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    Home » Baking & Desserts

    Homemade Vanilla Custard Ice Cream

    Published: Sep 22, 2020 · Modified: Feb 13, 2024 by Tammy Circeo · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

    Yum
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Making ice cream at home is certainly a treat, right? There are many ways to make it at home, but after testing several methods, I've finally landed on this recipe for Homemade Vanilla Custard Ice Cream and have claimed it as our "house ice cream". Read on for a little childhood flashback, why I like a custard base, reasons to make ice cream at home, and a look at my ice cream maker. And of course, the recipe is at the end.

    4 colorful bowls full of ice cream

    Why vanilla custard?

    Flavor and texture are the reasons, plain and simple. I love the richness of flavor that a custard gives and the texture is very similar to a store bought ice cream once it spends a little time in the freezer.


    Do you know what a custard ice cream is? I'm just sitting here assuming that you do! A custard ice cream starts as a cooked pudding of sorts, is left to cool, then is frozen.

    Egg yolks, vanilla extract, sugar, cream, and whole milk

    Reasons to make homemade vanilla custard ice cream:

    Ice cream is one of the most convenient foods to buy so there aren't so many people who make it at home. But it really is worth the effort for the following reasons:

    • simple ingredients - literally 5 ingredients!
    • no preservatives - they aren't needed!
    • make your favorite flavors - you can add chocolate, fruits, herbs ... endless possibilities!
    • It tastes AMAZING!
    Organic cane sugar being stirred in

    The method is to dissolve the sugar in the whole milk and cream, then heat it gently. Use the heated milk mixture to temper the eggs (that means to just warm them up a little before fully incorporating them). Then you let it thicken a bit before chilling it completely in the fridge.

    I like to make the custard the day before I freeze the ice cream because I want to be sure that it is very cold.

    Whipped egg yolks ready to be tempered with the heated milk

    What kind of ice cream maker to use

    Of course, you can use the old fashioned crank kind with lots of extra ice and rock salt! But most of us prefer an electric version these days, I think. I have the ice cream maker attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. I keep the ice cream bowl in the freezer so it's always ready when I want to make ice cream. If you don't have room in your freezer to do that, be sure to pop it in when you put the custard in to chill the day before. I think the bowls need at least 15-20 hours to chill well.

    Serve with fruit, cookies, chocolate, cake, pie ... Or just scoop it up straight!

    4 bowls full of homemade vanilla ice cream

    Recipe

    Square image of 4 bowls of ice cream

    Homemade Vanilla Custard Ice Cream

    Tammy Circeo
    The flavor and texture of this Homemade Vanilla Custard Ice Cream is certainly a treat. With six simple ingredients, you can't go wrong.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 45 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 day d
    Total Time 1 day d 45 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1 quart

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 2 cups heavy cream
    • ¾ cup sugar
    • pinch salt
    • 5 large egg yolks
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

    Instructions
     

    • Prepare an ice bath by putting ice and cold water in a bowl large enough to hold another bowl inside.
    • In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks.
    • Combine the milk, cream, sugar, and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar and heat over medium heat. Do not boil.
    • Pour a little of the warmed milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return the egg yolks to the saucepan.
    • Cook the custard, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. If you're unsure about when it is ready, you can check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. It should read about 170°F.
    • Stir in the vanilla extract.
    • Pour the custard into a bowl and put the bowl immediately into the ice bath. Stir the custard until it cools.
    • Refrigerate thoroughly, preferably overnight, then freeze it in your ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions.
    • When finished, cover and freeze until firm.
    Keyword ice cream, vanilla ice cream
    Yum

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    About Tammy Circeo

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Margie J

      June 02, 2025 at 4:05 am

      5 stars
      Yumm!! Easy. I will be serving this as a second scoop to a very tart lemon custard. (topped with a few fresh raspberries for extra elegance and flavor)

      Reply
      • Tammy Circeo

        June 03, 2025 at 8:39 am

        That sounds lovely, Margie! Bon Appetit.

        Reply
    2. Timothy

      December 29, 2024 at 9:11 pm

      5 stars
      Wife made this recipe and we used it in our Ninja Creami machine. This is absolutely to die for. Excellent. Smooth, rich, and easy to blend in the creami.

      Reply
      • Tammy Circeo

        December 31, 2024 at 3:05 pm

        So glad you liked it! It's my favorite vanilla ice cream!

        Reply
    3. Susan

      July 17, 2022 at 2:22 pm

      5 stars
      I guess I need to go see what other types of attachments come with a KitchenAid Mixer! I never knew you could get an ice cream attachment! I now have it on Amazon "wishlist" 🙂

      Reply
      • Tammy Circeo

        July 20, 2022 at 10:01 am

        It's so very convenient! I also have the meat grinder, peeler/corer/spiralizer, and the pasta attachment.

        Reply

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    I have always loved nurturing and feeding people. My cooking style is influenced by my Southern parents, time living in Europe, and the foods available in the Pacific Northwest, where I lived for over 20 years. I cook from scratch and strongly support local farms and producers, believing that food plays a pivotal role in our quality of life.

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