Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (VIDEO)
Published Jul 03, 2020
Updated Jul 19, 2024
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Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream that is perfectly creamy, only requires 3 basic ingredients, and doesn’t require an old-fashioned ice cream maker! It is the easiest creamy ice cream recipe ever! With just 15-ish minutes of hands-on prep time, you can’t beat it.
If you are looking for me, I will be in my kitchen eating spoon after spoon of Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. It is so much better than any store-bought ice cream you could ever buy! Forget going to the grocery store and purchasing tons of ingredients.
You are going to love this easy ice cream! It is:
- Perfectly creamy
- Sweet
- Vanilla-y
- So refreshing!
Traditionally, ice cream base is made with cooked custard from egg yolks, milk and other ingredients, then by churning the custard base to make ice cream.
This is a shortcut ice cream version that doesn’t require eggs or an electric ice cream maker. It also doesn’t require you to break out a medium saucepan or a fine-mesh strainer because no cooking is needed. Yep, that’s right: it is a no-cook, no-churn ice cream!
I don’t know who came up with this idea, but it is totally ingenious and such a great recipe! I truly believe it is one of the best homemade ice cream recipes to exist.
And you can use this same simple method as a base to make different a different ice cream flavor, like chocolate ice cream or mango ice cream. Experiment with the custard mixture and try recreating your favorite ice cream recipes with this technique!
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Ingredients
Don’t worry if it is your first time making ice cream. One of the good things about this recipe is how approachable it is. For this easy homemade vanilla ice cream recipe, you only need 3 simple ingredients. They are:
1. Heavy whipping cream. Heavy whipping cream, also known as heavy cream or cream is a dairy product, like whole milk, but it has a higher fat content, which is what good ice creams need. Because of its fat content, heavy whipping cream makes this ice cream super creamy.
2. Sweetened condensed milk. Sweetened condensed milk provides sweetness in the ice cream so there is no need to add any extra sugar. It gives you that old-fashioned vanilla ice cream taste and creamy texture. It’s one of those dairy products that is incredibly rich and silky.
3. Vanilla extract. Use high-quality, pure vanilla extract (not imitation vanilla) so the flavor can really shine! If you want to get extra fancy, get vanilla bean paste or a vanilla pod and scrape the powder out and add to the ice cream. That will add black specks of vanilla to the ice cream.
Below, you can find the exact quantities needed for the ingredients, as well as the nutrient information for the recipe.
If you follow a low-calorie diet or are trying to consume less sugar, you can always enjoy a smaller amount, and the available nutrient data can help you determine the best portion size for you.
How To Make Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
1. First thing, beat cold, heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
2. Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract to the whipped cream.
3. For the next step, whip everything together until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into a loaf pan or other freezer-safe, large bowl.
5. Freeze for 7 hours or until completely frozen.
6. Scoop and enjoy the creamy vanilla ice cream!
Variations and Toppings
My favorite way to serve this ice cream is by making an ice cream bar for special occasions, loaded with a bunch of good stuff that you can top the ice cream with. This sweet treat pairs with various garnishes, and you can also add mix-ins. Here are some ideas:
- Dessert Sauce: Drizzle the ice cream with a little bit of caramel sauce or hot fudge for a delicious finish. You can even melt some peanut butter and use it as a sauce, too.
- Chocolate: Sprinkle on chocolate chips. If you don’t have any, you can always run chocolate bar pieces through a food processor to create chocolate chunks.
- Fruit: Top the ice cream with fresh fruit, such as bananas, strawberries, blueberries, or even mango.
- Ice Cream Cones: Serve the ice cream on cones! Your kids will certainly love it.
- Corn Syrup: If you add a small amount of this when making the ice cream, it adds sweetness and also makes the ice cream incredibly silky smooth.
- Cream Cheese: For a tangy twist, consider whipping some cream cheese into the heavy cream when making the ice cream. You’ll be impressed by how delicious it is!
Tips For The Best Vanilla Ice Cream
1. Make sure you use heavy whipping cream that is cold, straight from the fridge. Cream that isn’t cold enough might not form stiff peaks, so avoid room-temperature cream. As long as you properly whip it, you don’t need a stabilizer like xanthan gum.
