Frozen Vanilla Custard

4.8
(37)

This frozen custard recipe makes a rich and creamy, French-style ice cream made with eggs, heavy cream, milk, and vanilla. Although traditionally served soft in cones, I prefer to freeze it until firm, then scoop it.

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Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
5 mins
Additional Time:
7 hrs 50 mins
Total Time:
8 hrs 10 mins
Servings:
8
Yield:
1 quart
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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings

  • cup white sugar

  • 5 large egg yolks

  • 1 pinch salt

  • 2 cups heavy cream

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 2 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Whisk sugar, egg yolks, and salt together until mixture becomes fluffy and changes from dark golden to pale yellow.

  2. Heat cream and milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom. Cook just until mixture starts to simmer when little bubbles begin to appear on the surface, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.

  3. Whisk a ladleful of hot cream mixture into egg yolk mixture. Add another ladleful and whisk thoroughly before adding the next (this will keep the eggs from cooking). Gradually add remaining cream mixture and whisk thoroughly. Whisk in vanilla, then let cool completely, 30 to 45 minutes. You can place the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water to cool it faster.

  4. Pour cooled mixture into a pitcher, cover, and refrigerate until ice cold, 4 hours to overnight.

  5. Pour cold custard mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches the consistency of soft ice cream, about 20 minutes. Quickly transfer to a plastic container and place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the custard. Cover the container and freeze until firm enough to scoop, at least 3 hours.

    close up view of Frozen Vanilla Custard in a glass ice cream bowl with a spoon
    Chef John

Chef's Notes

You can substitute one split and scraped whole vanilla bean for the 2 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Try my ice cream cone recipe to use up the leftover egg whites from this recipe.

74 home cooks made it!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

341 Calories
26g Fat
20g Carbs
7g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 341
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 26g 33%
Saturated Fat 15g 77%
Cholesterol 210mg 70%
Sodium 91mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 20g 7%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 7g 14%
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 94mg 7%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 145mg 3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.