Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream is one of those recipes that makes memories as well as a great dish! Made of six simple ingredients, this homemade vanilla ice cream recipe is as easy as delicious!
Homemade vanilla ice cream is pretty hard to beat. At least in Little Buddy’s book. It’s his favorite. No elaborate Coffee Almond Fudge or even that Brownie, Butterfinger Chunk for him.
It’s so easy to make. Six essential ingredients for the ice cream itself, along with ice and ice cream salt if you are using a traditional ice cream churn.
This recipe makes the old fashioned ice cream like that we’d make when I was growing up. You know the kind where everyone would gather around outside while the ice cream churn was being setup. Grandmother would bring out the container she’d filled with all of the ingredients and then Granddaddy would slide it into place in the ice cream churn, fill it halfway with ice, a layer of rock salt, more ice, more rock salt, a little more ice and then cover it with a towel while it churned away. He always said the towel helped to keep the churn cool. I’m not so sure, but I can tell you I wasn’t one to question the ice cream making process. Especially because I knew how delicious it would be when it was ready.
This recipe calls for using two eggs in the ice cream base. Even though Grandmother would simply use eggs from her own chickens or fresh from the grocery store, I would recommend making sure to use pasteurized eggs in the shell. This is especially important if you are serving to infants, older people or those with a compromised immune system, or to large groups. You can find pasteurized eggs in the shell in the dairy section of most grocery stores or ask your grocery store to assist you in finding them. If you enjoy the creaminess that comes from homemade ice cream with eggs, but would like to use the eggs that you have on hand, I highly recommend this Old Fashioned Homemade Ice Cream Recipe where there is a cooked custard base where the egg base is cooked to a temperature of 165º F.
Okay, so here’s my Grandparent’s recipe for their traditional homemade vanilla ice cream. It’s a keeper!
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups half and half
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and pour into container of ice cream maker.
- Make according to ice cream maker directions.
- Remove from churn and serve immediately or freeze until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
If you need an easy homemade vanilla ice cream recipe without eggs or without an ice cream churn, you will love my No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream recipe.
Won’t you need to cook the mixture before adding to ice cream maker?
Hi Jenn,
You will not need to cook this ice cream. The time listed is the time it spends in the freezer. I originally thought you might have been speaking about another of my ice cream recipes – but no, this one is not cooked.
Thanks!!!
Sorry Robyn, I only see 3 instructions. There is no information on how to cook the mixture. At the top it does say cook time 20 minutes, but that is all. Can you fill in the blanks please?
Hi Terica,
I am so sorry I was confusing – you do NOT cook this ice cream mixture. You just mix the ingredients in the recipe and pour into your ice cream maker.
When you asked about cooking I thought you were speaking about the Old Fashioned recipe, which contains egg yolks and is cooked first.
I will correct my other comment.
Hope you enjoy this! It’s delicious and so simple!
Thanks so much! xo
I have many ice cream recipes, but you are so right, sometimes the only thing that we want is vanilla…I’ll follow you everywhere!
What is the purpose of the “pinch of salt” in the recipe?
You really can’t beat homemade vanilla ice cream – soo good! And I love your suggestion to add some fruit to it. Sounds delicious. Can’t wait to start making homemade ice cream now that it’s starting to warm up!!!
~Star
Star Hughes Living
And make sure Jennifer posts a recipe for Dark Chocolate with Raspberry ice cream!
This looks delicious…I could use one out on my patio right about now 🙂
Do you need to cook the mixture before you freeze it?
I make a custard with condensed milk that is terrific
so I am excited to try an ice-cream.
Thanks for the idea! Alice
Hi Alice, I do not cook it prior to freezing it.
Perfect summertime treat! Love the photo!
I’ve never tried adding sweetened condensed milk to my ice cream–I’ve got to give that a go! We made fresh strawberry ice cream today; another one that’s hard to beat. 🙂
This looks so perfectly refreshing!