The Only Ice Cream Recipe You’ll Ever Need
Updated March 12, 2025
- Total Time
- 20 minutes plus several hours’ cooling, chilling and freezing
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2cups heavy cream
- 1cup whole milk
- ⅔cup granulated sugar
- ⅛teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6large egg yolks
- Your choice of flavoring (see note)
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a small pot, simmer heavy cream, milk, sugar and salt until sugar completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
- Step 2
In a separate bowl, whisk yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly whisk about a third of the hot cream into the yolks.
- Step 3
Whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream.
- Step 4
Return pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).
- Step 5
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cool mixture to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturers’ instructions. Serve directly from the machine for soft serve, or store in freezer until needed.
- This recipe for ice cream base may be churned on its own, but it is meant to have flavors added. See the chart here for flavor options and directions for incorporating them into the base recipe.
Private Notes
Comments
I'm sorry to disagree, but this is the only ice cream recipe you'll ever need:
2 cups heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Add 1 tbl vanilla for vanilla, or add berries, nuts or whatever else you want. Mix well, freeze for at least 6 hours.
I always add a touch of vodka to my homemade ice cream which slows the freezing process (I think) and prevents the ice cream from getting icy.
I subbed the same measure of coconut milk for milk and coconut cream for the heavy cream. Delicious and lactose-free!!! Definitely a keeper. Thank you!
How do you do this without an ice cream maker?? Can you?
Wonderful wonderful! I've tried a variety of recipes (including one for watermelon ice cream made with condensed milk - tasteless!) and have to say that the recipes by Melissa for iced custard is far superior to anything else. No failures at all!
My 3-minute ice cream is great too. Freeze sugared slices of stone fruits or berries or mangos and when you want ice cream, let them thaw a tiny bit, put them in the bowl of a food processor with vanilla and turn it on as you pour in a very small amount of heavy cream (or coconut milk for vegams) and watch your ice cream appear. Serve quickly. This is my original recipe from when I made it up for Bon appetit....
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