THE LIKE-A-PRO ICE CREAM
With milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla bean, and xanthan gum.
Vanilla beans can be expensive, so we consider them a rare treat. To celebrate a vanilla bean, we make this Vanilla Bean Ice Cream full of vanilla seed speckles and a warm, full-bodied vanilla flavour. A vanilla bean ice cream is the kind of ice cream you devour in fine-dining restaurants, only now you can make it at home at a fraction of the cost and take the most out of this precious ingredient.
Xanthan gum makes for ice cream with a perfect, full-bodied mouthfeel, which churns beautifully, melts uniformly during serving, and keeps well in the freezer.
No xanthan gum? See 3 more ways to make this Vanilla Bean Ice Cream:
Do not reduce or replace anything; everything is there for a reason.
This is a quick overview of the recipe. If you are new to ice cream making, do read the recipe before proceeding.
In a medium saucepan bring to a rolling boil 2/3 of the milk & all the sugar.
Pour the boiling milk into a blender jug with the cold cream and the rest 1/3 of the cold milk.
With the blender on, sprinkle the xanthan gum.
Blend for 2 minutes to fully hydrate it.
Strain the ice cream mixture into a bowl; scrape the vanilla seeds into the ice cream mixture and whisk. Add the vanilla pod, too.
Put the ice cream mixture in the refrigerator overnight; or until completely cold.
Remove the vanilla pod. Add the vanilla extract (if using)
Churn in your ice cream maker until fluffed up and creamy.
Put it in the freezer for a few hours to set.
As soon as it sets, you can either serve it from the ice cream maker bowl or transfer to a container and store it in the freezer.
When making ice cream prefer to weigh all the ingredients by weight. We also recommend weighing the liquids directly into the bowl/pan as you proceed with the recipe instead of transferring them from one bowl to another because this transfer causes a small -but unwanted- loss of quantity.
If you do not have a kitchen scale, follow these guidelines:
• 1 cup (US) = 237 ml | 1 tablespoon=15 ml | 1 teaspoon=5 ml
• sugar: measuring sugar in tablespoons is more accurate than measuring it in cups. Use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon (not a regular one); this is 13 gr of sugar. To measure correctly, each time you scoop the sugar, level it with the flat side of a knife.
• liquid ingredients: thoroughly scrape with a rubber spatula any residues left on the sides and bottom of the cup every time you measure something and empty it.
This recipe makes a 1.2 litre/quart ice cream mixture (before churning), perfect for ice cream makers with a capacity of 1.5 and up to 2 litres/quarts (like Cuisinart ice cream makers).
If you need to scale the ice cream mixture up or down, use this ratio of the ingredients (in weight only):
milk 50% | cream 35% | sugar 14.88% | xanthan gum 0.12%
in desired total weight of ice cream mixture.
The fat content from the milk and cream in this recipe make for ice cream with approx. 14% fat, which is the lowest in fat we can go in ice cream with xanthan gum before the ice cream texture and mouthfeel start to suffer.
Other than that, we prefer our ice cream richer in butterfat; if you like it this way too, use 425 gr milk (15 oz ) & 575 g cream (20.3 oz); this makes ice cream with approx. 18% fat, with a creamier body and mouthfeel.
You can adjust the quantity of the xanthan gum in the recipe to your liking, depending on the texture you want to achieve:
You can combine double cream with whole milk to make heavy cream for this recipe. To make 415 g (14.6 oz) heavy cream, you need:
To make the heavy cream, put the double cream in a medium bowl and pour in the milk, a little at a time, stirring smoothly with a rubber spatula until smooth. Avoid whisking, as it may turn into whipped cream.
The resulting heavy cream has 36% fat, perfect for this ice cream. Proceed with the recipe, just as if you had the 415 g (14.6 oz) heavy cream needed.
*this 125 g (4.4 oz) milk is extra to the 590 g milk (20.8 oz) asked in the recipe. So, if using double cream, you will need in total 715 g milk (25.2 oz), from which:
This vanilla ice cream is perfect just how it is. However, if you want to boost its flavour you can substitute regular sugar with good-quality raw cane sugar, such as Demerara or Turbinado. These sugars have a natural caramel flavour which pairs well with white chocolate and brings out its flavours.
