50 Amazing Ways To Make Homemade Ice Cream
Don't play flavorites—make them all!
I scream, you scream, we ALL scream for ice cream, and it’s easy to see why: It’s the perfect dessert whether you’re turning it into a sundae, eating it alongside a fruity cobbler or pie, or enjoying it all on its own (with sprinkles ofc, we’re not monsters). The one issue? Making it at home can be intimidating. We get it, but we’re here to tell you—not only is it completely doable, it’s also SO worth it. From no-churn to completely from scratch, with a few showstopping ice cream cakes thrown in for good measure, we’ve got something here for everyone. Check out our 50 homemade ice cream recipes, then get to scooping!
There are two camps when it comes to homemade ice cream—completely homemade, using milk, eggs, and an ice cream maker; and no-churn, where you combine a little heavy cream with sweetened condensed milk, and freeze. We’ve got a number of recipes here in both categories, each with their own merits. For the former, try our homemade red velvet ice cream, our chocolate ice cream, our peppermint ice cream, or our pumpkin ice cream. For the latter, some of our faves include our mudslide no-churn ice cream, our cookies & cream ice cream, or our cannoli ice cream, but peruse the list and you’ll see—the sky’s really the limit for flavors here. Looking for a fun ice cream project with kids? Our ice cream in a bag or our mason jar ice cream are fun to make and to eat (and are a little educational, to boot).
We’ve also included a few frozen dessert recipes here—while they aren’t ice cream, per se, they're ice cream-adjacent, so we’re counting them. Our gelato (check out our explainer on it vs. ice cream), sorbet, and granita follow some of the same tenets of ice cream, but with an extra-refreshing twist. Want to turn some of your homemade (or store-bought, we won’t tell) ice cream into something even more spectacular? Check out our copycat Dairy Queen ice cream cake, our baked Alaska, our cookies 'n' cream ice cream pie, or our strawberry shortcake ice cream cake for ideas. The best part about these? You can change them up with your favorite flavors and toppings every time you make them!
Want even more chilled dessert ideas? Check out our favorite icebox cakes, our best no-bake desserts, and our top popsicles too.