You don’t need an ice cream maker if you’ve got frozen fruit

These 3 quick frosty treats come together in any blender

Welcome back to Cool Beans where, if you haven’t noticed, we’re just a bit obsessed with our freezer. With summer temps hitting dangerous highs, I’m in a semipermanent ovens-off, no-cook state of mind. If I’m honest, all I want is ice cream. But I don’t have an ice cream maker, time to mess around with egg custard (did I mention I opened a bakery last week?), or any desire to drop $200 on a Ninja CREAMi, the TikTok-famous ice cream–making gadget that has taken over my feed. Luckily, I can scratch that icy dessert itch without any specialized equipment: All I need is a blender, some frozen fruit, and our BFF, the freezer. 

Making “ice cream” with frozen fruit is really no different than making a smoothie. Just dial down the liquid and double up on the fruit, and you’ll get a thicker, creamier consistency. You can deploy this hack with pretty much any frozen fruit, but these three quick recipes—what we like to call “recipinis”—are some of my go-to combos. All of them are way easier than making ice cream, but some do need a few hours to freeze. My advice: Make a batch early in the week for quick and easy cooling off all week long. 

Frozen Mango-Lime Lassi

This is a chill twist on a mango lassi, the refreshing Indian yogurt-based beverage. Any full-fat plant-based yogurt will do, but I love coconut yogurt for the added tang it gives and for how well it plays with sharp summer fruit. You can also sub the mango for an equal amount of any frozen fruit you fancy.

Credit: Gabriella Vigoreaux