The Creamiest Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe

My vanilla bean ice cream recipe is better than the recipes in the ice cream maker manual. I’ve tested it many times and have figured out how to make it creamy and delicious. The Creamiest Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe will become your family favorite.

Disclaimer: I am a brand ambassador for Rodelle and receive products to use and review. Please check that all ingredients are suitable for your allergies and be sure to ask your medical care team regarding any allergy related questions (I do not share medical advice). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Updated on 4/11/2024.

Why Try So Hard to Make the Best Homemade Ice Cream

Those of you who follow my blog closely know that I recently shared a recipe for vanilla ice cream in a bag and maybe you’re wondering, “ANOTHER vanilla ice cream recipe”? Yep, yep, and this one is absolutely divine because it is the creamiest vanilla bean ice cream recipe because of a simple little step that will change how you make homemade ice cream.

Those of us who love someone with food allergies will go to great lengths to make an allergy safe treat for our loved ones. Ice cream is probably one of the most difficult products to buy free of cross-contact with peanuts and tree nuts and of course can be a special challenge for those with milk and/or egg allergies. We try hard to make our nut free treats to be tasty for inclusion and because we love someone with a food allergy and want to keep them safe.

Ice Cream Making Challenges

When we first received our Cuisinart ice cream maker  as a gift, I used simple and high quality ingredients and we followed the instructions in the recipe booklet that came with the machine exactly. The resulting ice cream was ok but I wasn’t 100% happy with the results.

The ice cream overflowed out of the machine and after freezing for a bit it was too icy. Other than being in complete control of the quality and allergen safety of the ingredients, I couldn’t see any additional advantages.

Then I started feeling concerned about the amount of heavy cream and sugar that goes into making ice cream and started adjusting the recipes willy nilly and we ended up with hard as a rock and difficult to scoop ice cream. We would leave the ice cream out on the counter to soften a bit but the constant defrosting and refreezing did not improve the texture of the ice cream.

Finding Solutions for Making the Creamiest Vanilla Ice Cream

Lesson #1 – correct ratio of fat and sugar

By chance I found “On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen” at the library and learned that in order to make the creamiest ice cream, the base needs to be 20% fat and 15% sugar to have a creamy texture. Now I’ve settled on a basic ice cream recipe of 2 cups heavy cream, 2 cups whole milk, and 3/4 cups sugar with some flavor boosts with infusions, extracts, or mix-ins.

Lesson #2 – no churn ice cream recipe inspiration

But we still longed for the creamiest vanilla bean ice cream from a supermarket or an ice cream shop. I had been reading about no-churn ice cream recipes.

The basic recipe for no-churn ice cream is make whipped cream, add sweetened condensed milk and any flavoring variations, and freeze to make ice cream without an ice cream maker.

That was the final inspiration that I needed for this recipe. Simmer only milk and sugar together and separately make some whipped cream and combine them right before adding to the ice cream maker.

Lesson #3 – Handle heavy whipping cream with care.

Along the way, I learned that if I heat the heavy whipping cream, it won’t thicken and become foamy. I am guessing that the heat affects the cream’s ability to foam. I guess that ultra-pasteurized heavy cream would not whip very well either because ultra-pasteurization heats the whipping cream at higher temperatures than pasteurization.

If I overmix the whipped cream, the ice cream ends up with pockets of air that turn icy in texture or I end up with some buttery bites of ice cream, which is even worse. I have the best results by whipping cold heavy whipping cream until it’s thickened, doubled in volume, but before it starts to form peaks. I’m like Goldilocks when it comes to making the creamiest vanilla bean ice cream…

Vanilla Is the Star of this Recipe

I am so happy with my Rodelle ingredients that I became one of their brand ambassadors because their vanilla and extracts are made with out peanuts or tree-nuts in the facility. Rodelle’s whole vanilla beans is an excellent ingredient to use in this recipe. The ice cream has a lovely vanilla taste and it looks beautiful, creamy white with black flecks of vanilla bean.

Please visit Rodelle’s website and check out their products available on Amazon.

