Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe

Steeping a split vanilla bean directly in warm milk and cream pulls out both the seeds and the oils in the pod, giving a rounder, more floral vanilla flavor than extract alone, while a cooked egg yolk custard base churns up denser and creamier than eggless versions.

Prep

20 min

Cook

15 min

Total

7 hr 15 min

Servings

8

Ingredients

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Instructions

1. 1Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a paring knife and scrape out the seeds. Add both the seeds and the empty pod to a saucepan with the milk and cream.
2. 2Heat the milk mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until steaming and small bubbles form around the edges, about 170°F (77°C). Do not let it boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes.
3. 3In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
4. 4Remove the vanilla pod from the milk mixture and reheat it over medium heat until steaming again. Slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly, then whisk the tempered yolks back into the saucepan.
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5. 5Cook the custard over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and reaches 170-175°F (77-79°C), 5-8 minutes. Do not let it simmer or boil, or the yolks will scramble.
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6. 6Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl set over an ice bath. Stir in the salt and vanilla extract.
7. 7Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface and refrigerate until completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.
8. 8Churn the cold custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, about 20-25 minutes, until it reaches soft-serve consistency.
9. 9Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, press a piece of parchment directly onto the surface, and freeze for at least 2 hours until firm before scooping.

Tips & variations

• Swap the whole vanilla bean for 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste if fresh pods aren't available; stir it in with the vanilla extract in step 6 instead of steeping.
• Save the scraped vanilla pod and bury it in a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar instead of throwing it away.
• For a softer, easier-to-scoop texture straight from the freezer, replace 2 tablespoons of the sugar with 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup.
• Adding 2 extra egg yolks makes a noticeably richer, denser custard closer to French-style ice cream.

Storage & reheating

Store in an airtight, freezer-safe container with parchment or plastic wrap pressed against the surface to limit ice crystals. It keeps well for up to 2 weeks, though texture is best in the first week. Let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before scooping if it's frozen rock-hard.

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