Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
This homemade Strawberry Ice Cream is super creamy and full of bright strawberry flavor. I use a secret ingredient for the best flavor and texture.
To learn all about the basics of making homemade ice cream, check out my Vanilla Bean Ice Cream post. But first, let’s talk about this fabulous Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream.
Why this is the tastiest Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
As much as I love strawberries, and as much as I love ice cream, I’m not always a big fan of strawberry ice cream. The problem is, strawberry ice cream often doesn’t really taste that much like strawberries.
I don’t want ice cream that tastes like strawberry jam and I definitely don’t want ice cream with big hunks of rock-hard frozen berries.
I challenged myself to make strawberry ice cream with a distinctive, fresh-strawberry flavor, but without chunks of icy, tasteless berries.
The first step is to figure out how to reduce the amount of water in the strawberries. Too much water from the berries not only dilutes the flavor, extra water will give the ice cream an icy, crystalized texture.
Cooking the berries is one way to concentrate the flavor. This is the approach I use for Roasted Strawberry Hand Pies and Roasted Peach Ice Cream. But cooking changes the flavor of the berries. I wanted fresh strawberry flavor.
Freeze dried fruits have fresh, concentrated flavor so they work perfectly to make an ice cream with great berry flavor.
How to make the creamiest homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
- As soon as the custard base is ready, add the strawberries.
- Grab a handful of the freeze dried strawberries at a time.
- Crush the dried berries and add them to the warm ice cream base.
- The powdery bits will mix into the custard and the larger pieces will stay intact.
- When you add the strawberries to the custard they will float.
- As the custard chills, the strawberries will absorb moisture, add flavor and turn the custard a pale pinkish color.
- Run the strawberry ice cream according to the directions for your machine.
- As the ice cream churns, the rehydrated strawberries will continue to break down and tint the ice cream a pale pink.
FAQs
Fresh strawberries contain a lot of water. When you add chunks of fresh strawberries to ice cream the water in the berries will freeze solid and give the ice cream an icy, crystalized texture.
To intensify strawberry flavor you need to remove excess water from the berries. Freeze dried strawberries have all the water removed, which concentrates the flavor.
Pastry Chef Tips for making homemade Strawberry Ice Cream:
- The color won’t be super pink because the ice cream base is slightly yellow from the egg yolks. I like the natural color. You can add a hint of red food coloring if you want your ice cream to be a more pink.
- Chill the custard base until it very, very cold before churning it in your ice cream maker. The colder the custard is, the faster the ice cream will freeze. Faster freezing makes ice cream with smaller ice crystals and a creamier texture.
For a truly spectacular dessert, layer this homemade strawberry ice cream into a Baked Alaska Cake Roll.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I would really appreciate a 5-star review.
Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz whole milk (1 ½ cups)
- 12 oz heavy cream (1 ½ cups)
- 5 egg yolks
- 8 oz granulated sugar (1 cup)
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ oz freeze dried strawberries (2 cups)
- Red Food Coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Combine 12 oz whole milk and 12 oz heavy cream in a small saucepan and heat over medium high heat until scalding hot. While the milk heats up, whisk together 5 egg yolks, 8 oz granulated sugar, pinch of salt and 1 tbsp vanilla extract in a small bowl.
- Once the milk mixture is scalding hot, pour it into the bowl with the yolks and whisk to combine
- Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and heat over medium low heat, stirring constantly. Cook the custard until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spatula or wooden spoon. Do not allow it to come to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl.
- Grab a handful of the freeze dried berries and crush them in your fist over the bowl. Toss the handful into the bowl and continue adding the rest of the freeze dried berries. Stir the berries into the custard. They'll start out floating but will sink as they absorb moisture.
- Cover the bowl and chill until very cold. At least 4-5 hours or over night.
- Churn the ice cream according to the directions for your ice cream machine. The strawberries should have softened while the mix was chilling and will break down as the ice cream churns. You can add a few drops of red food coloring to enhance the color if you'd like.
- When the ice cream is ready, scoop it into a container and smooth to an even layer. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream, cover tightly and freeze until firm.
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I tried grinding the berries into powder and tossing them into the mix. Turned into disgusting globs. Had to use a mixer, which added unnecessary air. The final texture was gooey, not the way I like ice cream. Will keep trying.
Well, you didn’t follow the recipe as it was written. The recipe instructs you to “Grab a handful of the freeze dried berries and crush them in your fist over the bowl. Toss the handful into the bowl”. This way you get some powder that mixes into the custard and some chunks of strawberry that will rehydrate in the custard. Honestly, I don’t think it’s fair to rate a recipe poorly if you didn’t follow the recipe.
Hello! I am so looking forward to trying this recipe! I am the owner of a small batch ice cream company and I have been having the same issues as you when it comes to strawberry ice cream. May I ask what the texture is of the strawberry bits once they are frozen into ice cream. Thank you so much!
They are a little more chewy than bits of fresh strawberry and not as hard and icy.
Fabulous! Creamy, delicious, great flavor. Freeze-dried strawberries are a real game-changer.
What is the yield for the Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream recipe? I just got a kitchenaid ice cream attachment and am trying to figure out if this recipe will be enough/too much/too little so I can adjust accordingly.
It makes a quart. It will fit in the Kitchenaid ice cream bowl.