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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}
I’m going to make raspberry swirled ice cream, and I was wondering how early I should add the raspberry sauce so it doesn’t just mix in.
Add it at the very end when transferring it to a container to freeze.
Love this maddely…double the ingredients and make it often….have some going right now for father’s day!😉😜😋😋😋😋😋
I’m happy to hear that you like the ice cream, Jude.
Ive been making ice cream for decades. This is the best ice cream recipe ever!! Thanks!!!
So glad you like it, Kimmeee.
Me and my brother tried to make this during lockdown and it was truly amazing. So easy to understand and make.
I’m thrilled that you both enjoyed it.
Could you please tell me the ingredients in grammes as we dont use cup sizes. Thank you.
Hi Sue. That isn’t something that I do. There are a number of online conversion calculators though and you can copy and paste the ingredient list into them.
So easy to make and delicious!
I’m glad you like the ice cream, Maria!
Yummy & easy! I don’t simmer 😉
I’m thrilled that you like the ice cream, Dorothy.
How far in advance should we make it before consumption? The last few years we’ve tried to make home made ice cream for 4th of July but it always fails, is too melted.
You can make this and serve it immediately as soft serve, or place it in the freezer to firm up to a scoopable consistency.
What size freezer do I need for this recipe?
This is a 1.5 quart recipe, Laura.
Thank you for this amazingly simple recipe! We just made our first batch of ice cream in our new Cuisinart. We skipped the simmering and it turned out perfectly! Looking forward to checking out more of your recipes. I think buying ice cream at the store is a thing of the past for us!
I’m happy to hear it, Nicole!
How much ice cream does this recipe make? Looking for recipe for 4 quarts.
This recipe makes 1.5 quarts, so you can double it for your 4 quart machine, Vicky.
Thanks so much for posting! Going to try this tomorrow! Have some frozen strawberries to add for this. Hubby and I can’t wait to try. 🙂
I hope that you love the ice cream, Diana.
I can’t wait to make this! I just bought a 4 quart ice cream machine. Can just triple this recipe? thanks!
This recipe, as written, makes 1.5 quarts of ice cream, so tripling it might be too much. You’d want to double it for your machine, Heather.
Fantastic recipe. In the UK so I used 2 x 300ml double cream, then refilled 300ml empty cream pot 3/4 full with granulated sugar, and simmered this mix along with the ground sea salt, I then ‘washed out’ the residual sugar stuck to the inside of the pot with 300ml whole milk and added (after simmering) along with further 300ml cream and tablespoon vanilla extract before cooling.
Thrilled you liked the recipe, Laura.
This is by far the best ice cream we’ve ever tasted. I’ve made Oreo from this and PB Nutella cookies and cream. So easy!
I’m glad you’re enjoying using it, Kim.
This is great ice cream but much too sweet. Delicious with 1/2 of the sugar
Happy to hear you liked the ice cream, Louise.
It’s not often that a claim of a great AND easy recipe is actually true. This recipe is just what it claims to be. Simply delicious and deliciously simple. This is my go-to recipe for sure. Thank you!
Thank you, Spencer! Enjoy the ice cream.
This recipe is perfect! I have tried others and will no longer bother. I can change the flavor with delicious add ins (such as Ghiradelli brownies!). So very good and I never bother simmering. It is also delicious using coconut sugar or part monk fruit for my daughter who loves low glycemic treats.
I’m thrilled that you love the ice cream, Laura. I bet it’s delicious with those brownie chunks too.
This is a delicious recipe. I have made it several times in the past few months with different mix ins. Have you ever made it with 2% milk instead of whole milk?
This will work fine with 2%, Danielle. It is just a smidge less creamy.
I hadn’t had homemade ice cream since I was a kid and this recipe took me back to my childhood! SO yummy! I made it with a vanilla bean pod and it was so good!I will be making this again and again! Thank you!
I’m so glad that you’re enjoying the ice cream!