Strawberry Ice Cream

This homemade strawberry ice cream recipe is so creamy and delicious. It is full of fresh fresh strawberry flavor. Made with a French-style custard base, it will have you thinking its summer with every bite!

This is homemade ice cream recipe inspired by Melissa Clarks New York Times recipe is made with fresh, simple ingredients you can find in any grocery store. You just have to master the custard technique and then it gets easier every time. It is so worth it to open your freezer at anytime and have this waiting for you!

Ingredients

I always say that the quality of the final product of the ice cream is only as goos as the quality of the ingredients that go into it. Use the best milk, cream, eggs and fruit that you can find!

Here are all the ingredients you need for this homemade strawberry ice cream recipe:

• Fresh Strawberries: The main ingredient for this ice cream recipe is strawberries. I prefer using fresh berries and pureeing them, but you can also use frozen strawberries. Just remember to thaw the first before pureeing them.
• Whole Milk: The next main ingredient for making ice cream!
• Sugar: I use granulated sugar.
• Heavy Cream: Heavy whipping cream is yet another essential ingredient that gives the ice cream its smooth and silky texture because of its fat content. Using heavy cream prevents crystal formation, ensuring the ice cream has a luxuriously smooth consistency.
• Fresh Lemon Juice: Please only use fresh!
• Egg Yolks: Only the yolks, freeze the egg whites for later use!
• Salt: Salt not just acts as a flavor enhancer but also allows the ice cream to freeze homogeneously.

Steps

It only takes a few simple steps for the best strawberry ice cream

1. Clean the fruit

If you’re using fresh strawberries, wash them thoroughly under running water. Skip this step for frozen strawberries.

Pat them dry using a paper towel and place them on the cutting board. Remove the crown and chop the strawberries and transfer them to a large bowl.

2. Make the puree

Place the strawberries in a high-speed blender or food processor. Add the lemon juice and salt, and puree at medium speed for a few seconds until you get consistent and smooth strawberry puree.

You can use a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds or lumps from the strawberry puree. I personally leave them in. Put the strawberry mixture in a large bowl.

3. Make the Custard

In a medium saucepan, add the heavy cream, sugar, and salt. Then stir over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Then in a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Make your custard by taking a ladle-full of the warm cream and adding it to the eggs while whisking constantly (So you don’t make scrambled eggs).

Then take the egg mixture and add it to the rest of the cream. Stirring constantly over medium heat with a spatula or a wooden spoon, warm it until it it coats the back of a spoon or the spatula.

It should reach about 170 F on a instant-read thermometer. Strain it through a fine-mesh strainer to catch any small pieces into a clean large bowl.

Cool the hot cream mixture to room temperature. It should be a pale yellow color with a creamy texture!

4. Combine the fruit and custard mix

When cool, stir in the pureed strawberries into the ice cream base and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours (better overnight!)

5. Chill and transfer to the ice cream maker

Place the pureed mixture in the refrigerator till it is chilled. Transfer the mixture to the chilled container of your ice cream maker and make the sorbet as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

When ready, take it out of the fridge and make it in an ice cream maker according to manufacture’s instructions.

It comes out of the machine a gorgeous pink color, like soft serve which you can eat right away or put it in an airtight container and freeze to chill.

Equipment

You’ll need a few bowls, a spatula or wooden spoon, a blender, and an ice cream maker for this recipe. I love my Cuisinart ice cream maker and I can’t recommend it enough!

The Ice Cream maker to use!

Tips

• If you are using an ice cream maker that has a freezer bowl, before making the ice cream, place the churner’s bowl in the freezer for at least 24 hours to chill.
• Make sure the milk, heavy cream, and strawberry puree are also very chilled. Place these ingredients in the freezer for an hour or two for the best results.
• You can add vanilla if you wish, either vanilla bean or vanilla extract.
• So many fantastic topping ideas go well with strawberry ice cream. For instance, you can use fresh berries or strawberries, roughly chopped nuts, granola, strawberry, or chocolate syrup. You can also use this ice cream for making milkshakes.

Frequently asked questions

The cherry on top

I truly believe this is the best strawberry ice cream recipe I’ve tried., but it’s all about the fresh strawberry puree and getting that right! So I would make this as much as you can during strawberry season! Who doesn’t love a pink ice cream in Spring!

Try one of these other ice creams:

Here is the recipe!