Homemade Ice Cream Recipe
You can make this easy egg-free, homemade ice cream recipe using farm-fresh or store-bought ingredients. With multiple flavor variations, you're going to love it!
Print
Pin
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 322kcal
Cost: varies
Equipment
- 1 Ice Cream Maker either electric or hand-crank
- 2 Large Bowls
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the cream cheese, salt, and ¼ cup of whole milk in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
- In a larger bowl, stir together the cream and remaining milk. Add the sugar and whisk until the sugar is dissolved (3-4 minutes). Taste the mixture to ensure there is no graininess – it should feel smooth and creamy on the tongue, and no sugar should be visible on the bottom of the bowl. Continue whisking as needed until all the sugar is dissolved completely.
- Whisk in the vanilla and the cream cheese mixture to incorporate thoroughly.
- Chill your ice cream mixture, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight for a deeper flavor.
- Once your ice cream base is completely chilled, prepare your ice cream maker according to what the manufacturer suggests.
- Pour your ice cream base into the machine and let it churn! Homesteading Hack: Chill the ice cream containers and beaters overnight in your freezer before adding the ice cream mixture for the best results.
- When churning the ice cream, this is your chance to add any “mix-ins.” See our list above for good options. Homesteading Hack: Note that adding a mix-in while the machine is churning will incorporate it evenly throughout your ice cream. If you prefer to add something more delicate, like a swirl of sauce or whole pieces of fruit, folding those in by hand works well.
- Scrape your completed ice cream into a freezer-safe container with a lid or plastic wrap.
- Freeze the ice cream for a few hours before serving. This hardening method allows the ice cream to firm up and the flavors to blend.
- Store the tightly covered ice cream in your freezer for up to a week if it lasts that long!
Notes
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few tips to make sure your final product is always perfect:
- Use Cream – Heavy cream and whole milk make the best thick, creamy-textured ice cream. This recipe uses both. You can use all whole milk, but the ice cream will have a thinner, icier texture vs. a silky, thickened texture. We say, use the cream!
- Cream Cheese – Cream cheese is another ingredient that makes the ice cream thicker and smoother. Leave it out if you don’t have any, but we recommend including it for the best texture.
- Whisking – This ice cream base is whisked instead of heated to preserve the nutritional value of raw milk. If you are using pasteurized milk and cream or don’t mind heating your milk, you can heat the milk and cream in step 2 to help dissolve the sugar. This will make it easier to incorporate the sugar, but your ice cream base will take longer to chill.
- Chill Mix-ins – Be sure all mix-ins are cold! Adding warm or even room-temperature ingredients to your churned ice cream can cause it to melt in spots, creating ice crystals. To prevent ice crystals from forming, chill or freeze mix-ins thoroughly before adding.
- Chill Container and Beaters – Thoroughly chill the container and beaters you will churn the ice cream in, so the ice cream mixture has the coldest start possible. This will help it set up and harden faster.
- Cookie Pieces – Cookies of all kinds can be crushed up and added to vanilla ice cream. Homesteading Hack: Any cookies or brownies that become day old can be crumbled up and placed in a container in your freezer to use as a quick mix-in for your next batch of ice cream.
- Candy – All sorts of crushed candy or baking chips (peanut butter, butterscotch or chocolate chip) taste wonderful in this recipe.
- Extracts – Beyond vanilla, you can use almond, mint, rum, or maple extract in this versatile recipe.
- Nuts – Walnuts, almonds, and pecans chopped into small pieces and added to this recipe add a nice flavorful crunch.
- Syrups – Syrups such as chocolate, caramel, strawberry, raspberry, or butterscotch all taste great, either swirled into the ice cream after it’s churned (but still soft) or topped after it’s hardened.
- Jam and Preserves – Strawberry, huckleberry, peach jams or preserves, and more can be stirred into this recipe.
- Fresh, Freeze Dried or Frozen Fruit – Fruit options are endless whether you add it after it’s churned or before; make sure it’s been chilled and prepared the way you like it. Pureed, sliced, in chunks or mashed, it all tastes good.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 114mg | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 1019IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Tried this recipe?We want to see! Tag @homesteadingfamily on Instagram.