Vanilla Ice Cream

Easy homemade French vanilla ice cream made with a rich egg custard base.

1 quart Prep 10 minutes · Cook 5 minutes · Chill and Freeze 7 hours · Total 7 hours 15 minutes dessert ice cream frozen

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Easy homemade French vanilla ice cream is the perfect summer treat, loaded with delicious toppings or scooped alongside your favorite warm dessert.

Ingredients

Combine the cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture starts to give off steam (do not simmer). Remove the heat.
Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl just until broken up and smooth. Slowly pour in about ½ cup of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly. Whisk the tempered egg mixture in to the cream mixture in the saucepan.
Return the saucepan to medium heat, and stir frequently with a rubber spatula. Cook the mixture until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 180°-185°F). Immediately remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl.
Place the mixture over an ice bath and stir occasionally to cool the mixture down quickly. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
Churn the chilled custard in a frozen ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the solid ice cream to a container cover in plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, about 3 hours, before scooping. The ice cream will keep frozen for up to 1 month if covered tightly.

Temper the eggs. Tempering the egg yolks in this homemade vanilla ice cream recipe ensures that they warm up gradually and become velvety and smooth. If you add them straight into the warm milk mixture, they will instantly cook and scramble, leaving you with egg chunks.
Use a rubber spatula when cooking the ice cream base. Be sure to scrape the sides of the pot where the egg tends to collect. This will help prevent the custard from burning or overcooking.
Don’t skip straining the custard. Straining catches any little bits of egg that didn’t get tempered or parts of the custard that may overcooked and solidified, ensuring a lusciously smooth ice cream.
If using a vanilla bean pod, add it back in while the strained custard chills to infuse more vanilla flavor, then remove before churning.
To get the flavors to pop: Add a pinch of salt when whisking the egg yolks to balance the flavors of the vanilla, sugar, and cream. Less than ⅛ teaspoon is enough!
Press plastic wrap, wax paper, or foil directly onto the ice cream surface during freezing to help prevent ice crystals.

Calories: 2399 kcal | Carbohydrates: 126 g | Protein: 33 g | Fat: 201 g | Saturated Fat: 121 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 55 g | Cholesterol: 1478 mg | Sodium: 240 mg | Potassium: 821 mg | Sugar: 123 g | Vitamin A: 8519 IU | Vitamin C: 3 mg | Calcium: 650 mg | Iron: 3 mg