What is Custard Ice Cream?

If you’ve been reminiscing about a creamy, delicious ice cream you had some time ago, there’s a high chance you had vanilla custard ice cream. Asides from its creamy texture and unforgettable taste, you can have this ice cream with various options. It can be a cookie, a pie, or even a cake. We’re sure that this is a treat that you’re looking forward to having again. What if we tell you that you can have it anytime and as much as you want? How would you like a homemade ice cream with your favorite custard ice cream recipe? Of course, you’re ecstatic about this opportunity.

Before we jump right into how to make vanilla custard ice cream, you ought to know the difference between frozen custard and ice cream. You’ll also learn some helpful tips that will aid you when making this delicious treat.

What’s the Difference Between Frozen Custard and Ice Cream?

Frozen custard is a frozen snack that bears many similarities but has a more creamy texture and richer feel. It’s made with milk, cream, sugar, and pasteurized egg yolks. All these ingredients serve to give it smooth and velvety consistency. On the other hand, ice cream requires all the ingredients used in making frozen custard except egg yolks. That’s the significant difference between ice cream and frozen custard.

Ingredients for Custard Ice Cream Recipe

Ensure you use the following items for your homemade custard ice cream:

Egg Yolk

This is the most essential ingredient for your custard ice cream recipe. As we said earlier, it’s what separates frozen custard from ice cream. It should be the first ingredient in the mixing bowl when making your custard ice cream. This way, it will serve as the base of your ice cream mix. However, we don’t advise putting the raw egg yolks like that in the bowl because it carries Salmonella – a pathogenic bacteria. Pasteurize the egg yolks to kill the microorganisms in them. Alternatively, you can opt for store-bought pasteurized egg yolks.

Sugar

What’s an ice cream that isn’t sweet? Sugar is indispensable if you want to add sweetness to your mix. Aside from giving it a pleasant taste, it improves its texture. We recommend going for white granulated sugar.

Whole Milk

This, with the ingredients mentioned above, rounds off your ice cream base. It’s also known as full-fat milk because its fatty content was maintained during processing.

Vanilla Beans

Vanilla Bean is a popular spice that adds a rich flavor to your custard ice cream recipe. It comes with the seeds and the pod, both of which contain its flavor. To get the best of this ingredient, add both to the mix and stir. If you can’t get your hands on this ingredient, opt for vanilla bean paste instead.

Heavy Cream

This isn’t a necessary addition, but it’s a great one because it adds to the creamy texture. Imagine whole milk and heavy cream in the same ice cream recipe. Sounds and tastes like heaven to us.

Salt

A pinch of salt will add to the magic of this treat. Salt balances the sweetness of the homemade custard ice cream mix.

Vanilla Extract

You can’t leave this one out even if you want to. What’s a vanilla custard ice cream without a vanilla extract? It’s incredibly important and enhances the flavors of your milk, sugar, cream, and vanilla bean.

Below are the measurements we want to use for the frozen dairy dessert:

• 6 egg yolks
• A pinch of salt
• 2 cups of heavy cream
• 1 cup of whole milk
• A vanilla bean
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar

How to Make Custard Ice Cream?

Now, to the part that you’ve been waiting for. Stay with us as we walk you through the steps involved in making this frozen dessert:

• The day before you want to make your luscious ice cream, place an ice cream bowl in the freezer. This will give it a full day to be as cold as possible for your creamy dessert.
• Get a medium-sized bowl and pour your pasteurized egg yolks inside.
• Add your granulated sugar and stir together with a whisk till you have a smooth and yellow mixture. This is your custard base.
• Get your vanilla bean and break it into two pieces. Remove the seeds from the bean from the pod and keep them somewhere.
• Place a large pan over medium heat and add your whole milk, salt, vanilla bean pod, and seeds to it. Let the milk simmer before you switch off the stove. Don’t let the milk boil.
• Take a half cup of the heated milk and add it to your mixture. Stir it thoroughly with your whisk till everything is properly mixed.
• Now take this mixture and add it with the remnant milk in the pan and set it on low heat.
• Stir it constantly as it heats. Keep doing it till it thickens enough to form a coating on your spoon.
• Add a strainer on top of a bowl and pour the mixture through it to get rid of any eggshells inside.
• Now, add the vanilla extract and heavy cream to the strained mixture and mix them together.
• Get plastic wrap and cover the bowl. Push the wrap down to touch the ice cream mixture, so it won’t form skin while getting cold in the refrigerator. Keep the mixture in the fridge for about 3 hours.
• Get rid of the vanilla bean pod and churn the custard ice cream in the ice cream machine. Please remember that you should follow the manufacturer’s instructions while at it.
• Keep churning the ice cream until it attains the consistency and thickness of soft-serve ice cream.
• Transfer the ice cream to the frozen ice cream pan. Just like you did earlier, push down a plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream.
• Put it back into the freezer for about 4 hours or until the vanilla ice cream is solid.
• Take it out of the freezer and let it stay for about 5 minutes before serving.

