Homemade Ice Cream is the quintessential summer treat, isn’t it?
This homemade ice cream recipe can also be called the easiest (and best!) ice cream you will ever make or taste. I’ve been making this ice cream at least once a month for over 5 years now.
Can anyone ever turn down a scoop of rich and creamy vanilla ice cream? This ice cream recipe is the easiest once I make and it’s adaptable for whichever add-ins you’re craving.
I try to keep a stash of crumbled cookies, brownies, and other treats in the freezer so that I can toss in a few handfuls whenever I’m making a fresh batch of ice cream.
Don’t miss our Ice Cream Maker Review for all the information you need to find the BEST Ice Cream Maker for your needs! Spoiler alert – our top-rated machine under $50 just might surprise you. It sure surprised me!
HOMEMADE ICE CREAM
While ice cream is a staple in our freezer year round, the add-in potentials for this particular ice cream are endless. I’ve filled this ice cream with chunks of brownies, bits of cookie dough, pieces of oatmeal cookies, and swirls of salted caramel sauce.
I’ve also topped this ice cream with warm chocolate sauce, and my favorite of all this simple berry sauce. There has yet to be a combination that we didn’t love.
I probably don’t even need to mention it, but this Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream is a pretty much dream come true for topping Southern Peach Cobbler, Grandma’s Cherry Flop, an Old Fashioned Apple Crisp, or this Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch.
How To Make Homemade Ice Cream
With just five simple ingredients, you can have this smooth and creamy vanilla ice cream at your fingertips as well.
When I first started making homemade ice cream, I initially followed the recommended recipes and tried several custard-style ice creams. Traditionally, many ice creams begin with an egg custard.
While a custard base does make for an amazing ice cream, don’t get me wrong, custard ice cream is rich as can be and I quickly found that it just isn’t my thing.
Besides, I’ll be honest, I like to make things simpler and not more complicated in the kitchen wherever possible.
When I discovered Philadelphia-style ice cream, it was a complete game changer. Philadelphia style ice cream is simply ice cream made with no eggs.
I’ve played with the basic ratios and the method over the past few years and I’m telling you now that this recipe is hands down, the BEST simple vanilla ice cream I have ever made.
The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
This ice cream is dead simple. Stir everything together in a saucepan, simmer, Stir, Chill and Freeze; less than 10 minutes of actual prep time.
If I put the mixture together in the morning, refrigerate it, and then churn it in the afternoon, we are easily having this for dessert the same evening.
However, if you are in a rush, you can simply stir everything together cold and pour it into the machine. I can’t deny that simmering it just long enough to dissolve the sugar and then cooling it again does makes it even better.
Truthfully though, I’m impatient about half the time, so I skip the simmer step frequently. This is fantastic ice cream however you make it.
This ice cream works beautifully in every ice cream maker I’ve tried. Hand crank, electric crank, freezer bowl, and ice cream compressor. Homemade Ice Cream turns out great in each one!
(And yes, I may have a wee bit of a thing for ice cream, because I have each of those machines and love them all!)
Ice Cream Recipes
Once you have an ice cream maker in your kitchen, get ready for all the ice cream recipes you can handle.
These recipes for Rocky Road Ice Cream, Cinnamon Ice Cream, Blueberries and Cream Ice Cream, and Cafe con Leche Ice Cream all need to be on your list to try.
Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream by The View from Great Island and Peanut Butter Ice Cream by Pint Sized Baker both look delicious as well.
Homemade Ice Cream Recipe
- Pour 1 cup of the cream into a saucepan and add the sugar, salt. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pot and then add the vanilla pod to the pot.
- Warm the mixture over medium heat, just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the remaining cream, milk, and vanilla. Stir to combine and chill in the refrigerator.
- When ready to churn, remove the vanilla pod, whisk mixture again and pour into ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Transfer the finished ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer until ready to serve.
The Best (and Easiest) Ice Cream You’ll Ever Make
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups heavy cream
- 1¼ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean split in half lengthwise or
- Optional: 2 cups of add-ins – soft brownies, cookies, and blondies work great
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of the cream into a saucepan and add the sugar, salt. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pot and then add the vanilla pod to the pot. Warm the mixture over medium heat, just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the remaining cream, milk, and vanilla extract (if using extract). Stir to combine and chill in the refrigerator.
- When ready to churn, remove the vanilla pod, whisk mixture again and pour into ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the finished ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
{originally published 5/22/18 – recipe notes and photos updated 7/1/21}
Cole says
Hi Mary,
Thanks for posting this. I know above you mention that this is a common question but can this particular recipe and method you describe here work without the ice cream maker?
I ask because in the instructions you’ve linked for making ice cream without a maker the actual recipe itself is different. Just curious if you can follow these initial steps for the flavor, but then transition into the manual ice cream making method you describe in the link.
Mary Younkin says
The recipe is basically the same, Cole. You can use pretty much any recipe with that method though. Happy ice cream making!
Kathleen says
Thank you for this recipe! I’m excited to try it! I’m new to ice cream making so forgive me if the answer to this question seems obvious, but when is the best time to add the add ins? After the churning process or do you add them into the maker to churn along with the ice cream?
Mary Younkin says
You’ll stir them in at the end of the churning process, Kathleen.
Melody Sacpopo says
Can I get away with using half and half for the heavy cream?
Mary Younkin says
Yes, that will churn and freeze, Melody. You’ll want to sub the half and half for BOTH the cream and the milk in the recipe. It still won’t be quite as creamy as the original, but it will work.
