When making homemade ice cream, you have to start with a really great base, which for me means lusciously smooth, with a dense and silky texture. The flavor should be rich, but not too buttery (greasy) and I always start my “French custard” ice cream base with vanilla. So start with my basic vanilla ice cream recipe below (and customize it with your favorite flavors), then try all the other amazing recipes.
If you’re more into sorbet, which is its own icy treat, check out my guide on how to make sorbet.
When the first frozen dessert was created by the ancient Chinese, it was just a mixture of fruity syrups and snow, basically a sorbet. Not until the 18th century in England did you find the first ice cream made with milk, cream and eggs—no snow. Today homemade ice cream is still made this simple way. The secret to getting the perfect texture and flavor is not only the ingredients, but the technique of creating a custard and then freezing it.
Homemade Ice Cream Ingredients
These five ingredients are the basics for a delicious vanilla ice cream base that can be customized to your liking. Get the full recipe, plus more ice cream treats below!
- Heavy Cream for a rich ice cream base.
- Whole Milk to give texture and flavor. The fat is important.
- Sugar for just enough sweetness.
- A Vanilla Bean gives a wonderful, rich flavor that’s better than vanilla extract.
- Egg Yolks for a custardy texture.
How to Make Homemade Ice Cream
You want to cook the cream, yolks, sugar and vanilla until the eggs thicken slightly, known as crème anglaise (English cream), and then chill the mixture overnight in the refrigerator, about 6 to 12 hours. This last step is a bit of a mystery, but it works to create the best mouthfeel. I have heard the overnight chill described as “maturing,” “ripening,” or “aging.” You get the picture, it gets better with age. I find when I do this extra step the result is smooth and less ice crystals form. The way big manufacturers get past this step is to add gums, starches, or gelatin. I’d rather not, so I just wait.
Once you have the base, you can put it in the freezer or add other flavors, like roasted banana, toasted pecans, brandied cherries and chocolate ganache.
Homemade Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 large vanilla bean scraped
- 1 cup sugar
- 10 yolks
Instructions
- Heat the heavy cream, milk, vanilla bean and sugar in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. The longer you let this mixture sit, the stronger the vanilla flavor will be. I often bring the mixture to a simmer, turn off the heat and let it steep for an hour or so. Before you continue with the recipe, you will need to bring it back to a simmer.
- Whisk together the yolks in a medium sized bowl. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and whisk a small amount of the cream into the egg mixture. Add enough cream to warm the eggs.
- Once the eggs are warm, add them back into the pot of remaining cream. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir the custard over low heat. Continue stirring until the mixture starts to thicken.
- When the custard seems to be getting thicker, lift the rubber spatula and run your finger through it. It is done when the custard clings to the spatula.
- Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer or chinois into a shallow dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and immediately place in the refrigerator.
- Allow the custard to “ripen” for 6 to 12 hours for the best result. If you are in a rush, at least make sure the custard is thoroughly chilled. As you can see above that the custard will be quite thick once it has chilled.
- If you want vanilla ice cream, freeze this custard in an Ice Cream Maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
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Can I confirm with you the ripening process is in the fridge and not the freezer? It has been 12 hours and doesn’t quite look like the custard that you make for the vanilla ice cream base. I put it in the fridge and not the freezer.
Hi John,
How does it look different? You are correct, it should ripen in the refrigerator before freezing.
Thanks! Zoë
My biggest problem when making banana ice cream is the ice cream being too cold. the coldest coming from the bananas.
Hi Oliver,
You can temper the ice cream by setting it on the counter for 10 minutes or so before serving, this will give you a lovely texture.
Thanks, Zoë
Hello Zoe
My daughters birthday is the next week and she loves Ice Cream
I want to make Chocolate Orange Ice Cream for her birthday , can I use the Vanilla Custard Base? Or if you have one recipes for this combination?
Thank you for your Help.
Hi Danny,
Oh boy, it turns out I have never done a chocolate ice cream post. I will have to do that, but I’m not sure it will be in time for your daughter’s birthday. You need to start with a chocolate base.
I’ll get on that right now! Zoë
Made the ice cream base as is…WONDERFUL! Also made a ganache and had walnuts on hand. Everyone dressed their own ice cream. It was a huge hit! Even those that do not prefer bananas, well, let’s just say they were converted because of the Roasted Banana Ice Cream 🙂 Simply delicious!
Hi HappyMom,
Thank you for trying the recipe! I am so happy you made the roasted banana version.
Cheers, Zoë
OH. my. GOODNESS!!! This is totally made of ridiculous goodness! 🙂 I’ll be taking a stab at it this week.
My favorite ice cream in the entire world is Haagen Dazs’s carmelized pear and toasted pecan.
Any tips on how I could recreate that delicious flavor as well?
Hi Christopher,
That sounds great. You can poach the pears in a caramel sauce made with pear juice. Cook the juices down when the pears are done and add some of it to the ice cream base.
Let me know how it goes! Zoë
Hi Zoe:
I can’t wait to try this ice cream! Can you
tell me how to increase a 1 qt. recipe to
A 3 gallon recipe? Is there a certain ratio
to follow?
Thank you,
Courtney
Hi Courtney,
I’ve done this in larger quantities, all you have to do is multiply up to what you need!
