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All the flavors of the classic Mexican Fried Ice Cream without the actual frying! Cold, creamy vanilla ice cream coated with a crisp cinnamon coating. Perfect individual desserts for summer! Top with fudge sauce and whipped cream for a fun treat the entire family will love.
Easy Mexican Fried Ice Cream. Having fried ice cream is a treat usually reserved for going out to eat at the local Mexican restaurants. Making authentic fried ice cream at home can be kind of messy. Which is where this easy to make NOT TRULY FRIED version comes in.
Looking for more Mexican dessert recipes? You’ll want to try our tres leches cake recipe, homemade churros, and sopapillas
Ingredients & substitutions
- Ice Cream: Use your favorite vanilla ice cream, substitute with another flavor if you prefer.
- Corn Flakes: Use any name brand of this type of cereal. Use a gluten free option as needed.
How to make Mexican Fried Ice Cream
- Scoop the ice cream and shape into a round ball. Place on a baking sheet or plate and put into the freezer for at least 3 hours.
- Crush the corn flakes, sprinkle with cinnamon. Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the corn flakes and saute for about 3 minutes or until the corn flakes are toasted.
- In a small bowl combine the white sugar and remaining cinnamon.
- Take the ice cream from the freezer, roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture, then coat with the toasted corn flakes. It’s easiest to set the ice cream down and press the crumbs into the ice cream.
- Top with hot fudge, whipped cream and cherry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes they can! I try to keep the ice cream balls frozen and coat with the toasted cereal just before serving. However, you can prepare them ahead of time and have them in the freezer. Just wait to add any toppings like chocolate sauce or whipped cream until you serve.
Yes! You can choose any flavor you would prefer. Just make sure you choose a flavor that will complement the cinnamon coating.
Recipe Tips
- Shape the ice cream into the ball form and then re-freeze for at least 3 hours.
- When handling the ice cream to put the coating on, wear plastic gloves, it will help prevent melting due to the heat from your hands
- Instead of rolling the ice cream in the crumb coating, it’s easier to set them in there and press the coating on using your hands.
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Easy Mexican Fried Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 4 large scoops ice cream
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Fried Topping
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 cups corn flakes crushed
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Toppings
- Whipped Cream
- Hot fudge sauce
- cherries
Instructions
- Scoop the ice cream and shape into a round ball. Place on a baking sheet or plate and put into the freezer for at least 3 hours.
- Crush the corn flakes, sprinkle with cinnamon. Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the corn flakes and saute for about 3 minutes or until the corn flakes are toasted.
- In a small bowl combine the white sugar and remaining cinnamon.
- Take the ice cream from the freezer, roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture, then coat with the toasted corn flakes. It's easiest to set the ice cream down and press the crumbs into the ice cream.
- Top with hot fudge, whipped cream and cherry.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe first published June 16, 2016. Updated June 5, 2020 and July 10, 2024.
Photography by KJandCompany.co
Made these for our Cinco de Mayo party and they were a hit with the whole family! So easy to put together and wicked good! Thank you!!
HI Can I prepare a few hours before party and freeze or will the corn flakes still get soggy in that time??
THANKS
Have you tried to make these ahead of time and store in the freezer?
I haven’t made the entire thing together and freeze it. The ice cream balls can be kept in the freezer until needed. Adding the topping doesn’t take too long. But I imagine they would keep. The topping might get soggy as it sits though.
This looks incredibly delicious. Yum!
That is the sweetest little hand that I have ever seen!
Thanks Vicki! I think so too 🙂
Made for Spanish daughter in law. They loved it. Will now make it for 30 for sons graduation from medical school. Great and easy.
Trust me you all, don’t pin it for later! I tried it and it was simple excellent.. Thanks Serene.
Hello there! Can these be popped back in the freezer after adding the corn flakes? Or do you think they’ll get soggy? I would like to make these for a dinner party but don’t want to spend too much time on them with my guests here. My mom used to make these when I was little, great recipe!
Hi Ashley! I know it’s a hassle having to prepare things at the last minute, but if you leave the cornflakes on in the freezer they do get soggy. You can prep everything else beforehand though. Have the ice cream in the ball shapes in the freezer and prep the cornflakes and have them set aside in a sealed container so when the time comes just give them a quick roll in the cornflakes and serve. It should only take a minute or so. Best of luck!
Thanks for the tip!
is the fried ice cream actully fried? if so i don’t see the process in the directions.
thanks paula
Hi Paula, this is an easy mexican fried ice cream that is not actually fried. I discuss the process and the steps in the actual post and the recipe reflects how to make it 🙂
Looks delish. I haven’t thought to try at home yet. I have to say though, way too many pop ups on the page!
Hi Mel, thanks for taking a moment to comment. As far as pop ups, I’m not sure what you mean? I only have one popup that shows on the page during your first visit if you stick around long enough, to sign up for an email. If you saw something else please let me know.
I noticed them too…mine were for “Command strips frome Home Depot” , & a few different ones from “mediavine” advertising for apple cider vinegar, airline tickets, weight watchers, xfinity cable, Vegas hotels, and Avnet technology… Hope that helps you, thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Crissy! The ads from MediaVine are how I get paid for running this little site 🙂 I try to keep the amount of ads limited to provide a clean looking site though. But any other pop ups that are showing up I definitely need to look into because they shouldn’t be there! Thanks so much for helping out. And I hope you enjoy the recipe!!
I used to make this at a Mexican restaurant that I worked at. Can’t wait to try it.