Rachel's Real Food Kitchen

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When you think of homemade ice cream, you probably think of a mixture of cream, eggs, and sugar. And indeed, that’s a delicious combination! But did you know…there’s an even easier way to make homemade ice cream?

Our family’s recipe is simple and requires no cooking or fancy prep. Just mix and freeze! Let’s find out how to make it.

How to Make Homemade Ice Cream Without Eggs

Ingredients for Homemade Ice Cream

• 3 cups Sucanat
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1 gallon Milk
• 1 pint Heavy Cream (optional)
• ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
• ⅔ large bag Ice
• 4 cups Salt, rock salt/softener salt

Instructions for Making Ice Cream Without Eggs

In an ice cream maker, pour in sucanat. Add vanilla, salt, and cream (if you’re using).

Types of Milk & Cream to Use in Homemade Ice Cream

Technically, cream is completely optional in this recipe. I’ve even made homemade ice cream with skim or 2% milk years ago, and while the texture does change somewhat (a bit more watery), it is still yummy.

As for types of milk, you can use any type of milk in this recipe: Cow milk, goat milk, raw milk, or store-bought milk. We’ve also made it with rice milk, though it has been many years, so I don’t remember much about it. I haven’t experimented as much with alternative milks, so let me know what your experiments render!

Okay, back to the recipe…

Finishing Homemade Ice Cream Without Eggs

Pour milk over the top of the sugar, vanilla, salt, and cream. Mix gently using the paddle. It doesn’t need to be well combined; just stirred around a bit.

Freeze ice cream according to machine manufacturer’s directions. We have an old-fashioned ice cream maker much like this one, which you pack with ice and lots of salt. We discovered by accident that using water softener salt works great, since it was already on hand.

Quick Tip: Place the ice cream maker in the sink while it freezes, so you don’t have to worry about any spills!

Why Do You Use Salt When Freezing Homemade Ice Cream?

The salt is KEY to freezing an ice cream mixture.

Here’s something from The Kitchn that’s excellent at explaining the science behind it:

“Salt provides the solution. Similar to sugar, salt affects how water freezes and effectively lowers the freezing/melting point of water. Creating a saltwater slush and packing this around our ice cream base allows us to cool the base enough so that it starts to thicken and freeze before the ice melts completely.”

Pretty neat, huh?

Once frozen and machine has stopped running, serve immediately.

How to Make Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Butter pecan ice cream is just delightful!

To make it, you’ll want to do everything above, except add pecans too. Before making your ice cream, in a pan melt a tablespoon or two of real butter. Throw in a handful or so of pecan pieces and cook over medium/medium-high heat, stirring constantly until nuts turn brown. Pour nuts into ice cream maker along with the other ingredients. Scrape in the bit of extra browned butter too for additional flavor. 😉

How to Make Homemade Ice Cream More Creamy

The higher the fat content, the more creamy the mixture will be, so adding additional cream will make it creamier. I’ve also added a tablespoon or so of gelatin powder for thickener, mmmm. I’m sure there are lots of other ingredients you could add.

Additions & Serving Suggestions for Homemade Ice Cream

I’m sure there are lots of different things you could add to the mixture, including chocolate or berries. We like serving our homemade ice cream plain or with another dessert like apple pie, berry crisp, or strawberry shortcake. SO GOOD.

How Long Does It Take to Make Homemade Ice Cream?

This particular recipe takes about ½ hour to freeze, though it depends somewhat on the temperature of the room and how much ice/salt you’re using. The warmer the temperature, the longer it will take to freeze.

How to Store Homemade Ice Cream in the Freezer

Scoop out the ice cream from the canister or leave in the canister if it can be frozen. Cover and place in the freezer. It will be harder to serve later once frozen, so you may want to take it out for a few minutes before serving. Using a sharp, sturdy ice cream scoop like this one helps a lot too.