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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}
Just to clarify,
Is this recipe meant to be used with an ice cream churner? Or can I mix the once cream base, chill, and then freeze?
I know the churner will add bubbles and make it creamier consistency.
We are finding our ice cream maker is taking longer than 1 he to start looking a little bit like melted-soft serve consistency.
*Note: I lost the manual to my Elite ice cream maker and it has been awhile since we made ice cream.
Yes, you’ll need to churn this in an ice cream maker.
I had the same question. I read: “ If I put the mixture together in the morning, and then freeze it in the afternoon, we are easily having this for dessert the same evening.”Nuthatch made me think you could skip churning/machine and just put directly in the freezer as an alternative. I’ll try it again because the base is delicious!
How long can you keep the simmered mixture in the fridge before putting it in the ice cream machine to churn?
This will keep nicely for a day or two, Laura.
This was great! Loved it with our Cuisinart Ice Cream maker. We thought it tasted a lot like soft serve from Dairy Queen!
I’m happy to hear that you are enjoying the ice cream, Denise.
Not even close to the easiest way to make ice cream. How about “Quick & Tasty Ice Cream” instead?
Hi, Mary.
I had to page down and down and down through random conversation, repetition, and ads just to finally get to the actual recipe! There were even links to other recipes before we ever got to the one that should have been at the top of the page!
This makes me leery of buying your cookbooks; I’d be unhappy buying a recipe book that was actually a memoir.
I don’t know why so many people have been copying this style, but it is outdated and inconsiderate to readers. If someone needs to tell their story, they should do that. Yay! A recipe isn’t required to make people read it.
If a person really wants to provide their story with a recipe, the recipe should come first and the reading material after, especially if it’s long., if the link is billed as *a recipe*.
Best wishes on your endeavors.
The recipe and the full ingredient list is always provided at the bottom of the page, as is standard with every free recipe website these days. Just scroll down to the bottom of the post, if that’s all you need. And if you aren’t interested in scrolling through the post, feel free to make use of the handy “jump to recipe” button at the top of the post. In the past, when I’ve tried providing the recipe at the top of the page, the number of people asking questions about the recipe multiplied exponentially, as most never scrolled down to see where things had already been answered. I do my best to provide as much information as possible to avoid the multitude of questions that tend to be inevitable for many recipes, this also helps tell Google and other search engines that all relevant information has been provided – sometimes even more than some people might need/want. Best wishes to you as well.
What is wrong with you?
You have trouble reading, huh?
Was that why the “story” part a challenge?
You are rude and comment was unnecessary, and not helpful to anyone.
Go set yourself in the corner and think about your behavior
And NO icecream for you today either
I cant wait to make this “best and easiest icecream” with my Grandson
The narration got me motivated to save this recipe for his upcoming visit 😉
oh my goodness, thanks for the laugh, Pam. I’m happy that you like the recipe and I hope you and your grandson enjoy the ice cream!
Well I’m glad sm asked her question as I have often wondered the same thing when looking up recipes online. And thank you Mary for answering because now I understand why people do it this way and I will not be so annoyed in the future. I just came across this so have not tried it yet. I am diabetic so will be using stevia instead of sugar. I hope it turns out.
I’m glad it was helpful, Cheryl. Let me know how it works with Stevia!
My whole family love this amazing hmemade vanilla ice cream recipe. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Also here i have an amazing vanilla ice cream recipe. Check out the recipe here: https://www.recipespack.com/vanilla-ice-cream-recipe-simplyrecipes-com/
Just made the mixture…..its chilling for later.
I hope you enjoy it, Alice.
Thank you for your response on the lactose free question. I’d like to add another question, you said I need something to thicken it, and since I can’t use cream because there isn’t lactose free, could it somehow work if I used lactose free Greek yogurt that I’ve seen in the store? Could that work like a frozen yogurt instead of like an ice cream? The Greek yogurt and whole milk combo or just the Greek yogurt?
