Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

There’s nothing quite like homemade Strawberry Ice Cream in the world, and once you’ve made it from scratch, you’ll never want it any other way. So rich, creamy, and filled with strawberry flavor, it’s easier to make than you might think!

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thank you for your support to help keep this site running!

Who doesn’t love ice cream? I sure do, and my kids gobble it up whenever I make it. I used to buy it, but the good brands are pricy, and the cheaper brands are filled with emulsifiers, colors, and chemicals. Who needs all that?

So now I make it myself and let me tell you, it’s not hard to make! In fact, I bet you’ll wonder what took you so long to take the plunge and make homemade ice cream. The best part of this ice cream is that it is bursting with strawberry flavor. There are oodles of berries in this ice cream, and it is creamy, not too sweet, and delicious from the first spoonful to the last.

The Secret To Making The Best Strawberry Ice Cream

There are two secrets to making the most delicious ice cream popping with fresh strawberry flavor. The first is using good quality ingredients. With so few ingredients, it’s essential to use the best – so this is the time to bust out the pure vanilla extract and make sure your dairy is super-fresh.

The second secret is to use a good-quality ice cream maker. There are so many to pick from, but investing in a good ice cream machine will save you so much money! I used to use the machine that you had to freeze the ice cream insert the night before, and what a pain! Now I use an ice cream machine that uses its own refrigerant, and I’ll never go back! No more waiting for ice cream!

Ingredients

• Heavy cream – Whipping cream, super fresh.
• Whole milk – As fresh as you can get.
• Sugar – White granulated sugar.
• Egg yolks
• Vanilla extract – Use real vanilla extract if you have it, not artificial extract.
• Fresh strawberries – Washed and hulled.

How To Make Strawberry Ice Cream With Fresh Strawberries

1. Stir the milk, cream, and ½ a cup of sugar in a pot over low heat until it is hot but not boiling.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and remaining ½ cup of sugar until combined. 
3. Drizzle in ½ a cup of the hot cream mixture to the egg-sugar combination to temper the eggs. Then add another ½ cup of the cream mixture while whisking continuously.
4. Pour the egg yolk and cream mixture into the pot with the rest of the cream and stir gently over medium heat. The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
6. Refrigerate the custard base until it is thoroughly chilled.
7. Pulse the strawberries and remaining sugar in a food processor until it is mostly smooth but with some chunks. Small chunks are good.
8. Add the strawberries to the chilled custard and stir.
9. Add the strawberry ice cream base to your ice cream maker and make it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 
10. Transfer the ice cream to freezer-safe containers and keep it frozen.

How To Store Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

Obviously, you have to keep your ice cream in the freezer, but how you package it is important to keep ice crystals from forming and to keep the smells of the freezer from invading your ice cream. I love using ice cream containers – these are specially designed to keep ice cream fresh and delicious. I’ve tried many ways to store it, and these are my top pick!

Recipe Tips

This easy strawberry ice cream recipe is all about technique, so here are some tips to help you make it perfectly every time.

• Tempering the egg mixture is important – this slowly raises the temperature of the eggs so that you don’t cook the eggs and end up with soupy scrambled eggs.
• When heating the custard, stir constantly with a wooden spoon to keep the eggs from cooking and separating.
• Custard can burn on the bottom of your pot – using a heavy-bottomed pot, keeping the heat low, and stirring constantly will keep it from burning.
• You can speed up the chilling of the custard by pouring it into a zipper-top bag and setting the bag into a bowl of ice.

How to Use Strawberry Ice Cream

Grab a spoon and dig into a bowlful of your homemade Strawberry Ice Cream, or try one of these creative suggestions:

• Make a strawberry milkshake with your scratch-made ice cream.
• Serve a scoop of ice cream along with your favorite cake.
• Make ice cream sandwich cookies! Sandwich a scoop of ice cream between your favorite cookies, and dig in!
• I love strawberry ice cream on top of dessert crepes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Print Pin

5 from 2 votes

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

Equipment

• ice cream maker

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 Cups heavy cream
• 1-1/2 Cups whole milk
• 1 Cup sugar, divided + 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 Large eggs
• 1 Tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Cups Chopped strawberries washed & hulled

Instructions

• In a medium sauce pot, stir together the milk, cream and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Heat over medium-low heat until hot but not bubbling.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar until combined. While whisking the eggs and sugar, slowly pour in the 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture to the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Add another 1/2 cup of the hot cream to the mixture, whisking the entire time.
• Pour the egg yolk mixture into the sauce pot with the rest of the mix and stir gently wit a wooden spoon for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the temperature is between 170-175 degrees. The mixture should be just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon at this point. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
• Refrigerate for 4 hours, until thoroughly chilled. You can also pour the mixture into a sealed ziplock bag and sets into a bowl filled with ice water to speed the process along.
• Meanwhile, combine the strawberries and remaining 2 tbsps of sugar in a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth, or stop until just short of smooth if you want some small strawbery chunks in your ice cream. You dont want to have too large of chunks though because they will be difficult to eat when the ice cream is frozen.
• Pour the pureed strawberries into the chilled custard base and stir to combine.
• Pour the strawberry ice cream base into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After churning, transfer ice cream to a freezer safe container and place in the freezer.