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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}
Hi – I’m about to make this recipe and appreciate your effort. I use Duck Duck go as a web browser and it automatically blocks the ads for anyone else who doesn’t want pop up ads! People can be so winy, I appreciate the convenience offered by you.
Have a nice day 👍
It’s great to find an option that works for you!
So good and so easy!
I’m thrilled you like it!
vanilla ice cream turned out very well on my first attempt. Tastes like store bought. It was easy to make. Although very good, I found it a little too sweet. I will reduce the sugar slightly next time I make it.
I often change up the sugar amount depending on how I’ll be serving the ice cream. I love how adaptable it is!
can I use swerve sweetener instead of real sugar?
While I haven’t tried that myself, many people have left comments that alternative sweeteners work well in the ice cream.
My favorite ice cream recipe. I add 2 Tbs of vanilla vodka for flavor plus it’s easier to scoop.
I’m so glad you like it!
I will prepare the recipe tommorrow, but I just wanted to thank you beforehand. I have a question, i dont have an ice cream machine, do i just whisk it for 30 min. ‘
Here are the directions for making ice cream without a machine, Aurora: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/ice-cream-without-a-machine/ Enjoy!
am I missing something? there’s numerous comments about how you don’t need an ice cream maker to make this ice cream, but then gives a recipe only with directions using an ice cream machine?
The directions are linked throughout this post, Sam. Here is a direct link to the instructions for making ice cream without a machine: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/ice-cream-without-a-machine/
Mary, like some others who commented, I haven’t made this yet but definitely do it this for an upcoming 16th birthday party for my grandson! my daughter and I are both dairy intolerant and she also gluten at all costs, so this looks like the perfect solution for all!! I have some frozen fruit I want to add to this but not sure of when and how. Hope you can help me out with this issue!
Thank you for your time creating these recipes. Carla Poorman
There are several sorbet recipes here: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/?s=sorbet and dairy free ice cream options as well: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/dairy-free-chocolate-ice-cream/ and https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/raspberry-coconut-ice-cream/ are both popular ones. I hope that helps!
Hello.
Why do you say to use heavy cream in the recipe and in the picture, it’s heavy whipping cream (red container)?
There is a difference in the two. 🤔
Actually, heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are basically the same product, both defined by containing at least 36% milk fat, and can be used interchangeably in recipes. However, there is a difference between heavy cream and “whipping cream” (sometimes called “light whipping cream”), in that case the difference is the fat content, with whipping cream having a slightly lower fat percentage (30-36%) which results in a lighter texture when whipped.
The easiest and best ever ice cream. As a chef this is my go to. My clients love it as well. I added decaf coffee for my coffee ice-cream
I’m so glad you like it!
Great recipe! Me and my friends loved it. If I can know, what serving size did you use to get 6 servings?
Wishing you much success.
It’s approximately a 2/3 cup serving size.
could you use a sugar substitute, like splenda,or trivia?Haven’t tried this recipe yet, was just asking a question!
Several people have commented that it works for them, but I’ve never tried it myself.
So easy and so delicious! We had friends over for dinner and I had this for dessert. They loved it!
I’m happy to hear it’s a hit!
Turned out great. Much better than expected. I made a second batch using a sugar substitute and a little bit of vegetable glycerin to keep it soft. That worked out great also
I’m happy to hear that you’re enjoying the ice cream, John!
I just put some in the refrigerator to cool. Can’t wait to try it!
I hope you love the ice cream as much as we do!
Update: We love it. Getting ready to make a third batch! This is now my go to recipe!
Yay! I’m thrilled it’s a hit.
Hi. I’m about to make this recipe but was wondering why you use salt and what does it do to the ice cream? It seems a contradiction of taste to have both salt and sugar in the same recipe even if there is only a small amount of salt. Thx.
Hi Dave, you’re correct that it’s a very small amount of salt. However, salt is often added to desserts to help balance the sweetness and add complexity. Unless a dessert is specifically labeled “salted” or “sea salt chocolate” or something like that, you shouldn’t be able to taste the salt in the final results.
OMG, thank you for this recipe! I bought a Nostalgia ice cream maker that came with recipes. I tried their vanilla ice cream, but they were a disaster. Ice cream came out flavorless and would freeze into a huge icy block when left in freezer overnight. The recipe book even warned that home made ice cream would be less sweet than store bought, almost as if to excuse the lousy recipe.
I tried this recipe twice and the ice cream came out flawlessly each time (nice and flavorful, but not overly sweet) and never froze into a block of ice no matter how long I left it in the freezer. This makes a perfect base for ice cream, and I can’t wait to experiment with different flavors and mix ins.
YAY! I’m thrilled to hear that you’re enjoying it!
I can’t wait to make this, it seems really easy.
I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do!
Hi! Just wondering if there’s a way to use sweetened condensed milk instead of heavy cream?Also, if so, does the condensed milk need to be cold? Thanks!
Unfortunately that won’t be an even swap, as you’ll still need more fat in the recipe. The result would be an “ice milk” type of dish. You could swap condensed milk for some of the milk and sugar though as it is a concentrated milk product with added sugar.
when I asked for a recipe for ice cream to make it at home that’s what I mean I don’t have an ice cream maker I just have me and myself and I to make this ice cream without him ice cream maker to churn it.
Hi Colleen, it sounds like you were looking for instructions on making ice cream without a machine. Here’s how you can do that: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/ice-cream-without-a-machine/