Love it! I the only thing I changed was half & half because I didn’t have whole milk. We also put in 2 tablespoons of Jack Daniels. So good!
I’m so glad that you love the ice cream, Barb!
I’ve tried a ton of ice cream recipes (I have three ice cream recipe books 😂) and this one was perfect. I like custard but I prefer standard, it’s just too rich and creamy for me. This was perfect and delicious!! Just sent the link to my family.
I’m so happy to hear that you are enjoying the ice cream, Afton!
Looking for the old vanilla ice cream receipe my mom started on the stove in a pan and then poured I into the mixerI can put into an cranked by hand. I have an electric ice cream mixer, but no Receipe for the vanilla. Can you help!
This one will work nicely for that, Donna.
If adding fruit to ice cream when do i add fruit?
Mash the fruit to avoid frozen chunks, and stir it in at the end.
Than you so much for sharing this recipe. I just got the ice cream bowl attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer. This is the first time I have ever made homemade ice cream. It was delicious and so easy. I will definitely be making this again and again!
I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the recipe, El.
This is my go to recipe now! I’ve used it to make rocky road, blueberry, lavender and ricotta, and tonight pistachio. Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipe; those sound like some good flavors to work with.
Can’t wait to try this tonight! Have you made root beer ice cream with this recipe? Do you have a recommendation for how much root beer extract you’d use? Would you decrease the amount of vanilla? Thanks!
I’ve never tried using root beer, Nat. If you decide to try it, let me know how it works.
this is the best ice cream I have ever made in my live
I’m glad you like it, Oladele.
This has become my go-to vanilla ice cream recipe! My entire family loves it and it couldn’t be easier to whip up.
I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying the ice cream, Ellie.
Hi. Can this recipe possibly be used without a machine?
Thank you!
This particular recipe requires a machine, Maria.
Are there any substitutes I can use for heavy cream? Or can I just replace it with whole milk
While you can make ice cream without cream, the result will be ice milk. If you haven’t tried it before, it’s quite icy and not very creamy at all. Alternatively, you can try a traditional ice cream recipe made with cooked eggs to form a custard base.
Way way way too much commentary crap before finally getting to the recipe. Why not just give the ingredients, directions, and let us decide whether we want to read the rest of your bull? I won’t even try this stupid recipe.
Hi Kay, the recipe and the full ingredient list is always provided at the bottom of the page, as is standard with every free recipe website these days. Just scroll down to the bottom of the post, if that’s all you need. And if you aren’t interested in scrolling through the post, feel free to make use of the handy “jump to recipe” button at the top of the post. In the past, when I’ve tried providing the recipe at the top of the page, the number of people asking questions about the recipe multiplied exponentially, as most never scrolled down to see where things had already been answered. I do my best to provide as much information as possible to avoid the multitude of questions that tend to be inevitable for many recipes. This also helps tell Google and other search engines that all relevant information has been provided – sometimes even more than some people might need/want. (While I have a policy of publishing all comments, and untested recipe ratings as well, I do not permit comments with language or ugliness. I’ve edited your comment to remove ugly language, because you caught me in the moment when I felt the need to address this – once again.) Best wishes to you in the future.
Wow, Mary,
I am impressed with your ability to maintain professionalism in light of unnecessarily harsh comments. I for one appreciate reading the information provided before a recipe. It gives me the ability to see how a person vetted out the recipe and any possible troubleshooting to watch out for before I attempt it. So from probably 99.9% of your readers thank you for the work you put into recipe testing and answering ALL the questions even those which are mean spirited.
Thanks, Kara!
You are too kind! Sorry you had to respond and monitor someone with such an ugly disposition.
For the Kays out there…
If your not here for the content simply move on. Otherwise be thankful for this fabulous resource that you are using for FREE.
Thanks for the sweet words, Lynn.
It is a nice recipe but I will recommend less sugar
I’m glad you like the ice cream.