Cool, creamy, sweet, and packed with fresh berries, my delicious Strawberry Ice Cream is simple to make with an easy, no-cook ice cream base of heavy cream and whole milk. All you need to make this fruity dessert is an ice cream maker and 5 simple ingredients. Best of all, fresh strawberries are available year-round, so you can enjoy this recipe anytime you’re craving homemade ice cream!
This is the best strawberry ice cream recipe because, unlike ice creams with a custard base that are made by cooking egg yolks, you can start churning this recipe without prechilling the base, saving valuable time and allowing you to enjoy it sooner. The chopped berries add sweetness and color to the ice cream, making it beautiful to serve alone or complemented with your favorite toppings. For more strawberry recipes, try my strawberry cheesecake, strawberry bread, or strawberry cobbler.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Strawberries – wash, hull, and finely chop the strawberries. Fresh strawberries work best for this recipe, but you can use frozen ones once thawed and drained.
Dairy – using a mix of heavy whipping cream and whole milk for the ice cream base gives this recipe richness and a creamy texture while also allowing the strawberry flavor to shine through.
Vanilla extract – this classic ice cream ingredient perfectly complements the fresh strawberry flavor of this recipe. For the best result, use pure vanilla extract. It has superior pure vanilla notes and is great for this no-cook ice cream recipe because it blends easily with the other ingredients compared to thicker vanilla bean paste.
Food coloring – an optional drop or two of red food coloring will give the ice cream a light shade of pink. You can use liquid or gel food coloring. If opting for gel coloring, err on the side of less as it is more concentrated than liquid.
How to Make Strawberry Ice Cream
1. Mash half of the chopped strawberries in a large bowl using a potato masher.
2. Add the second half of strawberries, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Stir the ingredients together well, and then let them sit for 10 minutes.
3. Stir the mixture again until all the sugar is dissolved.
4. Stir in the cream and milk. Add a drop of red food coloring, if using.
5. Transfer the ice cream base to the canister of an ice cream machine, and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
6. Once frozen to a soft-serve consistency, place the ice cream in a container, cover it with plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, or for about 4 hours.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Read your ice cream maker instructions ahead of time. Most ice cream makers require that you freeze the canister ahead of time, sometimes overnight. Be sure to read the instructions for your specific maker and allow time for pre-freezing the canister or other special steps ahead of time as needed.
- Chop the strawberries into small pieces. To prevent chunky ice cream or large ice crystals from forming when you freeze the ice cream, I recommend finely chopping the strawberries instead of slicing them. Large chunks of strawberries are also quite hard to eat when frozen. You can chop the berries with a chef’s knife or even pulse them briefly in a food processor.
- Reduce the sugar if you have particularly sweet berries. During peak strawberry season, berries are often the sweetest. When using extra-sweet in-season berries, you can reduce the sugar to ¾ cup if preferred.
- Use a pastry cutter or fork if you don’t have a potato masher. Use a pastry cutter or fork to mash the berries into smaller pieces if you don’t have a potato masher.
- Add a pinch of salt and pepper. To balance the flavors of the strawberries, vanilla, sugar, and cream, just add a pinch of salt along with the cream. Black pepper, surprisingly, enhances a strawberry’s flavor! This is an especially good trick when the berries aren’t in peak season. A few grinds are all you need.
- Don’t let the ice cream base get warm. The ice cream will freeze the quickest and smoothest if it is cold when it goes into the ice cream maker. Use cold ingredients and transfer the mixture to the ice cream maker as soon as the ingredients are combined.
- Churn until the ice cream is a soft-serve consistency. Due to the amount of heavy cream in this homemade strawberry ice cream, it’s important not to over-churn the ice cream. Just churn until it’s about the consistency of soft-serve, then transfer to a container and freeze. If the heavy cream gets over-churned, it can start to separate and take on a butter-like flavor and consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 weeks. If the ice cream container you initially froze the ice cream in does not have a tight-fitting lid, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil or transfer leftovers into another freezer-safe container with a lid.
