The Only Ice Cream Recipe You’ll Ever Need

By Melissa Clark

Updated March 11, 2025

  • A metal pan holds vanilla ice cream with scoop marks.
    Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
20 minutes plus several hours’ cooling, chilling and freezing
Rating
5(5,384)
Comments
Read comments

This silky, luscious and very classic custard can be used as the base for any ice cream flavor you can dream up. These particular proportions of milk and cream to egg yolk will give you a thick but not sticky ice cream that feels decadent but not heavy. For something a little lighter, use more milk and less cream, as long as the dairy adds up to 3 cups. You can also cut down on egg yolks for a thinner base, but don’t go below three. Then flavor it any way you like. See the chart here for more than 16 flavor ideas. Or invent your own.

Featured in: The Only Ice Cream Recipe You’ll Ever Need

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:About 1½ pints

  • 2 cups heavy cream

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar

  • ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

  • 6 large egg yolks

  • Your choice of flavoring (see note)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small pot, simmer heavy cream, milk, sugar and salt until sugar completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat.

  2. Step 2

    In a separate bowl, whisk yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly whisk about a third of the hot cream into the yolks.

  3. Step 3

    Whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream.

  4. Step 4

    Return pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).

  5. Step 5

    Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cool mixture to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturers’ instructions. Serve directly from the machine for soft serve, or store in freezer until needed.

Tip

  • This recipe for ice cream base may be churned on its own, but it is meant to have flavors added. See the chart here for flavor options and directions for incorporating them into the base recipe.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
5,384 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

essjaebee

I'm sorry to disagree, but this is the only ice cream recipe you'll ever need:

2 cups heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Add 1 tbl vanilla for vanilla, or add berries, nuts or whatever else you want. Mix well, freeze for at least 6 hours.

Judith Norman

I always add a touch of vodka to my homemade ice cream which slows the freezing process (I think) and prevents the ice cream from getting icy.

Mariah

I subbed the same measure of coconut milk for milk and coconut cream for the heavy cream. Delicious and lactose-free!!! Definitely a keeper. Thank you!

a great recipe!

I love this recipe! I make it regularly. I reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup in my version — it’s still plenty sweet — and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Read mix ins instructions before making

This is a great ice cream base. I use it often. Sometimes it is a little eggy which i know others have mentioned so making sure you don’t overcook the custard is important. Haven’t tried with less eggs like others suggested bc it’s so creamy and delicious otherwise. MY ONE WARNING - the fruit flavors instruct not including the milk in the base but it doesn’t say that until the end of the flavors

Ceilidth

The best and simplest ice cream base is cream (without the gums which are now standard in most heavy creams) plus sugar plus whatever flavorings or additions. It tastes like iced cream not like cold pudding. There is a big split among ice cream lovers about smooth and chewy versus a slightly icy texture. Until I started making it this way and buying cream without thickeners I never knew how many people actually did not like custard based or thickner based ice cream.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.