My homemade vanilla ice cream recipe is a dream – with just six all natural ingredients it is a quintessential summer treat!
If you enjoy this recipe, try my French Strawberry Cake next!
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I grew up with homemade vanilla ice cream made in a big wooden bucket with a hand crank. My Mom made her ice cream with simple ingredients. And my Dad would sit out in our garage and turn the handle, adding ice and rock salt periodically. He’d “let me” have a turn until I got tired and then he’d take over. They eventually got an electric ice cream maker, but it was still the old fashioned kind with a wooden bucket.
With that memory in mind, I’ve been meaning to publish this for a long time. I finally got my own ice cream maker! I wasn’t able to find my Mom’s easy recipe, so I had to do a lot of research on how to make my own favorite ice cream recipe. What I came up with is just six ingredients (no corn syrup or egg yolks). It requires no “tempering“. It’s so delicious and just different than store-bought ice cream.
The resulting recipe only requires about 15-ish minutes of hands-on prep! It is still a labor of love and requires some planning ahead, but once finished you have a whole lot of ice cream! Ready for summer and ice cream floats, sundaes and socials.
More recipes to serve with the best vanilla ice cream
Ingredients for homemade ice cream recipe
- Cream – A lot of recipes I researched call for heavy whipping cream. When shopping at my neighborhood grocery store I decided to go with whipping cream, not heavy cream. I was able to buy whipping cream produced by a dairy local to me, Snowville Creamery. With a treat like this, I wanted to use the best possible ingredients. And for me, that means local whenever possible.
- Whole Milk – This ice cream is so rich and creamy, you could possibly save a few calories and use 2% milk. I have not tested it. But honestly, if you’re going to take the time to make homemade vanilla ice cream, you might as well truly treat yourself.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar is a must in this recipe. I have not tested and this recipe is not meant for sugar substitutes.
- Cream Cheese – If you’re familiar with Jeni’s ice creams, her base ice cream recipe contains cream cheese. I really love the creamy texture it provides. But you cannot taste the cream cheese – this is not a cheesecake flavored ice cream. It’s simply there to help with mouthfeel, without adding artificial ingredients like xanthan gum or guar gum.
- Vanilla – I strongly recommend using the best quality vanilla you can find. It is after all a homemade vanilla ice cream recipe. I love the flavor of vanilla bean paste just by itself. But you could use pure vanilla extract if you prefer. If using extract, I’d recommend adding about a teaspoon of vanilla seeds that you scrape fresh from a vanilla pod. I do not recommend using imitation vanilla.
- Salt – A 1/2 teaspoon of salt helps with the overall flavor profile of the ice cream.
Instructions
In a large stock pot, add the cream, milk, sugar, cream cheese (cut into cubes), vanilla and salt. Heat over medium heat. Stir it occasionally until it is bubbling. Use a whisk and whisk it vigorously to melt the cream cheese and remove any lumps. Cook for a few minutes while it is bubbling.
Take it off heat and allow to cool on the counter for about 30 minutes. Then pour into the canister or bowl of your ice cream maker and refrigerate overnight. Afterwards, follow your ice cream machine instructions for making the ice cream. Scroll down to the bottom for complete instructions and nutritional information.
Pro tips
This is a recipe for vanilla ice cream, not chocolate. But you can certainly mix in your own flavorings at the end. This ice cream could be a perfect base for mix-ins like crushed Oreo cookies, mini chocolate chips, or fresh raspberries. I think it’s best topped with sliced strawberries that have been macerated in a little bit of sugar.
Plan on making the custard base (ice cream mixture) two days before planning to serve it to your guests. That way you have plenty of time to chill it in the fridge, make it, and then store it in your freezer. When the ice cream is first made, fresh from the ice cream maker, it is very soft. To scoop it on cones or for making sundaes, it needs time in the freezer to firm up.
Serving suggestions
Have an old-fashioned ice cream social. Make a recipe or two of homemade vanilla ice cream. Then have your guests bring all the toppings for ice cream sundaes. Serve it atop your favorite fresh fruit desserts like Strawberry Shortcake or Triple Berry Crisp. Scoop it on cones and drizzle it with homemade magic shell topping. It is also a perfect pairing for fresh sliced strawberries. Or really just plain vanilla ice cream cones are the best summer treat!
Storage directions
Store your ice cream in an airtight container in the coldest part of your freezer for up to one month. To ensure freshness, transfer your ice cream into a freezer container, like these premium ice cream storage tubs.
Kitchen tools
- I tested my recipe in this exact ice cream maker which is a 4-quart capacity
- For best vanilla flavor, I prefer using vanilla bean paste in my recipe
- Large Pyrex measuring cups for measuring the milk and cream
- I prefer using an ice cream scoop with trigger release for this ice cream
- Rock salt for making ice cream – I highly recommend ordering this, otherwise you’ll be buying a 40 pound bag of rock salt from your local hardware store (I know from experience).
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Equipment
- 1 4-quart ice cream maker
Ingredients
- 6 cups whipping cream
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 6 oz cream cheese cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
- rock salt and ice for freezing
Instructions
- In a very large soup or stock pot, combine all the ingredients - cream, milk, sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and salt.
- Cook over medium heat. Stir it occasionally until it is bubbling. Use a whisk to stir and cook for a few minutes, to make sure the sugar is dissolved and the cream cheese is completely melted into the mixture.
- Cover and remove from heat. Allow the ice cream mixture to cool for about 30 minutes. Then transfer it into a 4-quart ice cream maker insert. Then allow it to chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- Place the filled insert into the ice cream maker. Layer ice and rock salt around the sides until it comes up almost to the top of the lid. I used about 4 cups of salt.
- Turn on the ice cream maker and allow it to mix and freeze the ice cream. The ice cream will expand. Also, add more ice as it starts to melt - you want to keep the ice almost to the top of the lid. Mine took about 30 minutes to fully churn and freeze the ice cream.
- You can serve the ice cream immediately, but it will be soft. I recommend transferring the ice cream to air tight storage containers. And then allowing the ice cream to continue to firm up in your freezer overnight.
Nutrition
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