You can make the strawberry vanilla ice cream base ahead of time and refrigerate until you’re ready to churn it. After combining all the ingredients, place the mixture in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Stir the ingredients well before transferring them to the canister of the ice cream maker.
Serve with additional fresh fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries, or make an ice cream sundae with hot fudge, whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry. For the perfect birthday cake and ice cream duo, serve it with my funfetti cake recipe. You can also use it as the filling in homemade ice cream sandwiches or follow my recipe for how to make a milkshake for a frosty strawberry beverage!
The finished recipe will yield approximately 1¾ quarts of ice cream. This amount fits nicely in a loaf pan or two, 1-quart reusable homemade ice cream containers for freezing.
If you prefer fresh strawberry ice cream that is smoother instead of having bits of fruit, puree the strawberry mixture in a blender or food processor before adding the milk and cream. For a twist of citrus flavor, add 1 teaspoon of freshly grated lemon zest when you add the sugar to the berries. To make strawberry chocolate chip ice cream, stir ½ cup of mini chocolate chips into the ice cream after churning it.
Ice cream’s icy texture occurs when large ice crystals form during the freezing and churning process. To minimize ice crystals, use cold ingredients, measure them carefully, and avoid substituting ingredients because creamy ice cream depends on the right balance of fat and sugar. When using fresh berries, which have a high water content, chop them into small pieces so that they are well distributed and break down some during mixing. Also, don’t skip tossing them with sugar. The sugar actually helps to minimize ice crystals forming around the berry pieces, so it’s an important ingredient.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this strawberry ice cream recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Strawberry Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice cream maker
- Medium pot
- Rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries hulled and chopped finely (450g) (2 cups chopped)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 1½ cups heavy cream (360ml)
- ½ cup whole milk (120ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 drop of red food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Place half of the chopped strawberries in a medium bowl and mash with a potato masher. Add the remaining strawberries, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Stir well to combine and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Stir well again to dissolve any remaining sugar. Stir in the cream, milk, and food coloring if using.
- Transfer to the canister of an ice cream maker, and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once frozen, place the ice cream in a container and freeze until firm, about 4 hours or up to 3 weeks.
Notes
- Read your ice cream maker instructions ahead of time. Most ice cream makers require that you freeze the canister ahead of time, sometimes overnight. Be sure to read the instructions for your specific maker and allow time for pre-freezing the canister or other special steps ahead of time as needed.
- Chop the strawberries into small pieces. To prevent chunky ice cream or large ice crystals from forming when you freeze the ice cream, I recommend finely chopping the strawberries instead of slicing them. Large chunks of strawberries are also quite hard to eat when frozen. You can chop the berries with a chef’s knife or even pulse them briefly in a food processor.
- Reduce the sugar if you have particularly sweet berries. During peak strawberry season, berries are often the sweetest. When using extra-sweet in-season berries, you can reduce the sugar to ¾ cup if preferred.
- Use a pastry cutter or fork if you don’t have a potato masher. Use a pastry cutter or fork to mash the berries into smaller pieces if you don’t have a potato masher.
- Add a pinch of salt and pepper. To balance the flavors of the strawberries, vanilla, sugar, and cream, just add a pinch of salt along with the cream. Black pepper, surprisingly, enhances a strawberry’s flavor! This is an especially good trick when the berries aren’t in peak season. A few grinds are all you need.
- Don’t let the ice cream base get warm. The ice cream will freeze the quickest and smoothest if it is cold when it goes into the ice cream maker. Use cold ingredients and transfer the mixture to the ice cream maker as soon as the ingredients are combined.
- Churn until the ice cream is a soft-serve consistency. Due to the amount of heavy cream in this homemade strawberry ice cream, it’s important not to over-churn the ice cream. Just churn until it’s about the consistency of soft-serve, then transfer to a container and freeze. If the heavy cream gets over-churned, it can start to separate and take on a butter-like flavor and consistency.
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