Enjoy a scoop, or two, of homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe made without an ice cream maker. Speckled with seeds from vanilla beans, every spoonful of this homemade no churn ice cream is a true delight.
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
No churn ice cream is easy to make and its creamy texture makes it especially delicious.
And the best part is, you don’t need an ice cream maker to make it!
A blender with a mixing bowl, a spatula and a container for the ice cream are the only equipment that you will need.
I’m all about easy and making ice cream without an ice cream machine is what I’m here for!
Ice cream made with simple ingredients, no eggs and no need to temper any eggs, also adds to the simplicity and ease of this recipe.
Vanilla bean specks add a pretty visual look to this ice cream. You can scrape as many or as little of the inside of the vanilla pods to fold into your ice cream as you prefer.
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I love freezing my homemade ice cream in a loaf pan but you can use any freezer proof container with deep sides.
Whole vanilla beans can be found in the spice section of most grocery stores and can also be ordered online.
Vanilla ice cream is such a basic flavor. Feel free to customize the ice cream and stir in your favorite sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, or even serve it with a strawberry sauce.
Or make a DIY ice cream sundae bar and let this creamy and indulgent homemade ice cream be the star that you serve with all your favorite toppings.
Homemade ice cream sandwiches will taste scrumptious when made with this homemade vanilla ice cream recipe.
Fun fact, did you know that vanilla is the most popular flavor of ice cream?
Oh yes it is! The reason that vanilla is the most favorite flavor is that vanilla is a simple flavor that goes with everything.
So go ahead, have a scoop, fill an ice cream cone or make a homemade ice cream sandwich with this easy no churn Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!
And let me know if you agree with me that making homemade ice cream gives you a creamier ice cream texture.
Honestly, I think that this is the best vanilla bean ice cream ever!
No sweetened condensed milk in your pantry? No need to run to the store! Check out How to Make Sweetened Condensed Milk with just three ingredients and no cooking!
Be sure to visit the Swirls of Flavor Amazon Storefront for GG's personal kitchen recommendations!
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How to make ice cream with vanilla bean
Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below
- Line a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. If using aluminum foil, be sure to spray the foil with no-stick cooking spray.
- With a mixer on medium-high, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- Using a spatula, fold in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract until blended.
- Using a sharp paring knife, cut the vanilla bean pods open and scrape out the vanilla bits.
- Fold the vanilla seeds into the ice cream base.
- Transfer the ice cream into the prepared loaf pan.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, 8 hours to overnight.
What is vanilla bean
Vanilla bean is the whole vanilla pod that contains tiny seeds inside.
What is the difference between vanilla and vanilla bean ice cream?
Vanilla ice cream is made with vanilla extract. Vanilla bean ice cream is made with actual vanilla beans.
Does vanilla bean ice cream have black specks in it?
Yes, typically vanilla bean ice cream contains tiny black specks, sometimes referred to as “caviar”. These specks are the very small seeds of the vanilla orchid plant. They are found, and grow, inside the vanilla pods.
Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
- Be sure to use a spatula to fold the sweetened condensed milk into the whipped cream. If you stir it in you will deflate the air that you just beat into the heavy cream, so it is important to gently fold the ingredients together.
- To make a French style vanilla ice cream, simply add an additional 2 Tablespoons of pure vanilla extract to the ice cream. You can leave out the vanilla bean specks if you want to.
- For best results, make this ice cream with pure vanilla extract for a true vanilla flavor. Imitation vanilla extract will not provide the best vanilla flavor.
- You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to beat the heavy cream. Both will work just fine, as long as you use an electric mixer for the best power to whip the heavy cream..
Substitutions
- You can use vanilla bean paste that comes in a tube instead of scraping the inside of the vanilla bean pods.
Storage
- Freeze the ice cream in a freezer-proof container with an airtight top or cover tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil
- Be sure to use an airtight container or wrap the loaf pan tightly so that ice crystals do not form on the ice cream when in the freezer.
- Homemade ice cream will stay fresh for about two weeks in the freezer
- As always, I find it helpful to visit the FDA website for food storage guidelines
Variations
You can turn this vanilla ice cream into different flavors by adding additional ingredients.
Decide on your favorite stir-ins to make a new flavor of ice cream.
Vanilla ice cream is such a good base for making other flavors.
Here are some ideas for you:
- Fold caramel sauce into the vanilla ice cream
- Gently stir in mini chocolate chips
- Add toffee bits
- Crush oreo cookies and stir in for cookies and cream ice cream
- Crush shortbread cookies, such as Lorna Doone cookies, for a shortbread ice cream flavor
- Add chopped peanut butter cups and small dollops of peanut butter
- White chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts make a great flavor combination
- Chocolate chunks and chopped maraschino cherries will be delicious too!
- Crushed candy canes stirred in will give you peppermint ice cream. Maybe add white chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips too
- Stir in chopped brownies
- Make cookie dough ice cream and fold in pieces of edible cookie dough
Easy ice cream recipes
Equipment
Ingredients for vanilla bean ice cream recipe
- heavy whipping cream
- sweetened condensed milk
- vanilla beans
- pure vanilla extract
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 2 whole vanilla beans
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
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Instructions
- Line a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. If using aluminum foil, be sure to spray the foil with no-stick cooking spray.
- With a mixer on medium-high, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- Using a spatula, fold in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract until blended.
- Using a sharp paring knife, cut the vanilla bean pods open and scrape out the vanilla bits.
- Fold the vanilla bits into the ice cream mixture.
- Transfer the ice cream into the prepared loaf pan.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, 8 hours to overnight.
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