Here are some basics I’ve learned in my years of making ice cream and other frozen treats such as sorbet, custard, shakes, smoothies and booza.

Prep pointers: Either blend all your base ingredients together or mix them together on the stove over medium low heat. If you go for the heat route, be sure to let the mixture cool before putting it in your ice cream maker bowl or pints.

Soft and smooth: Xanthan gum is a miracle softener. Add a teaspoon to any ice cream, gelato or sorbet recipe for a smooth consistency.

Low sugar starters: I tend to opt for unsweetened or no sugar added milks and creamers for my ice cream bases. And where some recipes might start with a cup of sugar, my baseline tends to be just two tablespoons or less, especially if I’m adding sugary mix-ins later on. I always keep a bottle of low-sugar chocolate sauce on hand to top my ice cream if it needs an extra burst of sweetness when I’m done.

Milk matters: I have tested a variety of plant-based milks, and unsweetened extra creamy oat milk is the best by far unless you’re going for a specific flavor and can find hazelnut milk, pistachio milk, banana milk or whatever flavor matches your recipe.

Cream of choice: Again, I will first recommend finding a flavor that fits your recipe, such as cookie butter creamer, egg nog creamer, toasted marshmallow creamer or peppermint mocha creamer. But if you need something more basic or can’t find a corresponding flavor, I recommend using plant cream or unsweetened plain or vanilla coffee creamer over canned coconut cream.

Condensed custard: If you want more of a custard or soft serve consistency, use condensed oat or coconut milk instead of milk and cream. Do note that using a high-sugar milk like this eliminates the need to add any sugar.

Marvelous maker: I’ve made ice cream/gelato/sorbet/booza in a lot of different ways. No-churn recipes never hold up as well in my experience. I’ve had the more common frozen bowl-style electric maker and it is a huge improvement compared to no-churn. However, we got one of the top-of-the-line modern makers for our wedding that has settings for ice cream, gelato, sorbet, shakes and more, making them by the pint in a much less messy way. I am obsessed with this maker and it is a worthwhile investment.

Mix-in munchies: Whether you have an older ice cream maker or one like mine, the general rule of thumb is to make sure space is cleared out in the middle of the bowl or pint to add somewhere between a quarter cup and a half cup of mix-ins such as candy, nuts, fruit or marshmallows. It is important to dig all the way to the bottom to ensure your mix-ins are on every level of your pint. If you know you’re going to want to go heavier on the mix-ins, do not fill your bowl or pint up to the fill line.

Re-spin secrets: Especially when making vegan or dairy-free ice creams, the modern maker tends to leave the top of the ice cream a little dusty. Use a big spoon to smush it down and smooth it out, then run it through the maker on the re-spin cycle. I only recommend doing the re-spin cycle with plain ice creams. If you’re adding mix-ins, the mix-in cycle also tends to improve the consistency.

Pile up the pints: My ice cream maker came with two reusable pints, and it didn’t take me long to realize I should invest in more. We now have six total, and I highly recommend doing this for anyone who loves ice cream, especially if you enjoy mix-ins.

Get going: Find all of my ice cream recipes here.