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It’s been TEN years since my cookbook, Cookies & Cream: Hundreds of Ways to Make the Perfect Ice Cream Sandwich came out. That is absolute insanity to me.
So much work went into that book and I made enough ice cream recipes to last a lifetime. After I submitted my manuscript I didn’t make ice cream for MONTHS. I was a little burned out.
There are 50 ice cream recipes in there, and I tested each recipe multiple times. Then I wrote endlessly about the subject. It was a lot of ice cream. So much so that I had to buy an extra freezer at the time!
My obsession with ice cream has long since returned. Today I’m sharing how to make ice cream in ANY flavor you’d like. Just follow the step-by-step photos below and read through the additional sweet tips in the pink box for everything you need to know about making homemade ice cream.
I’ve listed out 10 delicious flavor variations in the pink box below as well. You can use this base homemade vanilla ice cream recipe to make cherry ice cream, chocolate ice cream, peanut butter – you name it!
Ice cream really doesn’t need to be complicated, but following the instructions will make you MUCH more likely to succeed. No soupy ice cream. No rock-hard crystallized ice cream. Just sweet, creamy perfection!
See each step detailed in full below followed by insights into the science of ice cream and answers to all of your questions.
Step-By-Step How to Make French Custard Vanilla Ice Cream
1. Prepare an Ice Bath
Fill a large bowl with ice cubes and a cup or two of water. Place a medium bowl fitted with a fine strainer inside ice bath. Set aside.
2. Begin the Custard Base
In a medium saucepan combine the milk, cream, 1/2 cup of the sugar, salt, vanilla seeds, and vanilla pod. Set over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is warm and begins to steam, about 5 minutes.
3. How to Temper Eggs for Ice Cream
This process allows you to gently heat the yolks, so you don’t scramble them and end up with (unintentionally) chunky ice cream.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until very well combined and lightened in color.
- Carefully and slowly ladle half of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, until the egg mixture is gently warmed.
- Slowly whisk the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan.
4. Cook the Custard
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and registers around 175°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Be careful not to boil the mixture – otherwise, you’ll end up with scrambled eggs.
- Make sure your thermometer isn’t touching the bottom of the pan when you take the temperature.
5. Chill the Custard
- Immediately strain the mixture through the fine strainer into the prepared ice bath. This prevents overcooking.
- Discard the vanilla bean pod.
- Cool the custard in the ice bath until it’s at room temperature, stirring often.
- Press plastic wrap against the surface of the custard and refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours or up to 1 day.
- Overnight is best for maximum flavor development.
6. Churn the Custard
- Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Place in an airtight container.
- Cover the ice cream surface with plastic wrap before placing the lid on.
- Freeze until the ice cream is firm and the flavor is ripened, at least 2 hours.
Tips for How to Make Homemade Ice Cream
What is the Difference Between French vs. Philadelphia-style Ice Cream?
French-style ice cream:
- Custard based.
- Ice cream made with an egg custard that’s cooked and then completely chilled before churning.
- It takes more time and effort, but the results are ultra-rich, creamy, and delicious.
- Since homemade ice cream is made without stabilizers and gums to keep it soft when frozen, going through the effort of making a custard base helps to create that velvety texture, instead of something that turns into a big ice cube in the freezer.
Philadelphia-style ice cream:
- Typically made by directly mixing together cream, milk, sugar, and flavorings then churning it.
- Definitely faster, but far less rich in taste and texture.
- This style tends to harden more quickly in the freezer.
What Does Churning Mean? How to Churn French-Style Custard Ice Cream
- Churning ice cream is simply the process of incorporating air into the custard while it’s being frozen.
- Ice Cream machines make easy work of this.
- Simply chill the cooked mixture, then the machine does the rest of the work!
- You’ll notice some brands of ice cream contain much more air than others.
- Some cheaper manufacturers intentionally ‘overchurn’ to get more yield with less product at the expense of the consumer’s satisfaction.
