Summer sun. Warm breezes. Beach time. Gardening. Fresh fruits and veggies. These are a just a few of my summer loves. In between work hard at my day job and promoting the cookbook, I like to take time to enjoy what summer has to offer. And nothing is more satisfying on a warm summer night than a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream topped with fresh fruit. The other night I enjoyed a big bowl of ice cream and peaches. Heaven.
So to that end, I realized that I have never actually posted my original recipe for Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. For years, I used Jeni’s tried and true recipe, which remains a great ice cream, but I have since developed my own recipe. I keep Vanilla Bean Ice Cream in my freezer most of the time, as it works well as a topping to pretty much any dessert but espeically warm summer crisps. Super simple and super satisfying. Enjoy!
The Best Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 ¾ cups heavy cream
2/3 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (I prefer Madagascar vanilla)
1/8 teaspoon salt
Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a small bowl, make a slurry by mixing 2 Tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch. Set aside.
Combine the remaining milk with heavy cream, sugar, vanilla bean & seeds in a large saucepan. Bring milk mixture to a boil. Cook over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves, 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and off the heat, gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened (draw a line on a spoon), about 1 minute. Carefully remove the vanilla bean. Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into a medium bowl. Whisk in salt. Set the bowl in the ice water bath, and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes. Chill overnight.
Once chilled, pour ice cream base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pack the ice cream into a plastic container. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
josh says
Hi there. This is very similar to the recipe I have been using for a while as well. I was wondering if you have used other forms of starches, specifically tapioca starch. Curious if the ratio changed and your experience with how the texture changed? Thanks for taking time to write this blog.
Lindsay says
Josh – Yes I have used tapioca starch before and it works well as a thickener for the ice cream base. You can use cornstarch and tapioca starch interchangeably in any of my recipes. It does not change the texture and, in fact, responds better to the heat. I often write cornstarch into my recipes because it is more accessible. Good luck!
Rodney Worman says
Can tapioca starch replace corn starch and at equal amount? Thank you.
Lindsay says
Yes, they are interchangeable.
LuisCOL says
Hi lindsay, i would like to know if i could replace the vanilla beans with vanilla extract? Same ratio.?
Lindsay says
Depends on how much vanilla flavor you like, but about 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract should do the trick. If you can find vanilla beans, I would highly recommend buying them as the flavor from the beans is superior to vanilla extract.
Brennan Reinert says
Are there any issues with doubling this recipe?
Lindsay says
No there should be no issues in doubling, but it will likely require that you churn two separate batches. Most standard ice cream makers will not fit the doubled base.