The BEST Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe (2024)

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This southern style custard based Strawberry Ice Cream recipe is enhanced with the richness of heavy cream and made irresistible with fresh strawberries in season during the Spring and Summer.

Back in the day, my mom would take me to the ice cream parlor for strawberry ice cream. Now that I’m a mom, instead of taking my daughter to the ice cream parlor, I want to pass down my strawberry ice cream recipe to her. She can then pass it down to my granddaughter and so on. Besides, homemade strawberry ice cream tastes way better than anything I’ve ever had at an ice cream parlor. when in reality it’s simple and produces some of the best quality ice cream you’ll ever have.

Table of Contents

The Heart and Soul of the Best Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

Cuisine Inspiration: American Summer Classics
Primary Cooking Method: Churning
Dietary Info: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free (check your mix-ins and toppings)
Key Flavor: Bursting with fresh, sweet strawberry goodness
Skill Level: Beginner-friendly, but with a gourmet twist

Sweet Highlights:

  • Fresh Strawberry Puree: We’re keeping it 100% real with fresh strawberries, blended into a puree that packs a punch of flavor.
  • Perfect Creaminess: This has the smoothest texture
  • Sweet, But Not Too Sweet: We’ve got the sugar balance just right
  • Versatile Vibes: Whether you’re dressing it up with chocolate drizzle or keeping it classic with a waffle cone, this recipe is your canvas.
  • Summer in a Scoop: One taste and you’re transported to sunny days, picnics in the park, and all the joy that the best season has to offer.

Ingredients

The ingredients that make a strawberry ice cream super creamy and luscious are the following:

  • Eggs and Egg Yolks
  • Sugar
  • Heavy Cream
  • Half and Half
  • Fresh Strawberries
  • Vanilla Extract

The eggs and additional egg yolks add a lot of richness to this recipe and create the custard that is needed for a smooth mixture.

Sugar of course is super important to sweeten the recipe. Feel free to make changes to this amount. If you grab strawberries during the spring and summer season when they are indeed in season, you might have a much sweeter variety than those you would get in the fall and winter. Adjust accordingly.

The addition of heavy cream and half and half creates a wonderful indulgence to the recipe. It makes the ice cream sooo creamy!

Lastly fresh strawberries (or even frozen strawberries if that is all you have on hand) and finally vanilla extract that brightens the flavor even more are the last ingredients.

How to Make Strawberry Ice Cream

The process starts by beating both eggs and egg yolks with your sugar while bringing heavy cream and half and half to a boil. Ice cream is only as good as the ingredients you use to make it. So if you can afford it, buying high-quality cream and eggs will ensure a fresher taste. The same rule applies to the strawberries and vanilla extract that will be added later on.

Next, slowly add three tablespoons of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture to temper it and whisk together to combine. Then slowly add in the rest of the milk mixture and continue to whisk the entire time to make sure it doesn’t scramble. I’m sure no one wants chunks of scrambled egg lingering in their sweet treat.

Add that perfectly sweet strawberry puree, vanilla extract and food coloring if you choose to use it. There’s no shame in adding in that perfect pop of pink but even without it the result is delicious.

Your next move is key. Chill your mixture until completely cool. I’ll say it one more time for the people in the back. Completely cool. Doing this enables your mixture to be aerated as much as possible in the maker, making for the creamiest, smoothest ice cream possible.

Once your mixture has cooled it’s time to get it into your mixer. If you’re using the type of ice cream maker that uses a freezer bowl, make sure to freeze the bowl at least 24 hours ahead of time. If your bowl is not cold enough there’s a chance your mixture will never freeze properly. Disregard this tip if you’re using any other kind of ice cream maker.Be sure to add your mixture to an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and freeze.

The end result is strawberry ice cream like you’ve never had it before. The taste of natural strawberries comes through while leaving that sickly sweet artificial berry flavor that lingers on the teeth. The texture is smooth, light and oh so wonderfully creamy. You’ll never look at strawberry ice cream the same way again.

How to Properly Store

I love to add my ice cream to some amazing cartons. They allow me to store them in disposable containers that I can also gift to family and friends during the summer. They are easy to carry as well and store in the freezer since they don’t take up too much room.

More Amazing Ice Cream Recipes

If you love Ice Cream, definitely check out these other homemade ice cream recipes:

*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!*

The BEST Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe (6)

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

Sensational homemade strawberry ice cream enhanced with the richness of heavy cream and speckled with spring berries throughout.

4.38 from 27 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cooling and Freeze time: 6 hours hours

Total Time: 6 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 recipes

Calories: 492kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 1 pound strawberries pureed with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • Red food coloring if desired

Instructions

  • Beat eggs and egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Next add sugar to the bowl and whisk together.

  • Add heavy cream and half and half to a large pot and heat to boiling level. Remove from heat.

