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You are here: Home / Recipes / Recipes by Course / Desserts & Puddings / Ice Cream Recipes / Best No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

Best No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

Published on November 5, 2021 by Helen Best-Shaw Leave a Comment
Last Updated on November 8, 2021

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We love ice cream and no churn wins hands down every time. This no churn no condensed milk recipe produces the best vanilla ice cream I have ever made. It has the flavour and texture of premium store bought ice cream, and lasts for over a month in the freezer.

Classic no churn vanilla ice cream served with strawberries on the side.

Everything You Need To Know

  • Best vanilla no churn ice cream
  • Which type no churn ice cream should I make?
    • “Custard” no churn ice cream without condensed milk
    • Condensed milk no churn ice cream
  • Eating raw eggs
  • Why make my best vanilla no churn ice cream recipe?
  • No churn vanilla ice cream ingredients
  • How to make no churn vanilla ice cream without condensed milk – step by step
  • Serving suggestion
  • Fior di Latte Ice Cream
  • Storage
  • Hints and Tips
  • FAQs
  • More Easy Ice Cream Recipes
  • Easy Vanilla Ice Cream (No Churn, No Condensed Milk)
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Notes

Best vanilla no churn ice cream

We love making ice cream and this is the lightest and loveliest homemade ice cream, free of fuss and with no cooking or churning. A custard based no churn ice cream without condensed milk, it has the wonderful texture of premium store ice cream without the price tag.

Most people make no churn ice cream using condensed milk. This makes a delicious, if rather dense, ice cream, and I often make it that way. This lighter, custard-based version is my new favourite method, however, and I make a batch most weeks. If you want to make no churn ice cream without condensed milk you need this recipe!

The great thing about this no-churn method is that you get a superior texture to that of condensed milk ice cream without the need to cook your custard. Perfect homemade ice cream really is much easier than you think. There’s no ice cream maker, no pre-freezing. All you need is a basic electric whisk.

Once you have mastered this technique, it can be flavoured any way you like. With ice cream, your imagination really is the limit!

So let me show you how to make no churn vanilla ice cream at home with a recipe that will easily rival any premium brand at the store.

Which type no churn ice cream should I make?

Both methods produce delicious ice cream with very little effort, but I think this version with an egg and without condensed milk wins hands down.

I prefer the no cook custard method without condensed milk because I love the lighter texture. It lasts longer, and isn’t quite as sweet as the condensed milk version. There is one more bowl to wash up with the custard method, but it doesn’t make a lot of difference.

The one factor that may make a difference is if you want to avoid raw eggs. I do use these in my custard no churn ice cream and if you need to avoid these, you should make the condensed milk version instead.

“Custard” no churn ice cream without condensed milk

  • Really easy to make
  • Keeps at least 6 weeks
  • Ideally needs a electric mixer or whisk
  • Two bowls
  • Contains raw egg
  • Less sweet
  • Texture of premium store ice cream
  • Adaptable – make any flavour

Condensed milk no churn ice cream

  • Really easy to make
  • Keeps two weeks before the texture changes
  • Ideally needs a electric mixer or whisk
  • One bowl
  • No raw egg
  • Sweeter
  • Denser ice cream, but still good
  • Adaptable – make any flavour

Eating raw eggs

In the UK, look for the lion mark, which indicates that your eggs meet government safety standards. NHS advice states that ‘infants, children, pregnant women and elderly people can now safely eat raw or lightly cooked hen eggs, or foods containing them’ as long as the eggs have this mark.

The change in government advice in recent years is down to improvements in safety standards. It can come as a surprise to those who remember the salmonella scandal of the 1980s and haven’t thought about raw eggs since.

In 2017, however, the advice changed and the eggs that we buy in the supermarket are safe, raw or cooked. If you keep a couple of hens in the back garden, then keep your home laid eggs for cooking.

Outside the UK, check your local safety recommendations. If you are worried, then try my condensed milk ice cream recipes instead.

Why make my best vanilla no churn ice cream recipe?

  • This ice cream has just 4 ingredients.
  • It is so easy to make: no special equipment (aside from an electric whisk), no pre freezing.
  • It is delicious – soft, rich, creamy ice cream that will scoop straight from the freezer.
  • Far cheaper than premium store bought ice cream.
  • Adaptable – once you have learnt this basic technique, you can make absolutely any flavour of ice cream.
  • Scalable – you can easily double the recipe.

