Back in Mississippi, Big mama would make us a big batch of vanilla ice cream churning it old school style with ice and some elbow grease. My homemade vanilla ice cream gets as close to her original as humanly possible. I use a mix of heavy cream and half and half to make it extra rich. To really bring out that vanilla flavor, I added pure vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste (because one just wasn’t enough). Just know that I kept all of big mama’s soul and bomb flavor just like the OG.
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Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe Ingredients
- Eggs & Yolks: This recipe needs 2 large eggs and 4 yolks.
- Sugar: I use granulated.
- Heavy Cream: You can use full-fat coconut cream if you need it dairy-free.
- Half and Half: Whole milk works too, or any non-dairy milk like oat or almond.
- All-Purpose Flour: Big Mama always added a pinch to thicken it. You can use cornstarch instead.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure extract only to make the best homemade vanilla ice cream, boos. No imitation!
- Vanilla Paste: I use Nielsen Massey’s vanilla bean paste. It’s a little pricey but sooo worth it. Any brand works, tho. And if you don’t have paste, just use more extract.
How To Make This Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
Mix and Heat the Custard
Step 1: Add eggs and egg yolks to a medium-sized bowl.
Step 2: Beat them together.
Step 3: Add sugar to the bowl.
Step 4: Whisk together.
Step 5: Add heavy cream and half and half to a large saucepan and heat gently; do not let come to a boil.
Step 6: Temper eggs by slowly pour 1 cup of hot heavy cream mixture into egg mixture.
Step 7: Whisk quickly. This will raise the temperature of the eggs carefully without scrambling them.
Step 8: While stirring, pour the tempered egg mixture slowly into the remaining heavy cream mixture in the saucepan.
Step 9: Gently heat ice cream base over medium-low heat, stirring constantly (especially the corners of the pot), until thickened and reaches 170F on a digital thermometer. The mixture should look silky and coat the back of a spoon so when you run your finger through it, it doesn’t come back together.
Step 10: Remove from heat and add a small pinch of flour and vanilla.
Chill the Custard and Churn It!
Step 11: Strain through a fine-mesh sieve (to catch any cooked egg pieces).
Step 12: Chill in an ice bath (a bowl set inside of a bowl of ice water) until it’s cooled to room temperature.
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Step 13: Cover with plastic wrap and move into the refrigerator until completely cold.
Step 14: Once completely cooled, add your mixture to an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Step 15: Freeze.
Step 16: Scoop the ice cream, add sprinkles, and enjoy!
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
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I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
- 2 large large eggs
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups half and half
- pinch of all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons vanilla paste
Instructions
- Beat eggs and egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Next add sugar to the bowl and whisk together.
- Add heavy cream and half and half to a large saucepan and heat gently; do not let come to a boil.
- Temper eggs by slowly pour 1 cup of hot heavy cream mixture into egg mixture while whisking quickly. This will raise the temperature of the eggs carefully without scrambling them. Then while stirring, pour the tempered egg mixture slowly into the remaining heavy cream mixture in the saucepan.
- Gently heat ice cream base over medium low heat, stirring constantly (especially the corners of the pot), until thickened and reaches 170F on a digital thermometer. The mixture should look silky and coat the back of a spoon so when you run your finger through it, it doesn’t come back together.
- Remove from heat and add small pinch of flour and vanilla.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve (to catch any cooked egg pieces) and chill in an ice bath (a bowl set inside of a bowl of ice water) until it’s cooled to room temperature. Then cover with plastic wrap and move into the refrigerator until completely cold, about 2-3 hours.
- Once completely cooled, add your mixture to an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions and freeze.
Notes
- Cool the custard completely. Don’t rush it boos! if it’s even a little warm, you’ll end up with melted soup in your machine instead of creamy ice cream.
- Temper the eggs slowly. Drizzle that hot cream in real slow while whisking fast. This keeps the eggs smooth and custardy, not scrambled.
- Strain the custard. Please don’t skip this. Even if you think you nailed the custard, straining guarantees a silky-smooth base.
