Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

This no-churn vanilla ice cream recipe is quick and easy to make, with only 3 ingredients and 15 minutes of prep! It’s rich and creamy, flavored with real vanilla bean for the ultimate summer treat.

The Best Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

Homemade vanilla ice cream is creamy, sweet, and delicious, with flecks of real vanilla bean dispersed throughout. It takes only minutes to make and that’s just the way I like things (and I bet you do, too!).

What I really like about this ice cream is that you don’t need any special equipment other than a mixer. You don’t need to buy an expensive ice cream maker, or rock salt, or ice, or any of that stuff. There’s no churning involved.

Another good thing about this ice cream is that it takes literally only minutes to make and then it has to spend six hours in the freezer. You may ask, what’s good about waiting six hours? Well, you have six hours to think about toppings. You can probably handle it, but if you need ideas, I’m here for you.

I’ll leave it up to you to choose how you want to top this vanilla bean ice cream. Really, it’s very good on its own or as a topping for homemade apple crisp. Although, if you need suggestions, I’d be happy to throw a few (hundred) ideas your way.

What does no-churn ice cream mean?

Most homemade ice cream recipes involve churning an egg custard base inside an electric ice cream maker. No churn ice cream is just that: no churning is needed to make creamy, smooth ice cream. Air is incorporated into the cream before it is frozen, using an electric mixer. It’s soft, scoopable, and delicious (and so, so easy!).

I’ll get you started on this easy recipe and give you extra tips. As always, look for the printable recipe card near the end of the post. It has complete instructions, measurements, and nutrition information.

What You’ll Need

You need only three ingredients to make this creamy no-churn vanilla ice cream. It’s really a shortcut ice cream recipe. You whip heavy cream and fold it into sweetened condensed milk. The texture is creamy, smooth, and perfect.

• Sweetened Condensed Milk: Make sure you look for sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk. You’ll need one 14-ounce can. Look for brands such as Carnation or Eagle Brand (store brands are fine, too); it’s usually found in the baking aisle.
• Heavy Cream (or heavy whipping cream): It should have at least 36% milk fat. Some whipping creams are lighter, with less milk fat, and won’t work as well. Make sure your cream is well chilled. It will whip up more easily.
• Vanilla Bean Paste: If you’re unfamiliar with vanilla bean paste, it’s sweetened vanilla extract which has been thickened with ground-up vanilla beans. There are visible bits of seeds that add both flavor and visual appeal. It’s available in most grocery stores or on Amazon. It has all the punch of vanilla extract and vanilla beans smushed into one ingredient. A pantry staple, as far as I’m concerned.

How To Make No Churn Ice Cream

You’ll need a large bowl and an electric mixer, either a stand mixer or a hand mixer. To freeze the ice cream, a loaf pan works best, either metal or glass.

Whip the cream. Pour the chilled heavy cream into a large bowl. Beat the cream on medium-high speed until it holds stiff peaks, about three minutes, slightly less with a stand mixer.

Combine. Gently fold in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla bean paste. Don’t get carried away, gently is the important word here. If you want to stir in any add-ins or flavors (see the suggestions below), now’s the time to do that.

Freeze. Pour the cream mixture into a loaf pan and cover it tightly with foil. Put the pan into the freezer. It will need about six hours to firm up.

Tips for Success

Below are some of my final tips for making ice cream at home:

• Don’t over-mix the ingredients. The mixture should be silky and smooth but not overly mixed, as the whipped cream may deflate. Mix the ingredients and stir in add-ins gently.
• Chill the ice cream for long enough. It’s okay (encouraged!) to make no-churn vanilla ice cream the day before you plan on eating it. This way, it has at least 6-8 hours to chill in the freezer before serving.

FAQs

Make This Ice Cream Your Own

It’s easy to stir in added ingredients for your own special ice cream creation. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:

• Cocoa powder: Add cocoa powder to this recipe for homemade chocolate ice cream.
• Cinnamon: A pinch of cinnamon gives this vanilla ice cream a lovely warm flavor. Try my recipe for no-churn cinnamon ice cream!
• Flavoring extracts: Flavor your ice cream with baking extracts like mint, maple, lemon, almond, etc.
• Add-ins: Fold in mini chocolate chips, M&Ms, toffee bits, toasted coconut, or chopped-up Andes mints.
• Cereals: Add in crushed-up Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruit Loops, Cocoa Krispies, etc.
• Cookies: Graham crackers, chocolate chip cookies, or make your own Oreo ice cream with chopped-up Oreo cookies.

Toppings and Ways to Serve

Ben’s favorite ice cream topping is chocolate chips. Meanwhile, I prefer chocolate syrup, or even better, homemade hot fudge (it’s THE BEST). Warm caramel sauce, especially when it’s made with a bit of bourbon, runs a close second. Add a few spiced pecans to that and I’m in ice cream heaven.

But hey! To each their own. I won’t stop Ben from doing his thing and he doesn’t give me the side eye when I put granola on my vanilla ice cream (it’s so good!). Or this 3-ingredient crunchy oat topping.

Serve vanilla bean ice cream with your favorite toppings or serve it as a topping for warm coffee cake with streusel, Kahlua brownies, or banana cake. You just have to have vanilla ice cream to top warm strawberry rhubarb crisp or apple blueberry crisp.

More No Churn Ice Cream Recipes

Cinnamon Ice Cream (No Churn)

Easy Fudge Swirl Ice Cream

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

Coconut Hot Fudge Ice Cream Recipe

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Get the Recipe: Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (No Churn)

4.57 from 23 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Additional Time: 6 hours hrs

Total Time: 6 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

10 servings

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This no-churn vanilla ice cream is quick and easy to make, with only 3 ingredients! This is the best vanilla ice cream recipe that's rich, creamy, and flavored with real vanilla bean.

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
• ▢ 2 cups heavy cream, cold (36% milkfat is best)

Instructions

• Pour heavy cream into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed to whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks (3 minutes – less if you’re using a stand mixer).
• Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla bean paste to whipped cream. Fold together until just combined and silky and smooth. A few small lumps may remain; it’s important not to over mix as that will deflate the mixture.
• Spread into a 8 or 9-inch loaf pan. Freeze for at least 6 hours or until firm (I cover with foil to prevent freezer burn).

Notes

• If desired, lightly fold in flavor variations before freezing. Some ideas: mini chocolate chips or M&Ms, toasted coconut, lightly crushed cereal or graham crackers, crushed Oreos, chocolate chip cookies, gingersnaps, or butter cookies. 
• To store, transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container that has a good resealable lid. It will keep for up to 3 months. 

Nutrition Information

Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 297kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 68mg, Potassium: 183mg, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 805IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 143mg, Iron: 1mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk

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