- The wonderful thing about making homemade ice cream is you get to decide how much air you want to incorporate!
How to Make Ice Cream WITHOUT A Machine
No ice cream maker? No problem! Check out my article for 4 methods for making ice cream without a machine (I’d recommend the food processor method most for this recipe!).
Homemade Ice Cream Flavor Variations
- Death by Chocolate Ice Cream: Full recipe HERE.
- White Chocolate Ice Cream: Add 6 ounces (170 grams) of melted and cooled white chocolate to the warmed milk mixture before adding the eggs. After cooking and straining the custard mixture, add an optional 1/2 teaspoon orange zest.
- Cookies & Cream: During the last 5 minutes of the churning process, pour in just over 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped whole Oreo cookies (about 15 Oreos).
- Mint Chocolate Chip: Add 1 teaspoon peppermint extract and 4 to 5 drops of optional green food coloring after straining the cooked custard into the ice bath. During the last 5 minutes of churning, add 1 cup (170 grams) mini semisweet chocolate chips.
- Malted Vanilla: Add 1/2 cup plain malted milk powder along with the milk and cream.
- Cherry: Increase the egg yolks to 5 total. After cooking the custard, stir in 1 1/2 cups fresh pitted sweet dark cherries. Let cool in an ice bath then transfer to a food processor or blender to puree. Strain as you transfer to an airtight container.
- Nutella: Add 1 cup (270 grams) Nutella after straining the cooked custard mixture into the ice bath, stirring to combine. Don’t worry if it doesn’t dissolve completely. It’ll mix in during the churning process.
- Peanut Butter: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 1 cup (270 grams) of peanut butter and stir constantly until melted and smooth. Add the milk, cream, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and vanilla and continue with the recipe as written. During the last 5 minutes of churning, add 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped peanut butter cups if desired.
- Mocha: Add 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process, and 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder along with the salt.
- Raspberry: In a food processor or blender, 2 1/2 cups of fresh or thawed frozen raspberries. Strain into a mixing bowl, discarding seeds and pulp. Refrigerate while you prepare the vanilla ice cream base. Once in the ice bath, stir the raspberry puree into the custard mixture. During the last minute of churning, add 1 tablespoon of raspberry liqueur such as Chambord.
More Ice Cream Recipes You’ll Love:
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1 1/2
cups
whole milk
-
1 1/2
cups
heavy cream
-
3/4
cup
(150 grams) granulated sugar,
divided
-
1/4
teaspoon
salt
-
1
vanilla bean,
split in half lengthwise and seeded
-
4
large egg yolks
Prepare the ice bath:
-
Fill a large bowl with ice cubes and a cup or two of water. Place a medium bowl fitted with a fine strainer inside ice bath. Set aside.
Begin the custard base:
-
In a medium saucepan combine the milk, cream, 1/2 cup (100 grams) of the sugar, salt, vanilla seeds and vanilla pod. Set over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is warm and begins to steam, about 5 minutes.
Temper the eggs:
-
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup (50 grams) of sugar until very well combined and lightened in color. Carefully and slowly ladle half of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, until the egg mixture is gently warmed. Slowly whisk the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan.
Cook the custard:
-
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and registers around 175°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 to 7 minutes. Be careful not to boil the mixture.
Chill the custard:
-
Immediately strain the mixture through the fine strainer into the prepared ice bath. Discard the vanilla bean pod. Cool the custard in the ice bath until it’s at room temperature, stirring often. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the custard and refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours or up to 1 day.
Churn the custard:
-
Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. Place in an airtight container. Cover the ice cream surface with plastic wrap before placing the lid on. Freeze until the ice cream is firm and flavor is ripened, at least 2 hours.
-
If the ice cream has been in the freezer for more than a couple days, it’ll need to soften before scooping and serving. Allow it to sit in the fridge for 30 minutes before scooping for best results.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
How to Make Ice Cream FAQs
Help! My Custard Boiled and Curdled!