  • Slowly add three tablespoons of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture to temper it and whisk together to combine. Then slowly add in the rest of the milk mixture and continue whisk the entire time to make sure it doesn’t scramble.

  • Stir in strawberry puree, vanilla extract, and food coloring, if using.

  • Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours to chill completely.

  • Add your mixture to an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and freeze.

  • Store in freezer while not serving.

Video

Notes

Chill your mixture until completely cool. I’ll say it one more time for the people in the back. Completely cool.

Nutrition

Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 219mg | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 240mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 1260IU | Vitamin C: 34.2mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 0.7mg

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The BEST Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making ice cream very creamy? ›

When it comes to great ice cream, cold temperatures and speed are your friends: the faster you bring your base from liquid to solid, the creamier it'll be. In a 2-quart unit, a typical batch of ice cream will take between 18 and 25 minutes to churn.

What is the secret ingredient to ice cream? ›

The cream cheese helps create an ice cream with a denser, smoother texture. As explained by TASTE, cream cheese acts as a stabilizer in ice cream, preventing water from seeping out of the milk and cream as well as preventing the formation of ice crystals that detract from ice cream's creaminess.

How do you keep strawberry ice cream from getting icy? ›

Chill Your Base Well

The initial mixture should be very cold before it hits the ice-cream machine; ideally, you'll want to refrigerate it overnight. It'll need less churning time this way, and that will keep ice crystals from snowballing.

What is the secret to soft ice cream? ›

Sugar, corn syrup or honey, as well as gelatin and commercial stabilizers, can all keep your ice cream at a softer consistency.

What is the best sugar for ice cream? ›

Most home ice cream recipes call for simple table sugar, which is chemically known as sucrose. But in pro kitchens you have more options. Liquid sugars like invert sugar, corn syrup, honey, and glucose syrup all add body, creaminess, and stability to ice cream, and a little goes a long way.

Do eggs make ice cream creamier? ›

Eggs leverage the fat already present in the ice cream base (the butterfat in cream and milk) and make it work even further for a creamier texture. But wait, there's more! Egg yolks also improve the stability of an ice cream, reducing its tendency to melt before you can get it from freezer to cone to mouth.

What are the 3 most important ingredients of ice cream? ›

If you have ever made ice cream, you already know what goes into it, ingredients such as milk, cream, and sugar. But there is one main ingredient that you may not have thought about, probably because you can't see it—air.

How to make ice cream more delicious? ›

To make a different ice cream flavor, fold 2 to 2 1/2 cups of finely diced mix-ins into the ice cream immediately after churning. Adding fresh strawberries makes a wonderful strawberry ice cream, but another fresh fruit, mini chocolate chips, or cookie or brownie crumbles would be great too.

What is the best stabilizer for ice cream? ›

The most common ones used in ice creams are guar gum, cellulose gum and carob bean gum. They are used to reduce ice crystal growth, deliver flavour cleanly, increase smoothness, body and creaminess and slow down melting. They also help hold the air bubble structure together and give the ice cream a better texture.

What is the flavor of strawberry ice cream? ›

Strawberry ice cream is a flavor of ice cream made with strawberry or strawberry flavoring. It is made by blending in fresh strawberries or strawberry flavoring with the eggs, cream, vanilla, and sugar used to make ice cream. Most strawberry ice cream is colored pink or light red.

Why is my homemade ice cream so hard? ›

the amount and/or type of sugar used in the recipe. From what I've experienced and also understand from others involved in ice cream making, concentrated sugar depresses the freezing point of ice cream, so too little an amount of sugar in the recipe makes it too hard and too much makes it too soft.

What ingredient makes ice cream scoopable? ›

There are two things that play part in making an ice cream perfectly scoop-able. It's the sugar content and the fat content. A higher fat content will cause an ice cream to be more scoop-able since fat freezes at a different temperature than water.

What makes ice cream creamy and not icy? ›

By binding with liquids, sugar molecules prevent an ice cream base from fully freezing into crunchy ice. That is, the more sugar you add, the softer and less icy your batch will be. The kind of sugar you add also matters.

What makes ice cream light and fluffy? ›

The main distinction between hard and soft ice cream is its texture. Soft serve gets its characteristic lightness from its air content. Generally, soft serve has less fat and more air than hard serve ice cream.

What ingredient makes ice cream thick? ›

Egg Yolks: The most traditional thickening agent, egg yolks contain natural proteins and fats that contribute to a rich and luxurious texture in custard-based ice creams. Cornstarch: Often used in non-custard ice creams, cornstarch mixed with milk helps thicken the base and create a smooth mouthfeel.

Does churning ice cream longer make it creamier? ›

Ice cream containing lots of tiny ice crystals feels smoother and creamier than ice cream that is equally thick but with fewer, larger crystals. Constant churning helps keep the crystals moving as they chill, so they have less time to attach to one another and form clusters that would interrupt a creamy mouth-feel.

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