Kris says
This ice cream is delicious but mine turned out rock hard. Maybe my old manual ice cream maker was too cold because I had a hard time churning it and ended up stirring it using a spatula in the frozen cylinder because the handle got stuck. I also stored it in a glass container and when we were ready to eat it I actually had to hammer and chisel it to break it into pieces. Looked like a mess but it is tasty.
Mary Younkin says
That’s very unusual for this ice cream, Kris. Did you by any chance adjust an ingredient? Maybe reducing the cream amount? I’ve never had it freeze that firmly.
Amanda says
Hello and thank you! I doubled and made this recipe (mixed and chilled last night then churned today) and I habe to admit it is better than all of the ice creams I made last summer. Who’da thunk a “no egg” recipe could ever be better than one which includes them? This recipe does take much longer to freeze but enduring the sound of that churning motor will pay off. Let it ride and oh boy…heaven.
Tammy says
This was okay. For me I think it was a little too much heavy whipping cream as it sort of tasted like whipped cream. It also left a film in my mouth like whipped cream does. Was much better with fruit in it though. Turned out super thick which is just how I like it. I think next time I make it, I’ll sub for just half and half for both the milk and heavy whipping cream. Thanks for the recipe!!
Gerard says
Lovely recipe. Thank you. My “invention” was to add half a tin of coconut cream. Adds another flavour dimension – and still whips up well. Thanks again Mary. G
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like the ice cream, Gerard!
Candace says
Perfect for creamy root beer floats in small mason jars for summer game night. Kiddos gave rave reviews, and I love that it didn’t require the extra step of egg yolk fussing. Thanks for the keeper Mary!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you’re enjoying the ice cream, Candace!
TTaylor says
So easy! I made it in my Cuisinart ice cream maker. I used the no-cook method and we had delicious soft serve ice cream in 30 minutes. I whisked in a couple scoops of dark cocoa powder and a scoop of PB2 powder. It was so creamy and chocolatey and delicious. It tasted like a chocolate malted. Next time will try vanilla with black cherries. Thank you!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like it!
Sivan says
Awesome recipe, Thanks for sharing!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like the ice cream, Sivan!
Sharon Yancey says
Looking forward to making this but I have a question which I did not see the answer to. How much ice cream does this recipe yield? I have a 6 quart ice cream maker and want to fill it full!
Mary Younkin says
This recipe will fill a 1.5QT machine. I would triple the recipe for a 6 QT machine, though you might get away with quadrupling it, Sharon.
Susan says
This may have been asked before, not sure Can I use Half and Half pulse whole milk instead of whipping cream?
Mary Younkin says
You can substitute all half and half for BOTH the cream and the milk. You could sub it for just the cream, but the resulting ice cream will be much icier and not as creamy.
Tired of this says
Just post the recipe, I dont need a life story
Mary Younkin says
Bless your heart for taking the time to tell me how to manage the FREE recipe content I provide on my personal website. The recipe and the full ingredient list is always provided at the bottom of the page, as is standard with every recipe website these days. Feel free to scroll down to the bottom of the post, if that’s all you need. And if you aren’t interested in scrolling through the post, I recommend making use of the handy “jump to recipe” button at the top of the post.
I do my best to provide as much information as possible to avoid the multitude of questions that tend to be inevitable for many recipes, this also helps tell Google and other search engines that all relevant information has been provided – sometimes even more than some people might need/want.
Tina says
This ice cream is yummy! What would you suggest to use to make peanut butter or peanut butter fudge ice cream?
Mary Younkin says
There are 60+ ice cream recipes on the site. You can check them all out here: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/category/desserts/ice-cream/ I have a couple different chocolate and peanut butter combos.
Kay says
I made this and using eggs made it a great texture. However I didn’t trust the peanut butter so I chopped up Reece’s peanut butter cups. It was excellent thanks.
Mary Younkin says
Mmmmm, that sounds delicious!
Frank Hasty says
Not only do we think this is the best ice cream recipe but it is by far the easiest.
We have made it even easier by e mploying old plastic mayonnaise jar (
Mary Younkin says
I saw your email and loved the idea, Frank!
Laura says
We enjoyed the ice cream. However I never could get it to solidify it remained soupy. I’m not sure what I did wrong. Are used a electric ice cream maker with a frozen bowl. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Mary Younkin says
It sounds like there might be a problem with the machine or perhaps it was exceptionally warm in the house. Was the bowl frozen absolutely solid (at least 24 hours) before churning? The freezer bowl machines can be frustrating to troubleshoot. The mixture would have frozen without churning in the freezer, so it isn’t an ingredient issue. Some machines simply don’t firm up the ice cream that well and the very soft mixture can benefit from a little time in the freezer afterwards as well.
Angie says
This is DELICIOUS. We made the New York Times ice cream recipe the other day that was supposedly “the best ice cream recipe you’ll ever eat,” and this is way better. Truly. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Mary Younkin says
Awe! I’m so happy to hear that it’s a hit, Angie.
GBaldwin says
This was my very first time ever making homemade ice cream. I did the no cook option and I must say I did great!!!! I doubled the recipe because it just didn’t look like it would be enough and I’m sooo glad I did. I used vanilla bean paste instead of extract. My kids absolutely love it!!! I will definitely be making this recipe again!!!
Mary Younkin says
YAY! I’m glad you love it too.