Philadelphia Style Ice Cream

Wonderfully simple to make, and with an incredibly bold vanilla flavor, Philadelphia Style Ice Cream is hands down, the best simple vanilla ice cream I have ever made.

Served on its own or with a drizzle of caramel sauce or hot fudge, this is an ice cream worthy of any occasion.

Try scooping the ice cream over a warm brownie or stir brownie chunks or crumbled cookies into the churned ice cream before tucking it in the freezer. However you make and serve this ice cream, it’s certain to be a win with everyone.

Philadelphia Style Ice Cream

Did you know that Philadelphia style ice cream is simply ice cream made with no eggs? I have tried some impressively rich ice creams (made with eggs) over the years.

However, we are not used to ice creams that rich, so they are not frequently made in my home. Besides, I’ll be honest, I like to make things simpler and not more complicated in the kitchen wherever possible.

I’ve made this recipe both cooked and uncooked. If you are really in a rush, you can simply stir everything together cold and pour it into the machine. But, simmering just long enough to dissolve the sugar and then cooling it again truly makes it even better. So, that is how I usually make it.

Stir, Simmer, Stir, Chill and Freeze; less than 10 minutes of actual prep time. If I put the mixture together in the morning, and then freeze it in the afternoon, we are easily having Philadelphia ice cream for dessert the same evening.

Eggless Ice Cream

Because this is an eggless ice cream recipe, there’s no fussing with a custard base. That simplifies the process of making it quite a bit, and generates very consistent results.

This homemade vanilla ice cream stands on its own, or atop a warm slice of pie or cake. But, my favorite way to eat it is with a handful of my favorite mix-ins. Soft cookies, brownies, blondies, fresh fruit, or candy. The sky is the limit.

If you like having baked goods as a mix-in option, but don’t want to bake a fresh batch for ice cream every time, I’ve got you covered. Just chop up a couple of servings and freeze them for later use.

With over 160 ice cream recipes here to choose from, there’s sure to be an ice cream for everyone! If you’re new to making ice cream, the best and easiest vanilla ice cream is a great place to start.

These are my favorite inexpensive containers for storing ice cream. They’re perfect for gifting (who doesn’t love homemade ice cream?) storage, re-using, etc. I write the flavors on the lids with a sharpie and it washes off with dish soap.

I have more ice cream scoops than I can keep track of at this point and I definitely play favorites. This ice cream scoop does the best job ever of cutting through firm ice cream and still delivers a pretty scoop. It gets bonus points for being one of the least expensive scoops I own as well.

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!

Eggless Ice Cream Recipe

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this ice cream:

• heavy cream
• whole milk
• sugar
• salt
• vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste
• vanilla extract

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!

Start by pouring 1 cup of the heavy cream into a medium saucepan. Then, add the sugar and salt. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pot and add the vanilla pod to the pot.

Warm the mixture over medium heat, whisking just until the sugar dissolves. Then, remove from the heat and add the remaining cream, milk and vanilla.

Whisk again to combine, then let it cool completely. For best results, transfer the mixture to the refrigerator to chill for a few hours. This lets the vanilla completely infuse the dairy mixture for the best taste.

When ready to churn a fresh batch of ice cream, remove the vanilla pod. Then, whisk the mixture a final time before pouring it into your ice cream maker. Freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Philadelphia Ice Cream

Looking for more egg free ice cream recipes like this?

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{originally published 4/1/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 1/19/24}

recipe from and with thanks to The Perfect Scoop