- Freeze the bowl ahead. Pop the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer for 15 to 24 hours before using. If it’s not solid, your ice cream won’t churn right.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Freeze your ice cream maker bowl in advance. It should chill for 15-24 hours before churning. If it’s not frozen solid, the ice cream won’t set. This is VERY important boos!
- Temper your eggs. Drizzle the hot cream in slow while whisking fast. This keeps the eggs smooth and not scrambled.
- Strain the custard. Please, for the love of ice cream, don’t skip it. It catches any cooked egg bits and keeps the base silky.
- Cool your custard completely. It needs to be cold before churning or you’ll end up with sweet soup, not creamy vanilla ice cream.
Serving Ideas
- Toppings: Pile it high with rainbow sprinkles (my fave), crushed Oreos, mini peanut butter cups, chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, strawberry sauce, toffee bits, fresh fruit, or a handful of chopped pecans or walnuts.
- Brownies: Scoop it over a warm skillet brownie, chewy brownies, or blondies for the ultimate dessert mashup.
- Pound Cakes: Perfect with a slice of chocolate pound cake, cranberry bundt cake, or my five flavor pound cake for a sweet and creamy combo.
- Pies: Add a scoop on top of warm peach cobbler, apple pie, sweet potato pie, or pecan pie.
- Cookies: Sandwich it between chocolate chip cookies, chocolate sugar cookies, or shortbread for a homemade vanilla ice cream sandwich!
Recipe Help
YES! Immediately remove it from the heat and pour it into a blender or use an immersion blender. Blend it until smooth, then strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. The texture might not be exactly the same, but it’ll still taste yum.
You can, but it’s hard work boos. After chilling the custard, pour it into a shallow pan and freeze. Every 30 minutes, stir it vigorously with a fork or whisk to break up the ice crystals. Do this until it firms up, about 3 hours.
Let your ice cream sit out at room temp for 5-10 minutes before scooping. Run your scoop under hot water, then dry it off. It’ll glide right through like butter!
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What a gorgeous Vanilla Ice Cream! Interesting that she adds flour almost like a pudding base! I want a slice of Peach Pie and the Ice Cream for breakfast!
Yes it kinda does turn into a pudding base! Great observation!
I have never heard of putting flour in an ice cream. I love that you used vanilla bean paste. One of my favorite baking staples that I treat myself too.
I am so envious of those who can cook without a recipe/measurements. Its becoming a lost art I think.
I love good old vanilla and this one looks delicious!
Yep the instinct chef has gone extinct. I always admired those who could do that too!
I love homemade ice cream and that vanilla ice cream looks spectacular. Love that vintage ice cream scoop as well!
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Thanks so much my dear!
Vanilla ice cream is my favorite and vanilla bean paste is the best ever. Your photos are gorgeous Jocelyn!!
Hooray! I adore vanilla bean paste and I have been trying this whole back lighting thing to see how it fits me.
A heaping tablespoon of love always does the trick! Looks like a winner to me 🙂
Yep that heaping tablespoon of love is always needed!
Truly there is nothing better than a mighty fine vanilla homemade ice cream—-for itself alone or as an awesome accompaniment to a plethora of delicious desserts. It deserves the spotlight!
At first when you said flour, I was like, huh?! But it totally makes sense! You add flour to cream sauces to help thicken…so why not ice cream?! This big mama’s vanilla ice cream sounds like one for the books! Sometimes all you need is a simple flavor like vanilla and nothing else…especially when it’s done right 😉 Thanks for sharing, Jocelyn! Pinned!
Hooray! Yep Kelly the flour thing is a new thing for most people but boy or boy does it work!
Yum! Homemade vanilla ice cream is my favorite. I wouldn’t have thought to add flour to it but you gotta trust the experienced cook. 🙂
Oh yeah I never would have thought about it but I always trust Big Mama. She never steers me wrong.
My grandma is the exact same way with recipes! I’m still trying to nail her cinnamon rolls. I’m sure you did Big Mama proud with this one!
Hooray! Erin I certainly hope so! I bet your grandma’s cinnamon rolls are amazing!