10 Best Homemade Ice Cream Recipes

Follow these tips to make the best ice cream at home.

1. 1. Use full-fat dairy for creaminess. Use a combination of dairy products (including whole milk, half and half, heavy cream, or heavy whipping cream) with high-fat content to make extra-creamy ice cream. The same is true for alternative or plant-based milk: Coconut milk is one of the most popular vegan ice cream ingredients because of its high-fat content.
2. 2. Incorporate add-ins. Add different mix-ins to homemade ice cream to suit your palate. In the final phase of churning, stir in ready-made chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough, a swirl of peanut butter, brownies, pecans, pistachios, or chocolate hazelnut spread. Create your own three-in-one Neapolitan-style flavor by adding swirls of fudge sauce and macerated strawberries to a homemade vanilla ice cream base.
3. 3. Use plastic wrap to store. To prevent ice crystals from forming on the surface of your homemade ice cream, lay a sheet of plastic wrap over its surface before storing it in your freezer.

There are many easy ice cream recipes suitable for home cooks of all skill levels. Making this frozen dessert typically requires minimal prep time and leaves you with large batches that you can freeze and enjoy for weeks to come.

1. 1. Almond milk ice cream: Almond milk ice cream is a dairy-free frozen dessert made of almond milk, sugar, and a form of fat. Some recipes call for an egg yolk custard base to mimic the creamy texture of milk fat in dairy-based ice cream. If you’re vegan, add refined coconut milk to your almond milk ice cream for plant-based creaminess and some extra nutty flavor.
2. 2. Banana ice cream: One-ingredient banana “ice cream” is a fruit purée made of blended frozen bananas. The banana’s starchiness lends this frozen treat the same creamy texture as soft-serve ice cream or an old-fashioned milkshake, without added sugar or sweeteners. Unlike traditional homemade ice cream (which calls for the use of an ice cream maker), you can make no-churn banana “ice cream” in a blender or food processor.
3. 3. Chocolate ice cream: Making chocolate ice cream involves adding melted chocolate and cocoa powder–flavored sugar to a dairy base. Some recipes may incorporate sweetened condensed milk or cornstarch to make creamier, easier-to-scoop ice cream. You can also churn various toppings into chocolate ice cream to suit your palate. Make rocky road ice cream by adding marshmallows and chopped walnuts to the chocolate base. Add in dark chocolate chips, fudge sauce, and brownie bites for quadruple-chocolate ice cream. Weave in butterscotch flavors with broken peanut butter cups, pralines, or crumbly chunks of toffee.
4. 4. Coconut milk ice cream: This vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free treat uses a simple base of unsweetened coconut milk or coconut cream, white sugar, and additional flavorings. Learn how to make coconut milk ice cream.
5. 5. Coffee ice cream: Making coffee ice cream involves flavoring a sweetened dairy base with ground coffee. Instant coffee, espresso, or regular coffee grinds are all suitable flavorings for this dessert, so long as you’re using finely ground beans, which will uniformly blend into the mixture. Some homemade coffee ice cream recipes may incorporate crunchy chocolate-covered coffee beans, chocolate chips, or a touch of spice with floral ground green cardamom.
6. 6. Cookies and cream ice cream: Cookies and cream ice cream (or cookies ‘n cream ice cream) features crushed chocolate sandwich cookies and a vanilla ice cream base. Learn how to make cookies and cream ice cream.
7. 7. Fried ice cream: Making fried ice cream involves battering, breading, and deep-frying a large scoop of vanilla ice cream to make a crispy-skinned treat. The ice cream fries up quickly on the outside, resulting in a simultaneously hot and cold dessert. Learn how to make fried ice cream.
8. 8. Ice cream pie: Ice cream pie is a twist on open-faced pie or cheesecake, featuring a graham cracker or cookie base, a layer or two of ice cream filling, and a set whipped cream topping. Use different ice cream flavors, crusts, and add-ins to customize this dessert to your palate. Learn how to make ice cream pie.
9. 9. Ice cream sandwich: An ice cream sandwich consists of a layer of this frozen treat between two cookies. Brownies, blondies, oatmeal-raisin cookies, sugar cookies, or chocolate chip cookies are all equally popular in Western-style ice cream sandwiches. Elsewhere in the world, bakers may use crispy wafer cookies or bread buns. Vanilla ice cream is the traditional filling choice, but you can use any flavor when making this dessert sandwich at home.
10. 10. Vanilla ice cream: Classic vanilla ice cream features a base of milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla flavoring from vanilla seeds, pure vanilla extract, or vanilla seed paste. You can make vanilla ice cream using an ice cream machine or mix it by hand in stages over a few hours.

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