Hoda Kotb Just Turned 60—Here’s Her Easy 3-Ingredient Dessert Recipe

“Sweet, delicious ice cream” is how “Today with Hoda and Jenna’s” Hoda Kotb describes the treat she makes for her daughters to her co-host Jenna Bush Hager. After Kotb added three ingredients to a blender and spoon-fed Hager a bite, Hager exclaimed, “That’s delicious!”

On the “Today” website, where Kotb shared the specific recipe for her creamy, cold treat, she writes, “This is my lighter alternative to ice cream I’ve been making with Hope to accommodate her recent dietary changes.”

While Kotb doesn’t say what dietary restrictions her daughter has, we can assume dairy is not one of them. In fact, dairy makes up half of the ice cream’s ingredients.

What’s in Hoda’s Blender Ice Cream?

In addition to the heavy cream, sugar-free maple syrup, and ice, Kotb adds a rather surprising ingredient to the blender: ricotta cheese. In the video, Kotb eyeballs the ingredients, but the “Today” website gives amounts for each one:

• 2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar-free maple syrup, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 to 3 cups ice, depending on desired consistency

To make the ice cream, place all the ingredients in a blender (start with 2 cups of ice) and blend for about one minute until the ingredients form a creamy consistency. If you need more ice to get it creamy, add more and blend again.

Enjoy immediately, or Kotb also suggests putting the mixture in popsicle molds and freezing it.

Is This Really Ice Cream?

Is Kotb’s creamy concoction really ice cream? We usually don’t associate cheese as an ice cream ingredient, but ricotta is a fresh cheese made from whey (the leftovers from making other cheese), milk, and some acid. Ice cream usually contains eggs, but Philadelphia-style ice cream is made from cream and sugar without eggs. Kotb’s ice cream contains cream and a sugar substitute, plus whey and milk. So we’re going to call this, well, ice cream-ish.

Whether it’s technically ice cream or it’s simply a sweet, cold dairy treat to enjoy on a hot day, if it’s good, it’s good. So call it what you will, but if you have all the ingredients, it certainly seems worth trying this ricotta-based ice dessert.