If you have a watermelon sitting in your kitchen right now, you NEED to try this.

I kept seeing watermelon ice cream online and when I realized you could make it with just TWO ingredients, obviously I had to see if it actually worked.

Spoiler: IT DOES. 😂

It’s cold, creamy, refreshing and ridiculously simple. And unlike traditional homemade ice cream, there’s no ice cream maker, complicated recipe or long list of ingredients.

You literally need a watermelon, some heavy cream and a little patience.

2-Ingredient Watermelon Ice Cream

Ingredients

• ½ seedless watermelon

• ½ cup heavy whipping cream, plus more if needed

That’s it!

How to Make Watermelon Ice Cream

1. Freeze your watermelon.Cut your watermelon in half. Cover the cut side and place the entire half in the freezer overnight, or until completely frozen.

2. Make a small hole in the center.Once frozen, scoop or cut out a small hole in the center of the watermelon.

Funny enough, mine had something called hollow heart, which means there was already a natural opening inside the watermelon. Hollow heart can happen while a watermelon is growing and the watermelon is generally still perfectly fine to eat as long as it looks, smells and tastes normal.

So apparently my watermelon knew what we were making. 😂

3. Add the cream.Pour about ½ cup of heavy whipping cream into the center.

Don't go crazy with the cream in the beginning. You can always add more, but you can't take it back out.

4. Start scraping!This is where the magic happens—and where you're going to need a little patience.

Using a spoon, begin scraping the frozen watermelon into the heavy cream.

Scrape. Mix. Scrape. Mix.

At first you're probably going to think, There is absolutely no way this is turning into ice cream.

Keep going.

As the frozen watermelon combines with the cream, it starts developing a creamy, almost sorbet-meets-ice-cream consistency.

If it seems too frozen or dry, add another small splash of heavy cream.

5. Grab a spoon and eat!

Once you've reached the consistency you like, that's it. Your watermelon half basically becomes its own giant ice cream bowl.

And yes, eating it directly out of a watermelon makes it approximately 47% more fun. 😂

What Does Watermelon Ice Cream Taste Like?

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one.

Watermelon has such a high water content that I thought it might end up icy instead of creamy. But adding the heavy cream gives it a much richer texture while still keeping that fresh watermelon flavor.

It's somewhere between watermelon sorbet and creamy homemade ice cream.

Super cold. Creamy. Refreshing. And honestly, way better than I expected.

A Few Tips Before You Make It

Make sure your watermelon is completely frozen. Overnight is easiest.

Start with about ½ cup of heavy cream and add more only if you need it.

And most importantly—be patient with the scraping. It takes a few minutes for everything to start coming together. Don't give up after the first 30 seconds!

For the best texture, I would also make this when you're ready to eat it rather than making it hours ahead of time and refreezing it.

Can You Make Watermelon Ice Cream Without Heavy Cream?

You can definitely experiment!

For a lighter or higher-protein spin, you could try adding a vanilla protein shake instead of heavy cream. Just keep in mind that the texture will likely be icier and less rich because heavy cream is what gives this version so much of its creamy texture.

Coconut cream could also be a fun dairy-free option.

The Perfect Easy Summer Dessert

This is exactly the kind of recipe I love.

It's simple.

It doesn't require a bunch of ingredients.

And it's FUN.

Whether you're making it for yourself, your family or letting the kids scrape their own watermelon half, this is one of those easy summer recipes that's just as much about the experience as it is the food.

So the next time you bring home a watermelon, cut that baby in half and make some room in your freezer.

You're making ice cream. 🍉🍦

Save This Recipe (and All Those Recipes You Find Online!)

If you're constantly finding recipes on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest and blogs and then thinking, Wait… where did I save that recipe?—this is exactly why I use ReciMe.

ReciMe lets you save recipes you find across social media and the internet in one place so you can actually find them again when you're ready to cook.

I use it ALL the time, especially because I'm constantly finding new recipes I want to try.

You can try ReciMe and use my code KATE to get a 2-week free trial:

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Save this Watermelon Ice Cream recipe while you're at it, because this is definitely one you'll want when summer rolls around again. 🍉