Best Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

This homemade vanilla ice cream recipe is rich and creamy with a deep vanilla flavor. Watch the video and follow our step-by-step instructions to learn how to make this 5-ingredient vanilla bean ice cream recipe!

Is there anything more classic than vanilla ice cream? Serve it on top of pies, crisps, cobblers, crumbles, or enjoy it on a cone in all it's vanilla-infused glory. 

This homemade vanilla ice cream recipe is the best of the best. The ice cream base is made with both vanilla beans and vanilla extract, which impart an irresistibly rich flavor that is out-of-this-world delicious. 

Trust me when I say this is the best vanilla bean ice cream you'll ever eat! It's rich and creamy and better than your favorite ice cream shop! 

How to make Vanilla Ice Cream

Let's jump into how to make this vanilla ice cream recipe, we'll walk through the process step-by-step, and don't forget to watch the video!

Heat Half & Half

Begin by warming the half and half, salt and sugar over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Then slice a vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds. 

Add vanilla beans & pods

Remove the half and half mixture from the heat. Scrape vanilla beans seeds into the mixture and stir. Place vanilla bean pods in the mixture. Cover and let sit for 1 hour to infuse.

Remove Vanilla Bean Pods

After 1 hour, remove the vanilla bean pods from the infused mixture. 

Make the vanilla ice cream base

Re-warm the infused mixture over medium heat. Be careful, you do not want it to get too hot before it's combined with the egg yolks. 

Beat the egg yolks in a small mixing bowl, add ½ cup of the warm mixture to the egg yolks whisking during the addition. Then add that mixture to the warm half and half on the stovetop.

Cook the custard over medium-low heat stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.

Strain the mixture into the heavy cream

Place the heavy cream into a bowl with a fine mesh strainer on top of the bowl. Then, strain the custard into the heavy cream. Discard the custard remnants left on the strainer. 

Next, add vanilla extract to the mixture and stir to combine.

Cool the Vanilla Ice Cream Base

Transfer the vanilla ice cream mixture to the refrigerator and cool completely (preferably overnight).

Churn

Churn in an ice cream maker until the vanilla bean ice cream is thick and the consistency of frozen yogurt.

Freeze

Transfer the vanilla ice cream to a glass container with a lid and freeze for at least 4 hours, or until hardened. 

Serve!

There is no wrong way to enjoy this homemade vanilla ice cream recipe. Serve it all by itself on a cone, in a dish with a dollop of fresh homemade whipped cream or chocolate sauce! Use it in a root beer float. I also recommend serving it with any of the following recipes to make them a la mode: 

• It is perfection on top of the best peach cobbler.
• Any of our crips recipes are the perfect partners for this vanilla ice cream: apple crisp, healthy berry crisp and this raspberry peach crisp all taste better a la mode for sure. 
• Who doesn't love vanilla bean ice cream with pie? Some recommendations: 
  • Apple crumble pie needs a scoop, same with this classic apple pie. 
  • In the summer, try this blueberry pie or strawberry pie. 
• I personally love enjoying this flourless chocolate cake and these molten chocolate lava cakes with a scoop or two! YUM!
• Make chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches and put this vanilla ice cream between two of the best chocolate chip cookies ever. 
• Serve it alongside this chocolate chip cookie cake or the best chocolate cake ever. 

Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions

• Half and half/heavy cream. This recipe calls for 3 cups of liquid dairy. You can change the ratios of half and half : cream if desired, as long as the total amount equals 3 cups. You could also substitute some of the liquid with whole milk. 
• Granulated sugar. Organic cane sugar works well in place of white granulated sugar.
• Vanilla Bean. Technically you could omit the vanilla bean, but I do not recommend it. You can use vanilla bean paste in place of the actual vanilla beans. 
• Egg Yolks. There is no substitution for egg yolks in this recipe. 
• Vanilla Extract. Pure vanilla extract yields the best flavor, I don't recommend using imitation. 
• Sea Salt. A pinch of sea salt goes a long way. Any fine salt works well in this vanilla ice cream recipe. 

FAQS about Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Here are some of the common questions I get asked about this recipe!

More ice cream recipes: 

I love making homemade ice cream. Here are some more of our favorite recipes

• Make your own cookie dough ice cream and load it with cookie dough chunks!
• This is the absolute best homemade chocolate ice cream you will ever try. 
• My all-time favorite is chocolate peanut butter ice cream - homemade is so much better than even your favorite ice cream shop. Also try this healthier, dairy-free chocolate peanut butter ice cream or this dairy free chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cookie dough.
• We love this cookies and cream ice cream too - it's bursting with cookies galore!
• Paleo vanilla ice cream is great to make for guests with dairy allergies. Add some paleo cookie dough to make paleo cookie dough ice cream.
• Matcha ice cream is a fun and unique flavor. 

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