Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

The best homemade ice cream recipe we’ve ever tried is the Salt and Straw ice cream base

This Salt and Straw ice cream base can be turned into almost any flavor imaginable.

By
Variety of ice cream scoops in cones with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry
fahrwasser / Adobe Stock

There is no better summertime indulgence than that of homemade ice cream. Once you’ve made (and then, by no fault of your own, devoured) this special treat, it will be hard to ever go back to the boxed grocery store brand. It’s like returning to premade refrigerated cookie dough after making your mother’s scratch-made recipe. You just can’t. It feels wrong somehow. When you know something can be so delicious, you know what a disservice you’re doing yourself by not having the most authentic, best version possible. Ice cream is very much that way. And the wonderful thing is that homemade ice cream is a breeze to make, unlike so many other decadent desserts. The one issue can be finding the perfect homemade ice cream recipe. And that all starts with the ice cream base.

What is an ice cream base?

Made with just a few simple ingredients, an ice cream base is the foundation upon which all other flavors are built. And if you have a great one, you can build your layers of flavor in absolutely any way that tickles your fancy. Ice cream can take on flavor and texture with just about anything you please — extracts, fruits, candies, syrups, nut butters, and chocolate chips are just a few ideas to get you started. Just be sure to allow the ice cream base to cool before adding your own touches of creativity. Once you’ve added your flavorings to the ice cream base, simply churn and enjoy.

Recommended Videos

The incredibly delicious ice cream base recipe below is from the always amazing Salt and Straw. This popular ice cream brand has, in our opinion, some of the best ice cream on the planet, so we were ecstatic to learn how to create their fantastic ice cream base at home.

Salt and Straw Ice Cream
Salt & Straw

Salt & Straw ice cream base recipe

(From Salt & Straw)

This ice cream base can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready, simply add your favorite flavorings and pour them into your ice cream maker.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/3 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 2 tablespoons dry milk powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 1 1/3 cups heavy cream

Method:

  1. Combine the milk, sugar, corn syrup, dry milk, and xanthan gum in a medium pot and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the cream and whisk until fully combined.
  2.  Transfer the mixture to a sealed container and refrigerate for 12 hours. The base can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  3. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to your machine’s instructions.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay Parrill
Contributor
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
The 8 best hot dog topping alternatives you need to try
Forget the mustard and sauerkraut, try these creative toppings instead
Three hot dogs with different topppings

Summer will be here before we know it, so that means grilling season has almost arrived. Whether you have backyard barbecues, like to picnic at the barbecue pit in the park, or just want to harken back to your youth with hot dogs, why not get creative with some alternative hot dog toppings?
Our best alternative toppings for your dogs
You can prepare your hot dogs by steaming, boiling, or grilling, but that doesn’t mean the toppings have to be mustard only -- and no, we don’t put ketchup on hot dogs. We’re going to take a look at some of the most creative hot dog toppings out there that are sure to up your hot dog game.
Classic Chicago dogs

These hot dog toppings always will be a staple. The Vienna Beef hot dog reached Chicago during the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, and the Chicago Dog was invented in 1929 at a stand named Fluky’s. The hot dog was originally called the Depression Sandwich. The Chicago-style dog features a poppy seed bun with an all-beef frank topped with mustard, white onions, dark green sweet pickle relish, sliced tomato, sport peppers, a dill pickle spear, and celery salt. If you don’t have the celery salt, that is passable, but you definitely can’t have a Chicago dog without the remaining ingredients.
New York dogs

Read more
The 5 best vegetarian and vegan dishes to try right now
Even if you love meat, you might be surprised how tasty these meals are
Cauliflower steak with peppercorn sauce

It's spring and a wonderful time of year for fresh produce to make the best vegetarian recipes all the easier to create (and thoroughly enjoy). If you like meat, so be it, maybe get more creative with your sides or try one of these dishes for fun. If you're a vegetarian, it's a fine time to put together some satisfying meals with real heart and soul. Here are some of the best vegetarian and vegan recipes for dinner to try.
Kale sauce with any noodle

This Josh McFadden recipe from Six Seasons
is great to have on hand as it can accompany just about any kind of pasta.
Ingredients

Read more
The 11 best grill and smoker recipes to make now
Tasty recipes to cook on your gas, charcoal, or pellet grill
Ducks in the Pig Pen

It's that time of year again when we neglect our Dutch ovens, slow cookers, and air fryers for our outdoor char-grilling and smoking devices. It doesn't matter if you're cooking with gas, charcoal, or pellets. The main is you're outside enjoying the nice weather with a a cold beer.

While everyone loves a tasty burger or hot dog, they can get boring after a while. Sometimes, we want to flex our culinary muscles at our grills and for anyone else who may be just hanging around us for the cold beer.

Read more