Hi Bold Bakers!
Now that summer is in the air, it’s finally time to start busting out my favorite frozen dessert recipes. If you’re anything like me, your favorite way to cool down is to indulge in a big ol’ scoop of ice cream. I’ve created every ice cream flavor under the sun from Mint Chocolate Chip to Butter Pecan. While I love to get creative in the kitchen and come up with all kinds of bold flavors, at the end of the day I truly live for classic homemade vanilla ice cream.
After all, if it’s not broken… don’t fix it!
What are the Ingredients to Make Ice Cream?
As always, the base for my ice vanilla ice cream is the master recipe for my 2-Ingredient No Machine Ice Cream. For those of you who are not familiar, my recipe is simply heavy whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk whipped up to yield you a creamy, customizable canvas. This is your ice cream base. You can add any mix-in to your ice cream base so get really creative. That being said, this vanilla ice cream recipe is a fan favorite on its own, and if you haven’t tried it yet you have got to put it on the top of your list!

How Do You Make Vanilla Ice Cream?
If you have never made this ice cream before, it’s going to change the way you think about homemade ice cream. Most ice cream recipes require making a custard with eggs, milk, and cream and then churning them in an ice cream machine to achieve the right texture. Well, all you need to make my homemade vanilla ice cream is a hand or stand mixer, some heavy whipping cream, a can of sweetened condensed milk and good quality vanilla extract. Vanilla acts as the flavoring and keeps your ice cream soft and scoopable once frozen. If you really want to put some elbow grease into it, you can always whip it up with a bowl and a whisk too.
What makes my homemade ice cream recipe foolproof is the process of combining plain whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk. The whipping cream is full and rich and, once whipped with the condensed milk, the 2 ingredients are transformed into a rich ice cream with all the body and sweetness of its store-bought alternative. Finally, I add vanilla extract and the seeds scraped from a vanilla pod. After this mixture sets in the freezer for just 5-6 hours, you’ll yield the most decadent vanilla-infused ice cream.
It’s nothing short of ice cream heaven!
How Do You Make Condensed Milk?
Sweetened condensed milk is super important to this recipe and cannot be substituted. Luckily, homemade condensed milk is simple to make if you aren’t able to buy some locally or would prefer to make it from scratch.
How Long Does Homemade Ice Cream Last?
Just like regular ice cream, my homemade vanilla ice cream can be kept in the freezer for quite a while. If stored in an airtight container, your ice cream will keep for up to 6 weeks. That’s right. Your dessert will always be waiting for you and you will never be waiting for it.

Make More Ice Cream Flavors!
Get 100+ Ice Cream recipes at my Gemma’s Freezer Section Ice Cream Destination page!