Are you tired of your homemade strawberry ice cream recipe turning into an icy mess instead of the creamy delight you crave? We've got a game-changing secret that tackles the high water content in strawberries, giving you that dreamy, velvety texture everybody loves. With this strawberry ice cream recipe, you'll get the creamiest texture and more concentrated strawberry flavor!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Marco's passion for homemade ice cream led him to develop this recipe, as he did with his hazelnut ice cream and Dubai pistachio chocolate ice cream recipe. He tested this recipe multiple times to make sure it's as delicious as it's easy to make. We're going to show you how to make this delicious strawberry ice cream, and here's why we think you'll love it as much as we do.
Intense strawberry flavor-Strawberries are known for their high water content and mild taste. Marco came up with the idea of macerating the strawberries and discarding the liquid, which resulted in a concentrated and intense strawberry flavor. Brilliant! We've also solved the same problem with our no-bake strawberry cheesecake.
Creamy-The high water content in strawberries turns ice cream into sorbet, which is not what we want. By discarding its liquid through the maceration process, you get the most creamy ice cream texture!
Easy-This is an easy-to-remember recipe. Marco developed it so that the main ingredients are 1 cup each of milk, cream, and sugar, vanilla pod, and 1 pound of strawberries. It can't get easier than that, right?
Ingredients For This Recipe
Strawberry-When making strawberry ice cream, it's important to use the best quality strawberries for the best flavor and color. We highly recommend using fresh strawberries, like in our healthy strawberry oatmeal bars and strawberry cheesecake shots. However, if using frozen strawberries, make sure to thaw them first and discard the liquid before using them, skipping the maceration process.
Whole milk-We need the fat from the milk to help make this ice cream creamy.
Heavy cream-With a minimum of 35% fat content, it's also known as whipping cream, depending on your location. It's what's going to give our ice cream a luscious texture.
See the recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Macerate the strawberries. Measure the milk, heavy cream, and sugar. Hull and slice the strawberries in halves and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoon of the measured sugar on the strawberries, mix well, and chill in the fridge overnight.
Step 2: Cream the yolks. Add the yolks and sugar into a bowl. Whisk until the mixture turns pale, using a hand whisk.
Step 3: Cook the custard. Add milk, cream, scraped vanilla bean, and salt into a pot. Simmer on medium heat, making sure it doesn't boil. Temper the yolks by slowly adding 1 cup of milk mixture while whisking. Pour into the pot and cook the custard for 10 minutes on low heat, or until it covers the back of a wooden spoon and stays separated when you run your finger through it.
Step 4: Chill. Sift and pour into a bowl, covering it with cling film, making sure it touches the custard's surface. Once cooled to room temperature, chill in the fridge overnight.
Step 5: Strain. Discard the strawberries' liquid by straining them in a sifter.
Step 6: Blend. Put the strawberries and lemon juice in a food blender and blend into a fine texture.
Step 7: Mix. Pour the strawberry puree into the custard and mix well.
Step 8: Churn. Pour the custard into the ice cream machine's inner bowl and churn for 30-40 minutes. Serve immediately for soft-serve ice cream, or freeze for 2 hours for a firmer texture. There you have it, the best strawberry ice cream, ever!
Recipe Expert Tips
If you're going to make this strawberry ice cream recipe, make sure to follow these top tips!
- Plan ahead. Although it's a simple recipe, it requires some planning. One day before, freeze the ice cream machine's inner bowl. Prepare the ice cream custard and macerate the strawberries, also one day before.
- Discard the strawberry liquid. This is important to prevent the formation of ice crystals in the ice cream, resulting in a super creamy texture.
- Cook with proper heat. Simmer the milk mixture on medium heat, making sure it doesn't boil. Cook the custard on low heat.
- Sift the custard. This will discard any curdled yolks and ensure the ice cream has a creamy texture.
- Chill the custard and strawberry. The colder they are, the better and faster the churning process will be. Marco even tested leaving them chilling for two days in the fridge!
- If without an ice cream machine. Even though we make this strawberry ice cream with a (affiliate link) Cuisinart ice cream maker, you can also do this by putting the cream in the freezer and mixing it every 30 minutes for 5 hours. It'll take longer to freeze, more effort, and the texture will be different but it's still doable and delicious!
How To Serve And Store
Serve-If you prefer the soft-serve texture, serve it immediately after churning. You can also add sliced strawberries, crushed biscuits, or drizzle with melted white chocolate. Delicious!
