Make Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Nothing beats the smooth, creamy delight of homemade vanilla ice cream, served solo or accompanying a delicious dessert. Whether you own an ice cream maker or not, everyone should have a perfect homemade vanilla ice cream recipe in their repertoire. All you need is the best quality ingredients you can find and a little patience. You may never eat store-bought vanilla ice cream again!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • A pinch of salt

Steps

Using an Ice Cream Maker

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat up the milk, sugar and salt. On a chopping board, use a paring knife to scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean carefully. Add these seeds to the milk, with the scraped bean pod. Take the saucepan off the heat, cover with a lid, and allow infusing for at least an hour.
    • You can tell if a vanilla bean is good quality by smelling it. You should be able to smell the vanilla. Don't be fooled by the plumpness of the bean -- a plump bean doesn't automatically equal more flavor, it may just have a high water content.
    • If the bean smells smoky, this means the bean was not left to dry out properly, rather it was quickly flash dried over a fire. If this is the case, the vanilla beans are probably not of a high quality.
  2. Chill the cream. Next, you will need to chill the heavy cream in an ice bath. You can make an ice bath by filling a large bowl halfway with icy water. Place a smaller bowl into the water, into which you will strain the cream. Let the heavy cream sit in the ice bowl until cooled.
  3. Make the custard. In a large, clean bowl, whisk the egg yolks until combined. Take the vanilla-infused milk mixture and warm it up again. Once it is warm, gradually stir it into the bowl with the egg yolks, adding a little at a time and whisking constantly to combine. Once all the milk has been combined with the yolks, pour this mixture back into the saucepan.
    • Place the saucepan on a low heat and stir the custard constantly. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan with a spoon or spatula to prevent any of the mixture from sticking. When the custard forms a light coat on the back of the spoon or spatula, it is ready.
    • Depending on how rich you want your custard to be, you can add up to three more egg yolks.
  4. Combine the custard with the heavy cream. Pour the custard mixture through the strainer, into the heavy cream in the ice bath. Remove the strainer and stir to combine. When the mixture has cooled fully, add in the vanilla extract, cover the bowl, and place in the refrigerator. Leave for several hours or overnight, if possible.
    • There are three main types of vanilla extract: Bourbon, Tahitian and Mexican. Each has a slightly different flavor. Bourbon vanilla is from Madagascar and has a strong, bold flavor; Tahitian vanilla is floral, while real Mexican vanilla is creamy-tasting, with a pronounced flavor.
    • Always use a vanilla essence with an alcohol base. The alcohol, even if burned off during cooking, enhances the flavor of the vanilla extract.
    • For a lighter custard, you can replace the heavy cream with half-and-half. Just be aware that your ice cream will turn out less smooth as a result.
  5. Remove the ice cream custard from the refrigerator. Remove the vanilla bean and spoon the mixture into your ice cream maker. From this point, you can follow the manufacturer's instructions to find out how to freeze the ice cream mixture in your particular machine.
  6. Serve or store. Serve your homemade vanilla ice cream straight from the ice cream maker or store in an airtight container in the freezer to create a firmer ice cream.
    • Vanilla ice cream is the perfect accompaniment to homemade fruit pies and warm chocolate cakes.
    • It also makes a delicious dessert served on its own, covered in chocolate or caramel sauce and toasted pecans or almonds.

Without Using an Ice Cream Maker

  1. Prepare your ice cream mixture. In a medium saucepan, heat up the milk, sugar and salt. On a chopping board, use a paring knife to scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean carefully. Add these seeds to the milk, with the scraped bean pod. Take the saucepan off the heat, cover with a lid, and allow infusing for at least an hour.
    • Next, you will need to chill the heavy cream in an ice bath. You can make an ice bath by filling a large bowl halfway with icy water. Place a smaller bowl into the water, into which you will strain the cream. Let the heavy cream sit in the ice bowl until cooled.
    • In a large, clean bowl, whisk the egg yolks until combined. Take the vanilla-infused milk mixture and warm it up again. Once it is warm, gradually stir it into the bowl with the egg yolks, adding a little at a time and whisking constantly to combine. Once all the milk has been combined with the yolks, pour this mixture back into the saucepan.
    • Place the saucepan on a low heat and stir the custard constantly. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan with a spoon or spatula to prevent any of the mixture from sticking. When the custard forms a light coat on the back of the spoon or spatula, it is ready. Strain the custard into the heavy cream, and then stir in the vanilla extract.
    • Place in an airtight container and refrigerate until chilled, preferably overnight.
  2. Remove the ice cream mixture from the refrigerator. Stir the mixture vigorously with a rubber spatula. Transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe bowl or container (if not already in one). Cover tightly with plastic wrap or an airtight cover. Place in the freezer.
  3. After forty-five minutes in the freezer, check the mixture. Once the edges of the mixture have begun to freeze, remove it from the freezer, and stir it well with a handheld mixer. Make sure that you break up any frozen bits, as this is what will give your ice cream a smooth consistency. Cover and return to freezer for two to three hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so while the mixture freezes.
    • You can also use a spatula, wire whisk, or a stick-blender to stir the mixture, however using these methods will require a little more elbow grease. Use a handheld mixer for the best, smoothest results.
    • Stirring the ice cream mixture while it freezes is important when making ice cream without an ice cream maker. If you just leave the ice cream mixture in the freezer until it is frozen, you will end with a solid block of icy dairy, which is lumpy and difficult to scoop.
    • Mixing the ice cream while it freezes prevents large ice crystals from forming and produces a smooth and creamy ice cream.
  4. After two hours, remove from the freezer and beat again with the hand mixer. The mixture should be thick but still too soft to scoop, almost like soft-serve ice cream.
    • If the ice cream is not thick enough, return it to the freezer for additional freezing time before beating again.
    • If the ice cream has thickened properly, you can stir in any additional ingredients at this point, such as chocolate chips or cookie chunks.
  5. Pour the mixture into a plastic, airtight container. Make sure to leave at least a 1/2-inch of space at the top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Allow the ice cream to freeze until firm.
    • Serve your vanilla ice cream on its own or as an accompaniment to warm fruit pies or chocolate cake.



Tips

  • Remember the higher the fat content in your ice cream mixture, the creamier it will be, regardless of churning method. Use heavy cream instead of half-and-half or milk for the creamiest ice cream possible.
  • Re-use your vanilla beans by washing and drying them after use. Then you can stick them into pots of sugar or jam to add a lovely, light hint of vanilla.
  • If you plan on making homemade ice cream regularly, consider investing in an ice cream maker, as it produces a smoother, creamier ice cream than the manual method. Ice cream makers can be purchased relatively cheaply, often costing less than $50.

Warnings

  • If you are using Mexican vanilla extract, watch out for the cheaper versions which usually contain a toxic ingredient called coumarin. This ingredient is banned in the United States. Go for higher quality, slightly more expensive Mexican vanillas instead.

Things You'll Need

  • Ice cream maker (optional)
  • Large saucepan
  • Paring knife
  • Small, medium and large bowls
  • Ice
  • Rubber spatula
  • Air-tight container
  • Hand-held mixer, wire whisk or stick blender
  • Freezer safe bowl or container

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Sources and Citations

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