Learn how to make this incredible Homemade vanilla ice cream recipe! This old fashioned family recipe is made from a sweet creamy and silky custard flavored with pure vanilla bean flavor!

A large frozen container of homemade vanilla ice cream with waffle cones and a scooper ready to serve against striped napkin

Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?

I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!

Table of Contents

The BEST Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

I should call this vanilla ice cream recipe my close enough Big Mama’s homemade vanilla ice cream because it is based on my grandmother’s recipe. Nailing down Big Mama’s recipe is darn near impossible but I got as close as I possibly could.

After asking for the recipe over the phone, I was told the ingredients she added but definitely not the ratios so I had to play around with this until I made something very similar to hers, and I think I made a great rendition of hers.

Delicious scoops of vanilla bean ice cream in black bowl with waffle cones with spoons ready to serve

I received no measurements but I am pretty used to that. Big Mama cooks and bakes through instinct and has perfected that art. I, however, am a bit more calculated with my process in the kitchen. I am creative and zany with my ideas but just need a bit more structure.

Two black bowls filled with homemade vanilla ice cream recipe with waffle cones ready to serve

Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe Ingredients

So I worked on this vanilla ice cream recipe and tried figuring out ratios that would work. And I think I came pretty close. Here are the ingredients that make this recipe super special:

Egg Yolks and Eggs
Sugar
Heavy Cream
Half and Half
Vanilla Extract and Vanilla Paste
Flour

You will notice the large amount of eggs and egg yolks are in this recipe. It makes the custard incredibly scoopable when placed in the freezer for long periods of time. It also makes the custard super indulgent when combined with granulated sugar.

The creaminess of the recipe definitely comes from the addition of both heavy cream and half and half. It makes the custard so rich.

To really punch up the vanilla flavor, I added vanilla bean paste to the original vanilla ice cream recipe to really punch up the vanilla flavor in addition to the vanilla extract. Vanilla extract can sometimes be subtle but the vanilla paste conveniently adds flecks throughout without having to scrape vanilla beans. I love see the flecks of vanilla bean throughout the ice cream, too.

Finally, Big Mama added flour to her vanilla ice cream recipe. She added just a bit to thicken it. It ended up being something super genius that I’ve never seen before.

The only thing that was missing from this vanilla ice cream was Big Mama’s love so I added a heaping tablespoon of that for good measure.

A large scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream slowly melting next to large vanilla bean ice cream container

How to Make Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

This recipe begins with developing a warm custard over the stove. If you have never tried a custard based ice cream, you will love it. While it takes a bit more time, the results are incredibly creamy and silky.

Adding a hot milk mixture to eggs can be difficult so you must make sure you temper!

Tip 1: You will drip in the hot milk mixture in slow increments and whisk vigorously. You must do this so that the eggs don’t scramble.

After the custard is ready, you will need to cool it. This is a step that most people miss. I have seen all types of mistakes.

Tip 2: Cool Your Custard Completely!

It will need to be completely cold in order to go into your ice cream maker and freeze correctly. If not, you will be making ice cream soup.

This ice cream is definitely one of my favorites. The flavors are completely pure. If you love this one, you will absolutely love my strawberry ice cream as well since it is a variation of this. My Berry Ripple Ice Cream is similar too with just a punch of berry flavor.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

A close up of vanilla bean ice cream in a large black bowl with waffle cone and spoon ready to serve

What To Serve with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

I absolutely love adding this vanilla ice cream to these recipes:

There is nothing like a piece of my Southern Peach Cobbler Recipe along with a scoop of this.
This Cherries Jubilee is fantastic over vanilla ice cream.
Speaking of peaches, this Caramel Peach Dump Cake is amazing with this ice cream too.
If you love chocolate and vanilla, this coca cola cake is incredible!
A scoop of this over warm my Pineapple Upside Down Cake is also a good move.
And of course there is nothing like ice cream and pound cake. My cream cheese pound cake is definitely the one to make.