No churn vanilla ice cream ingredients

Ingredients for vanilla ice cream: cream, egg, sugar and vanilla paste.
  • Double Cream – just regular double cream. You don’t need to splash out on extra thick or a premium cream here. Single cream doesn’t work, and I have not tested with alternative creams. Cream substitutes will work, but I find that they really do not have the texture and taste.
  • Egg – One regular / large egg. Not a small one, and preferably free range.
  • Sugar – I prefer golden caster, but white caster would work too. You can use granulated, but this will mean more whisking, because it takes longer to dissolve.
  • Vanilla Extract / Paste – I like the vanilla bean pastes with the little black flecks of seed, as they have more flavour. It is worth spending more money on a decent brand, because if you buy a cheaper, one you often need twice as much (or more). Avoid false economy!

    Vanilla extract contains real vanilla, while vanilla essence is generally synthetic and really does not taste very good. So don’t buy it.

How to make no churn vanilla ice cream without condensed milk – step by step

Step by step instructions, with hints and tips for how to make this perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Whipping the eggs into firm peaks with an electric whisk.

Step One – Crack and separate the egg, and whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Whisk in a teaspoonful of the sugar to stabilise.

Helen’s Top Tip – How to Whisk Egg Whites Successfully


– It is essential that you have no grease, oil or fat in with egg whites or they will not whisk.

– Use a scrupulously clean bowl – choose glass, metal or ceramic, because it is extremely hard to get a plastic bowl clean enough unless it has been through the dishwasher.

– You don’t want any of the egg yolk to mix with the whites, so if you are using more than one egg, don’t break them over the mixing bowl! Separate each egg before you add the white to the bowl with the other whites. Crack each into a small bowl first, one at a time, checking for any stray bits of shell.

– If you break a yolk, set that egg to one side and use it for something else.

– Slightly older eggs whisk better. If using very freshly laid eggs, leave the whites in a bowl for an hour or two before whisking.

The cream whipped to thick peaks, with some of the cream clinging to the blades.

Step Two – Whip the cream to firm peaks. This can take a good few minutes.

It must be stiff firm peaks to keep the texture when you add the other ingredients at the next stage, so don’t be impatient. If you over whisk the cream and it goes a bit grainy bring it back by adding a splash of milk.

Helen’s Fuss Free Tip

Whisk the egg white first, cream second. If you whisk the egg white first, you can then use the same blades to whisk the cream with no need to wash them first. You can’t do this the other way around!

Left: Egg yolk, sugar and vanilla added to the cream. Right: All the ingredients whisked together.

Step Three – Add the egg yolk, remainder of the sugar and vanilla to the cream. Whisk in. The mixture will become softer but will still hold its shape.

Left: the egg white is added to the bowl with the other ingredients. Right: folding the egg white in gently to conserve the air.

Step Four – Add the egg white. Fold it in as gently as you possibly can, so you don’t knock the air out.

The ice cream mixture in a freezer-safe container, smoothed and ready to freeze.

Step Five – Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container and seal with the lid. Freeze for at least six hours.

Helen’s Fuss Free Tip

I find a 500 ml plastic takeaway style tray is ideal. It is the perfect size, stacks nicely in the freezer and because it is flat, the ice cream freezes faster. They last for ages and can go through the dishwasher umpteen times. You can buy a big stack of them on Amazon very cheaply.

The best vanilla ice cream served simply in a bowl with a drizzle of cream.

Serving suggestion

Simple, classic vanilla ice cream is delicious alone or with almost any dessert. Serve with shortbread biscuits, amoretti, or brandy snaps or top it with homemade chocolate sauce, hot fudge sauce or toffee sauce. Enjoy it in a cone with a chocolate flake, with fresh berries, on fruit pies or crumbles … anything goes!

Fior di Latte Ice Cream

Fior di latte is an Italian figure of speech meaning flower of the milk – that is used for dishes made with and to showcase the best dairy.

To make a fior di latte ice cream simply leave the vanilla out. Ideally, upgrade your cream to a golden Jersey or add a good dollop of clotted cream.

Storage

Keeps for a month in the freezer in an airtight container. Scoopable straight from the freezer, this ice cream needs no tempering.

Delicious vanilla ice cream presented in a pretty bowl, ready to eat.

