The biggest difference is the way that the outside coating is crisped up. With the fried version, the ice cream is briefly dipped in hot oat to fry the coating. With this version, the coating is crisped in the oven so there’s no need to fry it.

Can I use a different flavor of ice cream?

Absolutely! Feel free to use another flavor of ice cream – like cinnamon or caramel – if you prefer.

A scoop of no fry fried ice cream on a white plate.

Topping suggestions

The fried ice cream is delicious as-is, but it’s fun to top it with a drizzle of honey, dulce de leche or caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, and a bit of whipped cream and a cherry on top.

Storage

After step 9, the ice cream balls can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for about 1 month.

More dessert recipes!

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5 from 12 votes