10+ Ice Cream Recipes to Sweeten Your Summer Fun

Ice cream recipes are a fun way to whip up a delicious treat right at home. Whether you stick with the classics or crave something different, you’ll find recipes here to match your mood.

You don’t need tons of ingredients or any fancy gadgets to make ice cream you’ll actually want to eat.

Making ice cream yourself means you get to pick the flavors and control what goes in. This guide covers simple recipes that anyone can follow, so you can enjoy homemade ice cream whenever you want.

1) Classic Vanilla Ice Cream

Classic vanilla ice cream at home? It’s easier than you might think. You just start with milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla.

This recipe skips eggs and cooking, so you get smooth, rich ice cream with less hassle. Use an ice cream maker for a soft texture, but if you don’t have one, just freeze and stir every half hour.

The flavor is mild, sweet, and honestly, it goes with pretty much anything. Top it with whatever you like or keep it simple.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 2 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Cooking Instructions

1. Whisk milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar dissolves.
2. Add heavy cream and vanilla, and mix again.
3. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn as the machine says.
4. Transfer to a container and freeze for at least 4 hours at 0°F (-18°C) until firm.

2) Rich Chocolate Ice Cream

If you’re a chocolate lover, this one’s for you. Cocoa powder brings out a deep, creamy chocolate flavor.

Just mix cocoa, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Add cream and milk, heat gently, and stir until it’s smooth.

Cool the base, then churn it in your ice cream maker. The result is a dairy-rich, chocolatey dessert that’s hard to beat.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cooking Instructions:

1. Mix sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a saucepan.
2. Add cream and milk, heat while stirring until smooth.
3. Remove from heat and let it cool.
4. Pour into your ice cream maker.
5. Churn as directed by your machine.
6. Freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

Learn more about rich chocolate ice cream here.

3) Strawberry Swirl Ice Cream

Creamy vanilla ice cream with a bright strawberry swirl? Yes, please. This eggless recipe is quick, and the strawberry puree gives it a fresh, fruity kick.

Once the vanilla ice cream is ready, gently swirl in the strawberry sauce before freezing. You’ll get thick ribbons of flavor all the way through.

It’s a great summer dessert, but honestly, I’d eat it any time.

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh strawberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar (for strawberries)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Cooking Instructions

1. Blend strawberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. Set aside.
2. Mix cream, milk, 3/4 cup sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until the sugar dissolves.
3. Chill the mixture for at least 1 hour.
4. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn as directed.
5. After churning, layer ice cream and strawberry puree in a container.
6. Swirl gently with a spoon, then freeze for at least 4 hours at 0°F (-18°C).

4) Honey Lavender Ice Cream

Honey lavender ice cream is a little different, but it’s worth trying. The sweet honey and gentle lavender make a surprisingly good pair.

Steep dried lavender in warm milk and cream. Then, mix in honey and egg yolks for a rich base.

Cook it gently, chill, then freeze. It’s a bit more involved, but not difficult, and the flavor is something special.

You’ll probably have to grab dried culinary lavender online or at a specialty shop.

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• ¾ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon salt

Cooking Instructions

1. Combine milk, cream, honey, salt, and lavender in a saucepan and heat until it simmers.
2. Remove from heat and let it steep for 15 minutes.
3. Whisk egg yolks in a bowl. Slowly add the warm milk mixture to the yolks, stirring all the time.
4. Return to saucepan. Cook on low, stirring, until it thickens (about 170°F or 77°C).
5. Strain out lavender and chill the mixture.
6. Freeze in your ice cream maker.

More on this process at Honey Lavender Ice Cream Recipe.

5) Coffee Ice Cream

Coffee ice cream is a must if you’re a coffee fan. It’s creamy, rich, and has that real coffee kick.

Use strong brewed coffee or instant espresso powder, whatever you have on hand. The rest is just cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla.

No eggs or complicated steps here. Just mix, freeze, and enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup whole milk
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ½ cup strong brewed coffee, chilled or 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Instructions

1. Combine milk, cream, sugar, and coffee or espresso in a bowl.
2. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
3. Add vanilla and mix again.
4. Pour into your ice cream maker.
5. Freeze as your machine suggests until firm.
6. No machine? Freeze in a container and stir every 30 minutes until creamy.

6) Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Cookies and Cream is a classic, and making it at home is a breeze. Start with a creamy base—heavy cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla.

Chop up your favorite chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos, anyone?) and fold them in after chilling the base. Freeze until firm.