Hints and Tips

  • It’s very hard to go wrong with this recipe but you must properly whisk the cream to firm peaks before adding the egg yolks and sugar.
  • I use an inexpensive electric hand whisk to make this. You do not need a stand mixer or anything fancy. My electric hand mixer is about 50 years old and works so well. However, when buying one, look at the wattage and get the highest you can (at least 150). I’ve used expensive premium brand ones that simple do not have the power to whip cream and whisk egg white quickly. You do not need to spend more than £15/ $20 on an electric whisk, and can often get one far cheaper.
  • This recipe can easily be doubled to make a litre of ice cream (remember to crack and separate each egg separately). It will, however, take longer to whip and whisk. If you want to make more than a litre, then its probably best to do it in batches, or use a stand mixer.

FAQs

Uncooked eggs? Is that safe?

In the UK, eggs that bear the lion safety mark are safe to eat raw. Elsewhere, check your local situation.

Why do you whisk the egg first if you add them last?

You can’t get any fat into the egg white if you want stiff peaks (which you need for this recipe). It’s fine to get some of the whisked egg in with the cream. If you don’t have a spare whisk, this avoids washing up in between stages.

How well does homemade ice cream keep?

Pretty well, but it doesn’t last indefinitely like commercial versions (which may have all sorts of stabilising additives). I find the texture can start to deteriorate after about six weeks. I shall be impressed at your restraint if it lasts that long!

More Easy Ice Cream Recipes

  • Biscoff Ice Cream – easy Biscoff flavoured ice cream, with crunchy Biscoff pieces and a Biscoff topping
  • Crunchie Ice Cream – the best chocolate honeycomb ice cream
  • Mini Egg Ice Cream – rich chocolate ice cream full of chunks of mini egg
  • Lemon Curd Ice Cream – silky smooth and packed with lemon
  • All my easy ice cream recipes – no churn ice cream recipes that are perfect for filling the freezer.
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Light and airy no churn vanilla ice cream is delicious all by itself.
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Easy Vanilla Ice Cream (No Churn, No Condensed Milk)

No churn vanilla ice cream is simply delicious and easy to make with this no cook custard style recipe without condensed milk. Soft and scoopable straight from the freezer, it produces perfect results every time. Better still, it needs just 10 minutes hands-on time and only 4 ingredients.
Servings: 6 portions (makes 600ml)
Author: Helen Best-Shaw
Cook Time30 mins
Freezing Time6 hrs
Total Time6 hrs 30 mins
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Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 150 ml double cream
  • 60 g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Crack and separate the egg. Put the white into a clean bowl and whisk with the electric whisk until you have soft peaks. Whisk in a teaspoon of the sugar to stabilise it.
    1 egg
  • Whip the cream to soft peaks. If you do this after whisking the egg whites, there is no need to wash the whisk between the two tasks.
    150 ml double cream
  • Add the sugar, vanilla and egg yolk to the cream. Whisk again to soft peaks.
    60 g caster sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Add the whisked egg whites to the cream and use a spatula to fold in very gently. The air in the cream and egg white gives the ice cream its luxurious mousse-like texture and avoids the need to churn it, so try not to knock it out.
  • Transfer the mixture to an air-tight tub and smooth the surface. Place in the freezer for at least six hours to freeze.

Notes

How long does this keep? 
I find that homemade ice cream doesn’t last as long as commercial ice cream, as the texture can change. Provided it is in a sealed container, it is good for at least several weeks. Ours, however, never goes uneaten for that long! If you want to make and serve in a pretty dish or a tin, then seal it in a plastic bag and try to eat within a few days.
Can I make a big batch? 
Absolutely – you can double the recipe to make a litre. If you want to make more than that, it would be worth making it in batches or using a stand mixer.
Are raw eggs safe? 
I think the risk is minimal and I am happy to eat raw hens’ eggs with the British Lion Mark in accordance with the NHS guidelines. If you have any doubts, you might prefer my condensed milk style no churn ice creams. 
Nutritional Information
  • This recipe is 8 Weight Watchers Points per portion 
 
• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.
Nutrition Facts
Easy Vanilla Ice Cream (No Churn, No Condensed Milk)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 168 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 62mg21%
Sodium 20mg1%
Potassium 29mg1%
Carbohydrates 13g4%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 407IU8%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 20mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Desserts, Ice Cream
Cuisine: British
Keyword: vanilla ice cream
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Filed Under: Dairy, Desserts & Puddings, Ice Cream Recipes, Recipes Ingredients: Cream, Eggs, Sugar

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Headshot of Helen Best-Shaw, Food Blogger at Fuss Free Flavours I'm Helen, full time freelance food writer, photographer and blogger. On this site you will find my fuss-free recipes, travel and reviews. Learn more here
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