Picked With Passion

Two Ingredient Watermelon Ice Cream is ready in under 10 minutes and all you need is some frozen watermelon and a food processor or blender.

When we were kids and spent long days at the beach in the summers, ice cream was always on the menu at the end of a long day. While I always opted for something creamy like vanilla or chocolate, I have distinct memories of my cousin always reaching for something fruit flavored and her absolute favorite was watermelon sherbet. This simple two ingredient watermelon ice cream recipe reminds me of that sherbet with the perfect punch of rich watermelon flavor and a creamy texture.

There are lots of versions of this two ingredient ice cream recipe and its really up to you to decide which one is your favorite and how healthy you want to be. The healthiest and lowest calorie option is reaching for plain or vanilla yogurt. You can use regular or Greek yogurt, but I find the regular yogurt works best since has a little more liquid and blends into the watermelon more. The next option is using canned coconut milk. You can opt for light or full fat depending on your diet and what you prefer. For Paleo diets, this is the best option. Finally for a more indulgent option, use sweetened canned condensed milk. This version will be the sweetest by far but also packs the most calories and sugar. For something in between, use a combination of any of the options. Personally I love using coconut milk with a couple of tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk.

Here are some things to keep in mind when making this Two Ingredient Watermelon Ice Cream:

• The best way to freeze the watermelon is to place it on parchment paper or foil on a baking sheet so that the watermelon doesn’t stick together. I find it takes about 3-4 hours for the pieces to freeze. Once they are frozen, you can move them to a Ziploc bag or tupperware until you are ready to use them.
• The ice cream can be made with yogurt, canned coconut milk, or sweetened condensed milk or any combination of the three. Each adds a unique flavor and all three options are delicious.
• If your watermelon isn’t sweet, you may find you have to add a little sweetener to the ice cream. You can use regular sugar, honey, or Stevia depending on your dietary needs. You could also use a frozen banana or strawberries if you want to keep things more natural.
• The texture of this ice cream is best either directly after blending or after 2-3 hours in the freezer. Anything longer and it becomes very hard and is more like a creamy watermelon granita or ice. To get it back to its creamy texture, just let it sit out for 30 minutes or so before serving.
• Unless you have a very high power food processor or blender, I wouldn’t recommend using more than 3-4 cups of frozen watermelon at a time. Otherwise it’s difficult to get all the watermelon pieces to blend.
• To get a real watermelon look, stir in some chocolate chips. They look just like watermelon seeds.

Looking for more healthy dessert recipes?

Here are some tools and products I used when making this recipe.

• When it comes to food processors, I absolutely love mine and have had it for years without a single problem. The blades stay nice and sharp and it works for everything including being an awesome slicer. I wasn’t sure about investing in a more expensive model but it has been worth every penny.
• If you plan on making a big batch and saving it in the freezer, I recommend buying these cute little ice cream tubs. They come in a few different colors and keep the ice cream from getting freezer burn.
• These also make delicious popsicles. Just use a simple homemade popsicle mold and pour the mixture inside the molds. Add some chocolate chips as well to make it look like watermelon seeds. This is especially great for kids!