This Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream is creamy, dreamy, and made with fresh strawberries.
This homemade Strawberry Ice Cream recipe is incredibly easy, making it the perfect spring and summer dessert!
I’m bringing you yet another ice cream recipe! And you know what? I don’t hate it.
Ice Cream gives me all the summer feels, and strawberry ice cream, in particular, reminds me of summer days spent at our family cabin in the mountains (their strawberry ice cream is superior to all other ice creams).
This homemade strawberry ice cream is about as good as it gets (unless you wanted to throw some Neapolitan Sheet Cake or Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes into the mix—cake is always a good idea). Plus, it’s totally the Molly Ringwald of the ice cream world since it’s so pretty in pink!
I mean, after that classic 80’s reference, how can you even resist this??
(Totally a rhetorical question.)
So, this strawberry ice cream.
This gloriously pink homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Ice Cream is made with an ice cream maker, but it is so worth the investment! I have used mine countless times and absolutely love it!
In fact, next to my standing mixer, my ice cream maker is my used kitchen tool. Seriously, there is nothing like homemade ice cream. 😉
All right, so let’s talk about this recipe and just what makes it SO amazing.
Now, this Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream recipe calls for just a few simple ingredients:
-heavy whipping cream
-half and half
-strawberries
-honey
-sugar
-vanilla extract
-lemon juice
And, it is seriously so simple to whip up! Plus, even though is an eggless strawberry ice cream, the mix of ingredients make for such a creamy strawberry ice cream recipe!
Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Tips & Tricks:
- Breaking down this simple strawberry ice cream recipe a bit, the first thing to do is to hull and chop your strawberries into small pieces. For me, I really do like bigger pieces of strawberries in my ice cream, so I do a rough chop on the berries. Depending upon your taste preferences, you can make them as big or small as you want.
- 2. In a large bowl, mix the strawberries with the sugar, honey, and lemon juice, and allow the mixture to sit about 15-20 minutes. The sugars and acid from the lemon juice will release the strawberry juices, making them softer.
Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Tips & Tricks cont:
3. Once they have set, with a potato masher, fork, or pastry cutter, mash the strawberry mixture until there are no longer any big pieces throughout.
**(Doing this by hand will give you nice strawberry pieces. If you prefer a smoother strawberry ice cream, use a blender or food processor to puree them. I prefer real strawberry pieces throughout, but it tastes great both ways!)**
The Best Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe Tips & Tricks (I might be biased…)
4. Add heavy cream, half and half, and vanilla extract to the strawberry mixture. Pour into an ice cream maker and follow your manufacturer’s directions (mine took about 15-20 minutes).
5. Once churned, if you like it soft serve, go ahead and enjoy! But, if you prefer it a bit thicker, chill it for 3-4 hours in the freezer. Before serving, allow it to sit out 5-10 minutes or so to soften, making it easier to scoop.
This is my favorite strawberry ice cream recipe! But, my other strawberry ice cream recipe, Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream, is a close second! If you’ve tried them both, let me know your fav!
Be still my heart.
- 1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and diced
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
-
In a large bowl, mix strawberries, honey, sugar, and lemon juice. Allow to sit 15-20 minutes, or until the strawberries have released their juices.
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Mash the mixture with a potato masher, fork, or pastry cutter until there are no longer any large strawberry pieces (if you prefer a smooth ice cream, use a blender or food processor instead*).
-
To the strawberries, mix heavy cream, half and half, and vanilla extract. Stir just until combined.
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Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker, and follow your manufacturer's instructions (mine took about 15-20 minutes to churn). You can eat the ice cream soft-serve, or freeze it in an airtight container for 3-4 hours to thicken it up slightly. For best results, allow the ice cream to sit at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes to soften before serving.
-
Enjoy!
*If you puree the strawberries, I would suggest only using 2/3 - 1 cup of strawberries, as the liquid consistency can make the ice cream less creamy if you use the full 1 1/2 cups.
*The prep time refers to making the ice cream and does not include the chill time.
My favorite products used in this recipe:
Check out my other strawberry recipes:
Sarah says
Half and half of what? Seems to be missing some info.
Michelle says
Hi Sarah, half and half is an ingredients you can buy in the dairy section (it’s half milk and half cream). 😊
Evie says
What can be substituted for the dairy if I am making it dairy free? Thank you. Looks wonderful!
Michelle says
Hi Evie! I have never made this dairy free and am not too familiar with dairy-free ingredients (sorry!). Maybe coconut milk would work?
Tina says
Needed to throw in another positive review for this ice cream. I usually turn to David Lebovitz when I want to make ice cream, but I wasn’t excited about his strawberry ice cream recipe. So I chose this one and made it exactly as written and it was spectacular! Easy, creamy, bright – like eating a bowl of fresh strawberries. Do not leave out the lemon juice! I cannot wait to make it using market-fresh strawbs this summer! I mashed my strawberries too, as I prefer chunks of fruit, but I wouldn’t recommend throwing in diced strawberries while it’s churning. Those chunks tended to ice up. Now I know 🙂 Delicious ice cream!
Rae Shaw says
Hello, I would like to make this but I was wondering that….I actually got some Strawberry flavoring. Do you think I could substitute it instead of the vanilla flavoring?
Thanks so much,
Rae from Missouri
Michelle says
Hi Rae! You know what, I’m not 100% sure how that would taste (I’ve never used strawberry flavoring). If you do substitute it for the vanilla, I’d love to know how it turned out! 🙂
Marti says
This ice cream is killer! Smooth, not too sweet with a touch of brightness. Added some dark chocolate (can’t go wrong ever adding chocolate) pieces. Definitely on our favorite ice cream recipe list.
Michelle says
I am so glad you enjoyed it! I love the idea of adding dark chocolate–I’m going to try that asap! 🙂
Melissa says
Did you add food coloring to make the ice cream pink?
Michelle says
Hi Melissa! I did not–the pink came from the strawberries. The riper the berries are, the pinker the ice cream is (I’ve made this with strawberries that are whiter in the center, and the ice cream is not as pink in color). 😊
Shawna says
Do you think I could use this same recipe and substitute the strawberries for peaches? It was delicious with strawberries, just wondering if it might be interchangeable.
Michelle says
Hi Shawna! I haven’t tried this with peaches, but I have with raspberries and it came out great! So I’m thinking peaches would work too? Let me know if you try it!
Jana says
Delicious recipe! my strawberries were super sweet so i omitted the granulated sugar, only added the honey. It was terrific!
Michelle says
Hi Jana! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Strawberry season is the best! 😊
Marie says
I just made this and it came out perfect..maybe a little too sweet, but it’s a dessert so that’s ok! Next time I may lower the sugar, though.
I didn’t have heavy cream so I used the cream from coconut milk and it worked well. I also added some coconut flakes. It tastes soo good!
Julia says
Can I make this a few days early and keep the mixture refrigerated until I’m ready to put it into the ice cream maker?
Michelle says
Hi Julia! Sorry for the delayed response! Yes, I do think that would work (although I’ve never tried it). You could also make it in the ice cream maker ahead of time, freeze it until you’re ready to serve, and then let it sit out a few minutes before serving. 🙂
Genelle Trombley says
Turned out very tasty and super easy to make. I made the recipe and used my Kitchen Aid ice cream bowl attachment. Then put the ice cream in a sealed plastic container in the freezer for a couple hours for firmer consistency. Delicious recipe, simple ingredients, and doesn’t take nearly as long as many other recipes.