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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}
Great recipe! Made for really delicious, creamy ice cream!👍🏾☺️
I’m thrilled that you are enjoying it.
Hi, i am giving my 14yo son an ice cream maker for Christmas.
He is going to be thrilled to make your recipe. Ive already printed it!
Thank you!
That sounds like the perfect gift, Anne!
I am a 11 year old chef, I made ice cream this receipe, and it was delicious, thank you soo much
I’m happy to hear that you’re enjoying the ice cream, Enijah!
I want to make choc. Ice cream but don’t have enough thick cream can I use creme fraiche.
Question regarding the vanilla bean and pod in this easy ice cream recipe: If I should choose to use the vanilla extract, must I also use the vanilla bean and pod in the recipe? Or must I use both the vanilla extract and the vanilla bean/pod as the instructions indicate?
It’s an either/or for the vanilla. You don’t need the other if you’re using extract.
I made this & it came out the perfect texture & flavor. But there was one issue! One of the ingredients as I was eating the ice cream was like sticking to my mouth. Not the ice cream itself. But it was like one of the ingredients was separating & coating the roof of my mouth. I’m not sure if I did something wrong while making it or what ingredient was getting stuck. Can someone tell me what might have happened?
That can happen if a batch is over-churned, however, it’s unusual to see it happen with most modern machines. Also, while I typically use either heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, there are brands of heavy “whipping cream” that turn out that way. Heavy cream is definitely best here. I think that “oily film” situation has happened twice in the hundreds of times I’ve made this ice cream. Whipping cream often has slightly less fat and occasionally has stabilizers that aren’t necessary and can throw the recipe off.
Superb great ice cream! I love it.
I’m glad you are enjoying the ice cream, Sajeeda.
Amazing! Tastes just like Haagen Dazs!
I’m glad you like it so much, Lynsey!
I went through so many recipes online and settled for this one as it seemed the most easy to understand and do! I was right! Really easy! and really yummy! Thank you!
I’m glad you’re enjoying the ice cream, Giovanna.
I just made a batch of this ice cream today. It was very good and soon was all gone. My wife seemed to notice something sticking to her teeth and the roof of her mouth. Similar to what Ary wrote about in the Dec 22, 2020 post. I didn’t notice that but I did notice something sticking to my spoon. However, I may have over churned it as I was using a 4 qt canister and it was difficult to tell when it was done. So I stopped it after 25 minutes. The ice cream was very solid. It was good and I will make it again, soon.
Overchurning can do that, Don. I’m glad you liked the ice cream though! Try a little less time next time you make it and that should fix it.
How would your recipe need to be modified to make a full 4qt freezer full of ice cream? I’d like to try your recipe but need to make a full container. I’ve seen other recipes that just say fill remaining with whole milk but I think that would be too much milk added to your original recipe.
This is definitely not a recipe written for extra milk. You can double it for a little over 3 quarts of ice cream. 2.5x the original recipe should fill a 4 quart machine.
If I want to use vanilla powder at what point should I add it? And can I substitute coconut sugar or maple syrup for the sugar and this recipe still work? I stay away from refined sugar.
I’ve never tried either of those substitutions, Paige.
This is SO easy and so good (reminds me of Bryers ice cream). I’ve made it three times in the last two weeks and my kids just love it 🙂
I’m so glad that you like it, Kristin!
Can you use powdered sugar in your recipe?
I’ve never tried that, Cathy.
Hi, ours came out very soft even after leaving it in the freezer after for two hours. I used heavy whipping cream (I didn’t realize there was a difference!!) – can that do that?
Thanks!
I use both, Elaine, and it honestly shouldn’t have made that much of a difference. It sounds like it may have been an issue with the ice cream maker. Does it typically churn ice creams fairly well?
Forever I looked for ways to make goats milk work as an icecream and then to make it sugar free. I even conned a friendly goat farmer come cheesemaker/icecream maker to use her commercial icecream machine with my choice of (supplied) natural sweetener. The results were ok but fast melting so I thought a custard base was the only way to get scoopiness. Since then I’ve found my tummy loves Guernsey Milk (lots of A2) and this recipe!
My first go I did everything except the sugar which I subbed for xylitol & I used vanilla extract. The result was delicious and creamy BUT it did take 2 full days in -18oC freezer before it firmed up to a respectable spoonful. I was never so lazy before but I think sometimes you have to just give in to it and ditch the hours of careful whisking and temperature checking in favour of this gem of a recipe.
I’m glad you’ve been able to make it work for you, Samantha!
Love this recipe! Have been sent to others. If I wanted to make this chocolate can I just add cocoa powder 1/2 cup? Thank you!
I’d recommend following one of the chocolate ice cream recipes here on the site, Barb: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/?s=chocolate+ice+cream Enjoy!
I received an ice cream maker for Christmas and ever since have been experimenting with recipes. I’ve also tried the egg kind and I agree, it’s not my thing either! I’ve done many batches mixing the ingredients cold and then chilling them but this right here is the hands down winner! The melting of the sugar into the cream is what I believe takes it to the next level! Great job!
I’m so glad that you like it, Kristy!
Easy and awesome! I honestly never have good luck making ice cream, but when my grandkids found my old ice cream maker in the garage, they begged me to let them make some. Fortunately I found your recipe and everyone loved it!
YAY! I’m happy to hear it, Christina.
Sooo happy I discovered this recipe! Such a clean taste and an awesome base for add-ins. I’ve made cookies ‘n cream ice cream 3x for my family and they devoured it each time! Thank you!!!
I’m thrilled that you are enjoying the ice cream, Jaclyn.
Interesting.