Strawberry Ice Cream
Posted May 28, 2023, Updated Jul 05, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This homemade strawberry ice cream recipe is rich and creamy. It’s made with only 7 ingredients including fresh strawberries. It’s the most delicious strawberry ice cream ever – even better than your favorite ice cream shop!
I am incredibly passionate about ice cream, and always prefer my homemade ice cream recipes to any store-bought or ice cream parlor varieties because the quality of ingredients, flavor and texture is far superior to anything you can buy. This strawberry ice cream recipe is no exception.
This homemade strawberry ice cream is made with 7 ingredients, is rich and creamy and is bursting with strawberry flavor that comes from real strawberries only (no artificial colors, flavors, etc.).
I promise you, it’s the best strawberry ice cream you will ever try!
Strawberry Ice Cream: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Half and half/heavy cream. This recipe calls for 3 cups of liquid. You can change the ratios of half and half to cream if desired, as long as the total amount equals 3 cups. You can also substitute up to 1 cup of the liquid with whole milk.
- Granulated sugar. I suggest white sugar or organic cane sugar for the best results.
- Vanilla Extract. the seeds of 1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste are good substitutes for extract.
- Egg Yolks. There is no substitution for egg yolks in this recipe.
- Strawberries. I suggest fresh strawberries for the best results. If using frozen berries, thaw them in a colander to strain off excess water.
How to Make Strawberry Ice Cream
Let’s walk through this strawberry ice cream recipe step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by washing and trimming 1 pint of strawberries.
Then, puree the strawberries in a high-powered blender (of course, I recommend a Vitamix). until smooth, set aside.
Next heat the half and half, salt and sugar over medium heat until it is warm – whisking often to help dissolve the sugar.
Then, whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl.
Once the half and half is warm (but not boiling), add ½ cup of the warm mixture to the egg yolks and whisk to combine.
Then add the egg mixture to the half and half on the stovetop.
Next, cook the mixture over medium-low heat stirring constantly until it thickens, just barely coating the back of a spatula.
Then, place the heavy cream into a bowl and put a fine mesh strainer on top of the bowl.
Strain the custard into the heavy cream and discard the residue on the strainer.
Then, stir the vanilla extract and strawberry puree into the mixture until combined.
Next, transfer the strawberry ice cream mixture to an airtight container and cool completely in the fridge (preferably overnight).
Once the mixture is completely chilled, churn it until it’s thick and frozen in an ice cream maker.
If desired, coarsely chop half a cup of strawberries and add it towards the end of the churning process. This is for those who like chunks of fresh strawberries in their ice cream.
Then, transfer the churned strawberry ice cream to a glass container with a lid and freeze for at least 4 hours.
Serve
When you’re ready to serve, you may need to remove the container from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for a couple minutes to be soft enough to scoop.
Serve it in bowls topped with homemade whipped cream, sprinkles, etc. Or use it to make this ice cream cake or strawberry milkshake!
Store
Store this strawberry ice cream in a glass container with a lid for up to 2 months in the freezer.
There are also great containers that are made for storing ice cream, like these 1-quart storage tubs and this jumbo 2.5 quart container (for larger batches).
Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe FAQs
If you did not make sure your strawberries were completely dry, you could have introduced extra water into the recipe which would make it icy.
This recipe is the creamiest ice cream because it’s made with half and half and heavy cream.
I love this ice cream maker the best. It’s affordable and works really well. I actually bought a fancier one and prefer this model anyway!
This strawberry ice cream gets its pink color from the pureed strawberries mixing with the white cream/custard.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 pint strawberries (2 cups)
- Optional: ½ cup chopped strawberries
Instructions
- Wash and trim 1 pint of strawberries. Puree them in a high-powered blender until smooth, set aside.
- Heat half and half, salt and sugar over medium heat until it is warm, whisking often to help the sugar dissolve.
- Beat egg yolks in a small mixing bowl, add ½ cup of the warm half and half mixture to the egg yolks and whisk to combine. Then add the egg mixture to the half and half on the stovetop.
- Cook over medium-low heat stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, just barely coating the back of a spatula.
- Place the heavy cream into a bowl, and put a fine mesh strainer over the top of the bowl.
- Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Discard the remnants left on the strainer.
- Add vanilla extract and strawberry puree to the mixture and stir to combine.
- Transfer to an airtight container and cool completely in the fridge (preferably overnight).
- Once chilled, churn until thick and frozen.
- If desired, stir in extra chopped strawberries during the end of the churning time.
- Transfer the strawberry ice cream to a glass container with a lid and freeze for at least 4 hours.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Half and half/heavy cream. This recipe calls for 3 cups of liquid. You can change the ratios of half and half to cream if desired, as long as the total amount equals 3 cups. You can also substitute up to 1 cup of the liquid with whole milk.
- Granulated sugar. I suggest white sugar or organic cane sugar for the best results.
