The idea for cereal-milk soft serve ice cream was conceived by American Christina Tosi, a James Beard award-winning pastry chef who was intrigued by the milk that infused her cereal. The milk’s incomparable sweetness (you must admit that nothing comes close!) brought back “sweet” memories of her childhood and the cereal and milk that went along with it.
She used it as an ingredient in panna cotta and other desserts, and then she got the notion that it would make a fabulous soft serve ice cream. She opened Milk Bar in New York City with cereal-milk soft serve, which became one of its signature items. The ice cream became a hit, an innovative dessert that appealed to the nostalgia in her patrons, who were also impressed by her use of varied cereal flavors.
The original recipe involved soaking toasted cornflakes in milk, straining them, and using the sweet milk as the base for the luxuriously rich ice cream. To top it off, there were also crushed, caramelized cornflakes to go with it.
Tosi then expanded her repertoire, offering packaged pints of ice cream and developing cereal-milk lattes and milkshakes. Even Ben & Jerry’s and Burger King copied her concept. What Tosi did was take a simple idea and turn it into a cult favorite and a modern culinary trend — pretty impressive!
Although cereal-milk soft serve isn’t a staple of Mexican desserts, La Michoacana’s ice cream shops (located throughout Mexico) feature cereal-inspired flavors like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and yogurts inspired by cereal flavors. If you search TikTok videos from Mexico, you’ll find originators making cereal-based ice creams using popular brands like Fruity Pebbles.
So, how do we make our own cereal-milk soft serve? It’s easy, and the recipe I’m including here is for a no-churn variety. I also took the liberty of making it Mexican, by adding Mexican products and spices, etc., which I think is far more tantalizing than the plain sweetness of simple, milk-infused cornflakes. Disfruta!
No-Churn Mexican cereal milk soft serve ice cream
For the cereal milk:
- 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (60 g) Frosted Flakes, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Choco Krispis, Fruity Pebbles, etc.
- 1 tsp. (2.6 g) ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. (4.9 ml) vanilla extract*
- * Mexican brands noted for intense flavor: Villa Vainilla; Vainilla Totonac’s; Molina Vainilla
- Pinch (0.36 g) cayenne pepper or chile en polvo
For the ice cream base:
- 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream (most frequently found in Mexico as crema para batir)
- 1 can (14 oz.) (397 g) sweetened condensed milk (leche condensada or lechera)
- Pinch (0.36 g) salt
For the toppings:
- Dulce de leche, caramel or butterscotch sauce, honey or maple syrup
- Crushed Maria (Galletas Marias) cookies or other sweet cookies
- Toasted coconut flakes
- Lime zest
- Fresh fruits like strawberries or mangos
Instructions:
Prepare the cereal milk:
- In a bowl, combine cereal, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and cayenne or chili powder.
- Let soak for about 30 minutes so that the milk absorbs all the spices and cereal flavors.
- Strain through a fine sieve. Press out as much liquid as possible.
- Discard the soggy cereal.
Whip the cream:
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand-held or stand mixer, whip the cream until soft peaks form.
- Gently fold the sweetened condensed milk and salt into the whipped cream.
- Gradually add milk and mix until fully incorporated.
- Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container.
- Cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper to prevent ice crystals.
- Freeze four hours for soft serve and 6 hours for firm ice cream.
Serve:
- Drizzle sauces/syrups over ice cream.
- Sprinkle crushed Maria cookies, pan dulce, fruits, toasted coconut flakes or lime zest on top.
Deborah McCoy is the one-time author of mainstream bridal-reference books who has turned her attention to food, particularly sweets, desserts and fruits. She is the founder of CakeChatter™ on FaceBook and X (Twitter), and the author of four baking books for “Dough Punchers” via CakeChatter (available @amazon.com). She is also the president of The American Academy of Wedding Professionals™ (aa-wp.com).
