The Best (and Easiest) Ice Cream You’ll Ever Make

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Homemade Ice Cream is the quintessential summer treat, isn’t it?

This homemade ice cream recipe can also be called the easiest (and best!) ice cream you will ever make or taste. I’ve been making this ice cream at least once a month for over 5 years now.

The BEST and easiest vanilla ice cream you will ever make! get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

Can anyone ever turn down a scoop of rich and creamy vanilla ice cream? This ice cream recipe is the easiest once I make and it’s adaptable for whichever add-ins you’re craving.

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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 making a fresh batch of ice cream.

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!

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

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’ve also topped this ice cream with warm chocolate sauce, and my favorite of all this simple berry sauce. There has yet to be a combination that we didn’t love.

I probably don’t even need to mention it, but this Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream is a pretty much dream come true for topping Southern Peach Cobbler, Grandma’s Cherry Flop, an Old Fashioned Apple Crisp, or this Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch.

You only need FIVE ingredients to make the best and easiest homemade ice cream! get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

How To Make Homemade Ice Cream

With just five simple ingredients, you can have this smooth and creamy vanilla ice cream at your fingertips as well.

When I first started making homemade ice cream, I initially followed the recommended recipes and tried several custard-style ice creams. Traditionally, many ice creams begin with an egg custard.

While a custard base does make for an amazing ice cream, don’t get me wrong, custard ice cream is rich as can be and I quickly found that it just isn’t my thing.

Besides, I’ll be honest, I like to make things simpler and not more complicated in the kitchen wherever possible.

When I discovered Philadelphia-style ice cream, it was a complete game changer. 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!

Homemade Ice Cream is like no other! get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

This ice cream is dead simple. Stir everything together in a saucepan, simmer, Stir, Chill and Freeze; 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 are easily having this for dessert the same evening.

However, 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 makes it even better.

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.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream is like no other! get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

This ice cream works beautifully in every ice cream maker I’ve tried. Hand crank, electric crank, freezer bowl, and ice cream compressor. Homemade Ice Cream turns out great in each one!

(And yes, I may have a wee bit of a thing for ice cream, because I have each of those machines and love them all!)

Ice Cream Recipes

Once you have an ice cream maker in your kitchen, get ready for all the ice cream recipes you can handle.

These recipes for Rocky Road Ice Cream, Cinnamon Ice Cream, Blueberries and Cream Ice Cream, and Cafe con Leche Ice Cream all need to be on your list to try. 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.

Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream by The View from Great Island and Peanut Butter Ice Cream by Pint Sized Baker both look delicious as well.

Homemade Ice Cream Recipe

  1. Pour 1 cup of the cream into a saucepan and add the sugar, salt. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pot and then add the vanilla pod to the pot.
  2. Warm the mixture over medium heat, just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the remaining cream, milk, and vanilla. Stir to combine and chill in the refrigerator.
  3. When ready to churn, remove the vanilla pod, whisk mixture again and pour into ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  4. Transfer the finished ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer until ready to serve.

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The Best and Easiest Ice Cream Recipe

The Best (and Easiest) Ice Cream You’ll Ever Make

4.66 from 419 votes
Rich and creamy homemade vanilla ice cream recipe that only requires five ingredients!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings (about 1.5 quarts)

Ingredients 

  • cups heavy cream
  • cup whole milk
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean split in half lengthwise or
  • Optional: 2 cups of add-ins – soft brownies, cookies, and blondies work great

Instructions

  • Pour 1 cup of the cream into a saucepan and add the sugar, salt. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pot and then add the vanilla pod to the pot. 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). Stir to combine and chill in the refrigerator.
  • When ready to churn, remove the vanilla pod, whisk mixture again and pour into ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the finished ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Notes

Feel free to skip the simmer step and simply whisk everything together, then pour directly into the ice cream maker. The ice cream is absolutely delicious this way, as well as when simmered and chilled first.

Nutrition

Calories: 373kcal · Carbohydrates: 30g · Protein: 3g · Fat: 27g · Saturated Fat: 17g · Cholesterol: 100mg · Sodium: 97mg · Potassium: 119mg · Sugar: 28g · Vitamin A: 1103IU · Vitamin C: 1mg · Calcium: 103mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

{originally published 5/22/18 – recipe notes and photos updated 7/1/21}

The Best and Easiest Ice Cream Recipe you will ever make! get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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  1. Jessica Versen says

    One of my favorite homemade ice cream recipes. I often make it for my family and they just love it :-). I get inspired by your wonderful recipes and the gorgeous images you make help a lot too. By the way, do you know if this recipe can be made into a gluten free version,? I would really like to try and make a gluten free version of this delicious vanilla ice cream, as one of our kids is gluten intolerant.

    Thanks a lot in advance!

