2-Ingredient Watermelon Ice Cream Is the Most Refreshing Treat You’ll Eat This Month

Nothing says summertime quite like watermelon. I always loved when my mom would buy one and slice it up for us when I was growing up. But now that I’m the one who has to do all the prep, buying a huge watermelon at the grocery store has limited appeal to me. 

Once I’m done chopping up just half of it, my fridge is full, and I know I won’t be able to eat the entire other half before it gets mushy. So when I saw this two-ingredient watermelon ice cream recipe on TikTok, I was intrigued. Not only would it keep the other half of the watermelon fresh, but it would also deliver a delicious, refreshing dessert. I had to try it myself.

Cut a whole watermelon in half and scoop out a circle in the middle of one half of it. Cover this half with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for at least 24 hours. Save the other half to use for something else. 

Once the watermelon is frozen, pour a small amount of milk into the hollow part. (I used coconut milk, but other recipes used heavy whipping cream.) Slowly scrape the sides and bottom of the circle in the watermelon with a spoon. As you scrape, mix the milk with the frozen watermelon. As the milk begins to combine with the watermelon and freeze, slowly add in a bit more milk. 

Continue this process until you have your desired amount of ice cream. Scoop it into a small bowl and enjoy immediately or chill in the freezer so it can set longer. 

This frozen treat was so refreshing. It truly is the perfect bite for a hot summer day. The texture is creamy, but slightly icy — somewhere in between sorbet and ice cream.

Watermelon isn’t the most flavorful ingredient, so whichever milk you choose will likely be the dominant flavor. I opted for coconut milk because I saw comments that the coconut flavor complemented the dessert better than heavy cream. I would definitely choose coconut if I were to make this again. Although I did see some videos where people added a dollop or two of sweetened condensed milk, and I have to say I might be tempted to add a touch next time. (We actually have a two-ingredient sherbet recipe that stars watermelon and sweetened condensed milk!)

The physical process of making this treat is also super fun. It reminds me of those big wheels of Parmesan cheese you see in fancy restaurants, where the servers stir pasta and sauce in them. Maybe this can be your big wow moment at a kids’ birthday party or even just a girls’ night? I would recommend wearing long sleeves while making this ice cream so that you can hold onto the side of the watermelon without it freezing your hands. You definitely need a good grip and a surface that you can spill on (I had my fair share of coconut milk splash out). 

• Make sure to hollow out the watermelon before freezing. I first put my watermelon in the freezer without hollowing it out, but luckily remembered within a couple of hours I needed to do this. I saw some videos of others who forgot, and it seemed very difficult to hollow out a hole when the fruit had frozen completely. 
• Pour the milk or cream in slowly. I added too much coconut milk in the hole at first and quickly learned I needed to pour some out. When you use too much force to scrape the frozen watermelon, it’s easy to lose your grip and make a mess. I would play it safe and add the liquid in slowly and incrementally. 

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: The Best Way to Eat Watermelon This Summer Requires Just 1 Extra Ingredient