2. Once the heavy whipping cream forms stiff peaks, stop beating. If you continue beating it, it will turn into butter.
3. Taste the ice cream mixture before pouring into a pan to freeze. Let your taste buds guide you! If the vanilla flavor is not present enough, add more vanilla. Also if it is too sweet, add a pinch of salt to offset the sweetness (some brands of sweetened condensed milk might result in ice cream that is too sweet).
4. Freeze the ice cream in a loaf pan. A loaf pan provides a large surface area for scooping the ice cream. There are also special airtight containers for ice cream you could get, which prevents ice crystals from forming.
5. If you want to make this ice cream for an event, I suggest freezing it overnight and serving it the next day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional vanilla ice cream has more ingredients than this special recipe. You will often find egg yolks, sugar, milk (whole, raw milk, or skim milk), heavy cream, and vanilla in it. This recipe makes it much simpler by only using sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and vanilla!
Sometimes, people add other ingredients to vanilla ice cream to make it softer, like the corn syrup I suggested above. However, part of what makes this ice cream so soft despite having 3 ingredients is the use of heavy cream and how you whip it to stiff peaks. The high fat content makes it plenty rich, creamy, and soft.
There is classic vanilla ice cream, like this recipe, and then there is French vanilla ice cream. Both are delicious in their own way, but have some slight differences. French vanilla uses an eggy custard base, which makes it more yellow in color.
Watch How To Make Easy Vanilla Ice Cream
Watch me making this easy recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream in the video below. Also, SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube Channel so you do not miss any of my videos!
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Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Equipment
- Electric beater
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (500 ml) cream should be cold
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk (300 ml)
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour heavy whipping cream into a large mixing bowl. Beat using an electric beater until stiff peaks form.
- Add in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a loaf pan. Level the top. Cover with plastic wrap making sure the plastic wrap touches the mixture.
- Freeze for 7 hours or overnight.
I loved this simple recipe!
My family could not believe the magic produced with only 3 min in the kitchen.
I splashed a little salt, maple syrup and toasted walnuts in…mmm.
Cannot wait to make again. Thank you!
Glad you loved it, E!
I will be making these recipes and thank you for allowing me to watch and learn new recipes my hubby loves rice so I will be getting recipes from you I love to do 30mins meal due to my disability but I love cooking for my family
Thank you
You’re welcome, Charletta. I have a whole section for 30-minute meals here on the blog you could check out. So thankful to have you here.
This is by far the best ice cream recipe Iโve ever tried. My husband even said he couldnโt believe it was homemade. He thought it was even better than store bought! So simple to make and only has 3 ingredients. This will be my โgo toโ from now on. Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad you loved it, Bonnie! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Such amazing flavor. Loved it, only thing Iโm having a hard time with is the cream film on the roof of my mouth. Any suggestions to making it a little less fatty but still having a stiff peak? Maybe some whole milk?
Hi Samantha, you could add a little milk and see if that makes it less fatty. Thank you for the feedback.
I never would have thought this recipe would be BETTER than the commercial ice cream but it sure is. Thank you for this recipe.
Hi Precious. I made your homemade vanilla ice cream and it was delicious! It was very quick and easy to make. Thank you for posting it!
Hi Alee, so glad you loved it! Thank you for taking the time to let me know.
Hello how long does it take for the mixer to beat until stiff peak form? Should you have the beater on high speed when youโre whipping the heavy cream and should it still be on high when youโre incorporating the condensed milk and vanilla extract and how long does that take? Also can I use an old ice cream container to put the ice cream in instead and without plastic wrap?
Hi K, it takes about 3 minutes on medium speed for stiff peaks to form but this might differ depending on the mixer and the temperature in the room and of the cream. Reduce the speed to low when adding the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Yes, you can use an old ice cream container. The plastic wrap helps prevent sugar crystals from forming on top of the ice cream. Hope this helps.
Thank you so much for sharing this easy, wonderful recipe! On the second batch, I added frozen peaches that we picked last year. The peach flavor turned out good.
I’m going to add try other flavors, like
chocolate or lavender.
The peach sounds delicious, Bobbie. Thank you for the feedback.