Go Back

Old-Fashioned Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Homemade vanilla ice cream made with an old-fashioned vanilla custard base for a dense, creamy scoop with visible vanilla bean specks. This churned vanilla ice cream is cooked to a thick custard (175°F), strained smooth, then chilled and frozen until firm.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 394
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Heavy cream
  • 2 cup heavy cream Use full-fat heavy cream for a rich custard base.
Whole milk
  • 1 cup whole milk Whole milk helps create a creamy texture.
Granulated sugar
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
Egg yolks
  • 5 egg yolks Separate eggs and use only yolks.
Vanilla bean (or pure vanilla extract)
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or pure vanilla extract) Add pod and seeds for visible specks; or use pure vanilla extract if substituting.
Salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt Balances sweetness and brightens vanilla flavor.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Infuse the cream
  1. Split the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds, and add the pod and seeds to the heavy cream and milk in a saucepan.
  2. Heat the cream mixture over medium heat until steaming and just beginning to simmer, then remove from heat and let steep 15 minutes.
  3. Remove the vanilla pod after steeping and discard the pod.
Make the custard
  1. Whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar together until pale and thick.
  2. Slowly pour the warm cream into the yolks while whisking constantly.
  3. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens to coat the back of a spoon (175°F).
  4. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve.
  5. Stir in the salt, then cool the custard over an ice bath.
Chill and churn
  1. Refrigerate the custard at least 4 hours or overnight.
  2. Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker, then freeze until firm.

Notes

Pro tip: When tempering, pour the warm cream in slowly while whisking constantly to prevent scrambled eggs. Refrigerate the finished custard base for 4 days before churning; once churned, store ice cream in the freezer up to 2 weeks. Freezing is yes—keep it airtight to limit ice crystals. For a dairy-forward swap, use lactose-free whole milk and lactose-free heavy cream to keep the same custard texture.