Ice Cream Base Ratio Calculator
Scale a classic ice cream base — cream, milk, sugar and egg yolks — to the batch size you want, custard or no-egg style.
How it works
Per quart: 2 cups (473 ml) cream · 1 cup (237 ml) milk · 150 g sugar · 5 egg yolks (custard only). Scale linearly by batch size.
A rich ice cream base is roughly two parts cream to one part milk, sweetened at about 150 g sugar per quart. A French-style custard adds egg yolks, whose lecithin and fat make the churned ice cream denser, smoother and slower to melt; a Philadelphia-style base skips the eggs for a cleaner, faster no-cook mix. Sugar is not just for taste — it lowers the freezing point, keeping the ice cream scoopable rather than rock-hard, so cutting it too far gives an icy, hard result.
Worked example
For a 1-quart custard base you scale the reference recipe by 1: about 473 ml (2 cups) heavy cream, 237 ml (1 cup) whole milk, 150 g sugar and 5 egg yolks. Double every figure for a 2-quart batch.
Frequently asked questions
What does the egg yolk actually do?
Yolks add fat and the emulsifier lecithin, which coats ice crystals and traps air, producing a denser, creamier, slower-melting ice cream. That is the difference between a French custard style and a lighter no-egg base.
Can I reduce the sugar?
A little, but sugar also lowers the freezing point and keeps the ice cream soft enough to scoop. Cut it too far and the base freezes hard and icy — better to reduce only modestly or replace some with an invert sugar like honey.
Why cream and milk instead of all cream?
All cream can turn buttery and cloying and churns to a greasy texture. Blending in whole milk keeps the fat in the ideal range (around 14–17%) for a smooth, clean-tasting base.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.