The Best (and Easiest) Ice Cream You’ll Ever Make

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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.

The BEST and easiest vanilla ice cream you will ever make! get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

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.

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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.

You only need FIVE ingredients to make the best and easiest homemade ice cream! get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

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 Ice Cream is like no other! get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

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.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream is like no other! get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. When ready to churn, remove the vanilla pod, whisk mixture again and pour into ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  4. Transfer the finished ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer until ready to serve.

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The Best and Easiest Ice Cream Recipe

The Best (and Easiest) Ice Cream You’ll Ever Make

4.66 from 418 votes
Rich and creamy homemade vanilla ice cream recipe that only requires five ingredients!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings (about 1.5 quarts)

Ingredients 

  • cups heavy cream
  • cup whole milk
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 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

Feel free to skip the simmer step and simply whisk everything together, then pour directly into the ice cream maker. The ice cream is absolutely delicious this way, as well as when simmered and chilled first.

Nutrition

Calories: 373kcal · Carbohydrates: 30g · Protein: 3g · Fat: 27g · Saturated Fat: 17g · Cholesterol: 100mg · Sodium: 97mg · Potassium: 119mg · Sugar: 28g · Vitamin A: 1103IU · Vitamin C: 1mg · Calcium: 103mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

{originally published 5/22/18 – recipe notes and photos updated 7/1/21}

The Best and Easiest Ice Cream Recipe you will ever make! get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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  1. Cheryl says

    Hi Mary,

    I have just made your vanilla ice cream, but it has turned out very soft!! I did use raw castor sugar instead of white sugar, would this have made a difference? Or does it get harder once placed in the freezer in an air tight container for a few hours? I use a Cuisinart Ice cream maker.

    • Jani says

      Same thing happened to me. I’ll leave it overnight in the freezer and see how it turns out.

  2. Wayne Callen says

    Hi Mary, made your vanilla ice cream, per recipe, delicious, added chips to blend, best ever. Thank you, Wayne5 stars

  3. Tom says

    I can barely read the site as there are so many ads that pop in and out. It is a shame as I was going to share this with my chemistry class so they could make ice cream from home.
    : (

    • Mary Younkin says

      Hi Tom, if you’re pulling this recipe up on a desktop, there shouldn’t be any ads in the content of this post. On both mobile devices and on desktop, there’s also a handy Jump To Recipe button at the top of the page. I hope that helps! (For what it’s worth, there aren’t any “pop up or pop in and out” ads on this website. If you happen to see one, please send me a screenshot! Thanks!)

  4. John kid says

    I have to agree with a previous comment. It’s a decent recipe but all the ads are an absolute nightmare. Imagine watching a tv show and 22 minutes of it is ads and 8 minutes contains actual content. I did “skip to recipe” but considering How many recipes are out there, I’d rather just not deal with the eye sore / annoyance at all. I appreciate you Mary, but I’d find another platform.

    • Mary Younkin says

      Hi John, feel free to find a different website with free recipes or just buy a cookbook. I provide the recipes at no charge whatsoever to my readers and the advertising makes it all possible. I wish you only the best, friend!

    • Mary Younkin says

      Honestly? At this point, anywhere you can find them, is going to be a good find these days. Vanilla has been hard to find at any kind of great price for a few years now. I’m sorry that I can’t be more helpful! I’ve had good success with eBay purchases in the past, for what that’s worth. I recommend reading the reviews and don’t buy “extract grade” beans if you’re wanting them to cook with. Extract grade beans are terrific for making extract, but they will not produce many seeds when you split them to scrape them.

  5. Karine says

    Looks very yummy!
    Seeing as I don’t want to go out and only have 1% milk, could I try 2 cups of cream and one cup of milk? I will keep in mind that it may not come out exactly the same but trying to limit outings in these weird times!
    Looking forward to trying the recipe!

  6. Judi Patterson says

    Hi, Judi here. During this time of social distancing we are not going to the big grocery stores. I live on an island with no grocery store so I need to get creative. I can get 1/2 and 1/2 not heavy cream. Can I use this instead of the combination of milk and heavy cream. Look forward to you reply.

    • Mary Younkin says

      Yes! You can use half and half for the full recipe. It will be a tiny bit less creamy, but it absolutely works and I’ve done that myself, Judi.

  7. Kristin says

    Does the kind of milk you use matter a lot? We only drink skim milk, so I’d rather not have to go out and buy whole milk if I can avoid it

  8. Esme says

    Too many ads? Waa-waa! FIRST WORLD PROBLEM, for sure. Seriously, complainers – look somewhere else and move on. Are you paying for this recipe? No. Constructive criticism about the actual recipe, like confusing typos or missing instructions, or you just didn’t like it, might be welcomed by some authors but they probably don’t need technical “advice.” If looking at some ads is really a “total nightmare” for you, you are having a charmed life. Let the rest of us enjoy looking for recipes.

  9. Suzanne says

    Made my first batch last week. I had some caramel chips that I added at the end of the churning along with some heath bar toffee chips. My husband loved it! I made a double batch just now, it’s cooling in the fridge to churn for later.
    I use cream and half-and-half in mine substituting the half-and-half for the milk. Comes out terrific! I Hope the second batch is as good as the first! Thank you for the recipe!!!

  10. Tora says

    Thanks for the recipe, finally have a reason to use my ice cream maker without all the fuss over eggs. Tomorrow is my designated shopping day before we go back into lockdown and I will definitely be trying this recipe. Will let you know how it works out. Thanks again.

    • Tora says

      Finally tried the recipe this morning. Put the bowl to freeze last night but didn’t prep the mixture (was feeling extra lazy lol). Woke up early and prepared the mixture (straight mix, no fire) and used the machine. I used frozen strawberries and a little less on the sugar. It was so good; my sister loved it. | just know any flavor I use will work and can’t wait to try others. One thing I learned is to crush the strawberries rather than chip them up so it blends in more. I’m already thinking of ways to tweak it for tropical flavors using our local fruits and coconut milk. This is one of the best recipes for homemade ice cream I’ve come across so thank you for sharing. I see an ice cream social in my Brigade future.
      FYI: I didn’t come across the ad problem as I only got 2 on the screen and they weren’t blocking the content in any way. Thanks for your hard work and for providing us with recipes that help during this stressful time.5 stars

  11. Jennifer Mcivor says

    Just made this today. Amazing! Wonderful taste, perfect creamy texture! Printed it off and added it to my recipe book. It will be a new staple in our freezer! Thank you for creating and sharing this recipe, it has been such a treat to my family! Blessings to you!5 stars

  12. C Nessling says

    This ice cream is amazing. The texture is perfect unlike other recipes I have tried. My family loved it. My son in law raved about it. I used a real vanilla bean which is pricey but worth it. I’ve tried other recipes but this will be my go to from now on. Thank you. I did transfer to another container and froze overnight.

  13. Cynthia says

    I have the Nostalgia ice cream maker that you mention in your Ice Cream Maker Review. I’d like to try this recipe but was wondering what the measurements would be for my ice cream maker. My calculations would be to base it on 16 – 8oz. servings. Would that be correct?

    Thanks in advance.