Homemade ice cream is so much creamier than the commercial brands - even the high dollar premium ones. It's easy, too!
Table of Contents
❤️ Why you'll love it
- This homemade vanilla ice cream recipe is easy to make with an ice cream freezer.
- Create your very own ice cream flavors.
- You'll always have your favorite ice cream available - no worries about recalls or discontinued flavors.
- This recipe does not use eggs - there's no need to make a custard.
There's nothing like a bowl of your favorite ice cream with maybe a drizzle (or tsunami) of hot fudge sauce... unless it's a bowl of your favorite homemade ice cream underneath that hot fudge sauce!
It's so easy to make with modern ice cream machines that there's really no reason not to...
🥫 Storage
Store the ice cream in the freezer in an airtight container or tightly covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 months.
Be sure to pack it down in the container and let it freeze overnight before serving.
📖 Variations
Try mixing in any of these during the last few minutes of churning.
- ripe peaches
- strawberries
- blackberries
- bananas
- nuts
- white chocolate chips
- chocolate chips
- your favorite candy
- pretzels
- chocolate syrup
- caramel sauce
- broken cookies
- chopped up graham crackers
Seriously the possibilities are endless!
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: The bourbon in this ice cream helps it freeze to a creamier consistency. It doesn't add much alcohol at all. You can leave it out if you wish but to protect the creaminess please add a tablespoon of white corn syrup.
- Add fruit, nuts, and other items at the end of the freezing time. This will keep the ingredients spread out randomly rather than having them all float to the top or sink to the bottom.
- For best results all homemade ice cream should be made the day before you want to serve it. It "ripens" in the freezer overnight and the texture changes, the flavor mellows, and it won't melt so quickly in the bowl.
- For best flavor use real vanilla extract.
- Use fresh vanilla beans. If they are dried out or leathery use them to flavor sugar but don't use them in this.
- The vanilla bean seeds should be wet and have a paste consistency. They leave pretty, little black flecks in the ice cream and it lets everyone know you used real vanilla.
- Vanilla beans can be left out but add another teaspoon of vanilla.
👩🍳 FAQs
Milk, sugar, cream, and vanilla.
Be sure the mixture is cold before you add it to the ice cream maker.
You either used milk or lowfat milk instead of cream and/or it didn't freeze fast enough. In order for the ice cream to be creamy it must freeze very quickly.
📚 Related recipes
- We love this peanut butter ice cream. Try it with some chocolate chunks mixed in...or Reese's!
- My husband loves those Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies. If you do, too you've got to try this mint Oreo chocolate ice cream.
- Trust me when I say this Hatch chile ice cream is absolutely out of this world delicious.
🍽️ Serve with...
- Try putting the ice cream between two snickerdoodle cookies for the best ice cream sandwiches ever.
- Vanilla ice cream is a classic with chocolate cake.
- Warm one of these brownies in the microwave and serve with a scoop of homemade French vanilla ice cream melting on top.
- Add a scoop to the top of pie - there are plenty of pie recipes to choose from here.
📞 The last word
With an electric ice cream maker Homemade French vanilla ice cream is only a few hours away.
It's the most basic ice cream of all. You can add nearly anything to it.
This is the ice cream base for most other ice creams I make.
It is a high fat, premium type ice cream, with a rich vanilla flavor.
If you happen to have trouble with fats, or if you prefer less fat, you can switch the half and half for whole milk.
Don't do it unless you have to because it will totally change the texture and, since fat carries flavor, the flavor will be less intense.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
French Vanilla Ice Cream
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 3 cups half and half
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar or vanilla sugar
- 2 3-inch vanilla beans, split
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon natural French Vanilla flavoring, or an extra teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 tablespoon bourbon, (optional)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat the sugar, salt, vanilla beans, bourbon, and half and half in a heavy saucepan until it is very hot and small bubbles form around the edge. Do not let it boil.
- Remove from heat, cover, and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer mixture to an airtight container and let it chill in the refrigerator. Longer is better. Overnight will yield the most vanilla flavor.
- Remove the vanilla bean pod.
- Scrape the vanilla seeds and pulp back into the cream mixture then discard the shell or use it to make vanilla sugar.
- Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form.
- Add vanilla extract and French vanilla flavoring to the whipped cream.
- Fold into half and half mixture carefully.
- Freeze in your ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s directions.
Notes
- The bourbon in this ice cream helps it freeze to a creamier consistency. It doesn't add much alcohol at all. You can leave it out if you wish but to protect the creaminess please add a tablespoon of white corn syrup.
- Add fruit, nuts, and other items at the end of the freezing time. This will keep the ingredients spread out randomly rather than having them all float to the top or sink to the bottom.
- For best results all homemade ice cream should be made the day before you want to serve it. It "ripens" in the freezer overnight and the texture changes, the flavor mellows, and it won't melt so quickly in the bowl.
- For best flavor use real vanilla extract.
- Use fresh vanilla beans. If they are dried out or leathery use them to flavor sugar but don't use them in this.
- The vanilla bean seeds should be wet and have a paste consistency. They leave pretty, little black flecks in the ice cream and it lets everyone know you used real vanilla.
- Vanilla beans can be left out but add another teaspoon of vanilla.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published May 8, 2009. Last updated August 16, 2022 for readability and editorial content.
Jessie says
So, you listed French vanilla flavoring in your ice cream ingredient list. What kind, and how can you find a flavoring that you know is not made of anal glands??
Marye Audet says
That's easy. I make my own with vanilla beans and vodka. 🙂
Jim Mosier says
Dang. I'll never be able to look a Beaver square in the eyes again...Without thinking about your ice cream recipe. Thank you Mrs. Beaver, oh and thank you too Marye 🙂
marye says
😀 You crack me up, Jim. Seriously. Thanks.