The Best Raw Milk Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

I’m all about homemade dessert, especially ice cream. This homemade raw milk ice cream is the perfect treat that you can feel good about, because it’s made with real food ingredients and no refined sugar! Extra creamy from raw cream and egg yolks, sweetened with maple syrup or honey, and a dash of vanilla for depth of flavor. You’re going to love it! 

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The Problem With Store-Bought Ice Cream

Do you know what’s in the ice cream from the store? While there are some better brands, often times the ice cream you find on the grocery store shelves is heavily processed, contains refined sugar, preservatives, and vegetables oils. Take a look at the ingredients from one popular brand: 

MILK, CREAM, SUGAR, FUDGE SWIRL (POWDERED SUGAR [SUGAR, CORN STARCH], PEANUT OIL, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, DEXTROSE, SKIM MILK, COCOA, SALT, SOY LECITHIN), PEANUT BUTTER CUPS (SUGAR, COCONUT OIL, PEANUT BUTTER [PEANUTS, SALT], PARTIALLY DEFATTED PEANUT FLOUR, NONFAT MILK, MILK, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, SALT, COCOA, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVORS), BUTTERMILK, WHEY, CORN SYRUP, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, SKIM MILK, CONTAINS 1% OR LESS OF NATURAL FLAVORS, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CAROB BEAN GUM, GUAR GUM, CARRAGEENAN, CELLULOSE GEL, CELLULOSE GUM.

This homemade ice cream recipe only has 5 ingredients: Cream, milk, egg yolks, maple syrup and vanilla. 

Why Raw Milk?

My dairy preference is always fresh raw milk, because it is a powerhouse food with incredible health benefits. Raw milk isn’t exposed to the high heat of the pasteurization process, so it retains all of it’s bioavailable vitamins, minerals, enzymes, good bacteria, naturally occurring CLA and omega-3 fatty acids. Using raw milk and cream to make homemade ice cream makes the end results a nutrient dense dessert you can feel great about eating. 

If you don’t have access to raw milk, the next best option would be grass fed, whole milk (and heavy cream). 

Ingredients For Raw Milk Ice Cream

I mentioned how simple this recipe is compared to the ice cream you can buy at your local supermarket. You will only need five simple ingredients to make this delicious and nourishing dessert! 

2 Cups Raw Cream

This is the good stuff that will make your vanilla ice cream super creamy. I like to buy whole raw milk from a local farm, and skim the cream off of the top for my ice cream. Or as an alternative, some farms will sell cream as a separate product. Real raw cream will rise to the top of the milk, so it’s easy to separate with a ladle, or by slowly pouring it off of the top. If you don’t have access to raw cream, you can use heavy whipping cream. 

1 1/2 Cups Whole Raw Milk

If you purchased whole raw milk, shake up the leftover milk after you skimmed off the cream. The rest will still have a little cream, and is delicious in homemade ice cream. For best results, use fresh milk. 

5 Fresh Egg Yolks

You will need high quality, raw pastured egg yolks for this ice cream recipe. If eating raw eggs isn’t for you, you can leave them out however I highly recommend you include them because they make the ice cream really rich and creamy. If you are wondering about the safety of eating raw eggs, just know that the risk of salmonella is incredibly low, and if the eggs are from healthy pastured chickens, it goes down even further (source). The key is to know that your eggs come from a reliable source, and the chickens are healthy. 

1/2 Cup Real Maple Syrup or Raw Honey

No refined sugar in this recipe! Real maple syrup or raw honey give this ice cream a delicious sweet flavor. My favorite is maple syrup, but raw honey is great too. You can experiment to see what is your favorite combination. For the honey option, I love to use local raw honey for additional health benefits. 

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Real vanilla adds the perfect flavor to this homemade vanilla ice cream. It has such a rich vanilla flavor! I always measure vanilla with my heart, but you do you! 

Other Supplies You Will Need To Make Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream is simple to make, but you will need a few tools to get the job done right. For this recipe, I recommend:

• A blender or hand mixer. You want to make sure you mix all the ingredients together really well before adding to the ice cream maker. Alternatively, you could use a whisk but just make sure to get the egg yolks completely mixed into the ice cream base. 
• Ice cream machine or kitchen aid attachment. For this recipe, you do need an ice cream maker. Ice cream makers are great because they slow churn the ice cream mixture while keeping everything ice cold. 
• Ice cream scoop or large spoon

How To Make Raw Milk Ice Cream

Start to finish, this easy recipe will only take about a half an hour. Homemade ice cream couldn’t be easier! 

Step 1: Combine all ingredients

In a large blender, combine egg yolks, cream, milk, maple syrup and vanilla. Blend on low until combined. Be careful not to over mix, or you might end up with some kind of whipped cream or butter! If you don’t have a blender, you can use a large glass bowl and a hand mixer or whisk. 

Step 2: Add Ice Cream Base to the Ice Cream Maker

Carefully pour the milk mixture into your ice cream machine. 

Step 3: Slow Churn the ice cream

Follow the instructions on your ice cream maker to turn it on. If you are using a kitchen-aid ice cream attachment, turn the machine onto the lowest setting. Slow churning results in super creamy ice cream! Allow ice cream to churn for 15-25 minutes, every machine is different so follow the instructions on your ice cream maker.

Optional: Add mix-ins around 20 minutes and mix until combined.

Step 4: Enjoy!

Once the ice cream has thickened up to your desired consistency, stop the ice cream machine. Scoop the ice cream out and serve immediately with your favorite toppings! 

How To Store Homemade Ice Cream

This section was a little funny for me to write, because if I’m being honest we never have any leftover ice cream. It’s that good! However if you have better self control than we do over here, you can put your ice cream in a glass container and store in the freezer. The consistency does change a little bit once it is frozen, but it will last for up to 3 months. 

Tips For Making Homemade Raw Milk Ice Cream

• If you are using a kitchen aid ice cream maker attachment, make sure the bowl has been in the freezer for at least 48 hours before you try and make ice cream. If it isn’t completely frozen all the way through, your ice cream won’t get thick. 
• If you aren’t comfortable drinking raw milk and raw egg yolks, you can heat the ingredients on the stovetop first, or you can use pasteurized milk/heavy cream and omit the egg yolks. If you choose to heat the ingredients, make sure to completely cool them before making ice cream. 
• Depending on the texture you like your ice cream, you can let the ice cream maker churn a little longer or a little less. We like ours to be soft-serve consistency, so 20-25 minutes is good for us. For thicker ice cream, let it churn 25-30 minutes. You can also put it in the freezer for 15 minutes or so to harden up a little bit more before you serve it. 

Raw Milk Ice Cream Variations

This ice cream recipe is just a starting point! You can add all kinds of mix-ins to make the flavor of ice cream that you want. Add your mix ins towards the end of the mixing, after the ice cream maker has been going for about 20 minutes. Here are a few ideas to try:

• For chocolate ice cream, add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder when you mix all of the ingredients in the blender
• Fresh fruit
• Chocolate shavings, chocolate chunks or chocolate chips
• Homemade cookie dough
• Cookie chunks
• Real fruit preserves or jam
• Cinnamon
• Collagen or protein powder for protein ice cream
• tsp of mint extract 

Have you tried your hand at homemade ice cream? It’s one of our favorite ways to use up extra milk and cream, and our whole family loves it.