If you accidentally heat your custard over too high a temperature or cook for too long, there is one option to salvage it:
- While it’s still warm, blend the mixture with an immersion blender or carefully ladle it into a standard blender (don’t fill more than half full).
- Blend until smooth.
- Once smooth, strain into the ice bath as described above and in the recipe below.
What Type of Vanilla is Best for Making the Best Vanilla Ice Cream?
- The absolute best to use is a whole vanilla bean pod.
- In the recipe below, you’ll notice I scrape out the seeds and steep the milk and cream mixture with the vanilla pod to ensure maximum flavor.
- If you don’t have a vanilla bean pod, the next best thing is vanilla bean paste so you still get those flecks of vanilla seeds. I recommend using about 2 teaspoons.
- If you’re flavoring your ice cream with another bold flavor, like many of the customization ideas listed below, feel free to simply use vanilla extract.
- This is an easier and more economical option since the other ingredient will likely overpower the vanilla flavor anyway.
Which Ice Cream Machine is Best for Homemade Ice Cream?
How to Store Homemade Ice Cream so it Stays Smooth
- Once the ice cream is churned, place it in an airtight container (I love this 1-quart ice cream tub, or this 1.5-quart ice cream tub), pressing plastic wrap against the surface to avoid having any ice crystals form.
- For best results, freeze until it is firm, at least 2 hours. The longer you freeze, the more time the flavors will have to ripen.
- If you have an issue with ice cream hardening, try adding up to 3 tablespoons of alcohol during the last few minutes of churning. This works since alcohol doesn’t freeze.
- Vodka works well for vanilla ice cream.
- For other ice cream flavors, liqueur products like kirsch not only enhance taste but also maintain that creamy texture.
- If you prefer not to use alcohol, adding a tablespoon of corn syrup can also help to prevent the ice cream from crystallizing.
How to Perfectly Scoop and Serve Ice Cream
- Allow the ice cream to soften by placing it in the fridge 30 minutes before serving. This allows it to soften evenly as opposed to letting it sit at room temperature where it’ll soften most at the edges and remain hard at the center of the container.
- Next, get a good quality ice cream scoop like this OXO one or this Zeroll one. It makes a huge difference! Make sure it’s totally dry before using.
Such a fun treat to make! Thank you for sharing it. I will say we were probably a little messier than we could have been with it…Might have been a little too much for my 3-year-old to handle as I found little ice cream stain hand prints all over our white carpet haha Luckily, it was nothing a good carpet cleaner can’t handle but just a reminder to all the moms of littles out there to keep an eye out when making ice cream with your kids.
What can I do if I don’t have a vanilla bean ? Can I use regular vanilla extract?
Hi Bia! If you don’t have a vanilla bean, the next best thing is vanilla bean paste so you still get those flecks of vanilla seeds. Tessa recommends using about 2 teaspoons. If needed, you can use regular vanilla extract, but we do recommend using high-quality vanilla extract here, as the vanilla flavor is the star of the show here, and you want to ensure a really great vanilla flavor. Of course, if you’re planning to use a different flavor additionally, feel free to just use a little vanilla extract along with the other flavors you’re adding, as the vanilla will no longer be the star of the show! I hope that helps 🙂
The recipe doesn’t state what temperature the egg yolks should be – room or chilled?
I have made and followed some lovely home made ice cream recipes, one in particular is lemon curd ice cream, no eggs, just using home made lemon curd, double cream and low fat plain Greek yoghurt. Excellent taste and consistency throughout.
Hi Barbara! That lemon ice cream sounds terrific! The egg yolks here can be cold or at room temp – because they’re going to be tempered in the process of making the ice cream, the temperature doesn’t really matter. Just be sure to separate the eggs when they’re cold, as warm eggs tend to be trickier to separate and will break more easily. I hope that helps, and I hope you enjoy this ice cream! 🙂
Thank you for the helpful tips! I find after storing separated egg yolks they have a tendency to gel together – as so often happens after making meringue. One solution might be to layer each yolk with cling.
