This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
I have a well-established love of ice cream, with over 150 ice cream recipes here on the website, and yet I still make this simple ice cream recipe at least once a month. There’s a reason why we call this the easiest (and best!) ice cream you will ever make or taste.
How To Make Homemade Ice Cream
Can anyone ever turn down a scoop of rich and creamy homemade ice cream? With just a handful of ingredients, this vanilla ice cream is beyond easy to make and it’s adaptable for whichever add-ins you’re craving.
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 have tried many ice cream recipes with many levels of difficulty, but my husband has deemed this recipe his favorite! Thank you so much for your hard work! I love the endless possibilities!
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 churning a batch of ice cream.
I’ve also topped this ice cream with warm chocolate sauce, salted caramel sauce, or my favorite of all, this simple berry sauce. There has yet to be a combination that we didn’t love.
Homemade Ice Cream Recipe
When I first started making homemade ice cream, I initially followed recipes for traditional custard-style ice creams. And while a custard base does make for an amazing ice cream, don’t get me wrong, custard ice creams tend to be rich as can be.
And I quickly found that most custard ice creams just aren’t my thing. Besides, I’ll be honest, I like to make things simpler and not more complicated in the kitchen wherever possible.
The Ice Cream That Changed Everything
When I discovered Philadelphia-style ice cream, it was a complete game changer. You’ll need just 5 ingredients to make this ice cream: cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt.
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!
How To Make Ice Cream
This ice cream is dead simple. Just combine some cream, milk, sugar, a pinch of salt, and a splash of vanilla in a saucepan. Give it a stir and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Then cool, chill, and churn; 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 will happily scoop this ice cream into bowls or cones for dessert the same evening.
Want To Make It Even Easier?
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 make it even better.
Truthfully though, I’m impatient most of the time, so I skip the simmer step frequently. This is fantastic ice cream, however you make it.
The ice cream works beautifully in every ice cream maker I’ve tried. Hand crank, electric crank, freezer bowl, and ice cream compressor are all terrific options, but don’t worry, you can make ice cream without a machine too!
Ice Cream Recipes
Once you have an ice cream maker in your kitchen, get ready for all the ice cream recipes you can handle. Two kinds of chocolate and real cream make this the best and easiest homemade chocolate ice cream. The deliciously rich chocolate flavor of this recipe comes from the combination of both cocoa powder and melted chocolate chips.
Strawberry Ice Cream is an old-fashioned favorite made simply with strawberries, sugar, cream, and milk. Just a few ingredients add up to a summer ice cream treat that everyone loves.
Fresh Mint Ice Cream is like no other mint ice cream you’ve tried in the past. Sweet chunks of edible cookie dough fill each scoop of this rich and creamy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.
This creamy, rich Blueberry Ice Cream is filled with chunks of dark chocolate that will melt in your mouth. Oh, my friends, make this. You won’t regret it – and I’m willing to bet that you’ll fall in love with it at first bite. I know I did.
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!
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
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of the cream into a saucepan and add the sugar and salt. If using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds of the bean into the mixture and then add the vanilla pod to the saucepan.
- 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). Whisk to combine and chill in the refrigerator.
- When ready to churn, remove the vanilla pod, whisk the mixture again, and pour it into the ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Serve immediately or transfer the finished ice cream to an airtight container and place it in the freezer until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 5/22/18 – recipe notes and photos updated 9/14/25}
Great recipe. I made this yesterday and it was devoured. Thanks for sharing.
Can’t wait to try, I will let you know how it turns out.
Looks good but can you use powdered sugar if your not using the simmering way thanks
I’ve never tried that, so I have no idea how it would work.
I’m not sure the equivalent from granulated sugar to powdered sugar.
Hi, can l make your ice-cream without an ice-cream maker
Sure. It just won’t be quite as simple or as fluffy. I’ve made ice cream using this method more than once and it always works. Set a timer and don’t miss any of the stirring steps. http://bit.ly/2ulJNKD Enjoy!
A very easy and delicious recipe. I don’t cook my mixture, since there are no eggs involved. I have a tabletop ice cream maker.The recipe fits the small unit perfect.
This was THE WORST recipe!!! I made the recipe exactly as it stated an after an hour and a half of it churning in the ice cream maker it was still liquid! My family was so upset!
How frustrating that must have been! Unfortunately, that isn’t a problem with the recipe, it is an issue with the machine. I make this ice cream at least once a week and it churns and freezes perfectly. Without being in your kitchen, I can’t even guess what must have gone wrong.
Did you forget the salt with the ice?
If you happened to use Imitation Vanilla rather than Pure Vanilla Extract as the recipe called for, this could have been your problem. Imitation Vanilla contains Propylyne Glycol, which is an anti-freezing agent. The more you add, the less chance of it freezing. Most people like vanilla so they tend to add extra, which only makes matters worse.
Me too
This is undoubtedly a very delicious sounding recipe. If you do not mind the saturated fat. Here is a little recipe i use that is very tasty indeed. No saturated fat other than what is in an egg.
1 cup sugar mixed with 1 heaping tbs whole wheat flour then mix an egg in it. Add 1 cup skim milk heat to a mild boil. Add 3 cups of skim milk put it in the machine and let it rip.
I have to limit myself to two bowls.
I put the excess in bowls I put in the freezer. I thaw them little in the microwave and enjoy again. Double the recipe for more.
I forgot a tbsp of vanilla before putting it in the machine
If you use the vanilla bean pod, do you still have to add in the vanilla extract after removing mixture from heat when you add the remaining cream, milk & vanilla , per your instructions? Thank you!
The recipe calls for a vanilla bean OR vanilla extract. You don’t need to use both. Enjoy!
If you are only using vanilla extract, do you add it before the simmer or afterwards?
Add the extract after the simmer.
We were surprised at how little this made and it was very rich. Do you fill your maker to the fill line with milk?
We just finished making this, and it IS THE BEST recipe I have ever used. The entire family of 5 LOVED it!
Can you use almond creamer vs the dairy heavy cream?
Sorry, I have no idea how that would work.
When do you add the mix ins?
Add them in the end of the churning process. Enjoy!
I made this last night for a post-cookout desert and it was the best homemade ice cream that I’ve ever had. Very creamy and tasty without the ice milk texture that the old recipe I used to use had. Everyone loved it!
Sounds delicious! What should the consistency of the mixture be?
Before freezing, it’s just a thicker creamy liquid. I hope that helps!
I noticed you have vanilla extract in the photo, but you use a vanilla pod in the recipe. How do you make this without the vanilla pod? Altho iit would be amazing, i’m sure, to use fresh vanilla, is just mor always affordable for me as we’r know pods are not cheap. Because extract is made with alcohol, how would I incorporate the alcohol based ingredient in with this recipe without compromising the texture?
I make this ice cream all of the time, although more frequently with the listed vanilla extract simply because it is more affordable that way. Nothing else needs to be adjusted. Enjoy!
Can You make this without the ice cream machine
This is not a no-churn ice cream recipe.
Can this recipe be doubled or tripled without any trouble?
The ingredients will easily multiply, but you will need to have a much larger ice cream maker in order to churn that much ice cream all at once. Enjoy!