Quick and easy recipes for homemade ice cream

Want the scoop on how to recreate your favourite ice cream flavours at home? These simple recipes and useful tools will help you make homemade ice cream that’s smooth, creamy, and seriously tasty.

[Photo Credit: mizina]

Classic vanilla
This recipe for homemade vanilla ice cream is quick and easy, all you need is some ice and a couple of resealable Ziploc-type bags.

• Combine 1 cup of half-and-half, 2 Tbsp. of white sugar, and ½ tsp. of pure vanilla extract in a small resealable plastic bag and close tightly.
• Add ice and salt to a large resealable bag and then place the small bag inside the larger bag.
• Shake vigorously for about 10 minutes until the cream mixture has hardened.
• Remove ice cream from the bag and dig in!

Healthy fruit sorbet
Frozen sorbet is a light and refreshing low-calorie dessert packed with nutritious fruit. Try this recipe with peaches, mango, or a mix of your favourite seasonal berries.

• Freeze 2 lbs. of fruit until completely solid.
• Add 1 cup of sugar and ¾ cup of water to a saucepan and stir on medium heat until dissolved to create a simple syrup. Let cool to room temperature.
• Mix frozen fruit and simple syrup in a blender or food processor.
• Pour smooth sorbet liquid into a container and freeze to desired consistency.

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Decadent chocolate
Chocolate fans will go crazy over this decadent no-churn ice cream infused with cocoa powder.

• In a large mixing bowl, combine a can of sweetened condensed milk, ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
• In a separate bowl, whip 2 cups of heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
• Fold the two mixtures together and pour into a freezer-proof container.
• Cover and freeze for at least six hours or overnight.

Vegan coconut ice cream
While most recipes for homemade ice cream call for heavy cream, there are plenty of dairy-free alternatives to try. A delicious option for vegans or those with allergies, this recipe can be modified with additional ingredients like peanut butter, fruit, or caramel depending on your flavour preference.

• Combine 2 cups of full-fat coconut milk with ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ tsp. salt, and 1 ½ tsp. of pure vanilla extract in a mixing bowl.
• Pour mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid.
• Remove frozen cubes from tray and blend on a high-speed blender until smooth.
• Refreeze mixture if needed for desired consistency.

If you’re ready to take your homemade ice cream skills to the next level, consider investing in handy kitchen tools that can help you make delicious frozen desserts that your whole family will love.

Yonanas: This unique machine turns frozen fruit into soft-serve ice cream. Similar to an at-home juicer, ingredients are fed through a chute and pushed down with a plunger that grinds and emulsifies the fruit to create a creamy dessert.

Zoku: An affordable gadget for creating personalized bowls of ice cream, this single-serving tool makes soft serve ice cream in just 10 minutes.

KitchenAid: If you already own a KitchenAid brand stand mixer, consider buying the ice cream maker attachment that comes with a churning dasher and freezer-proof mixing bowl.

Breville: Real frozen dessert fanatics will love the Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker from Breville. The professional-quality ice cream maker comes with an LED display screen, self-refrigerating compressor, and multiple settings for sorbet, frozen yogurt, custard, gelato and ice cream.