This Strawberry Ice Cream recipe is creamy, delicious, and loaded with fresh, juicy strawberries. Easy to make with a few simple ingredients, this classic ice cream is the best!
Homemade ice cream of all types and flavors makes such favorite frozen treats. This Strawberry Ice Cream recipe is made with rich, wholesome ingredients and fresh strawberries for the creamiest and best Strawberry Ice Cream I’ve tasted!
This homemade Strawberry Ice Cream is one of our family favorites, and my husband (who is a strawberry fan) says it’s absolutely the best strawberry ice cream he’s ever had. I’ve developed and tested many recipe combinations to get this homemade strawberry ice cream just right – and this one is it!
Table of Contents
How to Make Strawberry Ice Cream
This strawberry ice cream is not too sweet, but just sweet enough to balance the tartness of the fresh strawberries. It’s made from simple ingredients like heavy cream and whole milk that make it so rich and delicious. While I’ve made this recipe egg-free, it’s amazingly decadent and creamy. And since we love strawberries, this ice cream is full of them!
To make this scrumptious ice cream, you’ll need:
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
- Strawberries – Chopped fresh strawberries are best, but if frozen strawberries, they need to be unsweetened and completely thawed
- Sugar – Granulated sugar
- Heavy cream and Whole milk – Full-fat dairy gives it a rich and creamy taste and texture and the best results. Therefore, I do not recommend using low-fat dairy for these reasons.
- Cream cheese – use full-fat cream cheese for best results. It adds an extra layer of rich, luscious creamy texture and flavor to the ice cream.
- Vanilla extract – Use homemade vanilla or your choice of quality pure vanilla extract.
- Kosher salt – This pinch of salt enhances the sweetness
This recipe is rich and creamy and is made without eggs. It is a perfect ice cream for those with egg sensitivities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Macerate (sugar) the strawberries.
Lightly stir chopped strawberries, fresh or thawed, with sugar. Allow sugared strawberries to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, which will release juices from the strawberries.
Make the ice cream mixture.
In a second bowl, mix the milk, heavy cream, and cream cheese until smooth. Add strawberries and their juice to the ice cream mixture and stir until combined. Add vanilla and salt.
Churn the ice cream.
Pour into the insert of the ice cream maker and make according to the ice cream maker instructions.
Serve immediately or freeze.
Once churned, enjoy soft-serve ice cream immediately or freeze it for scooping.
Serving and Freezing Instructions
To enjoy soft-serve ice cream. If you wish to enjoy it right after it’s made, scoop it into serving bowls or cones for soft-serve ice cream.
To freeze for scooping. Freeze immediately for firmer ice cream to scoop. Place the ice cream in an airtight container with a lid, or a dish or loaf pan, wrap very well, and place in the freezer for a few hours to overnight. Scoop and serve. Return any remaining ice cream to the freezer.
Ice cream should last in the freezer for about two weeks.
Homemade ice cream does not contain preservatives, so it needs to be enjoyed a bit faster than most store-bought varieties.
Recipe Tips
- Start with a frozen ice cream maker bowl. I keep the bowl, or insert, for my ice cream maker in the freezer all the time that it’s not in use. That way, it is always ice cold and ready to make ice cream. If you don’t store it in the freezer, I recommend placing it in the freezer a couple of days prior to using it for the best results. It will help the ice cream freeze better and be smoother.
- If you want smaller bites of strawberries, chop them a bit smaller or lightly mash them with a potato masher, careful not to make them mushy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use frozen strawberries, but they will need to be thawed first. Chop them prior to placing them in the bowl with sugar to allow them to macerate.
It will last for about 2 weeks in the freezer.
More Favorite Ice Cream Recipes
Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream
No Churn Chocolate Ice Cream or No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream – no ice cream maker required
Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Here’s my favorite strawberry ice cream recipe. I think you’ll love it too!
Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pint fresh strawberries, chopped
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Place strawberries in a medium bowl and cover with 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Stir lightly to make sure strawberries are well-coated with sugar. Allow strawberries and sugar to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to macerate.
- Combine whipping cream, milk, and cream cheese, mixing until smooth. Mix in sugar, strawberries and juices from earlier, vanilla, and salt.
- Pour into ice cream maker container and make according to ice cream maker directions.
- Once ice cream has churned, remove from the ice cream maker container and serve immediately as soft serve or place in an airtight container in the freezer for 1 hour to overnight for a firmer ice cream.
Notes
Serving and Freezing Instructions
To enjoy soft-serve ice cream. If you wish to enjoy it right after it’s made, scoop it into serving bowls or cones for soft-serve ice cream. To freeze for scooping. Freeze immediately for firmer ice cream to scoop. Place the ice cream in an airtight container with a lid, or a dish or loaf pan, wrap very well, and place in the freezer for a few hours to overnight. Scoop and serve. Return any remaining ice cream to the freezer. Ice cream should last in the freezer for about two weeks.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve made your old fashioned vanilla ice cream several times and I think it is great. I am curious about no eggs in this recipe. Does the cream cheese help to make it more creamy? I am willing to try it but wondered if I could also simply add strawberries to the other recipe. Thank you for these great recipes. Since spring 2020 I make all of my ice cream and have really enjoyed it.
Lisa
I have not tried adding fruit to the Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream, Lisa, but others have said they did successfully. I’m not sure how much they added. The strawberry ice cream is creamy and delicious. I hope you try it.
I just finally made this strawberry ice cream to take to an outing tomorrow. I looked at a few but trusted you after having made your old-fashioned vanilla many times. Thanks for another great ice cream recipe. This is really good.
Thanks, Lisa. I hope everyone loves this ice cream.
My son and myself are making our first homemade strawberry icecream using your recipe. We just finished making the mixture and are putting it in the ice-cream maker now. It already looks and smells amazing and so much more healthy than store bought!…… Its amazing the best icecream ever!!
Thanks, Anna. I hope you enjoy the ice cream.