Which ingredients do I need to make great ice cream?

As discussed in Why use an ice cream calculator, the ingredients you choose have a huge impact on texture, sweetness, and overall quality. To make a truly great ice cream, you'll want some extra tools in your pantry beyond the basics.

If you've delved into the world of ice cream science already, the sheer variety of exotic ingredients used by professionals and ethusiasts can be a bit intimidating. In this article we'll approach it from a pratical, home cook's perspective: which ingredients are truly essential, which are highly recommended, and which are more situational?

#The bare minimum

These are the core ingredients which form the basis of almost every dairy ice cream recipe. Without these, I might not call it ice cream at all.

• Whole milk: The main source of water and milk solids.
• Heavy cream: The main source of milkfat.
• Granulated sugar: The main source of sweetness and freezing point depression.

#Highly recommended additions

These ingredients are a little more niche, but they fill gaps that milk, cream, and sugar can't cover on their own.

• Skim milk powder: A great source of lactose and milk proteins without adding extra water or fat. This is a a ubiquitous ingredient in premium ice creams.
• Dextrose: A type of sugar which is less sweet than sucrose, but has much stronger freezing point depression. It helps to create recipes that are soft without being too sweet.
• Stabilizers: Used in tiny amounts improve the texture and shelf life of ice cream. Guar gum and xanthan gum are most commonly available.
• Salt: You should already have this in your pantry, but it deserves a mention here. Just a pinch will help bring out your other flavors. It also depresses the freezing point

#Other ingredients

These aren't required to make great ice cream, but can be useful in certain situations.

• Emulsifiers: Helps with whipping air into the ice cream. Traditionally egg yolks are used for this purpose, but soy or sunflower lecithin are good alternatives if you want a cleaner flavor.
• Inulin: A vegetable fiber which can be used to add body and creaminess in low-fat ice creams or sorbets.
• Allulose: A popular alternative sweetener with identical properties to dextrose, but only a tenth of the calories.

This list is by no means exhaustive. The world of ice cream making is full of interesting ingredients to experiment with, but I find that the ones listed above cover 95% of what most home cooks will need.