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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 made this for my best friend’s Birthday tonight. Wow! It’s amazingly delicious and simple. I started this morning so it didn’t get a chance to sit overnight but can’t imagine how it could be better. Perfect consistency. And the best vanilla flavor. Again…Wow! This is a keeper
I am so glad that you loved the ice cream, Ginny! Happy birthday to your friend, and happy cooking to you in the future!
Mary, what an amazing recipe.
It’s so disappointing to read peoples negative comments. If they don’t want to read the bio then skip to the recipe there’s a simple button.
You’ve handled it very professionally and kindly.
If nothing else, the internet can be a source of amusement, can’t it? I hope you love the ice cream as much as we do!
I love this recipe the way it is. I’ve used it and exchanged some chocolate sauce in place of equal amount of cream and it’s also amazing. When I make rich blends like the chocolate, I add two to four egg yolks to the simmer process and sieve them into the rest for mixing. It’s decadent. The perfect base recipe for so many options.
I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the ice creams so much, Lori!
THIS WAS A GOOD WAY OF MAKING ICE CREAM THANK U FOR TEACHING ME
You are so very welcome! Enjoy the ice cream.
I love this ice cream … WOW 🤯… Kaboom….
I’m so happy that you’re enjoying the ice cream!
The recipe and everything is really good and this isn’t a bad comment its just that its kinda hard to make it if you don’t have a ice cream machine, this recipe is supposed to be homemade but its just a little difficult. If u do have an Ice cream machine then thats great but its different when u dont have one. Again this recipe is very good and with an Ice cream machine its great! Tysm!
You are welcome, Rohaan. If you find yourself craving ice cream later, you could try this no machine ice cream.
I love this recipe it works super well. I also loved how you got to change how many people you wanted to serve. Keep up the good work!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the ice cream!
I’ve been wanting to try making homemade ice cream! Could you share any recommendations for ice cream machines to buy?
Sure, Cyndi! I’ve talked about some of my favorites here: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/ice-cream-makers/. Check it out, and let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy the ice cream!
Thanks for this simple recipe. I used it for my elementary school class in special Ed for science. Definitely a favorite lesson. Smiles all around and complete attention. We skipped simmering though for safety reasons. Delicious and fun!
You’re welcome, Kelly! I’m so glad your class loved the ice cream.
Made this for the 2nd time today. 1st was peach schnapps, 2nd was caramel. Both were a hit. Soooo easy! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the ice cream!
Hi! I have a question! The gauntlet was thrown: “Mom! Can you make vanilla fudge swirl?” It’s your ice cream but with veins of fudge topping swirled through it. Any suggestions? (I WILL win against them…🤣😂🤣)
Hi, Beth! If you’ve tried mixing in toppings before, this recipe should let you add fudge without issue. If you’re looking for more desserts, this chunky monkey ice cream recipe features swirled chocolate and bananas. I hope everyone loves the ice cream.
Sorry, no.
You just can’t get the texture unless you make the crème anglaise for the base. This wasn’t as bad as ice milk but it’s not ice cream texture.
Sorry you weren’t a fan of the ice cream, Robyn! Different people prefer different textures.
If you don’t like the recipe just move along. The same recipe can perform differently for different cooks.
what about the ice and salt surrounding the canister for my electric maker?
Whether or not you’ll need ice and salt depends on the type of ice cream maker you have, Scott. You’ll want to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for churning the ice cream.
Love this ice cream, we made on our family camping trip with the grandkids, the only thing I did different I slightly warmed the cream in the microwave for 45 seconds to dissolve the suffer and salt, then put the mixture in jars in the cooler with ice. But we also made it like when we were kids and put this mixture in a small coffee can taped shut put that can in a big coffee can with ice and rock salt, and all the kids took turns shaking up the can and an hour and a half we had ice cream.
I’m so glad the ice cream has been a hit over time, Jane, and that it brought back memories. I hope everyone continues to enjoy the recipe in the future. Happy cooking.
Almond milk winner!
This recipe is amazing and delicious, we had cream, but were out of milk, so I used almond milk in place and it was so creamy and delicious!!
Thank you for sharing!
You are welcome, Jacqueline. Glad to see that you were able to adapt the recipe to work with what you had, and that the ice cream was such a success. Enjoy!
Delicious and so easy! I skipped the stove top part and just mixed in a cup of powdered sugar with the milk. I have a small Cuisinart maker with the freezer bowls so I split the mixture between the two of them and added Reese’s cups to one and some leftover frozen ganache to the other…..you could do anything with this I’ve cream! Thanks for the recipe!
You are welcome, Jessica! I’m glad you were able to make the recipe work for you. Enjoy the ice cream!
I have a 4qt nostalgia maker just wondering what the yield is on your recipe. Ty.
Hi, Becky! This recipe yields 1.5 quarts of ice cream.
This is the absolute BEST and creamy homemade ice cream ever! I’ve made it doing the simmer step and without and both are amazing! Making 2 batches for our 4th of July party this weekend
I’m so glad you love the ice cream, Jenny!
For a one gallon maker should I double this recipe?
Hello! You can double this recipe in a one gallon maker. Enjoy the ice cream!
This is a fantastic ice cream recipe. Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome, Lisa. Enjoy the ice cream!