Enjoy! Zoë
Hello Zoe, I was wondering if you had a good eggless icecream base recipe?
Hi Chandana,
I have been meaning to make an eggless ice cream on the site, thanks for reminding me!
Zoë
Hi,
could you tell me more about the chinese inventions (ice cream)
looks yummy! 🙂
If you are even thinking about making this ice cream, DO IT. It is literally the best ice cream I’ve ever made (and maybe ever tasted). Roasting bananas must make the difference. DELICIOUS!
Hi Zoe-
Got a recipe for gluten-free, vegan (sans eggs) bread ? HELP!
Hi Catherine,
Here is one for you: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/06/01/gluten-free-baguettes-egg-free-and-a-king-arthur-gluten-free-flour-giveaway
Thanks, Zoë
Zoe,
I just made the roasted banana ice cream with the ganache topping. . . Oh. Yum. At first, I thought the bananas looked a little odd, but I’m starting to feel like anything you suggest with food is probably a good idea, so went for it. So, glad I did. New favorite.
I also “kind of” made the macarons you blogged for St. Pat’s day. . . had to use coconut instead due to an allergy to almonds, but they raised quite a stir at my mom’s group. Definitely a repeater, and a delightful way to use up the egg whites accidentally created from making ice cream!
Thanks for doing all this!
Jenny
Hi Jennifer,
So, so glad you went for it and tried the banana ice cream! I love it.
What a great idea to make the macarons with coconut!
Thank you! Zoë
Hi! I am curious what tips you have for making lactose free ice cream. I can easily get lactose free whole milk at my local grocery store but they don’t appear to carry cream or half and half that is lactose free (if such things even exist!).
Any ideas how I can make a great ice cream anyway?
I know this is a rather late answer to your question, but I just read this. I am lactose free. There are two brands that make lactose free half and half now. And I live in a podunk town and am able to buy it. Also, I seem to be able to process whole cream as there is very little lactose in it. Perhaps there is someone else who might read this currently, and this will help them. Zoe, your recipes are divine, and I often convert them to gluten free as well. Thank you.
Hi Zoe…thank you so much for that wonderful class yesterday! I just spent all morning working with my first batch of dough…and everything came out wonderfully…pita, baguette, pizza and boule! My question is…can I put a touch of sugar in the basic dough? Thanks again…can’t wait for your new book! Marcy
Hi Marcy,
How wonderful that you are already baking! I am so thrilled. You can certainly add a bit of sugar to the master recipe. You can add up to 1/4 cup without having to make any other changes, but that will make it pretty sweet. You may want to start with 2 tablespoons and see if you like that.
Thanks for the lovely note! Zoë
Hi Zoë,
Re: Banana Bread
(Sorry for posting this comment here, but I wasn’t sure if you’d see it if it was posted to the Cooking Channel site!)
One trick I picked up from a recent Cooks Illustrated recipe, is to sprinkle a little less than 1 tbs of granulated sugar over the top of the bread before baking. It forms a very delicate, crunchy crust. For such a tiny thing, the result is amazing.
Another thing we do is to let the loaf cool completely on a rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then seal it in a 1-gallon ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight before slicing. The resulting loaf is a bit denser, giving it a bit more of a cake texture.
Anyway, just wanted to share that with you and your readers, and and to say my kids can’t wait for me to make this ice cream recipe! As always, your photography is completely amazing!
Hi Marc,
Thank you so much for the note. I love the idea of having the sugar crust on the banana bread! I also am intrigued by the trick of refrigerating it in a ziplock bag, what a cool idea!
Enjoy the ice cream, Zoë
I just got a new Cuisinart Ice Cream Mkaer and this just might be the flavor for my first try. Great post. Thanks
This looks divine!!!! I must try it!!!! Thanks for the recipe.
Wow, this looks amazing! I am seriously craving it right now! I am definitely posting a link to this on my Facebook page, Delicious Inspiration.
This sounds like the most amazing ice cream flavor! The Ben & Jerry’s gig sure paid off, lol.
Hi Kathy,
Yes, I have Ben & Jerry’s to thank for lots of things! My husband gained 20 pounds while I was working there. 😉
Zoë
Oh, Zoe, this is perfect. I am actually eating toasted strawberry banana bread right now, so this ice cream looks especially wonderful. I will definitely be trying this—I’ve always wanted to try making banana ice cream.
How would you adapt this if you were making Philly-style ice cream rather than custard-based ice cream? Can you just add the roast bananas, or would this wreak havoc with the texture?
Hi Alla,
Great question, I think it will work just as well, but you will certainly have a different texture. I’ll have to try it and let you know! 😉
Thanks, Zoë
OMG! You know, Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey is my fave ice cream. But I swear, this might just top that. 😉
Hi Carolyn,
I forgot to mention I worked at Ben & Jerry’s during college. Love Chunky Monkey!
Thanks, Zoë
I have saved this as an “absolute must make.” I love making ice cream – the KitchenAid mixer attachment makes excellent, creamy ice cream. Looks delicious!
Mmmmm…. I’m going to have to dig out the ice cream machine and get started! Looks luscious!
Im so making this icecream Zoe…its so gorgeous…and the flavors perfect!