If you’re looking for a fun way to keep the summer fun rolling, look no further than Fruity Pebbles Ice Cream. This easy, no-cook rainbow coloured cereal milk ice cream tastes like a sweet bowl of your favourite fruity flavour cereal in ice cream form.
And bonus: it doesn’t require sweetened condensed milk or wrestling with making a custard! This recipe is dedicated to my sweet Mama who always said, “It’s a party!” because this ice cream is definitely a party!
It doesn’t matter much which kind of ice cream maker you have, but this is a churn ice cream recipe, so you’ll need a maker of some sort. Whether you have a dedicated ice cream machine or stand mixer ice cream bowl this homemade fruity pebble ice cream is easy to make from a small handful of ingredients you can find at nearly any grocery store.
While our fruity cereal milk light ice cream not a complicated recipe, you’ll want to make a note that you do need to soak the cereal in milk for at least 2 hours (but preferably overnight) before making your ice cream. Be sure to plan ahead for optimum results.
You can cheat the system a little if you’re in a desperate hurry. I’ll share a couple tips on how to “speed infuse” your milk if you’re having a mega craving for your favorite cereals in ice cream form below.
Cereal Milk Ice Cream Recipe
My husband goes nuts for the sweet milk left at the end of a bowl of cereal. I’ve never been a big milk drinker, but I get the appeal. Whether you’re using unsweetened vanilla almond milk, whole milk, skim milk, coconut milk, oat milk, or whatever, there’s a chance that this is the best bit of the cereal eating experience for you, too.
Traditional ice creams use a homemade ice cream base that is custard-based. In these traditional versions, you simmer heavy cream and sugar together, temper eggs or egg yolks and whisk them in, and add whatever flavouring components you want.
They’re delicious, to be sure, and a quite a little bit of work. If you’re not paying careful attention, you may end up with scrambled eggs in your custard and that’s not so very enticing.
On the other hand, our fruity pebbles light ice cream is as easy as soak, strain, mix, churn. Aside from soaking the cereal in milk, you don’t have any wait time for custard to cool before you can churn it.
And while the best way to make this whimsical homemade ice cream is to soak the cereal in the milk in your refrigerator overnight, I do have a great way to cheat for my impatient friends. Blitz your milk and cereal together in a blender until it is whizzy-whirred into oblivion and stash in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
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When your half hour is elapsed, strain through a fine mesh sieve and press with a silicone or rubber spatula. Voila! It’s pretty darned close to the best results you get from a long soak.
Fruity Pebble Ice Cream
Let’s chat ingredients shall we? This fruity pebble ice cream is made with just a couple simple ingredients that are easy to source just about anywhere!
- Fruity Pebbles Cereal
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Whole Milk
- White Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Kosher Salt
Now I know I said “Fruity Pebbles” but feel free to sub in any generic brand of fruity rainbow cereal pieces like those made by Malt-o-Meal or store brands. Not a huge fan of fruity pebbles?
Do you prefer cocoa pebbles flavors? Feel free to sub in an equal amount of whatever your favourite sweetened cereal is whether it’s Cocoa Pebbles, Fruit Loops, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or Captain Crunch.
I do advise using whole milk and not using skim milk. Skim milk creates a finished product that has more ice crystals and whole milk yields a silkier end product.
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Dairy Free Cereal Milk Ice Cream
Can I make this into dairy-free cereal milk ice cream? I have the perfect way to convert this to a dairy-free recipe and it’s easy-peasy!
I’ve made this substituting coconut cream for the heavy cream and coconut milk for the whole milk. The dairy-free version is delicious and creamy just like the dairy-full one.
How to Make Fruity Pebbles Ice Cream
Now that we have your ingredients list sorted out, let’s talk equipment. You don’t need much, but here’s the complete list.
- Ice Cream Maker
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Whisk
- Fine Mesh Sieve
- Rubber or Silicone Spatula
- Dry Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Loaf Pan or Airtight Container
Whichever ice cream maker you have, you’ll be freezing this delightful dessert according to the manufacturer’s instructions, so please read up on the ones that came with your machine. I use this beast of a machine , and BOY do I love it, but it’s heavy and it’s pricey, and there are many other affordable options.
​If you use a machine that has a bowl that needs to be frozen thoroughly, please remember to do that! There wouldn’t be much sadder than having an ice cream base ready to go and no frozen bowl to churn it in!
The fine mesh sieve is pretty important to help strain your milk from your cereal, but you can get around it if you have a super clean tea towel or cheese cloth you can pour it through. If you use the cheesecloth, you’ll just need to twist it shut and squeeze it to get as much milk from the cereal as you can.
When your ice cream is churned, you can eat it soft serve texture or pack it into a loaf pan or other container to firm up in the freezer. If you do use a loaf pan, it’s good practice to lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream to prevent freezer burn.
Fruity Pebbles Ice Cream
Add 2 ½ cups of the fruity pebbles cereal to a container with a tight fitting lid. Pour the whole milk over the cereal.
Fix the lid on tightly, shake a couple of times, and stash in the refrigerator. Let the cereal soak in the milk for at least 2 hours, but preferably 24 hours.
Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the cereal mixture into it. Press firmly in the sieve with the back of a silicone spatulato extract as much milk as possible.
Pour the milk into a liquid 4-cup measure. If you have less than 1 ¼ cups, add enough whole milk to bring it up to that measurement. If you have extra, stash it in the refrigerator for another batch or drink it!
Whisk together your measured cereal milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and kosher salt until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Freeze according to your ice cream machine manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream is soft serve consistency, stir in the remaining fruity pebbles.
Serve this as a soft serve ice cream or pack into a loaf pan covered with plastic wrap or an airtight freezer safe container . Pop it into the freezer to firm up for a couple of hours. This ice cream is best eaten within 7-10 days of being made.
Serve on cones, in bowls with strawberry syrup, whipped cream, and extra fruity pebbles. Or make fruity pebbles ice cream sandwiches with sugar cookies.
Fruity Pebbles Ice Cream
Equipment
- 1 ice cream maker
- 1 liquid measuring cup
- 1 whisk
- 1 fine mesh sieve
- 1 Rubber or Silicone Spatula
- 1 Dry Measuring Cups and Spoons
- 1 Loaf Pan or Airtight Container
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups fruity pebbles cereal divided
- 2 cups whole milk plus more as needed
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
To Infuse the Cereal Milk
- Add 2 ½ cups of the fruity pebbles cereal to a container with a tight fitting lid. Pour the whole milk over the cereal.
- Fix the lid on tightly, shake a couple of times, and stash in the refrigerator. Let the cereal soak in the milk for at least 2 hours, but preferably 24 hours.
- Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the cereal mixture into it. Press firmly in the sieve with the back of a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to help extract as much milk as possible.
- Pour the milk into a liquid 4-cup measure. If you have less than 1 ¼ cups, add enough whole milk to bring it up to that measurement. If you have extra, stash it in the refrigerator for another batch or drink it!
To Make the Fruity Pebbles Ice Cream
- Whisk together your measured cereal milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and kosher salt until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Freeze according to your ice cream machine manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream is soft serve consistency, stir in the remaining fruity pebbles.
- You can serve this as a soft serve ice cream or pack into a loaf pan covered with plastic wrap or an airtight freezer safe container and pop into the freezer to firm up for a couple of hours. This ice cream is best eaten within 7-10 days of being made.
- Serve on cones, in bowls with strawberry syrup, whipped cream, and extra fruity pebbles, or make fruity pebbles ice cream sandwiches with sugar cookies.