How to substitute whole vanilla, vanilla paste, and vanilla extract

If their whole vanilla beans are not available due to shortages, Rodelle’s vanilla paste is an excellent substitute ingredient. Vanilla bean paste has all the flavor of a whole vanilla bean and as easy to use as vanilla extract. Of course, if you only have vanilla extract on hand, that would be very suitable as well. If you had to switch between the three products 1 vanilla bean is the equivalent to 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste.

How to use a whole vanilla bean

If you’ve never tried splitting and scraping a vanilla bean, use a sharp knife and split it down the middle lengthwise and then use the flat edge of the knife to scrape the seeds. Try to be as clean and neat as possible so you don’t waste anything. Rodelle’s website has more information on how to split and scrape.

How to make the most out of a vanilla bean pod

Since vanilla is in such short supply, I do not waste the vanilla pod and will reuse it the next day in a second batch of a fruit flavored ice cream (usually I find some vanilla specks in the base) or at the very least put the vanilla pod in my tea or coffee (oh yum!). Or if you can’t use the pod right away, put it in a clean freezer bag and save it for future use.

Allergy Aware Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

This recipe as written is free of peanuts, tree nuts, soy, egg, fish, shellfish, wheat, and sesame. The main allergen in this recipe is milk and I haven’t tested any dairy-free options that I can recommend. There are a lot of dairy-free substitutes for this recipe, but it’s important to check if they’re also nut-free.

If you like this ice cream recipe, you might like some of my other ice cream recipes or recipes using ice cream.

• Strawberry Ice Cream – Smooth, Creamy, & No Churn
• How to Make Ice Cream Book Review & Peaches and Cream Recipe
• Mochi Ice Cream with Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk
• Aquafaba Baked Alaskas, Egg-Free Dessert

5 from 1 vote

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The Creamiest Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe

My vanilla bean ice cream recipe is better than the recipes in the ice cream maker manual. I've tested it many times and have figured out how to make it creamy and delicious. The Creamiest Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe will become your family favorite. Note that for best results you need to freeze the ice cream bowl and prepare the vanilla milk the day before.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword nut free ice cream, vanilla bean ice cream, vanilla ice cream

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

freezing time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 210 kcal

Author Sharon @ Nut Free Wok

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 whole vanilla bean pod
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Preparations the Day Before

1. Freeze ice cream maker freezer bowl overnight.

2. Combine the milk and sugar in a small sauce pan.

3. Use a sharp knife to split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the black seeds and add the paste and vanilla bean to the milk.

4. Simmer the milk on low heat until the milk starts to bubble and the sugar is dissolves, remove from heat, and allow the milk to cool to room temperature.

5. Place the vanilla milk, the heavy cream, and a large clean mixing bowl in the back of your refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

To Make the Ice Cream

1. When you are ready to make your ice cream, vigorously shake the carton of cream for 1 minute and place in the freezer for a few minutes.
2. Plug in the ice cream maker, have all your parts ready, and leave the frozen ice cream freezer bowl in the freezer until the last minute.
3. Shake the whipping cream container again and empty it into the whipping cream into the chilled mixing bowl (scoop out any lumps of cream that might still be in the container).

4. Use an electric hand mixer to whip the whipping cream until it's thickened and doubled in volume, 1-2 minutes, stop before it makes peaks. If you don't have an electric hand mixer, you can use a whisk to whip the heavy cream by hand.

5. Add the vanilla milk mixture and mix for 1 minute (discard or reserve the vanilla bean for other purposes).

6. Pour the vanilla base into the freezer bowl and set it up according per your machine’s instructions.
7. Churn for 20-25 minutes until the ice cream thickens.
8. Transfer the partially frozen ice cream mixture into a 6 cup or larger capacity container, cover, and freeze for 4 hours or more before serving.

This post originally had a giveaway associated with it and the prompt was to share your favorite holiday cookie in the comments.

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I may mention the names of stores and/or brand names of products that I use because readers ask and I share products and sources which I use and think may be helpful to readers, all opinions are my own. Please note that manufacturing practices and ingredients can change at anytime without notice and readers are always responsible for assuring allergen safety before buying or consuming foods. NutFreeWok.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thank you for reading!