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. 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.
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}
Conni says
Great recipe. I made this yesterday and it was devoured. Thanks for sharing.
Brenda says
Can’t wait to try, I will let you know how it turns out.
Sandy morris says
Looks good but can you use powdered sugar if your not using the simmering way thanks
Mary says
I’ve never tried that, so I have no idea how it would work.
JoAnn Peterson says
I’m not sure the equivalent from granulated sugar to powdered sugar.
Anne Greenall says
Hi, can l make your ice-cream without an ice-cream maker
Mary says
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!
Michelle says
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.
Tracy says
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!
Mary says
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.
JoAnn Peterson says
Did you forget the salt with the ice?
Traci Lawson says
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.
Kelli says
Me too
Robert Petersen says
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.
Robert Petersen says
I forgot a tbsp of vanilla before putting it in the machine
Janet says
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!
Mary says
The recipe calls for a vanilla bean OR vanilla extract. You don’t need to use both. Enjoy!
Chadler says
If you are only using vanilla extract, do you add it before the simmer or afterwards?
Mary says
Add the extract after the simmer.
Laura says
We were surprised at how little this made and it was very rich. Do you fill your maker to the fill line with milk?
Alfred Kindt says
We just finished making this, and it IS THE BEST recipe I have ever used. The entire family of 5 LOVED it!
Smith says
Can you use almond creamer vs the dairy heavy cream?
Mary says
Sorry, I have no idea how that would work.
daisywolf says
When do you add the mix ins?
Mary says
Add them in the end of the churning process. Enjoy!
Fred Thompson says
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!
Beverly Smith says
Sounds delicious! What should the consistency of the mixture be?
Mary says
Before freezing, it’s just a thicker creamy liquid. I hope that helps!
Amber Lund says
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?
Mary says
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!
Donna says
Can You make this without the ice cream machine
Mary says
This is not a no-churn ice cream recipe.
Melissa Huebsch says
Can this recipe be doubled or tripled without any trouble?
Mary says
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!