This homemade vanilla ice cream recipe is going to be your favorite way to enjoy ice cream! Rich, creamy and smooth vanilla ice cream requires no machines and only 3 ingredients.
VANILLA ICE CREAM RECIPE
Stop buying ultra processed store-bought vanilla ice cream and make this homemade no churn ice cream instead! With just 3 ingredients, you can have rich, creamy and sweet vanilla ice cream ready in no time. This easy ice cream recipe is going to completely change your ice cream game forever!
WHAT YOU NEED-
- Heavy Cream– The key ingredients in homemade no churn ice cream is the heavy whipping cream. The high fat content is what you need, you can NOT substitute for half and half or whole milk.
- Condensed Milk– Condensed milk not only is the main sweetener in this dish, but it also helps give you the right ice cream texture. You can use regular or fat free condensed milk. Be sure you are using condensed milk NOT evaporated milk!
- Vanilla– The key flavor in your vanilla ice cream comes from vanilla bean paste! I highly recommend using vanilla bean paste for the ultimate flavors. If you cannot find vanilla bean paste, then you can use vanilla extract.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE ICE CREAM
This rich and creamy vanilla ice cream recipe comes together in no time, no machines needed!
- Mix the heavy whipping cream with a hand mixer or stand mixer until it becomes light, fluffy and stiff peaks form.
- Add the condensed milk and vanilla and mix just until combined.
- Pour the vanilla ice cream into an ice cream container or loaf pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Press a piece of parchment paper directly on the surface of the ice cream and cover tightly with a lid or foil. (The added parchment paper helps prevent ice crystals and freezer burn.)
- Freeze for at least 8-12 hours, or overnight, until the ice cream is fully firm and scoopable.
- When ready to serve, let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 4–5 minutes to soften slightly. Scoop into bowls or cones and enjoy.
| Ice Cream Scoop Tip: For easier scooping, keep a cup of hot water nearby and dip your ice cream scoop in the water before and between scoops! |
SERVING IDEAS
Serve this vanilla ice cream plain or with your favorite toppings for the ultimate sweet treat!
- Classic Cake Cone
- Waffle Cone
- Chocolate Fudge
- Caramel Sauce
- Berry Sauce
- Chopped Nuts
- Bananas
- Cherries
- Fresh Fruit
- Jam
- Peanut Butter
- Sprinkles
- Crushed Oreos, Biscoff Cookies, cookies
VANILLA ICE CREAM ADD-INS
Once you have this vanilla ice cream base down, you can totally have fun with your ice cream flavors and add different ingredients to your ice cream! Here are some of my favorite add ins:
- Hot Chocolate Fudge
- Caramel Sauce
- Peanut Butter
- Crushed Oreos
- Crushed Cookies
- Strawberry Sauce
- Graham Crackers
- Crushed Nuts
- Sprinkles
- Berries
- Brownie Bites
VANILLA ICE CREAM VARIATIONS
Try making some of these classic and popular ice cream flavors with this simple vanilla ice cream base!
- Moose Tracks– Add hot fudge swirl and mini chocolate peanut butter cups into the ice cream batter to make the popular Moose Tracks ice cream!
- Cookies & Cream– If you love cookies and cream, mix in crushed Oreos into the batter!
- Cookie Monster– Add some blue food coloring, crushed Oreos and cookies for the popular cookie monster ice cream!
- Strawberry Cheesecake– This is my favorite ice cream flavor! Add swirls of strawberry puree/sauce and crushed graham crackers.
- S’mores Ice Cream– If you love smores, mix in crushed graham crackers, Hershey’s chocolate, Marshmallows and swirls of hot fudge!
- Cookie Dough– Add pieces of edible cookie dough into this ice cream for Vanilla Cookie Dough ice cream!
- Chocolate Caramel Swirl– Swirl in hot fudge and caramel sauce in the vanilla ice cream mixture, so delicious!
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
I use THIS 2-quart ice cream container for this recipe, and it fills the entire container. Typically, a 2-quart ice cream container is about 16 servings.
Once you try to find out how easy it is to make homemade ice cream, you will make it all the time, so I recommend investing in these ice cream containers! But no worries, you can also use a metal loaf pan!
Since the condensed milk not only acts as a sweetener but also helps give you the correct texture, I don’t recommend swapping it out.
For the best texture, you want to let the ice cream sit at room temp for a couple minutes before serving, for easier scooping and the perfect texture!
The key to ensure your heavy whipping cream firms, you want to make sure it’s cold! You can even chill your bowl in the freezer for a couple minutes before mixing!
Yes! All you need to do is just add 1 cup cocoa powder to the mixture!
PAIR WITH-
Pair this rich vanilla ice cream with your favorite treats for the perfect dessert!
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup condensed milk
- 2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Add the heavy whipping cream to a deep mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat at high speed for about 4-5 minutes, or until stiff peaks form and the cream is light and fluffy. (It should resemble whipped cream.)3 cups heavy whipping cream
- Add the condensed milk and vanilla paste to the whipped cream. Mix on low speed just until fully combined and smooth. (Taste the mixture and, if you prefer a sweeter ice cream, mix in a little more condensed milk.)3/4 cup condensed milk, 2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
- Pour the ice cream mixture into an ice cream container, loaf pan, or metal bread pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Press a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream to help prevent ice crystals and freezer burn, then cover tightly with a lid or foil.
- Freeze for at least 8-12 hours, or overnight, until the ice cream is fully firm and scoopable.
- When ready to serve, let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 4–5 minutes to soften slightly. Scoop into bowls or cones and enjoy.
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