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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}
Best ice cream ever. I’m making strawberry now and later I will make chocolate out of the same batch of the vanilla. I always use this recipe and it never fails.
I’m thrilled that the ice cream has been a hit for you, Kathleen!
Can you make this ice cream without an ice cream maker, and just manually do what the ice cream maker can do?
I am really looking forward to making this ice cream for the holidays, but can’t necessarily afford an ice cream maker right now, so I was hoping that I could just do the manual work? Any advice would be appreciated! I am a very new cook, and I am open to all the advice.
You bet. Here are the directions, https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/ice-cream-without-a-machine/
I added chopped up Jersey bars and added them to ice cream while churning. Delicious!!
I’m glad you like the ice cream, Donald!
I am new to ice cream making, and this was my first time making vanilla. I like how fast and easy this was which makes me more likely to actually make it in a crunch. Although it did turn out fine, it lacked depth of flavor and I was missing the wow-factor. I wish I liked it more seeing as there are no artificial ingredients. We ate it plain. It may be more enjoyable with mix-ins
Hi Genevieve, this is a very basic vanilla ice cream recipe. You can increase the vanilla flavor by using more extract, a scraped vanilla bean, or vanilla paste. You can also add in any number of different ingredients for different flavors.
This is the best vanilla ice cream recipe. I had another but it left a creamy coating on the roof of the mouth. This does not. I also like that it does not use a lot of sugar compared to other recipes I have read. This is such an adaptable recipe. You can put any fruit, nuts or add ins you desire. Thank you for posting the recipe! Yummy, delicious!
I’m so glad you like it!
Try adding bourbon vanilla extract We’ll bring out the flavor like no other great recipe.
good good good good good good good good
I’m glad you like it!
Looking forward to trying this recipe! I made a few that were custard based, and just too rich. I am hoping to make Apple Cider ice cream by adding in some boiled down cider/sugar that is reduced into a syrup. Probably about 3oz. Will this affect the recipe?
3 ounces of syrup shouldn’t affect it too much, Angie. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Best recipe was great as a base! I added crushed blueberries and a packet of hot chocolate mix at the beginning, and then later added chocolate chips and whole blueberries near the end for a chocolate vanilla blueberry ice cream.
All of those variations sound delicious!
Is there an advantage to the simmer /fridge method over the mixing only before churning? It’s quite a time difference! Thanks
Simmering it just long enough to dissolve the sugar and then cooling it again does makes it a bit smoother. Truthfully though, I’m impatient about half the time, so I skip the simmer step frequently. This is fantastic ice cream however you make it.
Very nice base, good for adding things to, I personally used some peanut butter and substituted some of the sugar for caramel and molasses, however, in my opinion, there was massively too little salt. I made only about 40% more ice cream (to finish off my heavy cream) and scaled everything accordingly, but salting to taste I ended up having to add roughly 30 times what was listed in the recipe, but it was perfect otherwise. Some may prefer only 10-20 times the given amount of salt, particularly if using the exact portions in the recipe.
30 TIMES the salt? You added over a TABLESPOON of salt? Am I reading that correctly? Wow. I’m glad you enjoyed the ice cream, but I can not fathom adding that much salt to a batch of ice cream. I’m happy you were able to make it work for your tastes, William!
If you alternate a recipe can you really knock off a star because it’s no longer her recipe? Are mixingbup sugar with salt???
I just purchased a Cuisinart ICE-21 ice cream maker and used your recipe for vanilla ice cream as my first batch. It was fantastic, receiving raves from 15 people at Thanksgiving. Thank you!
I’m thrilled that you are enjoying the ice cream!
This ice cream is sooooo good!!! I replaced the sugar with 4 TBS of Truvia because I have DMII. I can not thank you enough for your recipe!!! This Ice cream is not only good but so eazy to make!!!
I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying it!
Phenomenal. Fabulous results. Texture, flavour, ease of preparation. 10s across the board.
I’m happy to hear that you’re enjoying the ice cream!
Sounds great. But I have to try it myself before I can give a full 5 stars. So I’ll have to get back with you later.
Hopefully you will love it as much as we do!
It’s really not fair that you gave it 4 stars before trying it. That alters her star rating. A good review is just that, a review. If you haven’t made it, you can’t review it.
Why would you only give four stars when you have not tried it???
Used cream, milk and a tin of condensed milk plus extra vanilla bean paste, mixed without heat, churned with crushed Maltesers and straight into freezer. Delicious! I’ll be trying all your variations! Thank you….
I’m thrilled to hear that you love it!
The ice cream tastes great, super easy and everyone loved it! I suggest cutting back on the sugar a little, but that’s just me.
I’m glad you enjoyed the ice cream!
I’ve tried a few different ice cream recipes and this one is, by far, the best I’ve used. Once frozen, it came out at the consistency of store bought ice cream, rather than being like melted, refrozen ice cream as a couple others have done. It’s delicious! We used Heath and chocolate chips as mix ins this time and will definitely use your recipe again. Thanks!
I’m so glad you like it!
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 have to make it sugar free for his diabetes, but it is still delicious!
I’m so happy to hear that the ice cream is a hit!
Such an easy from-scratch recipe. Thank you. I have self-declared Michelin star food critics in the house, and even they like it.
Can you help me understand how to keep it smooth and creamy and avoid getting the ice crystals in the texture?
I’m so glad you like it! When made exactly as written, the ice cream shouldn’t develop ice crystals if stored airtight and eaten within a few days. Lower fat ingredients will introduce more water and may cause the crystals to form. (I use whole milk with the heavy cream in this recipe when making it.) If you are seeing crystals, you can add a tablespoon of vodka (for a flavorless addition) or an alternative alcohol, and that will keep the ice cream a bit softer and should also work to prevent them from forming.
This is a great basic ice cream. I found that if I mix it with my immersion blender, but not too long, just until the sugar is mixed in, it gives it a different nice consistency. It puts a little air into it and increases the volume a bit.
I’m glad you like it!
first ice cream ever made and I am afraid to say (in a very good way) you have set the bar super high that I feel I will never better this one ❤️
YAY! I’m thrilled you love it.