Who doesn’t love fresh, homemade ice cream? I know I do. When ice cream is made from scratch it always tastes better and vanilla ice cream is no exception to this rule. Vanilla ice cream may be one of the best and easier flavors to make at home because it requires very few ingredients and the flavor from the vanilla beans really makes such a difference compared to store-bought varieties. I also just love the specks from the vanilla beans!
One drawback of being an ice cream lover is the calories. I always hate to look at the calorie count on the ice cream package because of that number for each serving. It always makes me cringe and almost not want to eat any ice cream… almost! Luckily, I have found a solution to store-bought ice cream that is better for you, tastes delicious, and only takes a small amount of time to prepare! I have to admit, this is not healthy food, but I can guarantee that it is tasty!
Items Used in This Recipe
Low Fat Vanilla Ice Cream
Equipment
- Bowls
- wooden spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
- Food scale
Ingredients
- 2 cups Whole milk
- 2 cups Heavy cream
- 1 cup Granulated sugar divided
- pinch Salt
- 1 Whole vanilla bean halved and seeds scraped ( I did not have vanilla beans on hand, and instead used 3 tsp. vanilla extract)
- 5 Large egg yolk
- 1 1/2 tsp. Pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour whole milk, heavy cream, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, vanilla bean, and vanilla extract into a large saucepan. Turn heat to medium and stir often until the mixture reaches a boil. Immediately pull the saucepan from heat when the liquid reaches a boil. While the milk mixture is heating up whisk egg yolks and the remaining amount of sugar together. Whisk egg yolk mixture until pale yellow and fully incorporated with no lumps. Immediately start tempering the milk mixture into egg yolks until all of the milk has been mixed in and you have a pale yellow liquid. Now pour your mixture back into the saucepan and bring to medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. This consistency is called “nappe” and should never be brought to a boil. Always make sure to strain your ice cream base to prevent clumps.
- Ready an ice bath and pour your ice cream base into your ice bath to chill or pour into a container. Place the base in your fridge to chill for several hours. Make sure the base is fully chilled before pouring it into the ice cream maker.
- Once fully chilled pour the base into the ice cream maker per the manufacturer’s instructions. For my machine, I am making sure the ice cream bowl is completely frozen before proceeding. I assembled the machine, turned it on, and poured the base in slowly. The recipe was done within 20 minutes where I promptly turned off the machine and scooped out the ice cream into a plastic container. If you like soft-serve it is ready to eat but if you prefer a firmer consistency place in your freezer for several hours before serving.
Notes
Did you like this post? Check out how to make my chai ice cream recipe!
Sounds tasty! We’ll try it soon!