Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream (with no-churn option!)
Simple strawberry ice cream with chunks of fresh strawberries in every bit. This recipe makes a bright, perfectly sweet, creamy ice cream that is bursting in strawberry flavor. Best of all: there’s a no-churn option WITHOUT the use of sweetened condensed milk!
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We have been on a slow-churned, homemade ice cream kick for a while now. It all started with leftover bags of ice from my mom’s 60th birthday party. We were just trying to use it up to make room in our freezer, but of course one batch of ice cream didn’t quite use it all up. So we made another. Only there wasn’t enough ice for the second batch, so we got another small bag of ice from the store. You can see how things snowballed.
Speaking of snow: has anyone made snow ice cream? I made it once as a child in Nebraska and it was the bet ice cream ever, but now in the Bay Area of California, I can’t make it. And I’m sad.
Anyway, we spent most of fall making homemade ice cream as bags of ice rotated through our freezer. And just when we were finally out of ice and had eaten all of the homemade ice cream, I got the idea to make MORE homemade ice cream for Christmas.
Because obviously ice cream is a Christmas-y dessert.
We had a small gathering this year, with all of the losses on all sides of the family. So I was only going to make a cake. But my husband’s uncle doesn’t like cake, and I felt bad that there wouldn’t be something he’d like. So, instead of making two full desserts, with more leftovers than I (or my waistline) could handle, I decided to make strawberry ice cream, which I know is his favorite.
The beauty of that plan was that ice cream lasts forever. In fact, it’s probably been in our freezer longer than is recommended, but it’s delicious and I don’t care.
Best of all: my husband’s uncle really liked the ice cream. It was one of the biggest dessert compliments I’ve ever received.
Why this recipe works
The fresh strawberries are really the key ingredient here. You could use frozen, but it’s highly recommended to use fresh, as frozen fruit often has excess water. Macerating the strawberries helps release sooooo much strawberry flavor. I mashed mine until there were only tiny chunks left, so that I still had plenty of strawberry pieces in my ice cream while also packing in the strawberry flavor. That’s why this recipe calls for more strawberries than most. You just really need them for the flavor.
Making the custard is far simpler than you’d think, and helps thicken the ice cream and create that old-fashioned texture. You can either slow-churn it in an ice cream maker (which makes it sooooo creamy and delicious). However, I also included a no-churn option. I’m SO excited to share a no-churn ice cream that doesn’t call for sweetened condensed milk! While it’s honestly not any less healthy than the custard in this recipe, I just don’t care for the taste and much prefer a custard based ice cream.
Key ingredients
Fresh strawberries. Obviously! Try to get organic, if possible, as these tend to have a richer taste.
Sugar. This will help macerate the strawberries and also brings our their flavor.
Egg yolks. These will create that thick, rich, creamy custard base.
Whole milk. Whole milk is a must! It’s so much richer and will make a better flavor and texture.
Vanilla. Because you always need vanilla!
Salt. Just a pinch, to bring out the sweetness of the strawberries.
Heavy whipping cream. This is what makes it light and fluffy yet still creamy. Make sure it’s heavy whipping cream (or double cream), not just whipping cream.
How to make fresh strawberry ice cream
1. Prep your ice cream maker, if needed. Most likely you’ll either need lots of ice and some rock salt or you’ll need to freeze a bowl or insert for up to 24 hours.
2. Macerate the strawberries. This takes about an hour of the strawberries sitting in sugar. Mash them up to desired size, with just small chunks of strawberries remaining, which creates those yummy flecks of fresh strawberries in the finished ice cream.
3. Cook the custard. You’ll whisk the yolks and remaining sugar, heat the milk, temper it into the yolks while whisking very quickly, then cook the mixture until thickened slightly.
4. Stir into strawberries. Be sure the custard has thickened before you stir it into the strawberries. Add the vanilla and salt at this time, too.
5. Add whipping cream and chill. The chilling is to help it churn better, so you’re not churning room temperature water, which could melt the ice or bowl (depending on what machine you have) and inhibit it fully churning into creamy ice cream.
6. Churn in your ice cream maker. Each one is different, so you can follow the directions it provides for churning the ice cream here.
7. Freeze until firm. This is technically optional, as you could serve it straight from the ice cream maker if you don’t mind a soft-serve consistency. Otherwise, freeze at least 3-4 hours, or overnight, before serving.
Enjoy!
How to make this without an ice cream maker
This is actually simpler than you’d think! It won’t be quite the same consistency of slow-churned ice cream, but it’ll be close.
Follow all directions up until adding the whipping cream.
Chill the strawberry custard mixture about an hour, until colder than room temperature.
Whip the heavy cream until it just barely starts to form stiff peaks. Use a stand mixer or handheld mixer
Fold the whipped cream into the strawberry custard, 1/3 at a time, mixing until fully combined each time.
