You don’t have to have an ice cream machine to make great ice cream at home! This no-churn vanilla ice cream recipe is made in a stand mixer and you can add in any flavor you like. Below I share some ideas. If you get creative and make up one of your own, please let me know in the comments!
This ice cream also makes great ice cream cookie sandwiches! I use my Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe but leave out the chocolate chips and then cut out circles of ice cream to sandwich between two. For the classic ice cream sandwich recipe above, be sure to subscribe to my Substack!
No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream Flavor + Mix-In Ideas
- Lime—I use this in my Baked Alaska in an episode of Zoë Bakes!
- Berry Swirl—Add 1 ⁄ 3 cup / 35g of your favorite thick berry preserves and swirl it into the vanilla base as you put it into the container to freeze.
- Caramel Sauce—Add 1 ⁄ 3 cup / 115g Thick Caramel Sauce (I have a recipe in Zoë Bakes Cakes!).
- Chocolate chip—Add 4 oz / 115g semisweet bittersweet, milk, or white chocolate mini chips or shaved chocolate. You don’t want to use regular sized chips because they freeze solid and are too hard to eat. You can shave chocolate on a grater for finer pieces of chocolate.
- Citrus—Add 2 tsp lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit zest.
- Espresso—Add 1 to 3 tsp espresso powder mixed with 1 tsp water. The amount you use will be determined by how intense you want your espresso flavor to be.
- Nutella—Add 1 ⁄ 2 cup / 140g Nutella. You can swirl it into the ice cream just as it is going into the container to freeze or you can mix it into the pastry cream & mascarpone for a more even distribution.
- Peanut Butter—Add 1 ⁄ 2 cup / 140g peanut butter. See Nutella for adding suggestions.
- Tahini & Halva—Add 1 ⁄ 3 cup / 95g tahini, plus 4 oz / 115g chopped halva pieces (optional). See Nutella for adding suggestions. Sprinkle the halva over the top or swirl it in.
- Spice—Add 2 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. Add to the pastry cream when you add the vanilla.
Find 18 more homemade ice cream recipes here with lots more mix-in ideas!
Ingredients
Pastry Cream
- 2 cups (480ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 Vanilla bean, Seeds scraped or 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 4 egg yolks at room temperature
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese or room temperature cream cheese
Remaining Ingredients for Ice Cream
- 1 1/2 cups (360ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup 60g confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
Make the Pastry Cream
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, 1/4 cup / 50g of the sugar, salt, and vanilla; bring to a gentle boil; and then remove from the heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup / 50g sugar. Add the egg and egg yolks and whisk into a smooth paste.
- Whisk enough of the hot milk, a little at a time, into the egg mixture until it is warm to the touch. Once the eggs are warm, pour the mixture back into the remaining milk in the pan.
- Return the saucepan to medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil; continuously whisk for 3 minutes to thoroughly cook the corn starch.Pro Tip: The pastry cream will get very thick almost immediately, but it is important to continue to cook for the full 3 minutes or the pastry cream will separate once it cools.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the mascarpone. Using a rubber spatula press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, into a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressed directly onto the surface, to prevent a skin from forming.
- In a large bowl, add enough ice cubes and cold water to create a bath for the container to sit in without the water breaching the sides.
- Set the container in the ice bath or place in the freezer until chilled, about 15 minutes or until room temperature.
Make the Ice Cream
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar until medium-stiff peaks form, about 1 minute.Stir the pastry cream until it is smooth and then fold in the whipped cream. Add any flavorings now, unless otherwise noted.
- Pour into a 2-quart container and freeze for at least 2 hours. The longer it freezes the firmer it will get.
- Pro Tip: If you want a soft gelato texture, remove the ice cream from the freezer about 20 minutes before scooping.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
