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Do you love ice cream as much as we do? You must try this Easy homemade vanilla ice cream recipe! It is so smooth and creamy plus incredibly simple to make.

You don’t even need an ice cream machine to make this delicious homemade ice cream. The entire family will love it.

Homemade vanilla ice cream in a loaf pan with an ice cream scoop scooping out a portion of the ice cream.
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Easy Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe:

Ice Cream is such a decadent treat and even better when it’s homemade. You are going to love this easy recipe. If you have been putting off making homemade ice cream because you feared it would be difficult or require fancy machines, this is the recipe for you!

It only takes a few ingredients, is SO easy and NO ice cream maker is needed. Even the kids can help! It’s so much better than store bought. You are going to love this easy no churn vanilla ice cream recipe.

What does no churn mean?

No churn means that you do not need an ice cream machine to make and churn this recipe. Generally, an ice cream machine churns the ice cream mixture until the ice cream is formed.

Homemade ice cream is so easy to make with this 3 ingredient recipe. Just a few simple steps and you will be on your way to enjoying ice cream that tastes amazing too.

Homemade vanilla ice cream in a loaf pan with an ice cream scoop scooping out a portion of the ice cream.

What is the difference between ice cream and custard?

Ice cream and custard are made with the same 3 ingredients: milk, cream and sugar.

The main difference is that custard also contains pasteurized egg yolks. This recipes does not include eggs which makes it an ice cream recipe and not a custard recipe.

Supplies Needed for this Recipe:

here is what you’ll need in your kitchen to make this easy and simple ice cream recipe.

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Whisk
  • Hand Held or Stand Up Mixer (optional)
  • Loaf Pan

That’s all you need to make this easy no churn vanilla ice cream recipe.

Homemade vanilla ice cream in a loaf pan with an ice cream scoop scooping out a portion of the ice cream.

Ingredients:

  • Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • Heavy Cream
  • Pure Vanilla Extract

What is sweetened condensed milk?

So sweetened condensed milk is actually just like it sounds. It is milk that has been sweetened and then it’s cooked down on a low heat until the mixture has thickened.

Generally, you can find sweetened condensed milk canned in the baking aisle but you can also make it home with this homemade sweetened condensed milk recipe.

How to make no churn vanilla ice cream:

1. Place sweetened condensed milk, heavy whipping cream and vanilla in a large bowl.

The 3 ingredient being stirred together in a large bowl

2. Cream mixture and beat with a whisk for 3-5 minutes or until stiff.

The mixture stirred together

3. Fold into a loaf pan or shallow baking dish and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

The mixture pour into a loaf pan ready to be frozen

4. Scoop into cones or bowls as desired. Store covered in the freezer. (We love these ice cream scoops)

Homemade vanilla ice cream in a loaf pan with an ice cream scoop scooping out a portion of the ice cream.

Recipe Tips:

  • Use a head hand mixer if you are having trouble getting the mixture to form into stiff peaks when whisking it.
  • I place the mixture in a loaf pan to freeze but any freezer safe container would work great to store this homemade ice cream recipe.
  • Make sure you get the right ingredients. Since there are only 3 ingredients in the recipe, it’s important to get the right ones. Also, I don’t recommend reduce fat options as it won’t turn out correctly in this recipe.

How to store:

Store any leftover ice cream covered in the freezer for up to 1-2 months. If your loaf pan has a lid that works great to store this homemade ice cream. If not, cover the top with plastic wrap.

You can also move the ice cream to an air tight container with lid as well.

Only allow the ice cream to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes and then place in the freezer after that time. However, it is best to keep in the freezer right up until serving.

2 scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream in an ice cream cone with the remaining ice cream in a loaf pan behind it

How long does homemade ice cream last?

This ice cream will last as long as regular ice cream in the freezer. If it is stored covered with plastic wrap, it will last for a month or two before it begins getting freezer burned.

However, this ice cream won’t las that long because this ice cream is delicious.

Make different flavors:

This ice cream recipe is a great ice cream base recipe that you can use to make your favorite flavor of ice cream.

