Best Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Homemade vanilla ice cream is a warm-weather dessert that usually shows up for cookouts and Sunday School class parties. We made three freezers of homemade ice cream for a rehearsal dinner in a barn a few years ago and it was a big hit. We usually only make it 3-4 times a year, so it’s a special treat.
This recipe was given to me years ago by my husband’s aunt. I know that some people are squeamish about eating raw eggs and I understand that. They’ll probably want to search for another recipe.
Best Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
1 pint whipping cream
6 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups sugar
milk
rock salt
2 bags ice
Combine whipping cream, eggs, vanilla and sugar with an electric mixer. Mix until eggs are blended in. Pour mixture into a 6-quart ice cream freezer canister. Pour milk into mixture until it reaches the fill line on the canister.
Insert dasher, place lid on the canister. Put the canister in the ice cream freezer bucket (set in a dishpan in the sink or on the ground). Layer ice and rock salt generously. Pour a cup of hot water over the top.
Plug in and start the freezer motor. Check frequently and add more ice and rock salt. When freezer stops, unplug and remove the dasher (otherwise it will get frozen and stuck!). Replace the lid and put a folded towel on top. Let set for 15-20 minutes to finish the freezing process. If you’re in a hurry, go ahead and serve.
This ice cream is not too sweet and we like it that way, but you can add up to 4 1/2 cups of sugar. We usually eat it plain, but occasionally we make a peanut butter and chocolate sauce by cooking No-Bake Cookies without the oats. Yummy!
Washing your eggs before you crack them helps bunches! Wash them right before you use them because warm water will draw bacteria into the shell. Raw eggs definitely make the best ice cream and I love your idea for sauce!
Hey, thanks for the tip!
Do you have any idea how much milk you actually put in? Our freezer is an 8 qt freezer, and I’m trying to get an idea as to how much milk your recipe requires so I can make it bigger. Plus our freezer does not have a fill line. Thanks
Wow, 8 quarts! I need me one of them! I would guess that you would need about a gallon of milk because our 6-qt. uses around 3/4 of a gallon. The fill line on our canister is about 4-5 inches below the top to give room for expansion as the mix freezes. Hope this helps!
What does the cup of hot water over the top do? Never heard that before!
An old farmer told me to do that and it would freeze the ice cream faster. It seems to work. I’m sure there’s a scientific explanation but I don’t know what it is!
I know they told us in science class in college that hot water would freeze faster than cold–but I never tried it. Maybe this is why–but I don’t understand it. Guess if it works, that’s the main thing. Thanks for the tip!
Let’s see how this turns out! ?? We’re camping and stirring right now. I can already tell that we will cut the amount of sugar in half and then half the recipe all together. Even so, I can’t wait. I’m crazy about ice cream!
The hot water makes the ice melt a little faster mixing with the salt to create a salt brine mixture. the brine around the canister is what allows the freezing action. The ice/salt brine mixtures drops below the freezing point.
What kind of ice cream maker do you have? Any suggestions? What is the price range if an ice cream maker? Thank you
It’s a 6-quart Rival. I honestly don’t know how much they are because we’ve had ours for at least 15 years! Maybe $25-$30?? The size is just right for us, because we usually have company when we serve it.
Awesome. Best flavor I’ve ever had. I have a six quart from Bass Pro. Really nice machine. The hot water did seem to freeze it faster. Thank you so much for sharing this. Super easy to mix too.
Are the raw eggs safe for eating in this?
We’ve been eating this ice cream for 40 years–seriously–and no one has ever gotten sick. I do usually buy Eggland’s Best, which are a more expensive, better quality egg. There’s a comment above that washing them first makes them safer!
Isn’t it actually a custard if it has eggs? The recipe sounds good though, I’ll probably give it a try soon??
Lol, didn’t mean all the question marks?
My grandma used to make ice cream with eggs and flavor it with pudding mix. Would this work. no one in our family knows what “recipe” she used. I can’t find anything that used milk only with eggs and pudding. Most call for heavy cream and we do know she never used that.
How many cups of milk do I need? I don’t see a fill line
4 1/2 cups of sugar sounds like a lot. I’m surprised it said this recipe is not too sweet with that amount of sugar. Just making sure it is correct and not a typo. I was thinking more like 2 1/2 cups of sugar.
You’re right! The original recipe said 4 1/2 but we always use 3 1/4 or so, and that taste must have been in my head. I also never use more than 6 eggs. And less vanilla, lol. So I completely edited the recipe to how we actually make it, not the original. And I made this just last night for a church event, so I know THIS is right. Thanks for commenting so it could be corrected!