You only need 3 ingredients to make homemade vanilla ice cream - heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and sweetened condensed milk. It's entirely possible to have incredibly creamy and smooth ice cream made without special equipment!
Place a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan in the freezer to chill.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.
In a separate large bowl, use a handheld electric beater to whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks.
Whisk 1/4 of the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk/vanilla mixture until well-combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the remaining 3/4 of the whipped cream 1/4 at a time.
Pour the mixture into the chilled loaf pan. Smooth out the top and cover with plastic wrap.
Freeze until solid, about 6 to 8 hours. Serve.
Notes
For pretty flecks of vanilla, use 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract.
If you want to add mix-ins to this ice cream such as chopped candy or nuts, let the ice cream chill until semi-frozen, about 1 to 2 hours, before adding them.
If your ice cream is very solid, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before scooping.