Air Fryer Fried Ice Cream—wut? Yes, and it is so good. You have to try it!
It has the same delectable crunchy-creamy, over-the-top deliciousness of your favorite deep fried ice cream, but it’s made in the air fryer so it’s easier and healthier (well, okay, it’s still ice cream, but…)
Air Fryer Ice Cream is a fun dessert to make for and with kids, but let me tell you, even adults will get excited about this dessert. Try mentioning deep fried ice cream to just about anyone and I promise you will get a great response.
What is fried ice cream?
If you’ve never had it, it sounds impossible, right? But fried ice cream is A Thing, and it is delicious.
To make the classic version, scoops of ice cream are coated with egg white, rolled in crunchy cereal, and then dropped into hot oil, which fries up the cereal coating into a crispy crunchy shell.
You’d think the ice cream would melt into a soft, runny mess, right? But it doesn’t. Because the high heat of the oil cooks the coating quickly, the ice cream inside stays frozen. It’s like some kind of dessert miracle!
Ingredients you’ll need
You only need 4 ingredients to make this delicious air fryer ice cream dessert! Here’s what you need:
- Vanilla ice cream (or you can use Rocky Road Ice Cream, S’mores Ice Cream, Chocolate Chip Vanilla Ice Cream, or really any flavor you like! My favorite here is Pumpkin Ice Cream—the ultimate late summer, early fall treat!)
- Flour
- Egg whites
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal (or use corn flakes, frosted flakes, crushed biscuits, or crushed cookies)
How do you make fried ice cream in an air fryer?
Want to know how to make fried ice cream in an air fryer? You’re going to be pleasantly surprised because it is so easy. Here’s how:
- Scoop balls of ice cream and arrange them on a baking sheet.
- Stick the baking sheet in the freezer and let the ice cream re-freeze for about an hour.
- Coat each ice cream scoop in flour and then freeze for another hour.
- Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until they’re foamy, then dip or roll ice cream balls in the mixture to coat.
- Put the crushed cereal in a bowl and roll the ice cream balls in the crushed cereal. The egg whites will help the cereal stick.
- Return the coated ice cream balls to the freezer and freeze for 4 hours or overnight. You want them to really freeze hard.
- To cook, set the balls in an aluminum foil tray in the air fryer basket and air fry for just a couple of minutes. You’ll probably want to cook them in 2 batches.
- Dollop and drizzle with your desired toppings and serve immediately.
Air Fryer Fried Ice Cream recipe frequently asked questions
This air fryer fried ice cream recipe is delicious as is, but it does kind of beg for fun toppings like whipped cream, chocolate sauce, hot fudge sauce, caramel sauce, maraschino cherries, or any other favorite ice cream toppings.
You can’t go wrong with a classic like vanilla ice cream, but you can also get as creative as you like. Coffee ice cream or chocolate ice cream would be great. Or try more adventurous flavors like Pumpkin Ice Cream, chocolate peanut butter cup, chocolate chip, mocha fudge, strawberry, or butter brickle.
There are so many options for coating the ice cream balls! I have used Corn Flakes cereal, Rice Krispies or other puffed rice cereals, or Frosted Flakes. You can also use crushed cookies like chocolate wafers, vanilla wafer cookies, gingersnaps, graham crackers, or Biscoff biscuits.
More air fryer Desserts you’ll love
If you love making dessert in your air fryer, you’ll want to try these Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies and Air Fryer Caramelized Bananas.
Air Fryer Fried Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 48 ounce tub of vanilla ice cream
- ½ cup flour
- 3 large egg whites
- 3 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal crushed
Instructions
- Scoop out about 1 cup of ice cream per ball. Mold into a ball and place in a muffin tin. Place in freezer for 1 hour.
- Remove the ice cream balls from the freezer and coat each in the flour. Return to the freezer for 1 hour.
- Whisk the egg whites until they’re foamy.
- Roll each ball in the egg whites, then coat with the cereal. Place back into the freezer for 4 hours or overnight.
- Remove and set ball on an aluminum foil tray in the air fryer basket.
- Cook at 350°F for 2 minutes
- Serve immediately with desired toppings.
Air fryer ice cream – what is this wizardry? When I saw this I just HAD to try it and OMG it came out perfect!!!