- Vanilla Extract. the seeds of 1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste are good substitutes for extract.
- Egg Yolks. There is no substitution for egg yolks in this recipe.
- Strawberries. I suggest fresh strawberries for the best results. If using frozen berries, thaw them in a colander to strain off excess water.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Laura, you’ve done it again!
After trying your chocolate recipe and being blown away I had to try this strawberry. I made it last night and after tasting the soft serve out of the machine, I wanted to run to the keyboard and let you know how good it was. However, I decided to wait overnight to let it firm up some more and have another taste. I just had one (hey, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere!) and I’m not going to wait anymore to type this.
Simply put: THIS is how strawberry ice cream SHOULD be!
Once again, like your chocolate, you absolutely NAILED the sugar content. Even having to use frozen strawberries due to the time of year, this absolutely CRUSHES any of the major commercial players in the game. That’s right, I said it: CRUSHES them! I love the gentle pink my base had and the gentle color lays a trap to surprise you with just how good the flavor is! My memory might be faulty as I think YEARS back, but my recollection is that it’s even better than Breyer’s from the 70’s when their ice creams were good (as opposed to after Unilever bought them in the 90’s). The best way I can describe it is like having a vibrant, fresh strawberry that just melts in your mouth. There’s a creamy satisfying finish that lingers beautifully. To me, nothing says “quality” more than when all you need is a little dollop because the taste and cream profile are absolutely satisfying.
Vanilla and strawberry are my two favorite go-to flavors and I can tell you right now you knocked it out of the park with this strawberry! Of course I have nieces and nephews who are what I consider ice cream heretics because they turn their nose up to anything except cookie dough, so I’ll give that recipe from you a go next.
PS- Thank you for setting up your website to include metric in the recipes. When making sweets I always prefer to do my dry ingredients by mass, not volume, for repeatability and tweaking. I appreciate it.
Thank you so much for your detailed, and glowing review of this recipe David! I really do take my ice cream seriously and I’m so happy that you love both the chocolate and vanilla! I totally understand what you’re saying about store-bought ice creams, which is why I always make them from scratch with organic ingredients and zero food coloring (which is why this recipe is a natural, pale pink)! 🙂 I also have recipes for vanilla and cookie dough – both of which I think you’ll like (although the cookie dough is sweet just because the mix ins are so sweet)!
You’re welcome Laura! It’s pretty obvious you take your ice cream seriously. 🙂 I was perusing your different recipes and I noticed you tweak ingredient contents for the flavor you’re going for. I think you’re also the first person I’ve seen to use a strainer in your process as well (from my savory background when it comes to straining, if you know, you know- I never thought to do it here but it makes perfect sense and works!).
I did read your vanilla recipe and I’m dying to try it. You have some technique and ratio differences versus my “tried and true” recipe that have piqued my interest, but I am temporarily holding off. I was gifted an ice cream maker with a compressor for Christmas (your chocolate was the very first batch through it) and I have a source for raw milk now so I have a milk separator on the way. I want all the components here to go all out for what I consider the “alpha” of ice cream flavors before diving into my vanilla bean/extract stash.
Regardless, I’ll be sure to let you know how both cookie dough and vanilla go as I try them, and thanks again for sharing your ice cream recipes!
I have not made this strawberry ice cream yet, but the fact that I have made your coffee ice cream four times now and it’s the best I’ve ever had and my neighbor also says it’s the best coffee ice cream she’s ever had, I figured your strawberry ice cream would be fantastic too. Since I have a bunch of organic strawberries that I got today at the farmers market, I thought I would make your ice cream, but I have to go to the store in the morning to get the cream, etc. I will update my comment or add a new one once I make it. I’m sure it will be wonderful because your recipes are phenomenal. I’ve also made your chocolate ice cream too, which I love, but we love the coffee the best . I’m a coffee lover Anyway.
Here’s an update to my comment that I was planning on making the strawberry ice cream.
OMG! The Strawberry ice cream turned out so delicious. I will definitely make it again. I don’t normally get fruit ice creams, but this was delicious and totally worth it. It makes a larger volume of ice cream than the coffee ice cream recipe. That’s good because I have more ice cream when it’s all done. I am planning on making the coffee ice cream this week since the organic strawberries are getting more difficult to get right now in the winter.
I’m SO happy that you decided to make it, Judi! I’m glad you gave a fruity ice cream a try. I hear you on the strawberries being hard to find, they’re my daughter’s favorite and it’s just not their season right now. Frozen strawberries work well too – if you thaw them so they can be blended well.
This was the best strawberry ice cream I’ve ever had. Thank you for another amazing recipe!
I’m so happy you love it, Eleen!
I haven’t made this yet. Why do you use heavy cream for this recipe and heavy whipping cream for the coffee ice cream recipe?
They are the same thing!