Fried Ice Cream Easy Dessert Recipe

Nothing tops off a meal at a Mexican restaurant better than a dish of Fried Ice Cream. It’s so satisfying to dig my spoon into the delicate crunchy outer shell to find smooth, cold ice cream in the middle. This homemade recipe combines two of my very favorite things into one: “fried” and “ice cream”. It takes a little time, but you will love the end product, and so will your loved ones! Trust me, it’s well worth the effort.

Ingredients in Fried Ice Cream

The flavors in this beautiful dessert are unlike anything I’ve ever tried before. Sweet, a hint of spice, and smooth ice cream. It’s incredible! Here’s what you need:

Vanilla ice cream – about three cups for this recipe. Make sure the ice cream is REALLY cold. You can also switch up the flavor of ice cream too! Try chocolate ice cream, butterscotch, Neapolitan, etc. Corn Flakes Cereal – You’ll need about three cups of crushed corn flakes. You could also try Cinnamon Toast Crunch, crushed up. Coconut flakes – two cups sweetened coconut added to the cornflakes mixture gives the shell an extra layer of texture that is so delicious. Ground Cinnamon – start with about four teaspoons, then add more to taste. Corn syrup – one and a half cups of LIGHT corn syrup works best for this recipe. Vegetable oil – You’ll use the hot oil to deep fry your ice cream. Chocolate sauce – optional, but SO yummy! Caramel sauce – for a real treat use chocolate AND caramel sauce together. Whipped cream – a little or a lot for garnish. Maraschino Cherry – can’t have ice cream without a cherry on top!

Extra Toppings

Add chopped pecans, crunchy almonds, sprinkles, extra coconut or extra chocolate sauce. I like to provide bowls of extra toppings for guests to decorate their dessert however they like.

Getting the Perfect Ice Cream Shape

Scoop out medium-sized scoops of ice cream, about one cup each in size. You’ll use your hands to roll into balls. The best way to do this is use gloves so your hands don’t get sticky (and cold!) Pop them in the freezer for at least eight hours but preferably longer, like overnight. If you’re under a time constraint and don’t have all day to make these, you can use a smaller ice cream scoop so they will freeze faster.

Crispy, Crunchy Shell

To get that beautiful, crispy outer shell takes a few steps and a little patience, but well worth it.

In a shallow bowl, combine corn flakes, coconut, ground cinnamon and mix together. Then separate into two equal portions. One portion goes into a Ziploc bag to use later. Using the shallow dish for the rest, roll the frozen ice cream bowls in the cereal mixture until they’re completely covered. Place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

Next, coat ice cream balls with corn syrup and roll in remaining mixture from the Ziploc bag. Repeat this process until the balls are completely covered. Freeze for another another hour or so. Heat oil in a large pot or deep fryer to 400 degrees. One at a time, lower the balls into the oil and fry until golden brown (about 30-45 seconds). Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Drizzle with chocolate and/or caramel and top whipped cream and a cherry. Repeat with the remaining ice cream balls. Serve immediately.