Easy No-Fried Ice Cream Balls with honey cinnamon drizzle are made with just five ingredients. Ice cream, crunchy cereal, butter, honey, and cinnamon turn into a decadent frozen dessert treat. It’s like Mexican-style fried ice cream, but without the frying, for a no-fuss dessert.
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- Type of recipe: Ice cream dessert
- Cooking method: Stovetop toasting cereal
- Skill level: Easy to medium with scooping and freezing
- Flavors & textures: Creamy and crunchy
I’ve made these ice cream balls for parties many times, but I really like to have them stashed in the freezer, so I can grab a single-serve dessert whenever I want.
If you’re going to serve these ice cream balls at a party, you can make them ahead and keep them in the freezer. I can tell you that they’re always a big hit with both kids and adults.
The Ice Cream Ball Basics
- Five simple ingredients – no long shopping list or fancy extras.
- Zero oven time – perfect for sweltering summer days.
- 10-minute prep – scoop, roll, freeze, done.
- Make-ahead friendly – stash the balls in the freezer for weeks.
- Serve anytime – grab one for a quick snack or drizzle honey for a party-ready dessert.
Craving more cool treats? Check out my Peach Blackberry Ice Cream for peak‑summer flavor, scoop up some Oreo Ice Cream Balls if you love cookies ’n’ cream, or enjoy a drink favorite in ice cream form with a scoop of Pumpkin Latte Ice Cream.
You need 5 ingredients
- Ice Cream – Choose your favorite flavor! I’m using French Vanilla
- Honey Bunches of Oats cereal – or a similar cereal
- Butter – The butter adds flavor and richness and holds the cereal flakes together
- Honey – Just to add some sweetness to the dessert
- Cinnamon – Because we all need some spice in our lives!
Step 1. The first step is to learn how to make round ice cream balls. Using the right scoop helps. The Zeroll Ice Cream Scoop has a heat-conducting core and the shape of the scoop makes the best round scoops, this works great on really hard ice cream.
You want to scoop about a third to a half cup of ice cream then put it in a muffin tin lined with paper liners, or silicone muffin cups, this way you can easily get the ice cream balls out of the tin. And, if it’s 100 degrees outside like today, work fast. Freeze the ice cream balls for an hour or until firm.
Step 2. While the ice cream is refreezing, make the crunchy topping.
- Put 4 cups of the cereal in a plastic zip top bag and crush with a rolling pin.
- Next melt the butter in a skillet, add the crushed cereal, and toast on medium heat stirring constantly for about 6-8 minutes. Transfer the toasted cereal to a pan or bowl to roll the ice cream balls in.
Recipe Tip – For an even crunchier “fried” finish, spread the cereal mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with two tablespoons of sugar and bake at 350 degrees for 4-5 minutes. Cool completely before rolling the ice cream balls.
- Why It Helps – The quick oven blast melts the sugar into the cereal crumbs, creating the classic caramelized crispness without the need for hot oil.
- Watch it like a hawk, after 3 minutes, the sugar goes from golden to scorched fast.
- If you’re using a sugary cereal (Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Frosted Flakes), you can skip the sugar.
Step 3. Remove the ice cream balls from the freezer and remove the paper liners. It’s easier if you do this one at a time. Roll the ball of ice cream in the cereal until it is nicely coated. Press the cereal into the ice cream to create a nice, thick coating. Quickly roll the coated ice cream ball between your palms to shape it into a nice, round ball.
Step 4. Place the coated ice cream balls back in the muffin tin, lined with clean paper liners. That’s it, now let the coated ice cream balls refreeze for several hours before serving.
Tip – Keep the muffin tin in the freezer, and as you roll each ice cream ball, put the coated ball directly in the freezer. This works like a charm. No melty ice cream balls.
Step 5. While the ice cream balls are refreezing, make the cinnamon honey mixture. Place the honey in a small bowl and sprinkle in the cinnamon, and stir until combined.
