# Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream

By Willy Bear · 2026-10-20 · https://ricottabear.com/old-fashioned-vanilla-ice-cream


A simple custard-base vanilla ice cream: four yolks, sugar, milk, cream and vanilla, chilled and churned. Makes about a quart.

## The story

The ice cream-parlor kind of vanilla, made on a cooked custard base. Egg yolks and sugar are whisked together, warm milk goes in, and it is heated gently until it thickens, then chilled before the cream and vanilla are stirred in and it all goes into the ice cream maker. The longer the base chills, the creamier it churns.

Robyn Stone’s recipe from Add a Pinch, written out here in my own words.

## Recipe: Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream

Creamy custard-base vanilla ice cream with egg yolks, sugar, milk, heavy cream and vanilla. Chill, churn, and freeze. Makes about 1 quart.

> Status: UNTESTED. The author has not made this yet; quantities and timings may change.

- Makes: 8 servings (about 1 quart)
- Prep: 5 min
- Bake: 10 min
- Total: 4 hr 15 min

### Ingredients

- 4 egg yolks
- 99 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 244 g (1 cup) milk, whole
- 238 g (1 cup) heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste

### Method

1. **Yolks and sugar.** Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a medium saucepan until pale yellow and well combined.
2. **Warm the milk.** Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it just begins to simmer. Do not stir it.
3. **Make the custard.** Pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture gradually, stirring all the time. Put the pan back on the heat and cook until it reaches 165°F (74°C), without letting it boil. Take it off the heat as soon as it gets there.
4. **Chill.** Pour the custard into an airtight container and chill it in the fridge until it is down to at least 65°F (18°C). The longer it chills, the creamier the ice cream.
5. **Churn.** Stir the cream and vanilla into the cold custard, pour it into your ice cream maker and churn it following the machine’s instructions.

Notes: The recipe says to chill the custard to 65°F. Most custard bases are chilled colder, to fridge temperature (about 40°F), and Robyn notes that the longer it chills, the creamier it gets, so overnight is a good plan. Her card times (15 minutes) leave out chilling and churning; the extra time on this card is our estimate. Makes about a quart; double it for a 2-quart machine.