The basic ice cream recipe
for your table
Heat the milk with the split vanilla pod until just below boiling, then remove the pan from the heat. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and salt, pour in a splash of warm milk while stirring, then stir that mixture back into the pan.
Heat everything over low heat until it thickens and coats the rounded side of a spoon. Strain the mixture, stir in the cold heavy cream, place the bowl in cold water, then leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight. That resting time is no mere formality: starting cold and well-rested is half the work.
Churn the cold mixture in the ice cream maker until it has the consistency of soft yogurt, about twenty to thirty minutes. If you don't have a machine, put the container in the freezer and scrape it completely loose with a fork every half hour, four times in a row.
Scoop the ice cream into a covered container and let it firm up for at least three more hours. Take it out fifteen minutes before scooping: then it will release from the spoon and the scoop will roll out without you having to use any force.
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The story
Making your own ice cream is not difficult, but it is precise. What is in the bowl is a foam: fat globules from the cream, water from the milk, dissolved sugar, and air. As long as those four remain in balance, the result is creamy. If things go wrong, it is almost always the same problem: the water freezes into large crystals, which you can feel on your tongue. Starting cold, resting overnight, and continuing to move the mixture while it freezes are the three things that prevent this, with or without a machine. Everything else, from flavorings to toppings, comes afterward.
The right glass
A coupe does two things at once. It keeps the portion together and keeps your hand away from the ice cream, because a stem really does buy you more time before the scoops start to collapse. The first choice below is the larger of the two: according to the description, the 32 cl glass has room for several scoops of ice cream, sauce, and toppings in a spacious coupe on a short stem, and the glass can withstand the temperature contrast of hot espresso over cold ice cream. The second is a wide, shallow 28 cl footed coupe that, according to the description, shows scoops of ice cream, whipped cream, and fruit at their best and leaves room for sauce, nuts, and a wafer alongside. Wide and shallow looks attractive, but it does provide more surface area that can warm up; deep and narrow stays cold longer and shows less. More sizes and shapes can be found among the dessert glasses.
Bormioli Rocco Fortuna Ice Cream Glass 32 cl (6 pieces)
Royal Leerdam Fun 4 Food Ice Cream Coupe 28 cl Primavera (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 84,90.
The right tools
For homemade ice cream, besides the glass, you use a bar spoon with a long handle to stir the cold mixture all the way to the bottom of a deep container, and a citrus juicer as soon as you start on the third family, because a sorbet stands or falls with fresh juice. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 83,85.
What will you pour alongside?
Homemade ice cream calls for something small on the side. A glass of liqueur with ice cream, something sparkling with a sorbet. Limoncello is poured ice-cold over a scoop of lemon sorbet, vodka is the strong part of a sgroppino, and you simply pour Baileys alongside it. On every drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it goes with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
There are three families, and the base above is one of them. Custard ice cream is what you make here: egg yolks bind the mixture and give it that rich, yellow flavor. Milk ice cream leaves out the yolks and relies only on milk, cream, and sugar, making it taste fresher and come together faster. Water ice or sorbet leaves out dairy entirely and consists of juice, water, and sugar; the sugar ratio is even more important there, because without fat, sugar is the only thing keeping the mixture soft. Within the base, vary it with coffee, chopped nuts, caramel, or a handful of fruit that you briefly cook down before adding it. Need more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Servingtip
Put the dessert glasses in the freezer half an hour before serving and take the ice cream out fifteen minutes beforehand; that way the glass is cold and the ice cream is soft, exactly the opposite of what most people do. Use a spoon that you briefly hold in hot water and dry off, and the scoop will slide off in one motion.
Good to know
Why does homemade ice cream often become so hard?
Because there is too little in it to lower the freezing point. Sugar and fat both do this: they get between the water molecules and keep some of the moisture liquid, even well below zero. If you reduce the sugar or replace cream with skim milk, more water freezes solid and the ice cream comes out of the freezer like a block. A tablespoon of vodka or liqueur per liter of mixture does the same thing, because alcohol does not freeze. A little glucose or honey works too, because they lower the freezing point more than ordinary sugar.
With or without an ice cream maker?
An ice cream maker does two things at once: it cools the mixture while continuing to stir it, incorporating air and immediately breaking up the crystals as they form. Without a machine, you take over that process yourself. Put the container in the freezer and scrape it completely loose with a fork every half hour, four times in a row, making sure to include the edges, because that is where freezing begins. The result is slightly firmer than ice cream made in a machine, but the difference is smaller than you might think.
Why does the mixture need to be refrigerated overnight?
Resting overnight does two things. The fat in the cream has time to crystallize, which helps it hold air better during churning, and the mixture goes into the machine ice-cold rather than lukewarm. The shorter the time it takes for the mixture to freeze, the less time the crystals have to grow large. If you do not have the full night, refrigerate it for at least four hours.
How much cream to milk?
The recipe above calls for two parts milk to one part cream. If you shift toward more cream, the ice cream becomes richer and softer, because fat keeps the mixture smooth and does not freeze solid itself. If you use more milk, it becomes fresher and lighter, but also harder. Equal parts milk and cream is the upper limit that is still pleasant to eat at home; beyond that, the cream is more likely to churn into butter.
What are the three types of ice cream?
Custard ice cream with eggs, where the yolks bind the mixture, which is the basis described above. Milk ice cream without eggs, made only from milk, cream, and sugar, with a fresher taste. And water ice or sorbet, without dairy, made from juice or purée with water and sugar. All three require the same attention to crystals, but with sorbet you only have sugar to rely on.
How long does homemade ice cream keep?
Covered, about two weeks. After that, the surface dries out and the ice cream absorbs odors from whatever is next to it. Lay a sheet of baking paper flat on the ice cream before putting the lid on, so there is no air between them and you do not get a layer of ice on top. Once melted, ice cream should not be refrozen: the crystals will become large and the texture will not return.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make ice cream without an ice cream maker?
Yes. Put the cold mixture in a container in the freezer and scrape it completely loose with a fork every half hour, four times in a row. This takes over what the machine does: incorporate air and break up the crystals that form. The result is slightly firmer than machine-made ice cream.
Why does my homemade ice cream become rock-hard?
Because it contains too little sugar, fat, or alcohol to lower the freezing point. Keep the sugar level up, use whole milk and cream instead of low-fat dairy, or stir a tablespoon of vodka or liqueur into a liter of mixture. A little glucose does the same thing and tastes less sweet than granulated sugar.
How much cream should go into homemade ice cream?
This recipe uses twice as much milk as cream. More cream gives richer, softer ice cream; more milk gives fresher but harder ice cream. Equal parts milk and cream is the practical upper limit; above that, the cream is more likely to churn into butter.
How long should homemade ice cream stay in the freezer?
After churning, leave it to firm up for at least three hours, preferably overnight. Take it out of the freezer fifteen minutes before scooping, so it comes away from the spoon easily. Covered, it keeps for about two weeks.
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