Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Homemade ice cream can not be beat! This deliciously creamy vanilla ice cream is perfect for any occasion and only requires 5 ingredients and an ice cream maker!
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Ice cream has got to be a dessert staple.
Great on its own, a quick, sweet and creamy treat.
Delicious as the star of the show in a Sunday or a banana split.
And an always welcome addition to any hot dessert like chocolate brownies, peach cobbler or a blackberry pie.
However store brought ice cream usually tends to be either far too expensive or simply not very good. The cheap ice creams seem to get worse every year while anything remotely good just gets more and more expensive. Here is where my homemade vanilla ice cream recipe comes to the rescue. It definitely comes out cheaper than the expensive brands and the flavour and texture beats the cheap brands every time!
As an added bonus it is simple to make and you can flavour it absolutely any way you like!
Here are some flavor ideas to get you started…
Cookies and cream – Add crushed oreos to your churning ice cream near the end.
Maple walnut – Swap the sugar for 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Add 1/2 cup diced walnuts while churning. Then drizzle and swirl a little bit of maple syrup through the ice cream as you scoop it into your container.
Ripple – Roughly stir through a few teaspoons of berry jam or chocolate sauce as you scoop your ice cream into your container.
Vanilla Ice Cream Ingredients
Milk – Full fat milk is your best option here. The fat content is definitely better for making your ice cream rich and creamy. I do use low fat milk regularly though if that’s what I have on hand. But if I do use a lower fat milk I will generally add in an extra splash of cream to balance out the fat content.
Eggs – For this recipe you will need large 3 eggs. You will use 2 yolks and one whole egg. Eggs are key to the freezing process for homemade ice cream. They not only thicken the mixture in to a velvety custard, but they also ensure that ice cream does not form any little ice crystals while it is freezing. This ensures that your ice cream will come out smooth/creamy and not grainy/icy. To save on food wastage you can store your leftover egg whites by freezing them to use later on in other recipes.
Sugar – Plain granulated sugar is perfect for this recipe. Feel free to switch out the sugar to brown sugar, honey or maple syrup when creating your own flavour combinations though.
Cream – What is ice cream without cream? You need to use a heavy, full fat whipping cream to make this ice cream.
Vanilla – A good quality vanilla extract is definitely best here if you have it on hand. A lot of the time I just use a vanilla essence though and it still comes out great.
Serving and storage
You have 2 serving options once your vanilla ice cream has finished churning in your ice cream maker
- Serve immediately for a soft serve consistency.
- Scoop into a freezer safe, sealed container and freeze for at least 3 hours for a more traditional, firm ice cream texture.
Scoop and serve however you like.
Store your ice cream in a sealed, freezer safe container for up to 2 months.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pre-freeze the ice cream maker base for 24 hours.
- In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar using a fork. Whisk until the color has lightened and the mixture is creamy.
- Heat the milk in a medium sized saucepan until it is warm to the touch (about 40 degrees celcius)
- Pour the whipped eggs into the warm milk. Stir the mixture slowly and constantly for about 5 minutes Keep the heat at a medium low temperature and do not allow the liquid to boil.
- When it is ready the ice cream mixture will have thickened slightly and will resemble a thin custard.
- Pour this into a medium sized bowl or containe and cover with cling film or a lid. Set aside to cool fully in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours.
- When you are ready to churn your ice cream, add in the vanilla and cream and mix well.
- Pour into your prepared ice cream maker and churn for 45 minutes – 1 hour. The ice cream will resemble soft serve.
- Eat now or scoop into a plastic container and store in the freezer.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through my homemade vanilla ice cream recipe. I hope you enjoy trying this out for yourself. Please feel free to add any questions or comments below. I am happy to help out wherever possible and I would love to hear how this recipe worked out for you.
Crystal Rose
