No Churn Strawberry Ice Cream
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It’s easy to make THE BEST Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream without an ice cream maker! In this recipe, I combined my Mom’s famous strawberry pie filling, with my basic no churn ice cream recipe, combining heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk.
It only takes 20 minutes of hands-on time to create this incredibly creamy ice cream recipe. And I can guarantee you that there’s no better way to enjoy a warm summer day than with a bowl of this refreshing strawberry ice cream!
Strawberry ice cream is considered one of the three classic ice cream flavors, right up there with chocolate and vanilla. It’s always ranked in the top 10 most popular ice cream flavors in the US and it’s one of my personal favorites. This is why I spent hours coming up with the perfect strawberry ice cream recipe with fresh strawberry flavor!
Some strawberry ice cream recipes simply add fresh sliced strawberries to vanilla ice cream. Strawberries are made-up of mostly water, so when you simply mix them into an ice cream base, you end up with frozen strawberry chunks in the middle of vanilla ice cream. Not really strawberry ice cream and not very appealing!
Other recipes are made with artificial strawberry flavoring, and I don’t know about you, but I’m not down with that! I want real, fresh strawberries in my ice cream. So I came up with the perfect compromise, my Mom’s famous strawberry pie filling!
Cooking the strawberries releases the water and brings out the flavor of the strawberries. Once the strawberries are cooked down to a slightly chunky puree, they easily mix into the ice cream base, creating a real strawberry ice cream with no chunks of frozen berries in sight! Here you will find strawberry ice cream perfection!
This no churn ice cream has the consistency of soft serve and it doesn’t need to be thawed when it comes out of the freezer. This is one of many reasons why this is the perfect ice cream recipe. You can go straight from freezer, to spoon, to mouth!
Table of contents
How to make it
This recipe is super easy to make in three simple steps. Prepare the strawberry puree and the ice cream base, then put them together and after 5 hours in the freezer, you’ll be digging into the best ice cream ever!
- Prepare the strawberry puree.
- Add sliced strawberries to a large skillet, off the stove, and use a muddler, potato masher or fork to mash the strawberries into a thick, slightly chunky consistency.
- Add corn starch and sugar to the mashed berries, then move the skillet onto the stove over medium heat.
- Once the strawberry mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat slightly to medium-low and allow the berries to cook down to a thick consistency for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in fresh squeezed lemon juice.
- Transfer the strawberry puree to the refrigerator to cool, while you make the ice cream base.
- Prepare the ice cream base.
- In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and salt. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, whip heavy cream over medium-high speed until firm peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.
- Fold the condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula until well combined.
- Make the ice cream.
- Gently fold the strawberry mixture into the ice cream.
- Pour the ice cream into a 2 quart container.
- Quick Tip! A metal container will freeze faster, but a glass or plastic container will also work. For this recipe, I used a heart shaped springform pan. Literally any pan that holds two quarts will work just fine!
- Cover the container with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 5 hours.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you make this recipe without chunks of strawberries? Yes, if you prefer a strawberry ice cream without chunks, simply puree the cooked strawberry mixture in a blender or food processor before folding it into the ice cream.
- How long will homemade ice cream stay good in the freezer? This ice cream will stay good in the freezer for months. Always seal it in an airtight container to avoid freezer burn.
- What toppings would you recommend adding to this ice cream? I’m a big fan of this ice cream on it’s own, but I’d be lying if I said adding a drizzle of chocolate syrup on top wouldn’t be delicious. Chocolate and strawberries are a match made in heaven!
- Can frozen strawberries be substituted for fresh? Yes, since the strawberries in this recipe are cooked down, you can use frozen strawberries. You’ll want to immediately add them to a skillet over medium heat to allow them to defrost, then use a muddler to mash the strawberries. You can then follow the recipe as instructed, adding the sugar and cornstarch, then cooking down the strawberries.
- Why isn’t the ice cream pink? Most strawberry ice cream that is bright pink in color has added red food coloring. I chose not to add food coloring to this recipe, but if you’d like to, go right ahead! Just add 1-2 drops of red food coloring into the ice cream with the strawberries.
What other ingredients could I add to this ice cream?
- Chocolate Chips – simply fold one cup of mini chocolate chips into the ice cream with the strawberry mixture.
- Shortcake – to make strawberry shortcake ice cream, mix in 1 cup of crushed shortbread cookies with the strawberry mixture.
- Cheesecake – to make strawberry cheesecake ice cream, use your stand mixer or electric hand mixer to combine the condensed milk, vanilla extract and salt with 4 oz softened cream cheese, then follow the recipe as instructed. At the end, mix in 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers with the strawberry mixture.
More ice cream recipes to try
Stock up your freezer with all of your favorite ice cream flavors! Be sure to check out each of these ice cream recipes, all easy to make without an ice cream maker!
- Peanut Butter Ice Cream
- Salted Caramel Ice Cream
- Chocolate Ice Cream
- Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
- Milk and Cookies Ice Cream
- Peppermint Bark Ice Cream
- Moose Tracks Ice Cream
And if you have an ice cream maker at home, be sure to try my families famous Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream!