Here are a few of our favorite flavors:

  • Chocolate Ice Cream – Stir in 2 Tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder with the other ingredients.
  • Vanilla Bean Ice Cream – Stir in 1 Tbsp Vanilla Bean Paste instead of the vanilla bean extract to make easy no churn vanilla bean ice cream.
  • Strawberry Ice Cream – Stir in 2 lbs of diced up strawberries and a little bit of sugar into the mixture before freezing.
  • Chocolate Chip Ice Cream – Gently stir in 2 cups of chocolate chips into the mixture before freezing it.
  • Cookies and Cream Ice Cream – Crush up 10-12 Oreo Cookies (approximately ½ cup of cookie crumbs) and gently stir in the crushed cookies before freezing.
2 scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream in an ice cream cone.

Topping Ideas:

My kids absolutely love when I put out an ice cream topping bar. In fact, one of the kids recently had this at a school party in lieu of cupcakes and other party food. It was a hit all around and the only party I have been to where just about everything was gobbled up.

Here are a few of our favorite toppings that can be gently folded into the ice cream too.

  • Crushed Oreos
  • Chocolate Chips
  • Gummy Worms
  • Sprinkles
  • Crushed Peanut Butter Cups
  • Fresh Fruit
  • Chocolate or Caramel Syrup
  • Mini Brownie Bites
  • Nuts
  • Whipped Cream
Homemade vanilla ice cream in a loaf pan with an ice cream scoop scooping out a portion of the ice cream.

Can you make ice cream in a blender?

Have you ever wondered if you can make ice cream in a blender? Yes, you can. This is an easy way to get all your ingredients blended before freezing. This method is really good if you are using frozen fruit to make the ice cream.

I have a Vitamix blender it works wonderful. We have had it for many years and it’s still working perfectly. It’s pricey but it has paid for itself time and time again.

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Easy Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

4.91 from 20 votes
Try this Easy homemade vanilla ice cream recipe! It is so creamy and delicious. Plus, you don’t need an ice cream maker for this easy ice cream recipe! This easy vanilla ice cream recipe is so simple to make. Everyone is going to love it!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Freeze 6 hours
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 10
Cuisine American
Course Dessert
Calories 299

Ingredients

  • (1) 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Place sweetened condensed milk, heavy whipping cream and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
  • Beat with a whisk for 3-5 minutes or until stiff.
  • Fold into a loaf pan or shallow baking dish and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.
  • Scoop into cones or bowls as desired. Store covered in the freezer.

Recipe Notes

You can easily add peaches, strawberries, blueberries, chocolate, oreos, caramel and more to make it your own.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 299kcal, Carbohydrates 23g, Protein 4g, Fat 21g, Saturated Fat 13g, Cholesterol 78mg, Sodium 68mg, Potassium 186mg, Sugar 21g, Vitamin A 805IU, Vitamin C 1.3mg, Calcium 144mg, Iron 0.1mg

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Try this Easy homemade vanilla ice cream recipe! It is so creamy and delicious. Plus, you don't need an ice cream maker for this easy ice cream recipe! This easy vanilla ice cream recipe without eggs is so simple to make. Everyone is going to love it! #eatingonadime #icecreamrecipes #icecream #desserts

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Carrie. Welcome to Eating on a Dime!

I’m on a mission to help you cook delicious meals without busting your budget. Together we are going to cook real food… for real families!

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  1. 4 stars
    Made this with the kids and added some extra tapioca pearls we had, soaked in brown sugar syrup. Omg!
    And it’s so easy to make, thank you so much!!!!

  2. 5 stars
    Hello, I just movde intod my apartment and do not have all of my cooking ware with me yet, could i use my ziploc tupperware for the mean time to store the icecream?

  3. fantastic receipe! added fresh strawberry puree and also added to the puree i quart of diced strawberries and added this to the icecream mixture before stirring! wife and all raved about it and THANKS AGAIN for the receipe

  4. I would just add 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder to the recipe to make chocolate ice cream.

  5. I love this recipe. Is there an easy way to add chocolate, what type and how much, to make this a chocolate ice cream?

  6. Cyndy – Maybe try half evaporated milk and half sweetened condensed milk. This will reduce the sugar content in the recipe. Thank you!

  7. 4 stars
    Absolutely loved the ease and convenience of your homemade ice cream recipe. I am making ice cream for a fro up of 120 people, mostly adults and I love how simple this is.
    I just tried it for the first time today and I find it a bit too sweet. Is there a way to cut back on the sweetness without losing the consistency of the mix?
    Thank you
    Cyndy