You don’t even need an ice cream maker if you’re willing to stir every half hour for a few hours.

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 sleeve Oreos or similar chocolate sandwich cookies

Cooking Instructions

1. Whisk cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla until the sugar dissolves.
2. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
3. Chop cookies into small pieces.
4. Pour chilled base into an ice cream maker and freeze until thick.
5. Fold in cookie pieces gently.
6. Transfer to a container and freeze for 4-6 hours at 0°F (-18°C) until firm.
7. No ice cream maker? Freeze base and stir every 30 minutes for 3 hours, then add cookies and freeze completely.

7) Roasted Strawberry-Vanilla Ice Cream

Roasting strawberries brings out a sweet, deep flavor that goes perfectly with vanilla ice cream. The vanilla keeps things classic, but the roasted berries add something special.

Roast strawberries in the oven at 400°F (200°C) until they’re soft and syrupy. Mix them into a vanilla custard base with cream, milk, and egg yolks.

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean pod (or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract)
• 6 large egg yolks
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Place strawberries on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes until syrupy.
3. Split the vanilla bean and scrape seeds into a saucepan with cream and milk. Heat until almost boiling, then remove from heat.
4. Whisk egg yolks with sugar and salt until pale. Slowly pour warm cream into yolks while whisking.
5. Return mixture to the pan and cook over low, stirring, until thickened enough to coat a spoon.
6. Strain custard, then mix in roasted strawberries. Cool completely.
7. Freeze in an ice cream maker as directed.

8) No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

No-churn vanilla ice cream is about as easy as it gets. No machine needed—just mix, freeze, and scoop.

Whip heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. Gently fold in sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.

Pour into a container and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. That’s it—scoop and enjoy whenever you want.

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt

Cooking Instructions

1. Whip heavy cream with a mixer until stiff peaks form.
2. In another bowl, mix condensed milk, vanilla, and salt.
3. Fold whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture gently.
4. Pour into a freezer-safe container and cover.
5. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until firm.

See the full steps in this no-churn vanilla ice cream recipe.

9) Egg-Free Creamy Ice Cream

You can whip up creamy ice cream without eggs. It’s ideal if you want something easy or you’re dealing with egg allergies.

Heavy cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla make the texture smooth and satisfying. Some folks toss in cornstarch or cream cheese for extra creaminess—honestly, it works wonders to keep things from turning icy.

No need to cook the base, so it’s much quicker than traditional recipes. If you’re just getting into homemade ice cream, this one’s a breeze.

Mix everything together, chill it, then churn in your ice cream maker. No ice cream maker? Just freeze and stir it every so often—it’s not quite the same, but it’ll do.

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
• 2 oz cream cheese (optional)

Cooking Instructions

1. Combine milk, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until it thickens just a bit.
2. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool down.
3. Whisk in the heavy cream, vanilla, and cream cheese until everything’s nice and smooth.
4. Chill the mixture in the fridge for a couple of hours.
5. Pour it into your ice cream maker and churn following your machine’s instructions.
6. Freeze at least 4 hours at 0°F (-18°C) before digging in.

If you want more detail, check out this Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Without Eggs guide.

10) French Vanilla Ice Cream

French vanilla ice cream is all about that custard base. Egg yolks make it rich and creamy, while real vanilla (beans or extract—your call) brings the flavor.

Start by gently heating milk, cream, and sugar. Slowly mix in the egg yolks while cooking to form the custard.

Let it cool, then churn in your ice cream maker until it thickens up. This stuff is good solo or loaded with toppings—fruit, chocolate, whatever you’re craving.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large egg yolks
• ½ cup sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Cooking Instructions

1. Grab a saucepan and toss in the milk, cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Set it over medium heat. Warm it up, but don’t let it boil.

2. Crack those egg yolks into a bowl and whisk them until smooth. Slowly pour in a bit of the warm milk mixture, whisking constantly so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs.

3. Now, pour that egg mixture right back into the saucepan. Keep the heat low and stir the whole time. Watch for it to thicken—aim for about 170°F (77°C).

4. Once it thickens, pull the pan off the heat. Let the mixture cool down completely.

5. Pop it in the fridge and chill for at least 4 hours. Longer is fine if you’ve got the patience.

6. Pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream maker. Follow whatever instructions your machine gives you—every model’s a bit different.

7. Scoop the churned ice cream into a container and freeze it for 2 to 4 hours. That way, it’ll firm up nicely before you dig in.

Craving more specifics? Check out this French Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe.