The best Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe! It’s creamy, easy, and calls for a no-cook egg custard! The eggs are whipped to a creamy consistency to give you the best vanilla ice cream experience with a fraction of the labor!
This vanilla ice cream recipe is the base of all the other delicious ice cream flavors! Which, is why we have a collection of different ice cream flavors like our favorite Cookies N’ Cream ice cream or homemade Chocolate ice cream! Once you get the base down you can make any flavored ice cream for those hot upcoming summer days!
Video How to make Vanilla Ice Cream:
The Only Ice Cream Recipe You’ll Ever Need!
A classic custard is a base to any ice cream flavor! All you need is milk, cream, and eggs to make it happen and it’s so EASY! Not too heavy or light! And the custard doesn’t call for egg yolks, you use all the eggs but transform them in a creamy miraculous non-cooking way! I used an ice cream maker attachment to my Kitchen Aid Mixer but any electric ice cream maker like this Cuisinart one will work! The rule of thumb for creamy ice cream is the heavier you go with heavy cream the richer! The lighter the ice cream you want then use milk. It’s simple really, and you only need a few ingredients!
So, that brings me to some of the homemade ice creams that I’ve tried. Although a no-churn ice cream recipe sounds like a deal-breaker, I’ve found the texture to be completely off. It’s not going to deliver that ice cream flavor you get from a tub of store-bought ice cream. As of a result, an eggless version seamed to melt too fast and also lacked in the richness factor. And a custard-based recipe that you have to cook in the summer? Forget it, wasn’t one I was willing to work around. However, I still wanted the addition of eggs since I do believe it adds that oomph to the cream, so I was on the search to make the perfect ice cream.
Best Vanilla Ice Cream
My search is over for the best vanilla ice cream recipe! My favorite reason that I absolutely love this version of homemade Ice cream is that it was a special creation in taking a big shortcut for an egg custard! I wanted the addition of eggs in my ice cream for richness and my way of doing that was to whip the eggs but not cook them. It’s the BEST formula for an egg-based ice cream recipe without the cooked custard! Once you master your vanilla ice cream game the add-ins come in easily. The cream and milk churn to a soft-serve ice cream that you can enjoy immediately or freeze for later to replicate a tub of store ice cream. It’s simply divine and is likely to receive comments!
How to make Ice Cream:
BEST Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
Equipment
- electric ice cream maker or Kitchen aid ice cream maker attachment
Ingredients
Vanilla Ice Cream Custard:
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
How to make Vanilla Ice Cream:
Prep: Freeze the bowl and paddle attachment to your ice cream maker for 24 hours.- To prepare ice cream custard: Beat eggs and sugar for 5 minutes, until thick and pale.
- Mix in the cream, milk, and vanilla until blended. Place batter into the fridge at least 4 hours or freeze in as quick as 1-4 hours or until very cold.
- To make ice cream: Pour cold batter into the frozen ice cream maker and churn for 25-30 minutes.
- Ice cream will look gritty once done.
- Transfer ice cream into a container and freeze until firm or enjoy as a soft-serve.
Notes
Nutrition per serving
Handy Ice cream equipment:
Q&A
What is the best Ice cream maker?
I was on the hunt for a good ice cream maker and this Cuisinart one was one I was considering, however, I went with the Kitchen aid ice cream attachment since I really didn’t want extra kitchen gadgets taking up counter space. I already had a kitchen aid so it would only be a bowl attachment I would need to purchase. The bowl stays in the freezer so more counter space for me and no extra machinery needed. I love this attachment it was definitely a wise investment.
Is it safe to eat raw eggs in ice cream?
I haven’t had any salmonella issues with my ice cream batches. The eggs in the ice cream go through freezing point anyway, so it shouldn’t be a big problem unless you have encountered problems with raw egg consumption. However, if this seems to be an issue just pasteurize and cool your eggs before proceeding with the recipe. Besides, if freezing fish kills off any parasites for raw consumption then this process should work for eggs as well.
Can I use vanilla pudding for a homemade vanilla ice cream recipe?
Some old-fashioned vanilla ice cream recipes call for vanilla pudding, which sounds delicious but can be overpowering in vanilla pudding taste depending on how much you use. I do know store pudding thickens nicely however it can change the hue of the ice cream and taste like pudding rather than ice cream. If you wish to use dry vanilla pudding, I would recommend adding a Tbsp of the dry pudding into the cream when preparing to not overdo it.
Ingredients to make Homemade Ice Cream:
Making homemade ice cream is easy! Here is a complete list of the ingredients needed:
- Eggs- adds richness to the ice cream.
- granulated sugar- a sweetener and helps eggs thicken.
- heavy cream- adds heavier and richer texture.
- milk- lightens up the ice cream, so your not using all cream.
- vanilla- is actually optional and I do skip it now as the ice cream is plenty sweet. Vanilla extract or vanilla sugar are both vanilla enhancers. Feel free to add fresh vanilla beans if you wish.
How to make ice cream in a Kitchen Aid Mixer:
- First, freeze the bowl to your ice cream maker for 24 hours.
- Prepare the Ice Cream Custard: Beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thick.
- Next, pour in the cream, milk, and vanilla. Beat well.
- Refrigerate or chill the ice cream mixture before churning in the ice cream maker. Doing so will thicken the ice cream properly and won’t be a wet mess.
- Churn your cold ice cream custard in the frozen bowl over low speed for 25-30 minutes. Ice cream will look gritty and be the consistency of a soft-serve ice cream. Transfer to a container, cover, and freeze until firm.
- Scoop into cone or bowl and enjoy!
Do you have to chill the ice cream custard before churning?
Chilling your ice cream batter is crucial. I’ve seen a difference in my ice cream consistency. When I didn’t properly chill my batter it had the tendency to be a melty mess and that doesn’t get better after the freezing point as melted ice cream never regains it’s texture again. You can freeze the custard in the freezer to speed up the chilling process anywhere from 30 minutes up to 4 hours. Or you can refrigerate overnight, which is what I usually do.
How long should I churn ice cream for?
If your ice cream equipment and the batter are properly prepared, no longer than a 30-minute mark is recommended. After 30 minutes your batter can start melting and your ice cream maker can lose its cold state. Typically the ice cream churns within 25 minutes.
How do I make my ice cream lighter or heavier?
The formula is simple. Ice cream consists of cream and milk. More cream = more creamy consistency. Less cream = less creamy and lighter in taste. The heavier you go with heavy cream the richer! The lighter the ice cream you want then use milk or half and half.
How is Vanilla Ice Cream Made?
Vanilla is just a flavoring to plain ice cream and is actually the base of all the other flavors of ice cream out there. The ice cream mixture of cream and eggs then goes through a frozen bowl that typically turns and scrapes off the sides of the bowl turning the cream into icicles. This technique turns (churns) the cream until most of the cream turns into soft icicles as we call the soft serve. The only way to replicate this creamy ice cream is to invest in an ice cream maker. I like to use an electric one although there is still the old fashioned ice cream maker with hand cranks that require ice cubes and salt. Here is Wiki Article all about Vanilla Ice Cream.
Tips for Ice Cream:
- Refrigerate or Chill your ice cream custard before churning.
- Make sure the bowl to your ice cream maker is properly frozen if using an electric unit. (24 hours is best.)
- If the batter isn’t churning after 15 minutes stop the machine pour your mixture into a bowl and refrigerate. Wash and dry your bowl then place it into the freezer again to freeze. Try turning again in 24 hours for the bowl to regain its coldness.
- Enjoy freshly churned ice cream as a soft serve or freeze after churning for scoopable ice cream.
Other ice cream recipes to try:
