It's no secret that vanilla ice cream is one of the most popular flavours! For good reason, too - it's the perfect base for fresh sliced strawberries.
My family loves ice cream, and I love making it for them. Even my oldest makes his own mint chip ice cream recipe for the family. Yes, you do need special equipment for this one, but promise it is worth it! You will often be able to find an ice cream machine at the thrift store because many people have high hopes of making ice cream and then...don't. But if you aren't ready to commit, I've got you covered with a no-cook, no-churn ice cream recipe as well.
You all know strawberries are the bane of my existence. I just can't get them to grow. So when I am able to purchase a flat at a deal, I make sure and serve them in ways that let them shine. This vanilla ice cream is the perfect backdrop for summer's amazing produce. If you're feeling truly indulgent, add a thin slice of whole wheat chocolate cake as well.
You can also make up some high-protein ice cream, or leave out the eggs for allergies in my no-cook ice cream. Looking for more fruit? Mango popsicles are constantly in rotation in our freezer stash.
Key Ingredients
Milk - If you have a high cream line cow like we do, you can go on and use that. Raw milk works, too, but the key is just looking for the high fat content. If you don't have cows, pick up both whole milk and whipping cream at the store.
Sugar - It's not ice cream without sugar, and I usually reach for organic cane sugar when I need a granulated option.
Eggs - Yes, we are eating them raw. Use from your backyard or a trusted source.
Vanilla - Don't forget the flavour! We like making our own vanilla extract. If you're feeling fancy, scrape out the seeds from some used beans!
How to Make Fresh Churned Vanilla Ice Cream
***See recipe card below for precise measurements and instructions.***
Step 1: Crack the eggs in a bowl and get whisking until they are smooth and lighter in colour.
Step 2: Next up whisk in the sugar and vanilla to dissolve.
Step 3: Slowly add in your dairy while whisking, creating a homogenous mixture.
Step 4: Churn according to your machine's directions.
Step 5: We love eating it as soft serve, or you can freeze for a bit to harden it up some. Add your fresh strawberries on top!
Ice Cream Machines
The best budget option I've found is the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, 2-Quart. It still costs a fair bit but we have used it SO much it has entirely paid for itself.
A super splurge is the Whynter 2-Quart. It's a great convenience to pay for a machine with a compressor so you aren't always needing a bowl in the freezer or thinking ahead.
This recipe is for a 2-quart machine, so I'd cut it in half if your machine is smaller. There's nothing worse than overfilling an ice cream maker!
FAQs
Everyone has to make their own decisions for their family. Because we have our own milk and eggs in the backyard, we feel absolutely confident in serving this to all of our kids. As long as you trust the source of your ingredients, I would have no qualms at all about eating ice cream this way.
Yes, this recipe needs to be churned. If you can fit a machine in your budget, especially if you can thrift one, I highly recommend it. We make ice cream fairly often. Is it higher in sugar? Of course - but it's a treat and I'd much rather have happy, full tummies with egg yolks and fresh milk along with their sugar. Besides, a trip to Dairy Queen costs a pretty penny now!
A lot of recipes, like my coffee with cookies ice cream, use just the egg yolks. This is to increase fat and make the finished product even creamier. But using the whole egg is what adds a decent amount of protein per serving here, and because the milk has a lot of fat we still end up with a great mouthfeel in our bowls!
Photos by Dante from Shire by the Sea
More Summer Treat Recipes
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Vanilla Ice Cream with Strawberries
Equipment
Ingredients
Milk Option 1:
- 1 liter heavy cream
Milk Option 2:
- 500 ml heavy cream
- 500 ml whole milk
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 ½ - 2 cups sliced strawberries
Instructions
- Whisk 3 fresh eggs in a large bowl for a few minutes, until lightened in colour.
- Add vanilla and sugar. Whisk together for another minute until well mixed.
- Gradually add your milk of choice while continually whisking and mixture is uniform.
- Add to ice cream maker and process/churn according to directions.
- Wash and slice fresh strawberries while the ice cream churns.
- Serve immediately after churning for soft serve, or freeze for later.
Fiery Leo
Ah maze ing! Wow. I'm sure each ice cream machine yields a different result. And the application of ice cubes and salt ratio as well. My outcome was rather inconsistent but the flavor was on point. I wanna try honey next time vs sugar. This recipe made about 7 cups. I'm looking forward to trying the end result after fully frozen. I did 500ml of raw cream and 500ml of full fat raw milk. My machine yielded a small amount of butter as well so I have some sweet cream butter from this as well ?
Fiery Leo
Yet again, another success. My 1st review I made in a 1970s Lickity Split (2) 1 quart ice cream maker. Really cool I can make 2 flavors at once.
It is very important to mix everything very well and in the order in this recipe.
The 2nd batch I made I threw everything in and bowl, mixed, and went for it. (1st batch in my electric White Mountain 1 gallon ice cream freezer.) I also made a double batch (that didn't all fit in my ice cream maker and I ran out of ice to freeze it all) and it completely separated. It was slushy vs frozen due to the lack of ice and a complete mess and waste. It didnt turn out well at all. The flavor was off and very hard to enjoy.
This is my 3rd attempt atthis recipe (2nd in the electric White Mountain) and it turned out perfectly creamy. I put it in the freezer to harden a bit more then separated it into 1 cup jars and directly into the freezer. The flavor was spot on. Nice and delicate, not too sweet, and just perfect. I look forward to trying it again tomorrow after its been frozen 24 hrs.
Thanks, Kate. I love this egg ice cream recipe!! Never can I go back to the store for ice cream.
Fiery Leo
Make it asap. Full eggs make to a quick mix vs spending the time to separate yolks. Amazing flavor. I did 50/50 raw cream/raw full fat milk. Farm fresh eggs. Homemade vanilla extract aged 15 months
Fiery Leo
Win win every time! I used 600ml cream and 400ml whole milk. On top of the extract I added some vanilla beans. Goodness! Creamy and yummy! It keeps getting better and better each batch. Just make sure to beat those eggs first and add the ingredients in the correct order and youre fine! Kate, have you tried 4 eggs?