Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Vanilla ice cream in a waffle cone bowl. Ice cream freezer in the background.

This old-fashioned custard-style Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream is rich, creamy, and easy to make. Simply the best ice cream ever.

_{Makes 1 gallon.}

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Cooling & Churning 1 30

Total Time 1 50

Servings servings

Calories 370kcal

Author Renee

Equipment

1 Ice Cream Freezer
1 Blender (optional)
1 saucepan
1 wire whisk

Ingredients

Ice Cream Base

4 large eggs
2¼ cups sugar
4 cups milk whole or 2%
4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
scant ½ teaspoon salt

You will also need:

7-10 pounds cubed ice more or less
2 cups rock salt "ice cream salt"; more or less

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Whisk together all ice cream ingredients except cream until frothy. (You can also do this step in a blender.)
Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan, and heat over medium-low heat, whisking constantly.
Bring the temperature up slowly just until tiny bubbles begin to form around the edges of the saucepan. Remove from heat.
The mixture should register 180°-185°F [82°-85°C] on an instant-read thermometer.
Once the custard is prepared, pour the mixture into a chilled ice cream freezer canister.
Stir in the heavy cream and allow the mixture to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Pour the prepared custard mixture into the ice cream freezer canister and position the dasher.
Cover the canister with the lid, and place it into the ice cream maker's bucket.
Attach the churn mechanism, and then layer on cubed ice and rock salt until it reaches about ¾ of the way up the side of the canister.
The amount of ice and salt you use will depend on the size of your freezer and the ambient temperature, among other things. We usually layer about 4-5 inches of ice and then a large handful rock salt, and repeat until the freezer is full.
After the ice and salt are added, churn the ice cream.
• Electric Churn: Simply plug the ice cream maker in and let it do its job.
• Hand-crank: Let your smallest, youngest helpers start the cranking first, and work up to the older ones as the ice cream begins to get harder to crank.
You may need to add more ice as you proceed. Keep the ice level just below the top of the canister.
Electric machines will usually have an auto-stop; however, you can also "hear" the ice cream set as the machine works harder to churn it. If you are churning manually, check when the mixing becomes very difficult.
To check the ice cream, brush all the ice and salt off the lid and carefully remove it. The mixture inside should have the same consistency as soft-serve ice cream. If it is too soft, replace the lid and crank it a little longer.
For scoop-able ice cream, place the mixture in the freezer and allow it to cure for about 4 hours.

Notes

These directions outline how to make this ice cream in a large 1 to 1½ gallon, bucket-style crank or electric ice cream maker. If you plan to use a smaller ice cream maker, simply cut all the ingredients in this recipe by half (i.e., 2 eggs, 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of milk, etc.), and follow the directions for freezing that come with your machine.

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