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Vanilla bean ice cream is the queen of all ice creams. It’s simple, but at the same time, so complex. It’s perfect scooped on just about anything while being delicious enough to be savoured all by itself.
Beans, paste, extract.
Vanilla beans? Bean paste? Extract? As long as you are using pure vanilla extract (no artificial extracts allowed!) it’s going to be delicious. Vanilla beans are top notch but they are also the most expensive version of vanilla you can purchase. I use vanilla beans when I am feeling fancy but can honestly not afford to use vanilla beans as much as I like. That’s where vanilla bean paste comes in.
Vanilla bean paste is the best of both worlds. It has beautiful vanilla beans speckled throughout the paste and is enrobed in a viscous vanilla extract. Vanilla bean paste isn’t cheap either, but it’s more economical than straight beans. I use it when I want vanilla to be the star of the show and where I can see the beans running throughout the dessert.
Pure vanilla extract is also a bestie in this recipe. To make my bean paste go further, I use half paste and half extract. The best quality vanilla extract for the best price is unsurprisingly from Costco. This vanilla is the only one I use and would highly recommend.
On everything.
Vanilla bean ice cream is so wonderful because it is perfect in so many dessert scenarios. Pie? Yup. Cake? Certainly. Root beer float? Absolutely. Banana split? My favourite. Here are some of my recipes that only get better with the addition of a scoop of this ice cream:
Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Vegan (or not) Blueberry Apple Crumble Bars
Maple Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake
And to be quite honest, one of my favourite ways to eat this ice cream is with hot fudge sauce.
Check out the recipe video below for a tutorial on how to make this classic ice cream:
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Equipment
- ice cream machine
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1½ cups heavy cream divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 more tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s directions. I have the Kitchenaid ice cream machine attachment so I place the attachment in the freezer for at least 24 hours before I plan to make my ice cream.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture has lightened and thickened. If doing this by hand, it’ll take about 5 minutes of vigorous mixing. You can also use a handheld mixer for this step. My arm usually gets tired. Set aside once finished.
- Place the milk and 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
- Stir often until steamy, about 5 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
- Slowly whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium-low, whisking constantly until the mixture has thickened and is steamy again, about 5-10 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
- Remove from heat and add in the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream, the vanillas and the salt.
- Transfer the ice cream base to a jar or container and chill for at least 8 hours. I prefer to chill overnight. Don’t skip on the chilling time – your base needs to be really cold before churning in your ice cream machine.
- Once the ice cream base mixture has chilled thoroughly, churn in your machine according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Transfer the ice cream to a container with a lid and freeze until firm. I like to freeze overnight to make sure it is completely set.
