How to Easily Make Homemade Ice Cream
Ice cream and summer – the two go together perfectly. Ice cream cools you down, comes in so many great flavours and is easy to make tasty things like sundaes with. Then there’s homemade ice cream where you can take it one step further and create your perfect flavour.
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But making ice cream at home is very complicated, right? Not always! In fact there are a few different ways to create your own homemade ice cream including with special ice cream makers and also some ‘ice cream hacks’ you can use. Let’s dive in!
Making ice cream bases
Before you start making the ice cream, the important thing to do is to look at making ice cream bases. These are the foundation for all of your homemade ice cream recipes and there are four main types.
- Custard base – this is the same as making a pudding or custard and mixes the egg yolks together with cream and sugar for a very rich tasting ice cream
- Philadelphia style base – this uses cream and sugar with flavourings but no eggs. The fat content comes just from the cream. Some recipes might suggest heating the ingredients to make sure the sugar dissolves. The ice cream is more delicate and smoother
- Egg free base – this base also skips the eggs and uses cornstarch (cornflour) to thicken it along with a little cream cheese to make it richer
- No churn base – this is the base to use without an ice cream maker and uses sweetened condensed milk and heavy (double) cream. The milk creates a thick base while the cream is folded in to make it light and airy
How to make ice cream without a machine
Firstly, let’s look at some of those clever hacks or tips on how to make homemade ice cream without investing in a machine.
Using cans
In this example, the idea is to use coffee cans which we don’t always get in here in the UK, but similar sized cans would work just fine. You need on 1 pound one and one 3 pound one. You will also need 10 cups of ice, 1.5 cups of rock salt and some duct tape.
- Mix together your favourite ice cream base and set to one side
- Put the 1 pound can inside the 3 pound can
- Pour the mixture into the smaller can and put the lid on – seal with duct tape to ensure it is tight
- Put the salt and ice between the two cans and put the lid on
- Roll the tins backwards and forwards for about 10 minutes (great job for the kids) then check to see if it is solidifying
- If not, do the same again for another 10 minute spell until it thickens
With food bags
You can use a similar system with strong food bags as with the cans. Use zip top bags of different sizes and put the chilled base in a smaller bag then put it in a bigger bag. Fill the bigger bag with ice to around halfway up and add ½ cup of salt.
Make sure the smaller bag is completely encased in ice. Then wrap the bigger bag in a couple of larger bags and tape it closed. Shake it for 10 minutes and check. You can also put it in the freezer after shaking to help chill.
With a blender
This might be the simplest way to make ice cream for me! Take some frozen fruit, cream, sugar and vanilla in a blender and blend until smooth. You can either enjoy as it is or pop it in the freezer to make it more like a traditional ice cream. Plus you can add any ingredients that you like to flavour it.
Adapting store bought ice cream
If the idea of making homemade ice cream recipes from scratch is a little off-putting, then another solution is to start with a basic store bought ice cream such as a vanilla then add different flavourings to it to make it more your own taste.
If you have a favourite coffee, you can easily make it into a coffee flavoured ice cream. Make up the coffee and leave it to cool then mix it with the vanilla ice cream to get your personal favourite coffee flavour. You might want to pop it back in the freezer for a little to ensure it stays ice cream texture.
You can do something similar with some of the tea flavours such as chai tea – just make sure you strain it well, so no tea leaves get into the ice cream.
Spreads are another way to enhance flavours. Take a basic chocolate ice cream and add something like Nutella in it which combines hazelnut and cocoa. Or you could add peanut butter to vanilla ice cream for a classic nutty flavour.
Ice cream makers
You might have noticed that I’m a gadget fan so when it comes to making homemade ice cream, I’m instantly curious what gadgets are out there to help.
One that caught my eye was the Cuisinart ICE-21 1.5 Quart Frozen Yoghurt-Ice Cream Maker. First up, I’ve had Cuisinart products before and like the quality of their ranges. Secondly, this is a multi-purpose gadget that can make ice cream and frozen yoghurt – more options!
This has a mixing paddle system that means you can make ice cream in less than 20 minutes and has a good sized capacity. The double insulated bowl means you don’t need to mess around with ice to cool the ingredients and there’s a spout to easily add ingredients.
Another example of the Hamilton Beach 68330N 4-Quart Automatic Ice-Cream Maker which makes homemade ice cream, frozen yoghurt, sherbet, gelato and even custard. It makes four quarts of ice cream in between 20-40 minutes and has automatic operation so you don’t need to remember to keep stirring it.
There’s a manual with it containing 20 recipes too so plenty of ideas to get you started.
How to make ice cream at home step by step
Let’s finish with an easy homemade ice cream recipe that you can make at home with the kind of equipment we all have – pans and storage containers! This is inspired by a recipe from The Kitchn with some added special ingredients.
No Churn Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Make the tastiest homemade ice cream without the need to churn it!
Ingredients
- 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 1 t. vanilla extra [optional]
Salted Caramel Sauce:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 T. water
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 T. unsalted butter
- 1 t. fleur de sel salt
Other:
- 4 oz. chopped pecans
Instructions
To prepare the salted caramel sauce, add heavy cream to a small saucepan and set the heat to low. The goal is to slightly warm the cream because you don’t want to add a cold dairy product to hot liquid.
Over medium-high heat, add the sugar and water to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir to combine. Stop stirring and bring to a boil.
Continue boiling until the mixture turns a deep amber colour, then slowly whisk in the warmed cream until thoroughly incorporated. Remove from heat and add salt and butter. Stir until butter is totally incorporated into the mixture. Transfer to a serving dish or storage container and allow to cool while you prepare the ice cream.
For the ice cream, pour the sweetened condensed milk into a bowl and add the vanilla extract, if desired.
Whip the heavy cream in a large bowl with a hand mixer or immersion blender until still peaks form.
Add one scoop of the whipped cream to the bowl of condensed milk and mix it in. Then gently fold the rest of the whipped cream into the now lightened condensed milk. Thoroughly incorporate the whipped cream into the mixture, but do not overwork it to the point it loses its airiness.
Pour half of the whipped cream/condensed milk mixture into an 8” loaf pan. Drizzle the cooled salted caramel sauce over the milk mixture and spread the chopped pecans evenly over the entire surface. Top with remaining whipped cream/condensed milk.
Use a butter knife to incorporate the caramel sauce and pecans throughout the ice cream by pressing it down into the mixture and making sweeping “cuts” back and forth across the entire length of the pan.
Cover with wax paper and press down to remove any air pockets. Place in freezer for a minimum of 6 hours, but preferably overnight.
Notes
Will last up to 2 weeks in the freezer. Store any remaining salted caramel sauce in an airtight container for up to one week.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 715Total Fat: 49gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 397mgCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 1gSugar: 64gProtein: 9g
A new favourite ice cream
Making homemade ice cream is surprisingly simple and there are a few different ways to do it from using food bags through to purchasing an ice cream maker. This means you can create a new favourite ice cream for everyone and make the most of that summer weather. You can even include it in homemade milkshakes and other drinks that use ice cream!
What’s your favourite flavour of ice cream? Bonus if you have made it yourself at home – tell us in the comments!