The best ice cream on planet earth!
Tessa, I have made gallons of ice cream and all sorts of different flavors using your recipe! My friends an family love it! I’ve ordered your cookbook for cookies, and I’m looking forward to becoming an ice cream and cookie master! Thank you so much for providing all this info for free. You’re a saint!
A question for you – if I wanted to make strawberry Ice Cream, could I follow the raspberry or cherry recipe? (I see the strawberry cheesecake ice cream, which looks great! But I have a specific request.)
Thanks!!
Colton
Hi Colton! We’re so happy to hear that you enjoy Tessa’s recipes and tips!! We haven’t tested a plain strawberry ice cream recipe, so I can’t say for sure how much to use or which method will work best, but either should work okay – it just may take a little tinkering to perfect. I know you’re not going for the strawberry cheesecake version, but check out the tips Tessa included on that page for why roasting strawberries works so well, and this should also give you an idea of ratios to aim for as you experiment. I hope this helps! Enjoy 🙂
Thanks Kiersten!
I love the idea of roasting the strawberries
Do you have any recommendations on what to cover the strawberries with when roasting them? I feel like balsamic vinegar would not be the best unless if it’s not a strawberry cheesecake recipe. I was thinking lemon juice?
Hi Colton! Lemon juice, orange juice, or even a little simple syrup, instead of the sugar + balsamic, should work well. Keep an eye on them as they may roast faster than the recipe states with different liquids used. Let us know how it goes! 🙂
Thank you so much for this! It just came in the perfect timing;-))
I want to use vanilla powder in place of the bean. how many teaspoons should I use?
H Ammaarah! We haven’t tried that, but I would recommend starting with two teaspoons and adding more to taste from there, if needed. Let us know how it goes 🙂
Hi. Can I use this recipe to make dulce de leche ice cream? And would I add it while it’s churning or swirl it through at the end, or both? Also, I don’t have any vanilla extract, so would it still taste good with just the caramel? Sorry about all these questions, I can’t wait to try make this!!
Hi Abby! I would normally say to go splurge on a nice bottle of vanilla extract, because it will really shine in your ice cream – but adding dulce de leche may save you from needing to buy that! We haven’t tried adding dulce de leche to ice cream, so I can’t say for sure, but I would recommend swirling it through for best results – but I would also encourage you to experiment with adding it while churning. If you add too much, it’s not going to set – but if you strike the right balance, you might create something really amazing!! Experimentation is always encouraged here 😉 Good luck and let us know how it goes 🙂
Hi, thank you for your reply! I ended up just giving it a go, and see how it would work without the vanilla. I had just bought a new ice cream maker (I’m only 14 and I don’t have a job, so this was a big deal!) so I could try giving ice cream a go as we are coming into the warmer seasons here in New Zealand! Well, I made the mistake of putting the whole batch of custard into the churner, and after 25 minutes you could tell it was getting there, but definitely wasn’t close to soft serve. So I waited a few hours for the bowl to re-freeze and then did in in 2 halves which ended up working perfectly! I made a last minute decision to stir in some of the dulce de leche (About 1/4 to 1/2 a cup) and then I swirled through the rest. I’m not sure if it affected how it set, because we had it as soon as it was the perfect scoop able consistency, but it was definitely silky smooth and so, so creamy! I am already looking forward to trying more of your ice cream flavours! Thanks heaps <3
Hi Abby! Congratulations on your big purchase of your ice cream maker!! Yay!!! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed your ice cream, and I can’t wait to hear what you come up with next in your ice cream journey!! 🙂
14 yo, bought your own ice cream maker, experimenting with recipe. you are definitely my daughter from another mother.
