Ice Cream Recipe
Make Ice Cream Recipe in just 7h . Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Base Custard
Optional Mix-ins / Finish
Method
Base Custard
- 1
Warm the dairy
Combine the whole milk and 1 cup of the heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Add the vanilla bean seeds scraped from the pod (or 1 tsp vanilla extract) and half the granulated sugar (1 1/2 tbs). Warm over medium heat until steam appears and small bubbles form at the edge, about 5–7 minutes; do not boil.
- 2
Whisk yolks and sugar
While the dairy warms, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar (1 1/2 tbs) in a heatproof bowl until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened, about 1–2 minutes.
- 3
- 4
Cook the custard
Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon and scraping the bottom, until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon (an instant-read thermometer should read 175–180°F / 79–82°C), about 5–8 minutes. Do not let it boil.
- 5
Finish and strain
Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup heavy cream and salt. If using vanilla bean pod, remove it now. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits and seeds. Press gently with a spatula to extract custard.
- 6
Chill
Cool the custard to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until thoroughly cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. For faster chilling, place the bowl over an ice bath and stir occasionally until cool, then refrigerate.
Freeze & Mix-ins
- 7
Churn
When the custard is fully chilled, churn it in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches a soft-serve consistency, usually 20–30 minutes.
- 8
Add mix-ins
If using chocolate, nuts, or other mix-ins, fold them in during the last 2–3 minutes of churning or immediately after you stop the machine so they distribute evenly.
- 9
- 10
Serve
Scoop the ice cream into bowls or cones. Sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt if desired and enjoy. Let frozen ice cream sit at room temperature 3–5 minutes before scooping for easier serving.