Vanilla Ice Cream
Easy vanilla ice cream made with only 5 ingredients. A basic custard base is all you need for this creamy ice cream.
by Diana Rattray
All you need are a few basic ingredients for this simple, creamy vanilla ice cream. A few egg yolks, some sugar, cream, and vanilla. I sometimes use a vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste, but it’s just as delicious with a good quality vanilla extract.
A cooked custard mixture makes a rich and creamy ice cream. It isn’t difficult, but remember you will need a little more chilling time for a custard-based ice cream.
Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped, seeds reserved or 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 large egg yolks
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, half-and-half, granulated sugar, and vanilla seeds or vanilla extract. Place the pan over medium heat and cook until it begins to boil, stirring constantly. Whisk about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks and then return yolk mixture to the saucepan, stirring constantly. Continue cooking, stirring, until it is almost boiling.
- Strain the custard mixture through a mesh sieve into a bowl.
- Cover the bowl and chill thoroughly.
- Freeze following your ice cream maker’s instructions.