If you love pavlova but don’t love turning the oven on in the middle of summer, then this recipe is for you. This Pavlova Ice Cream takes all the best bits of an Aussie classic, from crisp meringue to sweet berries and lashings of passionfruit, and reimagines them as an ice cream flavour that everyone is sure to love. It’s basically pavlova in ice cream form! And the best part? No ice cream machine is required!
It’s made with a super simple no churn ice cream base – just whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk. If you’ve been here for a while, you know how much I love this method. I’ve made like a dozen variations! I actually sold my ice cream machine after it sat unused in my cupboard for literally years. I don’t think I could go back to making regular ice cream now.
The creamy ice cream mixture is layered with a quick homemade berry compote, fresh passionfruit and finished with smashed meringue pieces for crunch. The best part is all the different textures. In one scoop you might get a nice juicy blueberry swirled through the compote and in the next a big bit of crisp meringue. It’s also a great way to use up any leftover meringues from Christmas, plus any berries lurking in the fridge or freezer.
This is the kind of dessert that looks impressive but is actually very low effort. You don’t need any special equipment (although a hand mixer makes whipping the cream much easier). You can make it ahead of time, and it’s incredibly forgiving. Think of it as a flexible formula rather than a rigid recipe. It’s still gonna be great if you add extra fruit or meringue.
What’s in this Pavlova Ice Cream?
No churn ice cream base – The base is as simple as it gets! Thickened cream whipped to soft peaks, then folded through sweetened condensed milk with a little vanilla. This combination freezes beautifully without churning, giving you a creamy ice cream that doesn’t turn icy.
Berry compote – I like to make a quick compote with mixed berries and a little sugar. I have made this with both fresh and frozen berries in the past and both work great. Cooking the berries briefly concentrates the flavour and thickens it into a sauce to ripple through the ice cream. Make sure to let it cool before you add it into the ice cream. I wanted nice big swirls of compote so I just drizzled it in with a spoon instead of marbling it through with a chopstick.
Passionfruit – You can use either fresh passionfruit or canned if they aren’t in season. You could also substitute passionfruit curd, lemon curd or even mango curd if you like. You could also easily leave it out if you’re not a big fan! As I mentioned above, this recipe is very flexible.
Meringue pieces – Adds texture and that iconic pavlova flavour. Store bought is absolutely fine here, in fact that’s what I used. Smash them up gently so you have some small pieces and some bigger chunks. This helps to get a nice variety of texture throughout.
Once all the components are ready, it’s simply a matter of layering. Spoon one third of the ice cream base into a loaf tin or freezer-safe container, spoon in the berry compote, dollop in the passionfruit, scatter over meringue pieces, and repeat. Freeze until firm, then scoop and serve! I like to add some extra passionfruit on top before serving. The colours just make it look so pretty!
This Pavlova Ice Cream is perfect on its own, but you can absolutely dress it up if you’re serving it to guests. Turn it into a sundae with a few fresh berries, a drizzle of extra compote or even some whipped cream.
There’s something so nostalgic about this classic flavour. I had the biggest grin on my face as I ate my ice cream cone. This flavour just transported me right back to the summer holidays of my childhood. If you want an easy summer dessert that feels special without the fuss, make room in your freezer for this No Churn Pavlova Ice Cream!
Related Post: White Chocolate and Passionfruit Ice Cream Pie
Pavlova Ice Cream Smash
An easy no churn pavlova ice cream layered with berry compote, passionfruit and meringue pieces. No ice cream machine needed!
Ingredients
Berry Compote
- 1 1/2 cup mixed berries, fresh or frozen
- 3 tablespoons raw sugar
No Churn Ice Cream
- 600 ml thickened cream (or pouring cream)
- 400 ml can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- Store bought mini meringues or pavlova nests, crushed
- 4 passionfruit, pulp
Instructions
First make the berry compote by placing the mixed berries and raw sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Stir gently for 5-10 minutes, until the berries release some of their juices, soften and form a chunky sauce. Allow to cool.
To make the ice cream, whip cream to soft peaks in a large bowl. Fold the condensed milk and vanilla into the whipped cream gently until fully combined.
In a freezer safe loaf tin or container, add one third of ice cream mixture. Add dollops of the berry compote, passionfruit pulp and crushed meringues. Repeat 2 more times.
Freeze overnight. When ready to serve, add extra passionfruit, berries and crushed meringues to the top.