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Old-Fashioned Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Old-fashioned homemade vanilla ice cream made with a rich vanilla custard base and a pale golden, eggy texture. Churned vanilla ice cream with visible vanilla bean specks throughout every dense, creamy scoop.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours 24 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 59 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Heavy cream
  • 2 cup heavy cream Used with vanilla bean to create a fragrant base.
Whole milk
  • 1 cup whole milk Helps lighten the custard while keeping it creamy.
Granulated sugar
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar Sweetens the custard and helps thicken it.
Egg yolks
  • 5 egg yolks Creates the classic eggy vanilla custard texture.
Vanilla bean (or pure vanilla extract)
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract) Choose vanilla bean for visible specks; use extract if needed.
Salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt Balances sweetness and boosts vanilla flavor.

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 fine mesh sieve
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Infuse the cream
  1. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds, then add the pod and seeds to the heavy cream and whole milk in a saucepan.
  2. Heat over medium heat until the mixture is steaming and just beginning to simmer, then remove from the heat and let steep for 15 minutes.
  3. Remove the vanilla pod from the cream mixture.
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 at 175°F.
  4. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve, then stir in the salt.
  5. Cool the custard over an ice bath.
Chill, churn, and freeze
  1. Refrigerate the custard for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  2. Churn in an ice cream maker, then freeze until firm.

Notes

For the smoothest custard, strain while it’s still warm so the texture stays silky, then stir continuously during the ice-bath cooling. Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days in a covered container; freeze up to 2 months. For a dairy-optional swap, use a high-fat coconut milk/cream blend instead of heavy cream and whole milk, and churn as directed (texture will be slightly different).