Description
Here’s how to make the best homemade vanilla ice cream recipe! It’s got the perfect creamy texture and smooth, rich flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons whole milk, divided
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix 2 tablespoons whole milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until fully combined, then stir in the sugar.
- In a saucepan, combine the 2 cups whole milk, the heavy cream and salt. Heat for 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat, whisking frequently, until steaming but not bubbling (and the temperature reads 180 degrees on a food thermometer*). Be careful not to let it boil.
- Turn off the heat. While whisking, ladle a bit of the milk mixture into the egg yolks and sugar, being careful to go slow so that the egg yolks don’t curdle. Continuing to whisk, add 2 more ladles of the milk mixture slowly. Then whisk in the cornstarch mixture.
- Slowly whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the remaining milk and cream in the saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, adjusting the heat so it doesn’t come to a simmer, for 6 to 7 minutes until thickened (don’t let it go above 170 degrees Fahrenheit). Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Transfer the mixture to a large metal or glass bowl. Place the bowl in a smaller bowl of ice water for 1 hour, making sure not to splash any water into the custard (or even quicker, you can pour it into a 1-gallon zip-top bag, seal it, and place the bag in ice water for 30 minutes). Alternatively, simply place the bowl in the refrigerator and wait for 3 hours or until the temperature drops to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Churn according to your ice cream maker instructions, about 25 minutes for soft serve consistency. For hard ice cream texture, transfer to a loaf pan or sealed container and freeze in the freezer for at least 2 hours (or up to 4 hours). Store in a loaf pan with a parchment sheet over the top or a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
*A food thermometer is not required; use the visual and time cues if you don’t have one. However, it’s helpful to the most precise recipe: use the temperatures provided in parentheses.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Frozen
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Vanilla ice cream. vanilla ice cream recipe, homemade vanilla ice cream