No-Churn Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Made with just a handful of ingredients this no-churn homemade vanilla ice cream is quick and easy to make and ready to eat in eight hours or less.

Years ago I purchased an ice cream maker to make homemade vanilla ice cream. I used it probably twice. Reason: It took too many steps to make ice cream. You had to make sure the base was cooled, the container you put it in–frozen, and you had to wait, wait, wait for the ice cream to get aerated enough to then freeze it. Sound familiar?

As I mentioned above, I had purchased a very expensive ice cream maker and yes, I succumbed to all of the hoopla that went with making “instant” ice cream. Problem was, it took too long to make.

Problem was, when I want ice cream, I want it today and with little effort!

So out went the ice cream maker and in came my journey to find the perfect ice cream recipe.

It took a couple of tries and errors–although how difficult is it to force oneself to eat ice cream?

Anyway, the results are in and the taste-testing from my family is that this IS IT!

Cooking Tip: This recipe makes about a pint of ice cream. Serves 4.

How to Make No-Churn Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

Start with one whole vanilla bean that you cut length-wise and then scrape out the seeds.

I like to use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the pod in half and then cut up each of the two ends to split it before scraping the aromatic seeds. Place these in a medium-size metal bowl.

Cooking Tip: If you don’t have any vanilla pods, no worries. Skip the first step and go on to the next.)

Add 1 tablespoon of very good Pure Vanilla Extract.

Be sure to check out my article how to reconstitute your vanilla extract in case you run out of vanilla extract.

Next add 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, 1 cup of whipping cream, along with 1/4 cup whole milk. Beat this mixture just until the base thickens. You can do this by hand or using a stand mixer.

Cooking Tip: Don’t beat until you get stiff peaks, otherwise, you’ll be tasting sweetened vanilla butter–if you get my drift.

If you haven’t already, place the vanilla ice cream into a stainless steel bowl. Wrap tightly and place in the freezer. You can “hug” the bowl with bags of frozen vegetables like I did. It works like a charm.

Then, let your ice cream set anywhere from 4-6 hours–longer is better, of course, although it was tough waiting that long.

No need to thaw. This ice cream is pure heaven to scoop. Add your favorite toppings as you like.

Oh, and don’t forget to try these other delicious flavors: Chocolate and Strawberry! They’re no-churn, too!

For more delicious ice cream recipes, be sure to check out my Pinterest Board: Dessert Recipes from Wisconsin Homemaker.