Vanilla Ice Cream

Vanilla ice cream is a churned frozen dessert made from milk or cream flavored with vanilla. It tastes creamy and sweet with a cold, silky melt; texture ranges from airy to dense depending on overrun. Common uses include topping pies, blending milkshakes, making affogato, and filling cones; it is sold in pints and larger tubs and as soft-serve.

Ice cream techniques developed in Europe and North America, with vanilla popularized as a standard flavor in the 18th and 19th centuries; it spread globally with industrial refrigeration. Modern production pasteurizes and homogenizes a dairy base, then freezes it while churning to incorporate air before hardening.