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Creamy homemade vanilla ice cream is a quintessential summer treat, but truth told we enjoy homemade ice cream all year round.

Cranking ice cream and then waiting to eat melting bowls of creamy homemade ice cream are things that I want my kids to remember from their childhood.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream recipe by Barefeet In The Kitchen

I remember eating the most delicious ice cream of my life at my grandparents’ house in the summertime. I have that recipe saved in one of my binders and I can hardly wait to make it.

We recently bought a vintage hand-cranked ice cream maker and last week we used it for the first time. Such fun! Thanks to my husband, I didn’t even have to do the hard work. This was the first time I made ice cream and I am super happy with the results.

This was incredibly rich and sweet vanilla ice cream. It was a much richer ice cream than I remember having as a child. I’m looking forward to trying lots of different ice cream recipes this summer!

Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

  1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan over medium to low heat. Stir occasionally with a heat-resistant spatula.

  2.  Set up an ice bath by placing a 4 quart (or larger) bowl in a slightly larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl and pour the cream into the bowl.

  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Gradually pour some of the warm milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

  4.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. (Approximately 10 minutes)

  5. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice until cool (approximately 2-4 minutes). Stir in the vanilla extract.

  6.  Refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.

  7. When you are ready to make the ice cream, freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve with fresh berries for a great summer treat.

5 from 1 vote

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Avatar photoMary Younkin
Recipe adapted from and with thanks to The Perfect Scoop by David Lebowitz
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings (about 2 quarts)
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Ingredients 

  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 10 large egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions 

  • Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan over medium to low heat. Stir occasionally with a heat-resistant spatula.
  •  Set up an ice bath by placing a 4 quart (or larger) bowl in a slightly larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl and pour the cream into the bowl.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Gradually pour some of the warm milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.
  •  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. (Approximately 10 minutes)
  • Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice until cool (approximately 2-4 minutes). Stir in the the vanilla extract.
  •  Refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.
  • When you are ready to make the ice cream, freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve with fresh berries for a great summer treat. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 584 kcal | Carbohydrates: 45 g | Protein: 8 g | Fat: 41 g | Saturated Fat: 24 g | Cholesterol: 375 mg | Sodium: 84 mg | Potassium: 212 mg | Sugar: 42 g | Vitamin A: 1785 IU | Vitamin C: 0.5 mg | Calcium: 190 mg | Iron: 0.7 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Rating




9 Comments

  1. thekitchenaffaire says:

    Wowww.. Yumm.. I lovee ice cream.. 🙂 Now I can try making them at home 😀 Thank youu 🙂

  2. Inside a British Mum's Kitchen says:

    Fun! I bet the kids got a huge kick out of your ice cream maker – Looks delicious!
    Mary

  3. Monet says:

    Mary…what a great memory for you and your children to share! I know that I would have loved making ice cream as a little girl. Thank you for sharing with me…and for your kind words on my own blog. Your creative and thoughtful spirit brings me joy. I hope you have a wonderful day!

  4. ConsciouslyFrugal says:

    Do you know if it's possible to make ice cream without the ice cream maker? Freezing the custard just doesn't do the trick? (I am lame and don't have one of those fancy things!)

  5. Barefeet In The Kitchen says:

    Yes! It is possible to make it without a freezer. For what it's worth, you would laugh hard if you saw our 50 year old "vintage" hand crank freezer I just picked up on ebay. We love it!

    Here is a how-to link on making it without the freezer. I've made it this way and it does work. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/07/making-ice-crea-1/

  6. Suuny says:

    I cannot wait to try this ice cream recipe… looks delicious

    1. Mary Younkin says:

      I hope you love it!

  7. Sandy says:

    I am wondering why you have to strain the cream mixture. Couldn’t you just whisk the egg yolks in?5 stars

    1. Mary Younkin says:

      Yes, you can, but often, the eggs will curdle just a teeny bit and a fine sieve will strain out any egg bits. Straining it isn’t a requirement.