Ice cream base

The liquid mixture of milk, cream, sugar and often egg yolks that is chilled and then churned into ice cream.

Ice cream base: A saucepan of pale yellow custard ice cream base coating the back of a wooden spoon, a vanilla bean beside it
  • Frozen desserts and sweet beverages

Also called: custard base, Philadelphia-style base

There are two main styles. A custard, or French-style, base is cooked with egg yolks until it lightly coats a spoon, around 170 to 180°F (77 to 82°C), which makes the ice cream rich and smooth. A Philadelphia-style base has no eggs and is simply cream, milk and sugar, giving a cleaner, lighter flavor.

The base should be chilled thoroughly, ideally for at least 4 hours or overnight, before churning. A cold base freezes faster in the machine, which keeps ice crystals small. The balance of sugar and fat also matters, since sugar keeps the ice cream scoopable.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. The Scoop: Getting to Know Ice Cream, Institute of Culinary Education