Decadent Turtle Ice Cream (Easy No Churn Recipe) (2024)

Homemade turtle ice cream is a delightfully decadent treat that you don’t even need an ice cream machine for!

You’re going to love this no-churn turtle ice cream recipe, complete with plenty of pecans, chocolate, and caramel!

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I used to love getting boxes of candy around Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

I would always immediately look for the pieces of candy that had nuts in them, with turtle candies being my favorite.

There’s just something about the combination of pecans, creamy caramel, and chocolate that seem to be a match made in heaven!

I had mostly forgotten about turtles until a recent trip to Savannah, Georgia, where I tried “gophers” from the Savannah Candy Company. They’re similar to turtles, with gooey caramel, toasted pecans, and chocolate flavor.

They reignited my love for the decadent combo, so I knew I had to try replicating the flavor–but in ice cream form!

If you’ve ever had Turtle Tracks ice cream, you know what a treat it is. But why not make your own version at home?

With this easy no-churnturtle ice creamrecipe, you don’t even need an ice cream maker!

​No-Churn Turtle Ice Cream

If you ask me, the best homemade ice creams should be easy to make, and that’s the case with this one!

There are no hard-to-find ingredients, no difficult step-by-step processes to follow.

You don’t have to heat cream and milk on the stove, temper in egg yolks, or anything crazy like that. And there’s no ice cream machine involved, so there’s no need to churn.

We use heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract to create a delightfully creamy vanilla ice cream.

Then we add crunchy pecans and chocolate chunks to the homemade vanilla ice cream base, and finish it off with caramel swirls and chocolate sauce.

Merciful heavens, it’s a delightful treat!

More Fantastic No-Churn Ice Cream Recipes You’ll Love:

• Mississippi Mud Ice Cream
• Chocolate Marshmallow Ice Cream
• Black Forest Ice Cream
• Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream
• Cotton Candy Ice Cream

How to Make Homemade Turtle Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Machine

It’s easier than you think to whip up homemade ice cream that’s sure to impress your family and friends!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• Heavy whipping cream
• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Vanilla Extract
• Pecans
• Chocolate chunks
• Chocolate sauce
• Caramel sauce

How to Make it:

(Full printable recipe card is available below)

Whip the cream.Add the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or to a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer).

Whip the cream on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Finish the base.Use a rubber spatula to fold in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract until well-combined.

Add mix-ins. Next, add in the pecans and chocolate chunks, folding gently to incorporate.

Layer.Add half of the ice cream base to an ice cream container or loaf pan. Then add half of the chocolate sauce and half of the caramel sauce on top of the ice cream.

Use a knife to swirl the sauces into the ice cream mixture.

Repeat the layers again with the rest of the ice cream, chocolate sauce, and remaining caramel sauce, swirling again.

Freeze.Cover the ice cream container with a lid or plastic wrap, then freeze for at least 8-10 hours (or overnight) before serving.

​Notes and Adaptations:

• I used store-bought caramel sauce and chocolate sauce to keep things simple.
• Feel free to choose whatever chocolate chunks you prefer–milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate. You can also use chocolate chips instead of chocolate chunks.
• Chop the pecans to whatever size you prefer in the ice cream.
• Feel free to garnish with chopped chocolate caramel turtles if you’d like.
• If you want chocolate turtle ice cream, you can add 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to the base when you’re adding the sweetened condensed milk.

Recommended Equipment:

• Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer
• Ice cream container – I like this insulated container for transporting ice cream, or these containers for easy storage. You can also use a 9×5″ loaf pan.
• Ice cream scoop – My two favorites are this scoop and this more traditional variety.

Be sure to save this recipe to your ice cream board on Pinterest!