Tammy Abraham's double made it a miserable first return to Villa Park for Ipswich manager Paul Lambert to seal their first win of 2019.
Abraham took his tally to 19 League goals in 23 games for Villa, and 15 in his last 13, to revive Villa's play-off hopes and send bottom club Ipswich a step closer to League One.
The on-loan Chelsea striker is now just one goal short of matching Peter Withe's 39-year-old record for Aston Villa as the last man to score 20 League goals in a season.
Abraham has now scored 11 goals in his last six home games, but this was the first time he has been on the winning side in any of them.
Until Freddie Sears halved the deficit on 76, it was one of Villa's most comfortable wins of the season.
They could have scored several more to make it a sobering afternoon for Lambert, back at Villa Park for the first time since he was sacked in February 2015.
Man of the match John McGinn was a real livewire for Villa from the first whistle. The Scottish midfielder had the first opening with a fierce, rising drive that flew over the bar went close with three other first-half efforts.
But Villa were bang on with their next attack as they took a sixth-minute lead.
Conor Hourihane swung in a free kick from the left and Abraham tapped a volley into the roof of the net from three yards out.
Alan Judge, playing his second game for Ipswich after his move from Brentford, had one of only two on-target efforts for the visitors' in the first period with a tame shot that trickled to goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic.
Villa were soon back on the offensive and had the ball in the net again in the 31st minute. McGinn's fierce effort was beaten away by Bartosz Bialkowski and Albert Adomah's follow-up was ruled out for offside.
McGinn produced a smart turn in the box only to finish poorly in Villa's next opening, before Hourihane had Bialkowski scrambling to his near post to smother a low, bobbling drive.
Villa went desperately close to doubling their lead on 36 when Adomah released Abraham in the inside left position and his powerful left-foot shot was palmed away.
Bialkowski was fast becoming the busiest man on the pitch. He was in action again when McGinn let fly from 25 yards, the keeper's save flipping the ball up in the air before it was headed behind.
A rare break by Ipswich saw midfielder Trevoh Chalobah produce a weak effort straight at Kalinic.
But normal service was resumed soon after the break. McGinn turned creator, chiselling out a perfect cross for Abraham, who rose highest for a looping header that was palmed away unconvincingly by Bialkowski.
McGinn was inches away again when his fierce, rising drive dropped just over the bar.
But Villa didn't have long to wait for their second goal. Judge tugged McGinn down and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Abraham did the rest, casually sending Bialkowski the wrong way to make it 2-0 in the 61st minute.
Abraham went for his hat-trick soon afterwards, his chip deflected on top of the net.
With Villa in cruise control, Ipswich were denied when substitute Colin Quaner was clean through and rounded Kalinic only for Neil Taylor to get back and slide in to block his shot.
But Ipswich managed to pull one back on 76 with a stunning goal from Freddie Sears with a 20-yard shot that flew into the top corner.
Their tails up, Ipswich hunted an equaliser and Chalobah's prod from a free kick ended up bouncing against the post with Villa at panic stations at the back.
But Abraham could have had another two goals, first seeing an angled shot saved, then Bialkowski somehow denied him when he was unmarked at the far post.