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}
This is the best ice cream recipe I’ve ever tried in my maker. It’s delicious and it doesn’t get super hard if left in the freezer more than 12 hours! I wanted to try chocolate by just adding cocoa powder but discovered I didn’t have enough. I used Starbucks hot cocoa and left out the sugar. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
I’m so happy you’re enjoying the ice cream, Amy!
Can you use this vanilla ice cream recipe and turn it into coffee ice cream? I was wondering if you could because your coffee recipe required eggs.
I’m thinking about how you could do that, Andy. I would try combining 3/4 cup of brewed espresso (or very strong coffee) with 2 cups of heavy cream. (You’ll use that instead of the milk / cream listed in this recipe.) With the heavy cream, it should be plenty rich still. Let me know how that works for you!
I absolutely love this recipe. I have tried 5 different types and swear this one is the best. The ice cream tastes lighter and not as thick and creamy. Today I tried something different and LOVED it. I melted down a Lindort chocolate bar 95% cocoa. Added olive oil and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Put it on a tray with wax paper flat. And used that as flaky chocolate chips in peppermint ice cream! Soo delicious!
I love how creative we can be with ice cream flavors, Madeline! that sounds delicious.
I am self quarantining and was going to make this but I don’t have any heavy cream 😫 is there a way to work around this?
If you happen to have half and half in the house, you can use half and half for BOTH the milk and the cream. However, if you do not have half and half, you can make a version of “ice milk” with milk alone. There are also recipes here for custard based ice cream that requires milk and eggs vs cream.
I would love to try this as I have all of the ingredients, but I do not have an ice cream maker. Is there a way to make this recipe without one?
There is a link in the post above for how to make ice cream without a machine, Christina. Enjoy!
How much cocoa powder do you need to put in for chocolate ice cream?
You’ll want to follow a recipe for chocolate ice cream, Sharon. Unfortunately, just adding cocoa powder won’t work quite the same way. There are a few chocolate ones here to choose from.
I added 1/4 cup Cacao powder and it turned out great!
I’m so glad that you loved the ice cream!
Hi Mary, Thanks for the ice cream post! I’ve made ice cream in a hand crank machine as a kid (that mom made the mix for) and recently have been experimenting with a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker – with very mixed results. I can’t wait to try your simple recipe *without* the custard – which may be the reason for my failures…
I hope that you love it, Francine!
Does the milk have to be whole milk? Will it work with 1% or 2%?
As long as you have the heavy cream, you can use whichever milk you have on hand, Aubre.
can i make this with heavy cream instead of heavy whipping cream? is there a difference? i see in your pic the container says heavy whipping but in your instructions it just says heavy cream.
Yes, you can use either one, Dawn.
How much ice cream does this rexipe make. I believe I have a 2 quart electric maker. Thanks
I make this recipe in my 1.5QT machine, Brandon.
I’ve made this recipe but the ice cream is too hard to scoop. How can I make it so it wouldn’t be too hard.
It sounds like the freezer is set very cold. This is a scoopable ice cream straight from the freezer for me, Jackie. I would let it rest on the counter for a few minutes before serving, or adjust the temp in the freezer by a couple of degrees.
I agree. We’ve made it twice and it’s so smooth and scoopable, unlike a different recipe we used before. We put the ice cream into little individual sized portions in small used yogurt jars and eat right out of the freezer! So delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe!
I’m so glad that you like it, Pearl!
BEST Ice Cream ever! Trying to find things for kids to make, during this period. They both love cooking and watching your videos, very inspiring. I’m so glad the associates at our local market recommended you.
Feel free to send updates, always looking for something fresh and new!
JR
I’m so happy that you like the ice cream, Jerilyn!
This did not turn into ice cream in my little maker 🙁 it never got thick. Any one else have this problem?
It sounds like it either didn’t churn long enough or the ice cream bowl wasn’t frozen long enough? The mixture itself should have frozen.
Mine never harden either. Wonder why flavor was good. I put the liquid mixer in the freezer maybe it will freeze.
That’s very odd. Hopefully it hardened enough to enjoy from the freezer.
What is the purpose of using sea salt?
Can regular table salt work?
This will work fine with table salt. You’ll want to use half as much though, as the grains are finer.
This the best recipe I have used. The ice cream is delicious. It is very simple. I don’t have vanilla beans but used vanilla from Mexico ( I think is the best vanilla). Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’m so glad that you’re enjoying the ice cream, Shelly!
I used a vanilla extract I got from Mexico too. I have to agree with you that it’s the best vanilla! Each time I go or a friend goes I always request vanilla.
I’m glad you like the ice cream, Cat!
This is the best recipe ever for homemade ice cream. If there were infinite stars I’d do all of them.
Awe! I love hearing that you are enjoying the ice cream, George!
This is exactly what I needed! I was looking for an elggless ice cream since I’m pregnant, this one is a keeper even past my pregnancy. It’s oh so quick and easy to make, you just have to prepare a bit in advanced and remember to put the ice cream maker in the freezer. I have the Kitchen Aide attachment and it requires to be in the freezer for 8 to 12 hours. I did it the quicker way by whisking all of the ingredients together and put it into the ice cream maker. I was pleasantly surprised when it had the vanilla taste of a store bought version. It’s just the right balance of vanilla and sweetness. My only small complaint was that after a few bites it left me with a fat film on the roof of my mouth. Maybe cooking it takes that away? Anyway, I will definitely make this again because it’s just so good!
This looks delicious! Have you ever tried subbing agave for the sugar? I have a family member who can’t have refined cane sugar, and I’m wondering if this would work with agave. Any thoughts?
I haven’t tried that myself, Autumn. It’s worth a try though.
Made it but added the stuff my mom used cause we are from the Caribbean and didnt have time to get the custard lol. Since i am home wid my boys and they keep asking for ice cream and said u know what we will use the ice cream machine and yall will make ur own. They had fun doing it and i even made for my husband who is a diabetic and added the ginger he was like from now on u will be making it every 2wks lol. Thank you so much for sharing
I’m so glad you like the ice cream, Charn!
I’ve made this Ice cream with no add in and I love it.! If I were to add say Oreos would I add it before or after churning?
I stir in Oreos at the very end when it is done churning, Haley.