Tips on how to make ice cream at home?
I'm a big ice cream gal but I'd like to get a little craftier in the kitchen and make my own cool flavors! So, what are your tips/recipes for making the creamiest, dreamiest ice cream at home, preferably without any fancy gadgets?
I have been making my own ice cream for the last few years and I hardly ever buy it anymore--and when I do, it's often not as good as what I can make in my own kitchen! Here's my recipe for basic vanilla ice cream:
2 cups chilled heavy cream
2 cups chilled whole milk
⅔ cup cane sugar
2.5 tablespoons vanilla extract (I'll be honest, I usually just eyeball the vanilla!)
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
1 or 2 vanilla beans
1 Mix the milk, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and beans in a blender, and once they're well blended, add the cream and continue blending until everything is mixed.
2 Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container, cover it, and then put it in the freezer for 40-50 minutes,.
3 At this point it should be beginning to freeze, but shouldn't be frozen yet. Stir the mixture up with a spoon or handheld mixer and then return it to the freezer, covered.
4 Check on the mixture every half hour and stir it vigorously each time. Repeat the process for about 2-3 hours, until the mixture is frozen. Serve with your favorite toppings.
You can add fun flavors to the mix as you blend it like lavender, honey, chocolate chips, or even less common stuff like basil or ginger. Experiment and have fun!
2 cups chilled heavy cream
2 cups chilled whole milk
⅔ cup cane sugar
2.5 tablespoons vanilla extract (I'll be honest, I usually just eyeball the vanilla!)
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
1 or 2 vanilla beans
1 Mix the milk, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and beans in a blender, and once they're well blended, add the cream and continue blending until everything is mixed.
2 Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container, cover it, and then put it in the freezer for 40-50 minutes,.
3 At this point it should be beginning to freeze, but shouldn't be frozen yet. Stir the mixture up with a spoon or handheld mixer and then return it to the freezer, covered.
4 Check on the mixture every half hour and stir it vigorously each time. Repeat the process for about 2-3 hours, until the mixture is frozen. Serve with your favorite toppings.
You can add fun flavors to the mix as you blend it like lavender, honey, chocolate chips, or even less common stuff like basil or ginger. Experiment and have fun!
You can also make it with ziplock baggies. after you've blent the ice cream like the above recipe says pour it into a quart bag, squeeze out the air, and seal it. then put it inside another quart bag and seal it tight again, then put the whole thing inside a bigger bag and pour in ice around the loose spaces. top it off with some salt to help quicken the freezing process. seal the bag and shake it up for about 10 minutes with your hands. the moe you shake it the smoother and creamier the icecream will be.
If you don't have a churning machine, you can make super simple ice cream at home using sweetened condensed milk. It's fun to do with kids, too! Just put 1 can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk, 1 pint of heavy cream (2 cups), 2 tsp vanilla extract (or another flavor if you want), and about 1/4 tsp of salt in a blender. Blend it until it's mixed, put it in a container, and pop it in the freezer for abotu 5 hours. Scoop and add your toppings when you're ready to eat it—we like to add fudge and a cherry on top!
I don't have anything to contribute that hasn't already been said except to say that one of the biggest perks of making ice cream yourself is getting to try cool and weird flavors that they'd never sell in the store, like wasabi or bacon or (my personal favorite right now) cereal milk (specifically Froot Loops). Super fun and tasty way to be creative.
Do you think I could substitute nondairy milk pretty easily?
I think yes, but it'd probably depend on the milk, i.e. almond milk might be a tad thin but I imagine a full-fat coconut milk would be awesome. You could probably thicken up the almond milk with a banana or an egg yolk (unless you are vegan).
salt and milk.
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Reader Tips from How to Make Simple Ice Cream
You can also use avocado as a base and make avocado ice cream! It's super creamy and delicious and a great alternative if you're vegan or paleo. It sounds weird, maybe, but I promise it's delicious!
We like to add food coloring to our ice cream too, especially to "match" the flavor. For example, we make peppermint ice cream green.
Reader Tips from How to Make Ice Cream
Make sure the container is covered when you put it in the freezer to prevent it from gathering ice crystals. If you don't have a cover for your pot or Tupperware or whatever the ice cream is in, cover it with foil.
Vanilla ice cream is the OG but it's also fun to experiment with weird and different flavors like "pistachio" or "olive oil." Also, try mixing in fresh fruits such as strawberry or flavor extracts such as mint.
If you plan to add any mix-ins to your ice cream, it’s a good idea to freeze them beforehand. Cookies, brownies, or candy that hasn’t been chilled may break down when mixed into the ice cream.