More strawberry recipes to try
- Frozen Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
- Grilled Berry S’Mores
- Gluten Free Strawberry Banana Bread
- Strawberry Pancakes with Cream Cheese Syrup
- Crispy Goat Cheese Strawberry Salad
Strawberry Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberries, stems removed, hulled, sliced in half
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2 cups heavy cream, cold
Instructions
- Place the strawberries in a large skillet, away from the stove, and mash with a muddler or fork.
- Mash until a thick, slightly chunky consistency is formed.
- Add the corn starch and sugar to the mashed berries.
- Mix together then move the skillet to the stovetop over medium heat.
- Once the strawberry mixture begins to bubble reduce the heat slightly and allow the berries to cook down to a thick consistency, about 5-7 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and add the lemon juice.
- Place the mixture in the refrigerator to cool while preparing the ice cream base.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and sea salt.
- Whip the heavy cream with a stand mixer or electric hand mixer on medium-high speed until firm peaks form, about 3 minutes.
- Fold the condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula until combined.
- Gently fold in the cooked, cooled strawberries.
- Pour into a 2 quart container.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer.
- Freeze for at least 5 hours, or overnight.
Notes
- This recipe makes approximately 1/2 gallon of ice cream.
- The ice cream can be stored in the freezer for months. Just make sure it’s in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn.
Nutrition Facts
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21 Comments on “No Churn Strawberry Ice Cream”
I made this recipe last night, I didn’t have cornstarch, so I used all-purpose-flour instead. When I tasted it this morning, it tasted way to syrupy sweet. I put the ice cream back in a mixing bowl and added two more cups of plain strawberries that had just been through the food processor and it tasted perfect.
Very quick and easy to make.
I served mine with chocolate covered strawberries and mint leaves as a garnish. Everyone loved it!
I’m wondering how much measured strawberries does this make? And if I cook them down and add sugar and lemon, could I then freeze the amount needed for one container and just add the cornstarch and cream when I made it? Also could I do the same with cherries? I’d prefer to have it ready and on hand and in foodsaver bags frozen.
Any help is appreciated.
Hi Linda,
Yes, you could follow steps 1-6, then place the mixture in a freezer safe container and freeze it until you’re ready to make the ice cream. Unfortunately I do not know the exact measurement of the strawberries after it’s cooked down, as I’ve never measured it before adding it to the ice cream.
I also have a very similar recipe for Cherry Garcia Ice Cream (which is cherries and chocolate chunks), but you could easily leave out the chocolate if you want and it would be very similar to this recipe.
Enjoy!
This turned out amazing! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
Just made this using frozen strawberries. Added 1/4 cup water to the pan with the rest of the puree ingredients, just so everything wasn’t in a clump. I have a wonderful ice cream maker so I skipped the step of whipping the cream and just added it into the rest of the ingredients . Absolutely delicious and super easy! Thank you!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it Riley! Thanks for the comment! 🙂
Hi Whitney,
Trying the recipe for the first time today. Do we need to add lemon juice if the strawberries aren’t very sweet?
Thank you!
Hi Ambar, you can definitely omit the lemon juice if you’d like. Enjoy!
The best homemade ice cream ever will be made again and again
Woohoo, so happy to hear that Michelle!!
I made the recipe with light cream it was just as good just some particles from either the strawberry seeds of condensed milk
Hi the ice cream recipe was good however I got some grainy particles is this from the condensed milk. Also are you add water strawberry purée I did so it wouldn’t burn.
Hi Miki, sounds like you might need to turn the heat down on the stove a little bit, you shouldn’t need to add water to the strawberries. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times and have never had the strawberries burn. I know that stove temperatures can vary, so you might want to try a medium-low setting next time.
Hello. My son and I went to U-pick strawberry. I want to try this recipe but have questions. Can I substitute heavy cream with something else, like almond milk or 2,% milk? Hope to hear from you soon.
Hi Atsuko, unfortunately this recipe will only work with heavy cream. Any other dairy or non-dairy source will not whip up enough to make the creamy ice cream.
Thank you for this recipe! I don’t have an ice cream maker (and don’t ever plan on buying one) but I wanted to make homemade ice cream! My husband and I have a bunch of frozen strawberries that I wanted to use in a creative way, and why not ice cream?! This recipe came out fantastic! It’s absolutely delicious! Actually, we sampled a bit while it was still soft, but we’re leaving it overnight to properly set.
With this recipe (at least the base recipe) the possibilities of making ice cream are endless! I’m already planning on making a cookie ice cream!! Thank you again!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Faith! I made a Milk & Cookies Ice Cream with the same recipe base around the holidays and it was delicious, you can check it out here:
The options really are endless, I can’t wait to hear what you make next with the recipe base!
I made this today and it’s delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Thanks Penny! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is so delicious! Super easy too. Ive done a cookies & cream 1 & it was yummy but I’m now no longer allergic to strawberries & nuts etc so I’m taking advantage of making a bunch of different treats. Thank u for this!