We love making different flavors of homemade ice cream and ice cream cakes at home! No matter our flavor, we almost always use this homemade rich and creamy French vanilla ice cream recipe. Made with only six simple ingredients and an ice cream machine, you and your family will quickly love how easy it is to make.
My kids have declared it ice cream season even though it’s still pretty chilly around here, but I love ice cream as much as they do so I’m more than happy to oblige. We’ve had ice cream many times already this spring and have fun experimenting with flavorings.
We use our basic French Vanilla Ice Cream recipe for the base of all the ice cream creations we make. The best part of this recipe is that it can be made with raw or store-bought dairy. You can flavour it using various methods and adjust the recipe to suit your family.
If you know us, you know that we love our homemade French vanilla ice cream. We commonly use our homemade French vanilla ice cream as an ice cream base for all of our flavoured ice cream recipes, such as a swirled fruited jam, vanilla berry, mint chocolate chip or chocolate swirl.
I love to make homemade ice cream cake using our homemade ice cream. I make a simple crust using crushed chocolate wafers, graham crumbs, or pretzels. I then layer several different flavors of ice cream with fruit or chocolate layers in a cake pan and refreeze. It’s delicious!
INGREDIENTS
Heavy Cream – You can use both store-bought cream or cream fresh from your dairy cow.
Milk – The milk can be purchased at the store or from your dairy animal. Try using almond milk or coconut cream to create a dairy-free version!
Sugar – We use granulated sugar, but you can also sweeten the ice cream with honey, brown sugar, sugar syrup, or maple syrup, depending on your desired flavor.
Salt – The preferred salt is sea salt, but you can also use Himalayan salt.
Vanilla – You can use high-quality vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or the seeds of a vanilla bean pod. For a strong vanilla flavor, double the amount of vanilla you add to your French vanilla bean ice cream.
Egg Yolks – Make sure you are using raw eggs, nothing that has been cooked. We love to use our fresh farm eggs for this recipe, but store-bought eggs work the same.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Separate whites from yolks. Whisk yolks and reserve white for another recipe.
3. Add salt and vanilla to the milk mixture.
4. Slowly add the egg yolks into the milk mixture, whisking well. Continue to gently whisk until the egg mixture has thickened slightly.
5. Using a metal colander, strain the mixture to remove any eggs that did not incorporate.
6. Place the entire homemade vanilla bean ice cream mixture into a large bowl and place it in the fridge to completely cool. For best results chill it overnight.
7.The next day, once the ice cream mixture is cooled, add it to an ice cream maker. Use an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
8. After the ice cream has finished churning in the machine, place it in a medium-sized bowl with an airtight lid and then into the freezer or enjoy it immediately.
Homemade Rich and Creamy French Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/4-1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla or seeds of one vanilla bean
- 4 egg yolks
Instructions
- Separate whites from yolks. Whisk yolks and reserve white for another recipe.
- Add the milk and the sugar to a medium saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat and heat until the sugar is dissolved. The milk should be hot, but not boiling.
- Add salt and vanilla to the milk mixture.
- Slowly add the egg yolks into the milk mixture, whisking well. Continue to gently whisk until the egg mixture has thickened slightly.
- Using a metal colander, strain the mixture to remove any eggs that did not incorporate.
- Place the entire homemade vanilla bean ice cream mixture into a large bowl and place it in the fridge to completely cool. For best results chill it overnight.
- The next day, once the ice cream mixture is cooled, add it to an ice cream maker. Use an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- After the ice cream has finished churning in the machine, place it in a medium-sized bowl with an airtight lid and then into the freezer or enjoy it immediately.
Nutrition
Variations
Additional creamy ice cream flavors are made with just a few more simple steps.
For a soft serve style ice cream, enjoy the ice cream immediately after it is done in the ice cream maker.
Fruited Swirl Ice Cream – Prepare your perfect vanilla ice cream and then using the back of the spoon swirl some of your favorite fruited jam throughout it and place it in the freezer.
Fruited Berry Ice Cream – You will have to read the instructions for your ice cream machine and add frozen berries to the ice cream mix as per the instructions. Usually it is in the last 5 minutes of mixing.
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream – Add mint extract to your milk mixture after you incorporate the eggs, then proceed as directed in the steps above. You will add mini chocolate chips to the ice cream according to the ice cream makers manual.
Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream – Once the ice cream is done in the ice cream maker, use the back of a wooden spoon to swirl chocolate syrup throughout the ice cream. Then put the ice cream in the freezer to finish freezing.
Chocolate Ice Cream – For a rich and creamy chocolate ice cream, add cocoa powder to your saucepan when you add the milk and sugar, prior to heating.
You can also experiment with recreating your favourite ice cream flavours like Rocky Road, butterscotch and Neapolitan.
Conclusion
Making a homemade ice cream could not be easier or more enjoyable. I hope that this homemade French style ice cream blesses your family with many fun nights of delicious ice cream. Let me know how you flavor your ice cream and what flavors are your favorite! I would love to hear about them!
