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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}
Wow the title says it all! I did this by putting the mix in one ziploc bag and putting that bag in another bag filled with ice and ice cream salt and mixing it the old fashioned way. Flavor and texture are both amazing, definitely plan to keep this recipe and try some variations.
Tyler – You caught my homemade ice cream bug! This is the base I use to create so many of my ice creams. Please let me know what you try.
This recipe will not fill the container (canister) of my electric churner (White Mountain) which calls for one half gallon of mixture. I see no point in making less as our family easily finishes the frozen product. This is the ice, salt, filled around the canister and then plugged in to churn until it stops indicating the ice cream is set. Like hand cranked but electric. I’m wondering what maker only uses 3 cups of mixture as your recipe does not indicate which machine (maker) the recipe is geared to. Maybe l missed it but l looked twice. Thanks for sharing your experience making ice cream at home.
Hi Molly! The standard electric machines (as I’ve linked to throughout most of the ice cream recipes here) churn 1.5 quarts. That’s the amount of ice cream that this recipe delivers. However, if you double the recipe, it will work nicely in a 4QT machine. You can also adjust the recipe amounts via the handy slider in the printable recipe card to deliver exactly the amount you want to make.
I’m going to try this recipe this weekend with a hand crank machine. Do you have an idea of how long it takes to hand crank 4 quarts worth?
Honestly, it depends on the machine, Tracy. My hand crank machine churns in about half an hour.
I have just tried this recipe today, and the ice cream turned out delicious, but in my opinion a bit too sweet. Next time I will reduce the amount of sugar a little. I have a 2Qt Cusinart ice cream maker, and the size was just perfect. I used ground vanilla (1/2 teaspoon) for the flavor. For add-ons I used some home-made cookie dough bites with mini chocolate chips (I used almond flour to make edible raw cookie dough).
I am having my family over tonight, and I can’t wait to have them try this ice cream!
I’m glad you like it, Monika!
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. We added crumbled Oreos and the ice cream was delicious. My son even said it tasted as good as Premium ice creams. This will be our go to recipe from now on!
Oreos are one of my kids’ favorite additions as well, Linda. Enjoy a summer of ice cream.
Wow i don’t think i’ll ever try another vanilla ice cream recipe again! This is perfect. It’s so creamy, but not too much cream at the same time. I love that it doesn’t even need eggs! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I like to think this recipe is ice cream perfection! So easy and so good. I am delighted this is now your go-to, Shanae
I’m not a plain vanilla ice cream fan. But, this is my go to base for strawberry and peach ice cream. Delicious. I have a 4 qt electric machine. I usually double the recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the ice cream, Janet.
Excellent Recipe. Simple and delicious. I added a few drops of orange essence and it was great. Now I am adding some melted chocolate.
Orange and Chocolate are so good together as ice cream. Nice work, John.
If it’s “Ice Cream”, why not use all cream instead of cream AND milk?
Janice – You sure can if you want too. Most ice cream recipes are a combination of cream and milk. If you use all cream you run the risk of ending up with a buttery taste and the heavy cream taste can overpower other flavorings you put it.
This is so delicious!! It’s become a favorite in our house. Thanks for sharing!
Best ice cream! My family was skeptical but they all loved it and how easy it was to make.
If you love coffee ice cream, sub milk for coffee and freeze right after churning because it will be a little runny! Absolutely delicious!
Best ice cream ever. Added crushed up Oreo’s. Soooo good!
Can I substitute granulated honey, regular honey, pure maple syrup for the sugar—trying to eliminate white sugar from my diet?
Kathy – That should work, just know you might be a bit of trial and error as you get the quantity right.
I love this recipe!! When is best time to add the add-ins like cookies? Does adding fresh fruit work well? When to add fresh fruit?
Susan, It depends. But in general, I prefer to layer them at the end when I am putting it into the storage container. I have been known to overfill my ice cream machine and the mess isn’t fun. Enjoy your ice cream making.
This is definitely the best and easiest vanilla ice cream I’ve ever made. Thank-you for the recipe!!
You are so very welcome. It really is just so perfect.
Math challenged and distracted here and accidentally added too much milk… Still going to go ahead and try I’ve cream maker etc. Any ideas on whether it’ll work or not?
Jenn – Depends on how much extra you added. A splash or so is no big deal, a cup might not freeze as well – You might consider scaling up the batch to double it all together and then make two batches of ice cream! Who doesn’t want more ice cream? Good luck!
Hi Mary, any chance of giving the recipes in millilitres too please – seems the cup sizes in Europe are not necessarily a standard measure!
They look fab recipes, will try regardless 😁
I can appreciate your frustration, but unfortunately, that isn’t something I’m able to easily convert for 1500+ recipes, Penny. Luckily, there are conversion calculators available online to hopefully make it simpler when you’re cooking and need to convert something. Google’s calculator works great for this.
Thanx for such an easy and really delicious homemade ice cream recipe! It reminded me of my Grandparents’ house in the summer when Grandpa Jake would call everyone on the kitchen wall phone and tell us “come over we’re making ice cream!”
I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying the ice cream, Mark.
The ice cream recipe is the best!!! We make it all the time❤️
It is definitely a favorite for us as well, Karl.