Ice Cream for Everyone: 20 Recipes for Making Ice Cream at Home

Sheela Prakash

updated Jun 28, 2022

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Credit: Joe Lingeman
Chocolate Ice Cream

Ice cream is most definitely the dessert I reach for when my sweet tooth strikes in the summer. That means I have lingered in the freezer aisle at the grocery store more often than I care to admit. Once I started making ice cream at home, however, my affection for the creamy frozen treat only grew.

Ice cream is not only easy to make in your own kitchen, but it’s also a whole lot of fun. Whether you have an ice cream maker, are in need of a recipe for no-churn ice cream, ice cream without eggs, or vegan ice cream, we have a recipe for you. Here are 20 ice cream recipes to get you started.

Cuisinart Ice 22 Ice Cream Maker with Extra Bowl

Williams Sonoma

The Secrets to Making Ice Cream at Home

Classic and Newfangled Ice Cream Recipes

Before diving into the world of mix-ins like chocolate chips, nuts, and caramel swirls, it’s best to get the basics down. These recipes for classic vanilla, chocolate, and coffee ice cream are anything but boring and are sure to turn you into a homemade ice cream convert in no time. Then, once you’ve mastered the basics, have fun experimenting.

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Vanilla Ice Cream

Here's a step-by-step guide to making basic vanilla ice cream. It makes an ice cream perfect for birthday cake or a simple sundae.

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Chocolate Ice Cream

We're not saying this is the best chocolate ice cream ever (we haven't tasted them all yet), but it's a close contender.

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Pistachio Ice Cream

This pistachio ice cream tastes like raw pistachio nuts along with the cool, creamy texture of ice cream.

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Peach Ice Cream

Fresh peach-infused ice cream is cool, creamy, and classically summer.

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Avocado Ice Cream

Combine avocado with some milk and cream, a squeeze of lemon, and a touch of sugar for an ice cream that tastes like a totally heightened version of avocado.

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Coffee Ice Cream

You can strain the coffee out of the half-and-half before making the ice cream base, but we found the ice cream more robustly flavored if the grounds stay in until the ice cream base is thickened.

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Horchata Ice Cream

Horchata ice cream is just as cool and refreshing as the drink it's inspired by. Here, we're giving you one base recipe and three flavor variations: Horchata de Coco, Dulce de Leche Swirl, and Dirty Horchata.

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Sour Cherry-Almond Ice Cream with Chocolate Chunks

This pretty pink ice cream is bursting with fruit and chocolate — it's sure to cool you down.

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Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Banana Chunks

This ice cream has the ability to disappear from your freezer in a flash! It is the ultimate peanut butter-banana mash-up.

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Mexican Chocolate and Almond Ice Cream

This ice cream includes a pinch of cayenne as a nod to the traditional Mayan roots of chocolate drink when it was mixed with chiles for a spicy, frothy drink.

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Maple Ice Cream With Pecan Praline

You can very easily replace the pecans with walnuts or any other nut, if you wish, as the method for making the praline is the same.

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No-Churn Ice Cream

This ice cream is made with only two ingredients, requires no stovetop cooking, and can be made with just a hand mixer. No ice cream machine needed.

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Ice Cream Without Eggs

Instead of the traditional egg custard base, this recipe uses cornstarch and a few tablespoons of cream cheese to thicken the base. It’s not enough that you taste the cream cheese, but just enough to give the ice cream a creamy, silky mouthfeel.

Vegan Ice Cream Recipes

If you don’t eat dairy, ice cream made with vegan-friendly ingredients like coconut milk, almond milk, and cashew butter are great options. Not only do they mimic the consistency of dairy, but they also add awesome flavor.

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Easy Vegan Coconut Ice Cream

This simple method will teach you how to make delicious vegan ice cream at home with a coconut milk base.

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One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream

This ultra easy ice cream is made for mix-ins. Try adding peanut butter, dark chocolate chunks, or nuts to the base to make it your own.

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3-Ingredient Strawberry Nice Cream

This creamy, no-churn strawberry nice cream comes together with just three ingredients and no added sugar.

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Vegan Strawberry Swirl Ice Cream

If you'd like, you could easily swap in the fresh strawberries for blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a combination in this recipe.

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Vegan Cashew Ice Cream

This dreamy (vegan!) cashew ice cream only requires three ingredients and no cooking.

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Vegan Coconut Almond Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

As with most ice cream recipes, the mix-ins are certainly adaptable: if you like, say, another kind of chopped nut and white chocolate instead of dark, go to town.

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3-Ingredient Mango Nice Cream

This creamy, no-churn mango nice cream comes together with just three ingredients.

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