Making homemade ice cream sounds like a fun and delicious idea, but sometimes the process can be frustrating. Even with one of the best ice cream makers, you might end up with soupy results or spend too much time cranking by hand. However, making ice cream at home can be easy and satisfying with the right tips. We talked to two food-blogging couples, from Two Peas & Their Pod and A Couple Cooks, to share their secrets for creating delicious homemade ice cream.

How to Make Ice Cream with a Machine
Sonja and Alex Overhiser, the founders of the food blog A Couple Cooks, have experimented with creating vegan ice cream that’s just as creamy as regular dairy-based versions. Through trial and error, they’ve discovered a few key tricks. One of their main tips is to use full-fat coconut milk as the base. They also add cornstarch to thicken the mixture and agave syrup along with granulated sugar to keep the sweetness smooth, not gritty.

Here’s what you’ll need for their popular chocolate vegan ice cream recipe:

2 (15-ounce) cans of full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup agave syrup
1/3 cup granulated sugar or coconut sugar
3 1/3 ounces vegan dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions:
Combine and warm the ingredients in a small saucepan.
Chill the mixture thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn for 15 minutes.
For those who prefer a harder consistency, Sonja and Alex recommend freezing the ice cream for at least four hours after churning. For detailed steps and extra tips, check out their full recipe on their website.

Why Choose Vegan Ice Cream?
Sonja Overhiser explains, “Alex and I don’t eat 100% vegan, but we love vegan ice cream because it’s a little lighter and just as creamy.” Another benefit of vegan ice cream is that all the ingredients are shelf-stable. This means you can stock up on ingredients and make ice cream whenever a craving strikes.

Easy Variations
If you want to make a vanilla version using the same base, the Overhisers suggest simply leaving out the cocoa powder and chocolate while adding more vanilla extract. This vanilla or chocolate base also offers room for creativity. Here are some ideas:

Add peppermint extract and chocolate chips for peppermint chip.
Swirl in peanut butter for chocolate peanut butter ice cream.
These are just a couple of options, and you can explore more variations on their website.

Time Considerations
One of the biggest factors to keep in mind when making homemade ice cream is time. While the active steps are simple, the entire process can take over 24 hours. Most of this time is hands-off, but here’s a breakdown of what to expect:

Freeze the ice cream bowl overnight (if using a machine with a bowl that needs freezing).
Heat and combine ingredients to mix well.
Cool the mixture before adding it to the ice cream machine.
Once churned, freeze the ice cream again to achieve a firm consistency.
With a bit of patience, you’ll end up with creamy, delicious homemade ice cream that you can customize however you like.