How you take your homemade ice cream is your choice. Still, allow us to indulge you by introducing you to some items that you can add to your frozen treats. You can opt for mint chocolate chips, whipped cream, fudge, caramel, jimmies, candy bars, melted chocolate, shredded coconuts or nuts, etc.

How to Store Custard Ice Cream?

To properly store your frozen custard, put it in an airtight container and keep it in your freezer. Remember that the wax paper or plastic wrap you’re using to cover it should be pressed on its surface. It should last up to a month.

How to Make No Churn Custard Ice Cream?

Forgive the grammar! This simply means how to make vanilla custard ice cream without an ice cream machine or ice cream maker. Let’s show you how:

• As you did in the first process, place your ice cream pan in the freezer before mixing your ingredients for the frozen custard
• Transfer the mixture in your medium bowl into the cold pan and leave it for 3-4 hours. For the first 2 hours, stir the homemade ice cream mixture within intervals of 30 minutes. This will allow air in and give the ice cream the right texture.

Tips for Making Custard Ice Cream

When making ice cream, there are certain mistakes you can make that may ruin the experience. The following tips we’ll give you should do the trick of keeping you on the right track. That’s provided you stick to them:

Maximize the Use of the Vanilla Pod

It’s very important to include your vanilla bean pod when simmering the milk in the pan and chilling the custard base. This way, you’ll suck out all the flavor from the item and give your ice cream a richer taste.

Use Ingredients of Good Quality

Ensure your custard recipes include ingredients that are in their best form. Avoid the temptation of going for lesser quality because they will cost you less. Ensure that everything from your vanilla extract and sugar to your whole milk is fresh and in optimal condition. Imagine using sour or spoilt milk to make your frozen dessert. That’s simply a disaster waiting to happen.

Be Prudent with Extra Ingredients

It’s not out of the question to add some ingredients to the ideal ice cream recipes. Just do it in moderation. By saying that, we mean 1 or 2 extra items is enough. You should also ensure that they’re chopped into small pieces.

Use Full-Fat Milk

Some people prefer sticking to low-fat or skimmed milk. We understand that. However, when it comes to making ice creams, don’t skimp on the fatty content. Milk that is rich in fat and cream gives your homemade ice cream consistency in texture. Still, if you insist on making your ice creams with low-fat milk, don’t be surprised when it forms ice crystals in the freezer.

Use Pre-Chilled Ingredients If You Can

It’s not necessary, and your frozen custard will be fine without it. However, it’s an important tip you should do if you can. So, if you know ice cream is going to be on the menu, put the ingredients you’ll be using in the freezer. It will serve your no-churn ice cream and ice cream maker recipes well.

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

What Makes Frozen Custard Creamy?

Well, three things primarily. However, we’ll give precedence to one of them – egg yolks. The other items are heavy cream and full-fat milk. These ingredients provide the frozen custard a creamier texture than traditional ice cream.

How Long Does it Take for Custard Ice Cream to Thicken?

If you’re churning it inside the ice cream maker, it will take about 25 minutes to get the desired thickness.

Does Custard Ice Cream Have Sugar?

Of course, it does. White, granulated sugar is one of the ingredients added to the ice cream to give it a sweet flavor. You don’t have to worry about it being sugary because the sweetness is balanced with a pinch of salt. The best thing we love about frozen custard is that it has a balanced flavor that isn’t reliant on a singular ingredient.

How Healthy is Frozen Custard?

It’s healthier than normal ice cream. It contains less calories and fat than it. Since it requires the addition of egg yolks, it contains a good dose of protein and biotin.

Conclusion

As you’ve seen, making custard ice cream with and without an ice cream maker is much simpler than you think. Remember to use ingredients of good quality, full-fat milk, a little salt, a little more sugar, vanilla extract and bean, egg yolks, and heavy cream. Egg yolks are the one item you can’t afford to leave out from your ice cream base. If you do, then it’s just ice cream. Also, remember to pasteurize the eggs to get rid of the bacteria inside.