What ice cream freezer do you use and which one would you recommend
Hi Josaine! Tessa talks about her favorite ice-cream maker (which also churns and freezes the ice cream) in the article. Here’s a whole article Tessa wrote about ice cream makers! This is the model Tessa recommends! Enjoy 🙂
My go-to recipe! I use vanilla sugar, vanilla paste, and extract. It is amazing!
Sounds delicious, Jen!! So happy you enjoy this ice cream!!
Hi Tessa!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Do you have any recommendations for air-tight containers? In the past I’ve had issues with freezer burn. Thanks in advance for any recommendations that you may have.
Hi Sarah! I’m so surprised we didn’t include that in the post! I just added links to the pink box above the recipe, thanks for pointing that out! We absolutely love these containers by Tovolo. They have a 1-quart tub, as well as a 1.5 quart tub. Be sure to cover the ice cream with plastic wrap before closing the container, as that will also help with freezer burn. I hope that helps! Enjoy your homemade ice cream 🙂
Rich and creamy, pairs nicely with warm desserts or alone!
Love this recipe and all the extra directions and information, we have made it twice the second time making peanut butter and both were delicious and came out prefect. Thank you
The process described is good and easy to follow, but the final product is sickly sweet. I used high quantity ingredients, but the ice cream is so sweet it just tastes like cheap no-name bottom-shelf store bought stuff.
After making this, I looked up similar recipes and noted in many places the amount of sugar listed for the same amount of liquid was closer to 1/2 cup. I’ll definitely be cutting the sugar in my next ice cream making adventure.
Can you share with me the measurements in gram? 🙂
Hi there! Not everyone agrees with this, but Tessa actually prefers to measure liquids in volume. With a liquid, you can’t compact too much into a measuring cup, and it’s easy to tell when to stop pouring once you’ve reached the line. If you’d like, please check out our Ingredient Measuring Guide to help convert the recipe. I hope that helps!
I’ll never buy ice cream again. It’s homemade for me from now one. And if you follow this recipe exactly as written you can’t fail!
So happy you enjoyed this recipe, Donna! I agree, homemade ice cream is SO much better than store bought
I love this dough recipe although it does take a long time to wait for it to cold ferment it is delicious. I would definitely make it again.
This recipe was very easy, and very tasty! I definitely will make it again- bc it is healthy, right?!?
haha, it’s definitely healthier than store-bought ice cream 🙂 Isn’t it nice knowing what all the ingredients are?! So happy you enjoyed this recipe, Regina!
Delicious and perfect… especially when adding Reese’s chips!
Well, she’s done it again. I used Tessa’s recipe for French Vanilla ice cream to make mint chocolate chip and it is amazing. You just can’t go wrong following her recipes! I also made her peanut butter ice cream. Divine!
So happy you enjoyed this recipe, Donna! Love your flavor choices, yum! Thanks for letting us know 🙂
Omg!! These are amazing!!❤
We followed the food processor direction and my son had so much fun Super simple! We made the plain vanilla for reference and now he’s eager to experiment and we’ll make pb with pb chips and mini Reese’s and Reese’s pieces You can tell he’s loving it.
Amazing!! So happy he’s enjoying making ice cream 🙂 Definitely love the additions of peanut butter and chocolate, yum!
This recipe was so good! I’ve never made ice cream before but I had nothing to worry about! Super easy and straightforward. I made strawberry chocolate chip! I used the food processor method and loved it. Thanks for masking a delicious and accessible recipe!
Strawberry chocolate chip sounds amazing! So glad you tried our recipe, thanks for the comment!
This ice cream was delicious and so easy! It was my first time making homemade ice cream, so I wasn’t sure how it would go but I had nothing to worry about! I made strawberry chocolate chip using the directions for the raspberry flavor and mixing in chocolate chips at the end. I didn’t have an ice cream maker but the food processor worked like a charm! Thanks for making this recipe and delicious and accessible!
YUM.
Super creamy, the best ice cream recipe I have found by far.