Freeze-Place it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2-3 weeks. After that, you'll notice a difference in the texture. It tends to be grainy and might have some ice crystals. Don't worry-this strawberry ice cream won't last you that long!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. Thaw them completely overnight, and drain them to discard the liquid.
Even though this is an ice cream recipe for an ice cream maker, you can also make it by putting the cream in the freezer and mixing it every 30 minutes for 5 hours. It'll take longer to freeze, and more effort and the texture will be different, but it's still doable and delicious! If you want a refreshing ice cream recipe without an ice cream maker, try our healthy mango ice cream.
Strawberries have a high water content, which forms ice crystals, making the ice cream icy. You can prevent this by macerating them with sugar, which will draw out their liquid, which you discard. You'll have a more concentrated flavor of ice cream without the ice crystals!
Did you try this Strawberry Ice Cream?
Please leave us ★★★★★ ratings and feedback below in the comment section. We'd love to know how it went, what you liked, or if there's anything we can improve. Share and tag us on Instagram; we'd like to see your creation.
Thank you! -Bea and Marco
Watch How To Make It
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Ice Cream
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
Custard
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla pod , scrap to take the beans
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 large egg yolks
Strawberry
- 1 lb hulled fresh strawberries , cut into halves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Measure all the ingredients. Place the ice cream machine's inner bowl in the freezer overnight (refer to your machine's manual).
Strawberry
- Hull and slice the strawberries in halves and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the measured sugar on the strawberries, mix well, cover the bowl with cling film, and chill in the fridge overnight.
Custard
- Add the yolks and sugar into a bowl. Whisk until the mixture turns pale, using a hand whisk.
- Add milk, cream, scraped vanilla bean, and salt into a pot. Simmer on medium heat, making sure it doesn't boil. Temper the yolks by slowly adding 1 cup of milk mixture while whisking. Pour into the pot and cook the custard for 10 minutes on low heat, or until it covers the back of a wooden spoon and stays separated when you run your finger through it.
Chill And Churn
- Sift and pour into a bowl, covering it with cling film, making sure it touches the custard's surface. Once cooled to room temperature, chill in the fridge overnight.
- Discard the strawberries' liquid by straining them in a sifter. Put the strawberries and lemon juice in a food blender and blend into a fine texture. Pour the strawberry puree into the custard and mix well.
- Pour the custard into the ice cream machine's inner bowl and churn for 30-40 minutes. Serve immediately for soft-serve ice cream, or freeze for 2 hours for a firmer texture.
Notes
- Plan ahead. Although it's a simple recipe, it requires some planning. One day before, freeze the ice cream machine's inner bowl. Prepare the ice cream custard and macerate the strawberries, also one day before.
- Discard the strawberry liquid. This is important to prevent the formation of ice crystals in the ice cream, resulting in a super creamy texture.
- Cook with proper heat. Simmer the milk mixture on medium heat, making sure it doesn't boil. Cook the custard on low heat.
- Sift the custard. This will discard any curdled yolks and ensure the ice cream has a creamy texture.
- Chill the custard and strawberry. The colder they are, the better and faster the churning process will be. Marco even tested leaving them chilling for two days in the fridge!
- If without an ice cream machine. Even though we make this using an ice cream maker, you can also do this by putting the cream in the freezer and mixing it every 30 minutes for 5 hours. It'll take longer to freeze, more effort, and the texture will be different but it's still doable and delicious! If you want a refreshing ice cream recipe without an ice cream maker, try our healthy mango ice cream.
Sms says
How can you make it egg free?
Bea & Marco says
Hi! This recipe isn’t egg-free, since the yolks are what thicken the custard and give the ice cream its creamy texture. For an egg-free version, it would need a different recipe rather than a simple swap 😊
Yissi says
Oh my my just what I was looking for! This recipe looks so easy, will try and report, thanks!
Bea & Marco says
Thank you Yissi! Let me know how it went 🙂
Sara says
Hi Bea & Marco,
After macerating the strawberries, can I keep a couple of halved strawberries instead of blending all the strawberries, for added texture?
Thank you 😊
Bea & Marco says
Hi, Sara! You can! Macerated strawberries add great flavor and softness, but they can make the ice cream a bit icy if too much syrup goes in. For better texture, you can drain them slightly or even mix in a few chopped fresh ones for firmer texture, less liquid. Best of both worlds!