A flexible rubber spatula is good for:
-wiping the bottom of the saucepan when you cook dairy on the stovetop.
-scraping residues from bowls, saucepans etc.
If you do not have one, we strongly encourage you to buy one, preferably a flexible one.
The ice cream mixture needs to cool completely before churning, so prepare it in advance (approx. 8 hours before) to give it time to chill in the refrigerator.
If your ice cream maker has a removable freezer bowl, put it in the freezer for the whole time indicated by the manufacturer before churning, usually 24 hours.
Combine the cream with 1/3 of the milk: pour the cold heavy cream (415 g; 14.6 oz) and 1/3 of the cold milk (200 g; 7 oz; 200 ml) into the blender jug (or a large bow, if using an immersion blender). If you do not proceed with the recipe immediately, put it in the refrigerator to keep cold.
Bring the rest of the milk and the sugar to a boil: pour the rest of the milk (390 g; 13.8 oz) and all the sugar (200 g; 7 oz) into a medium saucepan.
Warm over medium-high heat, often stirring; when it comes to a rolling boil (95°C; 203°F; or when large bubbles which pop vigorously appear on the surface; or if it starts to overflow), immediately remove it from the heat and pour it into the blender jug with the cold cream & milk.
Do not let the milk come to a boil before all the sugar has dissolved, or the milk may curdle. Stirring often helps the sugar dissolve efficiently.
Turn the blender on (medium speed). Note: by blending that much boiling hot milk with that much fridge-cold cream, the blend instantly reaches approx. 52°C; 131°F; this is a temperature for the xanthan gum to dissolve efficiently.
Sprinkle in the xanthan gum: with the blender on, slowly sprinkle the xanthan gum (½ tsp.) over the surface and blend for 2 minutes to fully hydrate the xanthan gum. Do not expect the blend to thicken; it will thicken as it cools.
Strain the ice cream mixture over a fine-mesh sieve and into a bowl.
Scrape the vanilla seeds from the vanilla bean into the mixture; whisk vigorously to distribute the seeds. Αdd the vanilla pod in, too.
Cool the mixture with an ice bath: Place the bowl with the ice cream mixture inside a larger one and fill the space around it with ice cubes and cold water to create an ice bath. Make sure no water gets into the mixture. About 200 g (7 oz) of ice—roughly one standard tray—is enough to cool it down properly.
Let the mixture cool in the ice bath for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to help it cool evenly.
Chill completely: Once the mixture is no longer warm, remove the bowl from the ice bath, cover it and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 3 days. The base should be fridge-cold before churning.
Check if the ice cream mixture is cold before churning it: 4ºC–12ºC / 39ºF-54ºF / it feels fridge-cold when you place your index finger into it.
Prepare the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Remove the vanilla pod from the ice cream mixture.
Blend before churning: briefly blitz the ice cream mixture with an immersion blender, stopping once to scrape down the sides and bottom with a rubber spatula. This improves consistency and ensures a smooth, even texture.
Churn: with the machine running, pour the ice cream mixture through the canister and into the ice cream maker. Leave to churn until fluffed up and creamy; depending on your ice cream maker, this can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
This ice cream mixture expands and becomes airy as it churns. You’ll know it’s ready when it looks smooth, creamy, and slightly wavy—similar to soft-serve ice cream. Churning time varies depending on your machine and can take anywhere from 30 to 70 minutes.
To check the texture, lift a spoonful. It should be thick enough to stay on the spoon, but still soft. If it looks too thin or starts melting immediately, it needs more time.
If you’re unsure, let it churn for 10 more minutes. Keep in mind that it won’t look like store-bought ice cream at this point—it will still be soft. It only becomes firm and scoopable after a few hours in the freezer.
Stop the machine once the mixture is thick and creamy. If you continue churning beyond that point, the mixture can start losing the air it has built up and may seize, resulting in a dense, heavy texture.
One important note: some ice cream makers are programmed to stop automatically after a fixed time, but that doesn’t always mean the ice cream is ready. If your machine stops and the mixture still looks too soft, simply restart it and continue churning until the texture improves.
