Homemade strawberry ice cream
Homemade strawberry ice cream is the stuff celebrations are made from. Using fresh berries makes the biggest impact, but frozen ones would be just as good. Make your own custard base and bring this special treat together for lots of smiles.
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Fake strawberry ice cream. It’s pink (thanks Red #40) and it’s the kind of stuff you often buy in a clear bucket or sandwiched between chocolate and vanilla in a cardboard carton.
And it doesn’t taste like much more than sugar with some strawberry flavoring.
This is the ingredient list from Walmart’s “Strawberry Revel” Ice Cream. There are our friends sugar, HFCS, more sugar, Red 40, natural flavors, and preservatives coming in hot.
Your strawberry ice cream will be milk, cream, vanilla, eggs, strawberries, sugar (or honey) and coconut oil. I like that list a whole lot better, don’t you?
Can this recipe be made no-churn?
No friend, it can’t. Churning adds air to ice cream and no churn recipes usually use sweetened condensed milk and pre whipped cream to add the air ice cream needs–if you just pour the ice cream base in a container and freeze it you’ll just make ice. Tasty ice, but ice.
Strawberries: Fresh or frozen?
I think both work. Frozen will have a lot of liquid that will drain off of them when they thaw so make sure to drain that away before you puree them and add any sugar. It’s also a good idea to taste the berries before you sweeten them. I found my home grown berries almost sweet enough that no extra sugar was needed in the puree. I cut it way back.
How to make ice strawberry ice cream: The steps
Step 1: Make the base
The base for your ice cream needs to be made 24 hours in advance and chilled totally. Your churn should go in the freezer as well if you use a type that does that. I use a Cuisinart ice cream maker and it needs to be frozen in advance.
You can see all the steps for making the base with photos in my banana pudding ice cream recipe, but here are the highlights on repeat (and why there are bananas in these photos):
Whisk egg yolks with sweetener 
Heat milk and cream 
Add slowly to eggs, return to pot 
Cook until the mixture holds a line 
Strain 
Add vanilla
Step 2: Make the strawberry jam
Simply cook your chopped berries with some sugar or honey until it thickens and refrigerate. You may not need a lot of sugar so taste your berries before you start.
Use a fork or a potato masher to partially mash your berries once they cook. This will prevent anyone biting in to a huge frozen berry (unless you like that) and gets the strawberries more evenly distributed in the ice cream.
Step 3: Mix and churn
Both your base and strawberries will need to be cold when you churn your ice cream. Mix the two together right before churning.
Churn according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Mine takes about 20-25 minutes to get to soft serve, then transfer it to the freezer to harden completely.
Add variety to your strawberry ice cream with these ideas:
- Toss in some chunks of cream cheese you’ve beaten with a bit of powdered sugar and vanilla for a “cheesecake” vibe
- Add crushed graham cracker pieces
- Mix in other types of berries or make this recipe with any fresh berry you have on hand
- Add a ripple of fudge while the ice cream is churning
Creamy Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
For the ice cream base
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar or honey (See notes)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup refined coconut oil optional, but adds creaminess (See notes)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the strawberries
- 4 cups strawberries finely chopped
- 1/2 cup sugar or honey
Instructions
Make the base
- In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar and set aside.
- In a pot with a heavy bottom, add the milk, cream and coconut oil if using. Heat over medium high until the mixture begins to steam and small bubbles form around the edges of the pan.
- Using a ladle or measuring cup, dip out about a cup of the milk and while whisking the eggs rapidly, slowly pour in the hot milk in a steady stream.
- Add the rest of the milk a cup at a time and don't stop whisking.
- Once all the milk is in the eggs, transfer the mixture back into the pot and place over medium heat. Whisk until the mixture thickens–about 6 to 8 minutes but don't let it boil.
- Once it thickens it should coat the back of a spoon and hold a line. (See images in post)
- Transfer through a sieve to catch any egg bits into a bowl and let cool to room temperature and add the vanilla. Place a layer of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the base and chill until cold throughout. 8 to 24 hours is good.
Make the strawberries
- Add the chopped berries to a pot with the sugar. Heat over medium until the juices release, the berries bubble and the sugar is dissolved. Lower the heat to medium low and cook until the berries begin to thicken (stirring often)–about 5 mintues.
- Transfer to a bowl to cool, then refrigerate until assembly.
To Assemble
- Mix the strawberries in to the base and stir to combine. Freeze/churn the ice cream according to your ice cream maker's directions–usually 20 to 25 minutes. Freeze covered for a couple of hours to harden fully before serving.
About the Author
Rachel Ballard, RN, BSN brings more than 20 years of professional nursing expertise to Feast and Farm. With a love for nutrient dense foods that support wellness, she works to distill complex health information and current trends into recipes that fuel the best version of yourself. Read more about Rachel here.