For a printable link, move to the bottom of this recipe.
This is a 2-quart vanilla ice cream base recipe that can be modified in infinite ways to customize your desired flavors. No eggs. No cooking. (And thus, no cooling.) This produces a creamy, rich ice cream that stays scoopable even after days in the freezer.
Scale this recipe up to fit your ice cream maker. This recipe will perfectly fit Whynter’s 2.1 qt compressor ice cream maker, which is the brand I use and am fiercely devoted to. (No ice, no salt…plug it in and it freezes your base.) As an Amazon Associate, if you buy something from one of my links, I’ll get a few cents. Thanks!
BASE RECIPE
1 (12oz/350mL) can evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed milk)
6oz / 170g / 3/4 cup white sugar
6oz / 170g / 1/2 cup corn syrup (or honey, or 5oz/140g/3/4 cup maple syrup, or 4oz/113g/1/2 cup agave nectar)
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt
OPTIONAL: 4 Tablespoons melted butter (adds richness and keeps ice cream softer in the freezer, but ups calorie and fat content)
Combine in a blender and blend until sugar is dissolved. (Or whisk in a bowl or shake in a jug until dissolved.) Then add:
1 pint /475mL heavy cream
Stir/mix gently until combined. Pour into your ice cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
After mixing the first set of ingredients, add the cream along with:
8 oz (225g) melted dark chocolate (I can’t give you a volumetric equivalent because chocolate comes in all different sizes and shapes and you won’t know your final yield until you’ve melted it. This is about 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate drops, which is how much premium chocolate is sold. You can use about the same amount of dark or bittersweet chocolate chips.)
OR
1 cup sugar simmered with 3/4 cup cocoa powder until a smooth syrup forms (eliminate the sugar in the base recipe if you add this as your chocolate component)
FRUIT ICE CREAM (Strawberry, Peach, Banana, etc.)
To the initial base, add:
2 cups chopped or pureed fruit (note, for bananas, allow them to fully ripen until almost black before mashing or pureeing)
Consider eliminating vanilla component, if desired, especially for tropical fruits like mango/pineapple.
COFFEE ICE CREAM
Add 1/4 – 1/2 cup instant coffee or instant espresso, dissolved in a Tablespoon of hot water…or more, depending on how amped you like your coffee ice cream!
BUTTER PECAN ICE CREAM
Sub brown sugar for white sugar in base recipe.
Sub 1 cup maple syrup for corn syrup in base recipe.
Definitely add the melted butter to the base, and I recommend browning the butter.
After freezing, mix in candied pecans. (Easily available at the supermarket bulk section, or simmer 1 cup brown sugar and 4 Tablespoons butter and 1/2 tsp salt until it reaches 300F/150C, then add 2 cups chopped pecans. Stir to coat, remove to an oiled baking sheet to cool, then break apart.)
CINNAMON-SMOKED CINNAMON ICE CREAM
For each recipe of ice cream base, make 2 Tablespoons of smoked cinnamon and mix in with the base.
