I made homemade ice cream a couple weeks ago to see if ice cream is worth making from scratch. During the process I learned that there is a wide variety of ice cream recipes out there. They all vary slightly in the type of dairy products they use but the main thing to remember is that the higher the fat percentage, the creamier the ice cream will be.
Here are the three recipes I used which all made great tasting ice cream:
- Skinny Vanilla Ice Cream – Slightly lower in fat at 13% milk fat (M.F.) but it’s an easy recipe that I would recommend to people who find the idea of making homemade ice cream intimidating. Because it is lower in fat, the formation of ice crystals are a little more noticeable.
- Easy Vanilla Ice Cream – Has a more standard amount of fat at 19% (Commercial ice creams are usually between 18-30%). The ice crystals in this batch are smaller and less noticeable.
- French Vanilla Ice Cream – Involves making a custard over the stove top by heating up egg yolks. This is more technical than the other two recipes but I have to admit that the extra step is worth it! This ice cream was more creamy and decadent. It was the overall favourite.
Skinny Vanilla Ice Cream (13% M.F) – makes about 3/4 L
Adapted from Allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
2 cups half-and-half cream
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 pinch salt
Directions:
Combine half-and-half, cream, sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Chill in the refrigerator until completely cool.
Place into ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions
Easy Vanilla Ice Cream (19% M.F) – makes about 3/4 L
Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Directions:
Combine all ingredients and stir in a medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Chill in the refrigerator until completely cool.
Place into ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
French Vanilla Ice Cream (around 25% M.F) – makes about 1/2 L
Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
½ cup refined sugar
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Place egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and beat together until sugar is fully dissolved.
In a separate saucepan slowly bring the milk to a boil. Pour the heated milk into the egg mixture while whisking together.
Return mixture to saucepan on low heat for 4-7 minutes, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon (The final temperature should be 175 – 180 degrees F). Note: Do not overcook the mixture as it will begin to separate (or scramble in my case).
Remove saucepan from heat and add the cream and vanilla extract. Whisk together until mixture becomes a uniform color.
Refrigerate until completely chilled.
Place into ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