Put in the freezer to set: before serving the ice cream or moving it to a container for storing, you have to put it in the freezer to set. To do so, turn off the ice cream maker and:
· remove the removable freezer bowl (still filled with the ice cream) from the ice cream machine
· remove the paddle, scraping any ice cream attached to it back into the ice cream bowl
· cover the ice cream bowl and place it in the freezer
Setting time depends on many factors; see notes below for indicative times.
Serve or store: when it sets, you can serve it directly from the removable freezer bowl or transfer it to an airtight container for longer storage.
The setting time depends on the type of ice cream maker you’re using. Here are the general guidelines:
3–5 hours for machines with removable freezer bowls (these bowls must be pre-frozen before churning)
Under 1 hour for machines with built-in compressors and aluminum bowls
⚠️ Important: Ice cream in aluminum bowls sets quickly. Do not leave it for too long—once fully frozen, it can become extremely hard and difficult to remove without risking scratches to the bowl. Always monitor it closely.
To check if the ice cream is ready, aim for an internal temperature of –11°C (12°F). If you don’t have a thermometer, use this simple test:
Insert a round-tip knife all the way to the bottom of the ice cream:
✔ If it goes in smoothly but meets gentle resistance, it’s ready
✖ If it feels hard on top but soft underneath, it needs more time
✖ If it’s too firm to insert the knife, it’s over-frozen and likely too hard to scoop
If it’s over-frozen, don’t worry—head to the next section for how to bring it back to scoopable.
If the ice cream sits in the freezer in the removable freezer bowl for too long after it has set, it can become too hard to scoop or remove.
To make it scoopable again:
Place the bowl in the refrigerator and allow the ice cream to soften gradually.
Here’s how long that may take:
4–10 hours for removable freezer bowls (pre-freeze models)
1–2 hours for aluminum bowls (from compressor ice cream makers)
Note: These times are approximate and may vary depending on your fridge and the amount of ice cream. Check the texture occasionally as it softens.
Once the ice cream is soft enough to scoop—or its internal temperature reads approximately –11°C (12°F)—you can:
✔ Transfer it to another container and store it in the freezer
✔ Or serve it directly from the bowl
Just be sure to avoid digging into an over-frozen bowl with hard utensils, especially if using a nonstick-coated or aluminum bowl.
Straight after churning, the ice cream has a soft-serve consistency and melts almost instantly on contact. At this stage, it’s too soft to serve neatly or transfer easily—it’s simply too messy to handle.
Freezing the ice cream immediately after churning allows it to set properly. This step brings it to the right texture: scoopable, stable, and easy to portion or transfer into a storage container.
It’s the final step that turns churned ice cream into finished ice cream.
Storing: Transfer the finished ice cream to a lidded container and store it in the freezer for up to one month.
Cover it well to protect it from absorbing any unwanted freezer smells.
Scooping: Like all artisanal-style ice creams, this one freezes hard over time.
To make it scoopable again, place the container in the refrigerator for 45–60 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches about –11°C (12°F).
Once softened, it’ll scoop cleanly and serve beautifully.
4 Responses
In some recipes, I’ve seen where the vanilla bean internals and spent pod is added after milk and sugar come to boil instead of just before refrigeration as in your recipe. Would this alter the flavor of your recipe? Have you already tried this and it not produce your desired results – which is why you published this recipe? Thanks for the amazing recipes and by the way, the chocolate with xantham gum turned out great. The only change I’ll make in the future is adding a little salt to balance the immense cocoa flavor but even without salt it’s still great!
The reason I add the vanilla pod then is because of the procedure; as we are blending the mixture to hydrate the xanthan gum, it makes sense to add the pod after blending it. As for the vanilla bean internals, I add them at the end and straight into the strained ice cream mixture because I think they are too precious to be left in the blender, even in a minimum amount.
Although it does help to infuse the vanilla pod in milk that it is still hot, in our case the mixture it goes through the overnight refrigeration, so it is still OK, and the mixture gets the most out of this aroma after steeping in the cold mixture overnight. In short, both ways are right, but the way I use on this recipe is more suited to its procedure. Hope this helps!
So glad you loved the chocolate ice cream with xanthan gum. Thanks for your comment!
I want to make the ice cream but I didn’t see where the quantities are listed
The quantities are in the recipe’s section under the ingredient list. Unless there is some technical problem with the website, you should be able to see them there.