Chill 3-4 hours for soft-serve consistency or overnight for ice cream consistency.
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
Can I use frozen strawberries?
Yes, but I wouldn’t. Frozen strawberries have more water, so it will cause the ice cream to be less creamy and possibly not churn as nicely. I made this in December with fresh strawberries and it was sooooo good, so it’s possible to find them year round!
How finely should I mash my strawberries?
Honestly, this is up to you. I’d shoot for no larger than 1/4 inch for your biggest pieces, but most should be smaller than that. It can take a while of mashing to get this, but I don’t recommend pureeing the strawberries unless you do not want any chunks of fresh fruit. Personally, it’s my favorite part, so I left plenty in here.
Can I make this sugar free?
Probably. It depends on what kind of sugar alternative you’re using. Some will macerate the strawberries just fine, while others won’t help. Only if you’re familiar with baking with your sugar alternative should you attempt this, as I cannot vouch for how it’ll behave.
How do I avoid scrambling the eggs?
Go slowly! Trust me, anyone can temper eggs without scrambling them. Just be sure to pour very slowly while whisking the eggs quickly. You can always have someone help you if this is your first time or you’re nervous about trying to both pour and whisk at the same time. If you do think you’ve scrambled your eggs, pour the custard through a fine mesh sieve before transferring to the saucepan to cook and thicken. Also, be absolutely sure to stir constantly after the eggs are in the pot.
Can I make this in any ice cream maker?
Yes! Some ice cream makers may have a smaller capacity, so you may have to make this in two batches. Just keep half in the fridge while the other half churns. Be sure to read all instructions ahead of time, as some ice cream makers require freezing for a full 24 hours.
My ice cream tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making ice cream. Affiliate links provided.
Ice cream maker or KitchenAid Attachment
Ice cream spade or scoop
Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream
- prep time: 45-50 minutes (includes 30 minutes wait time)
- chill time: 1 hour
- churn time: 30 minutes
- total time: 2 hours, 20 minutes (longer if using no-churn option)
servings: about 12 (½ cup servings)
Ingredients:
- 3 cups (500g) chopped fresh strawberries (¼ to ½ inch dices)
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240g) whole milk
- 4 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
- 2 cups (480g) heavy whipping cream, cold
- ice cream maker, prepped per directions (optional–see no-churn option at the bottom)*
Instructions:
- Follow your ice cream maker’s directions to prepare it for use, which could include placing the bowl in the freezer for up to 24 hours.
- When ready to make your ice cream, wash, dry, then dice your strawberries, removing the stems first. Try to dice them into roughly ¼ to ½ inch pieces. Combine the strawberries and ½ cup (100g) sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Stir well and let sit about half an hour, until it becomes liquidy (i.e. macerated).
- When the strawberries look macerated, mash them with a potato masher until only small chunks of strawberries remain. Set aside.
- Mix the egg yolks and remaining sugar in a small to medium mixing bowl. Whisk until frothy. Set aside.
- Heat the whole milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to steam and small bubbles begin to form along the edge of the pan.
- Temper the milk into the eggs by very, very slowly streaming the milk into the eggs while whisking the eggs very quickly. Be sure to whisk constantly and quickly as you do this to avoid scrambling the eggs.
- Once all of the milk has been added to the eggs, scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula (be sure to get to the edges and corners), until the mixture has thickened enough for the spatula to leave a trail in the custard for a brief moment as you stir.
- Remove the custard from heat and stir for about 1 minute to cool it slightly. Pour the custard into the strawberries along with the vanilla and pinch of salt and stir until mixed well.
- Stir in the whipping cream. Cover well and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Follow your manufacturer’s directions to churn the ice cream. You can either serve right away, or freeze it in an airtight container for 3-4 hours (or overnight). Serving right away will yield a soft-serve texture while freezing will create a classic ice cream texture.
Enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Ice cream should last at least a month, but this can vary depending on your freezer and how well-sealed it is.
*If you do not have an ice cream maker, you can follow the directions up to step 8. After mixing the strawberries and custard, refrigerate until cooled (about 1 hour). When the strawberry mixture is cooled, Place the heavy whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer). Beat on medium until frothy then increase speed to high until stiff peaks just begin to form (the mixture will turn matte in appearance–watch carefully and stop your mixer when this just begins to happen). Fold ⅓ of the whipped cream into the strawberry mixture until fully combined, then continue with the next ⅓ of the whipped cream, followed by the final ⅓ until all whipped cream is mixed in. Pour into a loaf pan, ice cream container, or other suitably sized, freezer safe container, cover well, and freeze 3-4 hours for a soft-serve consistency or overnight for a classic ice cream texture.