  2. Bill says

    In this recipe, have you tried substituting sweetened condensed milk instead of sugar? That would eliminate the simmering over the stove. If so, how much?

    • Mary Younkin says

      Hi Bill! As I mentioned in the post, I often make this without the simmering step. I’m sure it would work with condensed milk, but I can’t speak to how much you’ll need.

  3. Rachel says

    This reminds me of breyer’s vanilla before Unilever bought it and ruined it! Its the first time I’ve made eggless ice cream that gets cooked on the stove. And wow, properly dissolving the sugar is KEY! It makes such a huge difference. Just mixing it together and throwing it in the ice cream maker wont cut it.5 stars

  4. Tracy says

    Yum! We used this recipe as a base then added 1 mashed banana, 3/4 C cacao powder and a few generous scoops of chunky peanut butter to make banana, chocolate, peanut butter ice cream. Yum.5 stars

  5. Lisa Voorhees says

    I am making this ice cream as I’m writing. In the past when I have made homemade ice cream and place in the freezer it becomes so hard to scoop! Will this recipe do the same? I have heard if you put a small amount of vodka as its churning it will prevent this from happening. Do you know if that will work? Just not sure if I should try or if you have another suggestion besides leaving on counter to soften and melt. I guess i just want it to have a nice consistency. Like real ice cream not a milk ice cube.

  6. Melissa says

    I came across this when searching for a quick and easy vanilla ice cream recipe and boy did it deliver! Reminded me of icedream soft serve from Chick fil a! Thanks for sharing this great recipe!5 stars

  7. Ginger Bell says

    Fabulous! I don’t care for custard either, and since I use Aguave syrup instead of sugar I just put all the ingredients together and turned on the compressor ice cream machine. Great! We made turtle sundaes….hot fudge, caramel, nuts & whipped cream. Thank you! I wanted something really good and equally easy and fast to make because we make ice cream often.

  8. Mary says

    If you don’t have an ice cream maker then you can’t make it and I read nearly the whole long article before I realized.

    • amber says

      based it off this recipe. altered to fit i the glass dish. 2 cups heavy whipping cream, 2 cups half and half cream, 1 cup sugar, 2-3 tsp vanilla or ½ a vanilla bean, 1/8 tsp salt. — In a chilled 13×9 inch glass flat casserole dish, Combine until sugar is dissolved using a hand mix. Chill 20-30 mins, starting to ice up, hand mix again don’t overdo it or will end up tasting like sweet butter. Freeze again 20-30 mins. Beat again. Now (fold in or layer in 2 layers and on top add Any mix of 2 cups diced Soft brownies & candy bars or Short bread & White chocolate, Chocolate cookies & caramel. Oreo & cream cheese, and or Drizzle Chocolate, Strawberry, any preserve syrup mix with some Cream to prevent became a solid rock. Diced cream cheese and any refrozen fruit is great to.

  9. Teresa says

    THIS WAS SOOOO GOOD! MADE as directed with the simmering step – It dissolves the sugar and OH-MY-GOODNESS!! YUMMO!! Thank you!!5 stars

  10. Michelle says

    This is up there with “best” and certainly wins as “easiest.” I’m sharing with picky eaters so just made plain vanilla, once my guests are gone, I will try with modifications 🙂

    • Mary Younkin says

      I have no idea how that might work, Jean. I’ve never tried it myself, but if you scan the comments, you’ll see some alternatives that others have tried.

  11. SoozAnn says

    Hi Mary…

    Just wanted to know if almond milk will work with this recipe? I have friends that are lactose intolerant and would love to make them some…But today I am going to use whole chocolate milk for this recipe…maybe throw in a little chocolate syrup….can’t wait to try it…

    Thanks ;o)

    • Mary Younkin says

      You definitely won’t have the same creaminess without heavy cream. You could make an “ice milk” using almond milk, but it really won’t work the same way. If you enjoy coconut, there is a dairy-free coconut ice cream recipe here on the site that many people love.

  12. Fay Worrilow says

    Hello sweet friends! Yesterday I had so.e friends over for lunch, I had made this delicious ice cream and mixed in Oreo cookies. I served it in a martini glass garnished with Oreo crumbs and an Oreo cookie. It was wonderful! I wish I had gotten a picture, but I was too busy. Thank you, thank you for this recipe!

  13. Jennifer cox says

    For the longest I had an ice cream machine sitting in my closet. I decided to give it a try and chose your receipe. This is the best vanilla ice cream I have ever made. It’s a keeper forever. Sorry, no more store bought ice cream for me. Thank you.5 stars

  14. Sweetoholic says

    This recipe looks simple to make. My hubby wants root beer ice cream. Anyone half any recommendations on how to change this recipe up. Do I leave out the vanilla extract entirely and use Watkins Root beer extract? How much Watkins Root beer extract would I use. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. 😃