This white rabbit ice cream is based on the nostalgic Chinese candy. It's an easy-to-make no-churn ice cream that's creamy, milky, and delicious!
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White rabbit ice cream has been a trendy new ice cream and ice cream bar flavour in recent years. It's understandably popular and exciting for all those who grew up eating white rabbit candy as it's so nostalgic and fun to eat. I knew I had to make a homemade version of this frozen treat eventually.
This white rabbit ice cream uses actual white rabbit candy for the milky flavour. It's a more subtle version of the sweet candies while being refreshing and delicious. It's creamy as ice cream should be despite being made without an ice cream maker.
This is the perfect, simple ice cream to make whether you're a fan of white rabbit candy or not!
What is white rabbit candy?
White rabbit candy is a popular classic Chinese candy that is a nostalgic childhood sweet in many Asian households. It's particularly popular around Chinese New Year when people purchase them for family and visitors during the holiday.
White rabbit candy is a hard and slightly chewy milk-based candy that tastes like milk, vanilla, and caramelized condensed milk. Inside its iconic blue, red, and white outer wrapper, it's known for being wrapped in a piece of edible wafer paper that melts in your mouth.
Why you'll love this recipe
- This is a no-churn ice cream! No ice cream maker needed.
- This ice cream has a creamy and soft texture.
- It tastes milky with subtle vanilla and condensed milk flavours - so simple and delicious!
- It's really easy to make and you only need a few ingredients with substitutions and omissions if you don't have certain ingredients.
Tools you'll need
- Electric hand mixer - I always use myย Kitchenaid hand mixerย with a whisk attachment for whipping cream quickly and effortlessly. You can always whip cream with a regular whisk by hand but it will just take longer and it'll give you an arm workout.
- Loaf pan - You can use any container to hold this ice cream while it freezes but a loaf pan is the perfect size and shape for it. You can obviously use any other freezer-safe container like a large Tupperware container or several pint-sized cups.
Ingredients
- White rabbit candy - You can usually find white rabbit candy at Asian grocery stores. You'll about 40-50 candies depending on the amount of flavour and sweetness that you want in your ice cream. You can also substitute this with a can of condensed milk for the same flavour if you don't want to use actual white rabbit candy.
- Milk - Use any dairy or non-dairy milk you'd like. It doesn't matter what kind you use here.
- Heavy cream - Heavy cream has a fat content of about 36% which makes a creamier ice cream without churning that's easier to scoop. You can also use whipping cream with a lower fat content for a lighter taste but it will just be a bit harder to scoop.
- Milk powder - This adds more milky flavour to enhance the white rabbit taste without using more liquid milk. It's optional but a nice addition to this ice cream!
- Vanilla extract
How to make white rabbit ice cream
Melt white rabbit candies - In a small pot, heat white rabbit candy and milk on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the candies are all melted. You can also microwave it at 30-second intervals until melted. Remove from the heat or transfer it to a small bowl to cool completely.
Whip cream - In a large mixing bowl, add heavy cream, milk powder, and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to beat until it becomes stiff peaks.
Fold together - Slowly pour the cooled melted white rabbit mixture into the whipped cream and fold together with a spatula until no streaks remain.
Freeze - Pour the mixture into a loaf pan or freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Scoop - When serving, leave the ice cream out at room temperature for about 10 minutes and run an ice cream scooper under hot water before scooping.
Storage
Store this white rabbit ice cream in the fridge in an airtight container or covered well with plastic wrap for up to 2 weeks.
Since homemade ice cream doesn't contain preservatives and stabilizers like store-bought ice cream, it doesn't last for a long time even though it's frozen. It will still be good past 1-2 weeks but it'll start to dry out or become icy the longer it's frozen.
Tips & tricks
- Use condensed milk instead of white rabbit candies. If you don't have white rabbit candy available to you, you can still achieve a similar taste by using condensed milk. White rabbit candy is known for its milky, slightly caramelized flavour that's similar to the taste of condensed milk.
- Whip the cream to stiff peaks. You want to whip plenty of tiny air bubbles into the cream to mimic churned ice cream. When the cream is whipped properly and sufficiently, the ice cream will be creamy and soft.
- Cover the container or use an airtight container. Homemade ice cream can dry out quickly in the freezer resulting in ice crystals and hardness. Make sure it's wrapped or covered whenever it's in the freezer.
- Use a popsicle mold for ice cream bars. Freeze them overnight to make sure they're solid throughout and run the outside of the popsicle mold under hot water to release them.
Frequently asked questions
White rabbit ice cream tastes milky and vanilla-y and slightly caramelized flavour like the candy.
Churned ice cream is made in an ice cream maker that continuously churns the ice cream as it's freezing to incorporate air into it. Churning prevents the formation of ice crystals for soft and airy ice cream. No-churn ice cream is whipped before freezing and then frozen without any additional churning as it freezes. It also does not contain eggs to make a custard base as churned ice creams usually do.
No-churn ice cream works because it uses cream with a high fat content and a high sugar sweetener like condensed milk. It's then whipped for freezing to incorporate lots of air into it to mimic the same thing that an ice cream machine does. All of these things prevent the formation of ice crystals during the freeing process.
More ice cream recipes to try
- Matcha Ice Cream (No-Churn)
- Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
- No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream with Chocolate Chunks
- Mini Egg Ice Cream
- Chai Spiced Ice Cream Parfait
Recipe
White Rabbit Ice Cream
Equipment
- 1 loaf tin
Ingredientsย ย
- 40-50 pieces white rabbit candy
- 100 g milk
- 600 g heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon milk powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructionsย
- In a small pot, heat white rabbit candy and milk on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the candies are all melted. You can also microwave it at 30 second intervals until melted. Remove from the heat or transfer it to a small bowl to cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl, add heavy cream, milk powder, and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to beat until it becomes stiff peaks.
- Slowly pour the cooled melted white rabbit mixture into the whipped cream and fold together with a spatula until no streaks remain.
- Pour the mixture into a loaf pan or freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- When serving, leave the ice cream out at room temperature for about 10 minutes and run an ice cream scooper under hot water before scooping.
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