No Churn Ice Cream
Updated Feb 03, 2026
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This easy no-churn ice cream recipe shows you how to make rich, creamy homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker. With a custard-style base flavored with real vanilla bean and a clever freezer + food processor method, you’ll enjoy smooth, scoopable ice cream with whatever mix-ins you love — from cookie pieces to caramel swirls!
If you’ve ever dreamed of homemade ice cream but didn’t want to invest in a bulky ice cream maker, you’re in the right place! This no-churn ice cream recipe is a favorite — rich, creamy, and totally doable with just a pot, a zipper-top bag, and your freezer. Starting with a velvety vanilla bean custard base and finished in the food processor, feels special but is a real shortcut recipe.
Why You’ll Love No-Churn Ice Cream
- Doesn’t require an ice cream maker.
- Uses equipment and ingredients you most likely already own.
- Customizable.
And the sky’s the limit when it comes to flavorings. The recipe below is for vanilla bean ice cream, but you can mix in crushed cookies, candy bars, butterscotch sauce, melted caramel, pretzels, or whatever you want. The ice cream is naturally gluten-free, so if that’s something you need to pay attention to, make sure any add-ins are gluten-free as well. Really, there are no rules, just lots of no ice cream maker ice cream possibilities.
Top this ice cream with Hot Fudge Sauce, Chocolate Peanut Cornflake Crunch, or Strawberry Topping.
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What's In This Post?
Smooth and easy homemade ice cream
This no-churn ice cream is quite smooth and softens easily (No stabilizers! All natural!), so be ready to dig in when you take it from the freezer. You can make the base weeks ahead of time if you like, so that it’s ready to whir up when you have a craving for homemade ice cream.
Ingredients
- Heavy cream – For richness and creaminess.
- Whole milk – For body and flavor.
- Sugar – For sweetness.
- Salt – To balance out and enhance the flavors.
- Whole vanilla bean – I like to use the whole bean for the best flavor and those signature black flecks.
- Egg yolks – For richness, and they act as natural emulsifiers.
How to Make Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Without an Ice Cream Maker
- Heat the cream mixture: Heat the cream, milk, sugar, salt, scraped-out vanilla bean seeds in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the yolks: In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Pour about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Once smooth, slowly pour the warmed yolk mixture back into the pot over low heat, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking frequently, for another 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, add the reserved vanilla bean halves, and cool to room temperature.
- Freeze the ice cream: When cool, remove the two halves of the vanilla bean. Transfer the ice cream mixture to a gallon-sized freezer-proof zipper-top bag and lay flat on a tray. Place the bag flat in the freezer and freeze until solid, at least 6 hours.
- Blend it: Break the frozen ice cream mixture slab into small pieces and add them to the food processor. Process until smooth.
- Add toppings and freeze: At this point, you can pulse in some small items like candies or chunks of cookies. Or simply transfer to a container with a lid and freeze until ready to eat.
- Finish and enjoy: Freeze for at least 2 hours until it firms back up again. Serve this no-churn ice cream with whatever sauce you like (or sprinkles or other toppings).
What to Serve with No-Churn Ice Cream
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No-Churn Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 whole vanilla bean
- 6 large egg yolks
- ½ cup softened fudge sauce or strawberry sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Place the cream, milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Slice the vanilla bean in half down the length of the bean, and use a knife to scrape out the tiny black seeds in the center of the pod. Add the seeds to the pot, and reserve the outer part of the bean.
- Heat the cream mixture over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved, 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until blended. When the sugar has dissolved in the cream mixture, slowly pour about 1 cup of the mixture into the bowl with the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour to make sure the mixture blends without the eggs starting to scramble. As soon as the mixture is well blended and smooth, return the pot to the stove over low heat, and slowly pour the warmed yolk mixture back into the pot, again whisking all the while. Use a rubber spatula to get every bit back into the pot. Cook, whisking very frequently, for another 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, add the reserved vanilla bean halves, and cool to room temperature.
- When cool, remove the two halves of the vanilla bean. Transfer the ice cream mixture to a gallon-sized freezer-proof zipper-top bag. Make sure all of the air is pressed out, and lay the bag on a baking sheet or other tray surface so that the ice cream base lies in the bag in a flat, thin layer. Place the bag flat in the freezer and freeze until solid, at least 6 hours.
- Set up the food processor with the metal blade. Break the frozen ice cream mixture slab into small pieces and add them to the food processor. Process until smooth. It will look grainy at first, and then become creamy. You may need to let it sit for a few minutes so the ice cream softens enough to puree.
- At this point, you can pulse in some small items like candies or chunks of cookies. Or simply transfer to a container with a lid and freeze until ready to eat. Or transfer it to a container, and then swirl in some softened fudge sauce. Freeze for at least 2 hours until it firms back up again. Serve with whatever sauce you like (or sprinkles or other toppings).
