If you're familiar with Cold Stone Creamery's Boo Batter Ice Cream, you'll love my version of the popular Halloween ice cream. Loaded with chocolate bars, cookies, and candy, it's like your loot bag exploded into a Halloween-worthy frozen treat! This copycat Boo Batter Ice Cream (no churn) is the perfect treat for celebrating Halloween.
The best part is that you can make it at home because you don't need an ice cream maker! This ice cream is especially popular during the Halloween season, and it makes a great dessert potluck dish and is ideal for a Halloween birthday or Halloween party. However, it's great for any time of year! This recipe inspired my no bake Halloween Party Cheesecake.
Jump to:
- How to make black ice cream
- 🥘 Ingredient Notes
- Alternative to Black Food Coloring
- 📖Variations & Substitutions
- 🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make Boo Batter Ice Cream
- Expert Recipe Tips
- 🌡️Storing
- 👪 Serving Size
- ❔ Recipe FAQs
- Didn't find the answer you're looking for?
- 🎃More Halloween Recipes
- 📋Boo Batter Ice Cream Recipe (no churn)
Halloween is all about indulging in candy and now it's about ice cream too. This Halloween Ice Cream is not only easy to make, it really fun and festive. Plus, it's never too cold for ice cream...
Kids will love this ice cream, and it is bound to conjure up all sorts of fun, childhood Halloween memories for adults!
Love no-churn ice cream? Give my other no churn ice cream recipes a try! Potato Ice Cream - Cookies N' Creamers No Churn Ice Cream, No Churn Butterbeer Ice Cream, Butter tart ice cream (no churn), Saskatoon Berry Ice Cream (no churn), and my Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
How to make black ice cream
Black ice cream became a huge trend a few years back. Although it's often made with activated charcoal, not black food coloring, as I use. However, since activated charcoal is a little harder to come by and has a mild flavor of its own, I opted for black food coloring. The color of black ice cream is best achieved by using a super black food coloring. I use Americolor black food coloring (affiliate link).
🥘 Ingredient Notes
- Princess Cake and Cookie Emulsion (affiliate link). This emulsion tastes the best, but you could also use cake batter extract
- Super black food coloring (affiliate link). I use Americolor brand because you get the deepest color with no taste.
- Warning: If you use regular food coloring, you will need to use a lot to get it this color, and it could leave the ice cream with an aftertaste. However, you can buy both the regular and super black food/icing coloring at cake decorating supply stores, Michaels Arts & Crafts, or on Amazon, etc..
- Heavy whipping cream (heavy cream). Make sure your whipping cream is 35-36 % fat and well chilled
- Mini Kit Kats. You can use larger Kit Kats and chop them smaller or another type of wafer chocolate bar, if you prefer.
- Garnish: I use candy corn, Smarties, chopped up mini Kit Kats, candy eyes (affiliate link), and waffle cones
*Please see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities
Alternative to Black Food Coloring
I will warn you that because of the black food coloring, this ice cream may temporarily stain lips, tongues, and teeth. And if you're serving kids, it can get messy with stained hands and furniture, etc... For these reasons and others, not everyone wants to eat or serve black food coloring.
A great alternative is BLACK COCOA POWDER (Dutch cocoa) to get a dark, saturated black color. Start with 1 ½ tablespoon black cocoa and add more as needed.
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Add-ins- add in different candies and cookies, such as peanut butter cups and Halloween Oreos, or Halloween sprinkles
🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make Boo Batter Ice Cream
This Halloween ice cream is very easy to make!
- Step 1: Chill a medium bowl and beaters (from an electric mixer) in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Combine the sweetened condensed milk, melted butter, black food coloring, cake and cookie emulsion or cake batter extract, and salt into a separate large bowl and whisk together. * You may need to add a little more black food coloring to get the color you want. But remember it darkens when it freezes and you want to use only as much as needed (see NOTES)
- Step 2: Chop the Kit Kat Bars in about ½ inch pieces.
- Step 3: Crush (or chop) the Oreo cookies (I put them in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin).
- Step 4: Add the crushed Oreos, chopped Kit Kats, and about 2 tablespoons of smarties to the black mixture.
- Step 5: Whip the whipped cream to stiff peaks in the chilled bowl. Gently fold the whipping cream into the black condensed milk mixture.
- Step 6: Transfer the ice cream into a container you can freeze (I use a loaf pan). Garnish with additional pieces of Kit Kat chocolate bars, candy corn, candy eyes, and smarties. Cover tightly and freeze for several hours until solid (8 hours or overnight).* I put the loaf pan in a large container.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Chill everything well - For the best whipped cream volume, make sure your bowl, beaters, and cream are very cold before whipping. This helps the cream whip faster and hold its shape.
- Go easy on the food coloring - Start with a small amount of black food coloring and add gradually. The color will darken as the ice cream freezes, so it's better to under-color than overdo it.
- Don't overmix the whipped cream - Gently fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture to keep it airy and creamy. Overmixing can deflate it, making the ice cream denser.
- Use fresh candy for garnish - Add extra candy or cookie pieces just before serving so they stay crunchy instead of softening in the freezer.
- Line your pan for easy removal - If you want to lift the whole block of ice cream out for slicing, line the loaf pan with parchment or plastic wrap before freezing.
- Serve at the right moment - No-churn ice cream melts faster than churned or store-bought versions. Scoop and serve right after taking it out of the freezer.
- Customize with candy themes - Swap in seasonal candy (Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day) to make this recipe fun for holidays beyond Halloween.
Just like Cold Stone's Boo Batter, this cake batter ice cream is deceiving. Because it's black, you may be expecting it to taste like licorice or similar. But boo batter ice cream actually tastes like cake batter!
I use both a cake batter extract and cake batter Oreo cookies in the mix. And if you like cake batter flavor, be sure to try my Birthday Cake Batter and Ice Cream Crepes and my No Bake Birthday Cake Cheesecake (with Oreo crust)!
🌡️Storing
Freezing: Store this ice cream in the freezer, covered in plastic wrap.I use Glad Press N' Seal (affiliate link). * I like the Glad Press N' Seal because it's heavier than Saran Wrap and really seals (unlike regular Saran Wrap in the freezer), keeping food fresh with a leakproof, airtight seal. Be sure to serve immediately before it melts!
Serving: No churn ice cream is quick and easy to make. But be warned, they tend to melt faster than your typical store-bought ice cream or ice cream made with an actual ice cream maker. Be sure to serve immediately before it melts!
👪 Serving Size
This spooky ice cream recipe makes 8 servings (1 cup each).
So if you're looking for Halloween ice cream or something a little different this Halloween (or looking to use up some leftover candy) then you'll love this Boo Batter No Churn Ice Cream!
❔ Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. Regular Oreos (or even double-stuffed ones) will work just as well, but you may lose a bit of that extra cake batter flavor. You can balance this by adding an extra ½ teaspoon of cake batter extract or vanilla.
If the ice cream is very firm, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before scooping. You can also store it in a shallow container so it freezes more evenly.
Yes! You can prepare it up to a week in advance. Just keep it tightly covered in the freezer so it doesn't absorb freezer odors or get icy. Add any extra candy garnishes right before serving for the best texture.
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And if you like candy-themed Halloween treats, check out my Halloween Jack o'lantern Bucket Cupcakes!
🎃More Halloween Recipes
So if you're looking for a fun and unique Halloween Dessert, give this copycat Boo Batter ice cream a try!
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📋Boo Batter Ice Cream Recipe (no churn)
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Princess Cake and Cookie Emulsion * or cake batter extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 14 oz. - can of sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ¾ tablespoon super black food coloring * I use Americolor brand
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (heavy cream) well chilled
- 4 chopped up mini kit kats
- 8 chopped/crushed cake batter Oreo cookies
Garnish
- candy corn
- smarties
- broken pieces of mini Kit Kat chocolate bars
- candy eyes
- waffle cones - optional
Instructions
- Chill a medium bowl and beaters (from electric mixer) in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
- Combine the sweetened condensed milk, melted butter, black food coloring, cake and cookie emulsion or cake batter extract, and salt into a separate large bowl and whisk together. * You may need to add a little more black food coloring to get the color you want. But remember, it darkens when it freezes , and you want to use only as much as needed.1 teaspoon Princess Cake and Cookie Emulsion, 14 oz. - can of sweetened condensed milk, 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, ¾ tablespoon super black food coloring, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Chop the Kit Kat Bars in about ½ inch pieces.4 chopped up mini kit kats
- Crush (or chop) the Oreo cookies (I put them in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin).8 chopped/crushed cake batter Oreo cookies
- Add the crushed Oreos, chopped Kit Kats and about 2 tablespoon of smarties to the black mixture.smarties
- Whip the whipped cream to stiff peaks in the chilled bowl.2 cups heavy whipping cream (heavy cream)
- Gently fold in the whipping cream into the black condensed milk mixture.
- Transfer the ice cream into a container you can freeze (I use a loaf pan). Garnish with additional pieces of Kit Kat chocolate bars, candy corn, candy eyes, and smarties.candy corn, broken pieces of mini Kit Kat chocolate bars, candy eyes, waffle cones - optional
- Cover tightly and freeze for several hours until solid (8 hours or overnight).* I put the loaf pan in a large container.
Notes
- Chill everything well - For the best whipped cream volume, make sure your bowl, beaters, and cream are very cold before whipping. This helps the cream whip faster and hold its shape.
- Go easy on the food coloring - Start with a small amount of black food coloring and add gradually. The color will darken as the ice cream freezes, so it's better to under-color than overdo it.
- Don't overmix the whipped cream - Gently fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture to keep it airy and creamy. Overmixing can deflate it, making the ice cream denser.
- Use fresh candy for garnish - Add extra candy or cookie pieces just before serving so they stay crunchy instead of softening in the freezer.
- Line your pan for easy removal - If you want to lift the whole block of ice cream out for slicing, line the loaf pan with parchment or plastic wrap before freezing.
- Serve at the right moment - No-churn ice cream melts faster than churned or store-bought versions. Scoop and serve right after taking it out of the freezer.
- Customize with candy themes - Swap in seasonal candy (Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day) to make this recipe fun for holidays beyond Halloween.
Terri Gilson
This Boo Batter Ice Cream is such a fun Halloween treat! I love that it's a no-churn recipe, making it easy to whip up at home. The mix of chocolate bars, cookies, and candy gives it that perfect loot bag flavor. It's a Halloween tradition in our house!