I scream, you scream, we all scream for HOMEMADE ice cream! This sweet treat is rich, creamy, packed with vanilla flavor, and insanely easy to make.
When was the last time you made homemade ice cream? If it wasn’t this summer, it was wayyy too long ago. Break out your ice cream maker, and make this homemade ice cream recipe stat!
You can buy vanilla ice cream at any grocery store, but it’ll never taste as good as the stuff you make yourself. This homemade ice cream is rich and creamy, with an indulgent vanilla flavor that even chocolate aficionados will love. And the best part? This homemade ice cream recipe is so easy to make. We’re talking 5 ingredients and 15-ish minutes of hands-on prep. Full disclosure, there are a few hands-off parts of this recipe that require some patience, but once you taste this homemade ice cream, I think you’ll agree that every second of waiting was worth it. It really is the best summer treat.
Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe Ingredients
My homemade vanilla ice cream recipe starts with 5 basic ingredients:
- Heavy cream – It creates the rich ice cream base. For a dairy-free alternative, check out this vegan ice cream recipe!
- Whole milk – I don’t recommend replacing it with reduced fat or skim. Whole milk’s higher fat content ensures that the homemade ice cream comes out creamy, not icy.
- Cane sugar – For sweetness.
- Vanilla extract – For warm vanilla flavor. If you happen to have vanilla bean paste on hand, it’s a fun alternative. It gives the ice cream the same rich vanilla flavor, plus a speckled vanilla bean appearance.
- And salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Q: What about eggs? Some homemade ice cream recipes call for eggs or egg yolks to make the ice cream richer or thicker. I don’t use them here because leaving them out makes this recipe ultra-simple to prepare. And for my money, it’s just as delicious as one with a custard base!
How to Make Homemade Ice Cream
So, you have your ingredients! Here’s my simple method for how to make ice cream:
First thing’s first! At least 12 hours before you want to make homemade ice cream, freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker. It needs to be fully chilled in order for the ice cream to firm up.
Next, make the ice cream base. I recommend doing this step anywhere from 2 to 24 hours in advance. If you do it less than 2 hours ahead, the ice cream won’t thicken as nicely when you churn it.
Combine the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Warm for 5 minutes, whisking often, until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture is warmed through.
Then, chill the ice cream base. Transfer it to a heatproof bowl, cover, and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
Churning Homemade Ice Cream
When you’re ready to make ice cream, churn the ice cream mixture in your ice cream maker according the manufacturer’s instructions.
We have the KitchenAid stand mixer ice cream maker attachment (we’re obsessed!), and we typically churn the ice cream base for 20 to 30 minutes. This Cuisinart Ice Cream maker is also great.
Note: The ice cream will have a soft texture immediately after churning, similar to soft serve. It’s delicious that way, but I like it even better after 2+ hours in the freezer. Then, it’s perfectly scoopable—great in a cone, on summer desserts, or on its own with toppings!
Toppings & Variations
This vanilla ice cream is wonderful plain, but toppings certainly don’t hurt! Here are a few topping ideas to get you started:
- Try something fruity, like strawberry compote, blueberry compote, or your favorite fresh fruit. Diced bananas, blueberries, and cherries would all be good choices.
- Go nuts. Drizzle on peanut butter or almond butter, or sprinkle on toasted almonds or peanuts. Shredded coconut is a yummy topping too!
- Choose chocolate. Chocolate chips are always a great option, but crumbled chocolate chip cookies or brownie chunks make for a next-level sundae.
- Keep it classic. You can never go wrong with salted caramel sauce, hot fudge, and/or whipped cream.
Not feeling plain old vanilla? To make a different ice cream flavor, fold 2 to 2 1/2 cups of finely diced mix-ins into the ice cream immediately after churning. Adding fresh strawberries makes a wonderful strawberry ice cream, but another fresh fruit, mini chocolate chips, or cookie or brownie crumbles would be great too.
Storage
Use a spatula to transfer the soft ice cream from the ice cream maker into a quart-size airtight container. If you like, press a piece of plastic wrap or foil into the top of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals from forming.
Freeze for at least 2 hours and for up to a month. The ice cream will be easy to scoop on the first day, but after that, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for several minutes before you scoop it. It gets firmer after more time in the freezer.
What to Serve with Homemade Ice Cream
We love this homemade vanilla ice cream on its own, but it’s also great alongside other summer desserts. Add a scoop to any of these recipes to take it over the top:
- Homemade Cherry Pie
- Apple Pie
- Peach Crisp
- Grilled Peaches
- Easy Peach Cobbler
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Blueberry Cobbler
- Rhubarb Crisp
Enjoy!
Homemade Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 1½ cups whole milk
- ⅔ cup cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Warm over medium-low heat, whisking often, for 5 minutes, or until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is warmed through.
- Pour into a heatproof bowl, cover, and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
- Remove the chilled ice cream base from the fridge and whisk well. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, typically 20 to 30 minutes. The ice cream will be soft after churning. For firmer ice cream, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 2 to 4 hours before serving.
- Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month. If the ice cream is too firm to scoop straight from the freezer, let sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften.
I have never made freezer ice cream before so when I was researching recipes I probably read dozens before I found this one and I think it’s a winner. We loved the flavor of this recipe, very easy to make, and adjust the amount up if you want to make more. I doubled it the first time I made it and will probably triple it next time.
Highly recommend if you’d rather not have eggs in your recipe or that doesn’t require a lot of prep time.
I’m so glad you loved it!
My husband kept mumbling “mmm, mmm, mmm” while eating!
That’s when I know a recipe is perfect!
I used half vanilla paste and half extract. We wanted some chocolate but not chips so we shaved a chocolate bar. It was heaven. Loved the intense vanilla flavor!
Hi Cass, love the idea of adding shaved chocolate! I’m so glad the ice cream was a hit.
Check out the nearly identical blog and recipe on Amys Nutritious Kitchen. Amy’s posting appears to have been created months before the love and lemons post, and includes a lot more nutritional information that this recipe.
I saw that as well! Seems a bit odd. Love and Lemons calls it “My homemade vanilla ice cream recipe” in the post. Disappointing since
It was taken from someone else. :/
I did make the recipe and it was delicious, though! But want to give credit where credit is due.
Love this! Best recipe ever.
I lub it
I didn’t boil the mixture. I added soy lecithin to serve as an emulsifier. However, the mixture did not freeze properly in the ice cream maker. I wonder if it is because of the alcohol in the vanilla extract I used. Does boiling the mixture get rid of the alcohol?
I am allergic to whey (cystic acne) so I can use all the heavy cream I want but no milk except plant based. Should I add more cream then? Thanks.
Hi Melissa, hmmmm, I haven’t tried this, so I can’t guarantee the results, but using 2 cups cream and 1 cup plant milk (like oat, soy, or almond) might work here. Or you could use 1.5 cups cream and 1.5 cups full-fat coconut milk if you don’t mind a coconut flavor. Hope this helps!
I use lactaid milk with all my homemade ice cream recipes and it works great.
Love this recipe. I like to use vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste. And it’s easy to tweak this recipe and make strawberry, mint chocolate chip, and chocolate. I’ve also made a lime sherbert that was amazing. That was my own creation.
This was soooooo good!! I made it for our 4th of July bbq and everyone loved it! The only thing I added was a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste in addition to the 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. I was pleasantly surprised at how creamy it was since it’s not a custard base. Definitely making this again!!
I’m a first time ice cream maker…do you add this recipe then add milk to the fill line?
Hi Benny, I would just use the ice cream base in this recipe with no additional milk. Hope you enjoy!
This is a really good vanilla ice cream base! Making it for the second time today.
I keep seeing instructions that say to add milk up to the fill line…..is this necessary with this recipe?
Hi Lisa, I’m not sure what type of ice cream maker you’re using, but I’d recommend just adding the ice cream base in the recipe to your ice cream maker. No need to add additional milk.
Simply delicious! Thank you for the fabulous recipe!!!
Hi Jill, so glad you loved it!
Adhered to the recipe the first time. Just a really good vanilla ice cream. Would be good with vanilla bean too. I’ve since replaced the sugar with Allulose. Just as good without the guilt!
Do you know if this recipe will work in the old style ice cream makers—the ones that you pack with ice and rock salt?
Hi Kim, yes, it should work with any ice cream maker.
Is it necessary to add milk to the fill line? My old fashioned (rock salt and ice) maker doesn’t have an instruction booklet, but I’ve googled several recipes that say to do this…..
Nope. Just don’t go over the fill line. You you do that, it creates a mess and you lose some good old ice cream. Less is fine.
I used an old style maker and it never froze. It was just as liquid when I took it out as when I put it in. Followed recipe exactly.
I used the old style ice cream maker when I made mine it was super delish!
Love this simple recipe! My first batch in my new Whynter ice cream machine. I followed the recipe for the most part (used regular sugar and salt) and added a dram of LorAnn Bubble Gum super flavor oil. Amazing! It was cool not to have to pre-chill anything because of the ice cream machine does not require that step. The next batch will be Banana and I cannot wait.
I’m so glad you loved it!
I’d love to know if I can double or triple it, too!
Thank you!
Hi Julie, I think doubling might work – a triple recipe might be too big for a standard sized home ice cream maker.
I doubled it and it was fine. 2 perfect quarts
Can this recipe be quadrupled for a gallon?
Hi, this recipe looks delicious. Just thought I’ll mention though, while looking for a vanilla ice cream recipe, I came across another blogger on the first page on google, and their recipe and blog post are a 99% copy of your post. If you look up vanilla ice cream from a website called Amy’s Nutrition Kitchen, you’ll see what I mean. Anyway, I’m going to try this one, thanks for sharing!
Simple and delicious!
I want to make a gallon of homemade icecream. Will your recipe work if I quadruple the amounts?