Fried Ice Cream Recipe: 3 Tips for Making Fried Ice Cream

Fried ice cream is a dessert consisting of ice cream breaded in a layer of egg whites and crunchy cereal, deep-fried until crisp. The ice cream is fried quickly, resulting in a dessert that is simultaneously hot and cold.

Though the origins of fried ice cream are unknown, the dish is often associated with various street food styles worldwide. Chi-Chi’s, a Mexican restaurant chain, served the iconic dessert in the 1980s with a primary layer of cinnamon sugar, evoking the flavor of another beloved fried dessert, churros. Fried ice cream continues to be a popular Cinco de Mayo treat.

Fried ice cream doesn’t melt because the ice cream is frozen before being rolled in the outer bread layer, which helps insulate the interior from the heat. By sealing hard-set ice cream in a layer of whipped egg whites (or sponge cake batter), followed by an outer layer of crispy cereal, cookies, or tempura-style batter, the ice cream is adequately insulated for a quick fry in hot oil.

Timing is key when cooking the exterior to an even golden brown while keeping the ice cream center cold—each ball should take under a minute.

Fried ice cream can feature whatever you’d like—and you may not even need to deep-fry:

1. 1. Sweet and salty fried ice cream: For a bright, salty contrast to vanilla ice cream, roll the set ice cream in crushed potato chips.
2. 2. Tempura ice cream: Japanese-style tempura ice cream pairs sweet, creamy ice cream with a crackly, light as air rice flour batter. The ice cream is first wrapped in a thin layer of pound cake to form an adequate coating.
   
3. 3. “No-fry” fried ice cream: To mimic the textural contrast of fried ice cream’s crunchy outer coating without deep-frying, simply roll scoops of ice cream in the crushed cereal mixture, then chill it in the freezer to set before serving.

If it’s your first time attempting fried ice cream at home, consider these tips:

1. 1. Use a cupcake or muffin tin to set the ice cream. If you’re worried about the scooped ice cream losing its spherical shape before it sets, a muffin or cupcake tin lends a little extra support. Line the wells with plastic wrap for easy removal.
2. 2. Incorporate flavors into the outer coating. Flavor the cereal coating with cinnamon sugar or a handful of freeze-dried strawberries, or swap cereal for crushed cookies like ginger snaps.
3. 3. For extra crunch, add another layer of coating. If you have extra time, roll the coated ice cream in a second round of egg whites and cereal topping after it has had time to set in the freezer. Chill before frying.