Step 6. When the ice cream balls are nice and firm, remove the paper liners and place them in your favorite bowls. Drizzle the honey cinnamon on top.
Dessert is meant to be shared with friends and family. These ice cream balls are not only fun to make but also just plain delicious.
Variations
- Instead of cereal, you can roll the ice cream balls in graham cracker crumbs or crushed shortbread cookies.
- Other cereals to try are crushed Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or Rice Krispies.
- Add an extra layer of flavor to the coating with spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, or nutmeg.
- Add toasted coconut or cacao nibs to the coating.
- Of course, any flavor of ice cream will work with this recipe.
- Instead of honey, drizzle the ice cream balls with melted chocolate, hot fudge, butterscotch, or caramel sauce.
- A dollop of whipped cream on top would be fabulous.
FAQs
There are many varieties of ice cream scoops. For this recipe, you’ll need about a third to half of a cup of ice cream. I use a 2-ounce scoop dipper for this recipe because it makes a nice round ice cream ball.
You can change up the cereal, but it’s best to use something that has flakes or a biscuit-type cereal that can be crushed into small pieces so they stick to the ice cream balls.
To keep the ice cream nice and cold while making the ice cream balls and rolling them in the cereal. Work in batches, making only a few at a time, and immediately return the ice cream balls to the freezer. So do two, put those in the freezer, do two more, and so on.
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Recipe
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No-Fried Mexican Ice Cream Balls
Ingredients
- ½ gallon Ice Cream your favorite flavor
- 4 cups Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal
- ⅓ cup Butter
- 1 cup Honey
- ¾ tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
Making Ice Cream Balls
- Prepare a 6 cup muffin pan with paper or silicone liners. This needs to go into your freezer so make sure you have room.
- Using a large ice cream scoop, make six ⅓ to ½-cup rounded scoops of ice cream and place in the lined muffin tin. Then immediately place in the freezer.
- Let the ice cream balls freeze for at least 30 minutes.
- Measure the cereal into a large plastic bag and lay it flat on the counter. Using a rolling pin, roll over the cereal to coarsely crush it to make smaller pieces.
- In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat then add the crushed cereal and toss to coat. Cook on medium heat for 6 – 8 minutes to lightly toast the cereal, stir constantly. Pour the toasted cereal into a deep bowl to cool.
- Mix the honey and ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
Coating The Ice Cream Balls
- One at a time, remove the ice cream balls from the liners and roll them in the cereal to evenly coat, pressing the cereal into the ice cream. Once the ball is coated you can quickly roll the ball in your hands to make it nice and round. Immediately return the ice cream back to the freezer and freeze until firm.
Serving Time
- Place the ice cream ball on a small serving plate and drizzle with the honey-cinnamon mixture.
Storage
- Store any uneaten ice cream in a freezer container and store in the freezer for up to three months.
Notes
- Make sure to refreeze the ice cream balls after the initial scoop and after you roll them in the cereal.
- Using a muffin pan works great in keeping the ball from rolling around. Place paper liners or silicone inside the muffin pan, this way the ice cream will not stick to the pan.
- You can also buy a couple of pints of your favorite ice cream to try other flavors.
- This is an ideal dessert to make ahead and store in the freezer until ready to serve.
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Nutrition
First published: July 12, 2018, Last updated: July 14, 2025, for better readability.
About Jere’
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.
I recently tried making the Fried Ice Cream Balls recipe and they turned out amazing! The crispy outer layer paired with the cold, creamy ice cream center was a perfect combination and the cinnamon-honey topping just added that extra touch of sweetness.
So glad you like them. They are such a great treat.
Wow, were these tasty and so fun to make! The kiddos really enjoyed them. We will be making again!
This was such a great recipe. The creaminess of the ice cream with the sweet drizzle was a huge hit with my family. Will be making again for sure.
These ice cream balls were incredible! Everyone in my family loved them!
Ive been so curious about fried ice cream, and this recipe definitely is pushing me over the edge to finally make it! LOVE that honey cinnamon drizzle!!