My niece loves her boba milk tea. So with her birthday coming up, why not make an ice cream version out of it. I did the no churn 2 ingredient version. Not was it super easy, but came out super creamy and good. I can’t wait to try other flavors.
Great recipe! A little time consuming but well worth it!!
I made the death by chocolate ice cream for the challenge. We’ll have it with Sunday dinner tomorrow. If it tastes anywhere as good as it did when I licked the spoon after making it; it will be amazing.
Love this base recipe for the ice cream. It is wonderful.
This is so delicious! We are eating it now. We don’t have an ice cream maker but used the blender method (following your instructions). It really turned out great! So creamy and smooth and rich! We added softened cookie butter (after the custard had cooled) and then chocolate chips (when we were “churning” in the blender). Thanks for another great one!
Cookie butter and chocolate chip ice cream sounds DIVINE! So happy you loved this recipe, Ashley!
I’ve never made ice cream before, but it turned out great!
Absolute hit! Turned out great even without an ice cream maker.
Creamy, rich, and absolutely delicious!
This was such a fun recipe for this month! I look forward to making more homemade ice cream in the future!
so delicious!!
I had never made custard based ice cream before because it seemed too difficult. This recipe makes it super easy! It still has a few more steps than other non-custard ice cream recipes, but it’s totally worth it! So creamy!
I used one of the other methods to make this (blender), and it was so easy! My ice cream was delicious, and I’ll be making more!
Delicious
So quick and easy!! I’ll never buy store bought again!!
I’ve made vanilla ice cream before but never used whole milk. This recipe came out perfect. I added a couple tablespoons of vodka toward the end of mixing and I had smooth creamy vanilla ice cream. Great recipe and easy to follow directions.
Gee wilakins lady, this is some seriously utterly tremendously stupendous ice cream! Plus easy enough for my busy self to make in time pressure too, AND chocolatey enough to satisfy me, both of which are saying something. And the fudge swirl is a stroke of genius. In conclusion, top notch mate.
Such a compliment, Victoria! So glad you enjoyed your ice cream! I’ll be sure to pass your kind feedback along to Tessa, thank you!
Love it! Tastes better than store bought ice cream
Love it!!! Easy and tastes better than store bought ice cream
Tasty ice cream! Can’t wait to make more!
Loved the initial step by step directions but had a little trouble following the steps involving use of the ice cream maker. I couldn’t get the video to load on my phone but I’m sure that would have cleared up my confusion. Regardless, I ended up with delicious cookies & cream ice cream!
This ice cream recipe was so simple and turned out great- even without an ice cream machine. I would definitely recommend!
Glad to hear it, Courtney!
Live this ice cream recipe! So creamy and delicious!
My sons favourite ice cream flavour at the moment is vanilla so we kept to the recipe. Seeing as I bought an ice cream maker last month Im excited to try so many different variations. While a little time consuming you can’t beat the taste of home made ice cream and so far all of Tessa’s recipes have been incredible!
Glad to hear everyone enjoyed it, Carla! Thanks for the positive feedback!
Such amazingly creamy ice cream! I made two versions- the French Vanilla and the Chocolate Hazelnut. I made both of these using the no machine method. I never would have thought to use an stick blender. That tip completely changed my ice cream making game. I have made ice cream before not using a machine, and would hand whisk the ice cream. It would inevitably form crystals and be a little grainy. This time the ice cream was so creamy and smooth. The flavors of both were amazing! A word to the wise – if you use heritage eggs be prepared for your vanilla ice cream to look more like butter than ice cream! I will be making more ice cream in the future for sure!
Wonderful, Melissa! So happy our tips helped to perfect your ice cream, thanks for letting us know!
I made a strawberry cheesecake ice cream and it was easy and fun to make. It tasted really good and was perfect to have on a hot summer day.
Delicious! So glad you enjoyed it, Bonnie!
All I can say is yum yum yum. I don’t have an ice cream maker so I used the food processor option turned out awesome…. I recommend everyone try this…
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed your ice cream!