Homemade strawberry ice cream recipe for ice cream maker

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream is an old-fashioned favorite when made simply with strawberries, sugar, and cream (or milk). Just a few ingredients adds up to a summer ice cream treat that everyone loves.

Strawberry ice cream melts into deliciousness about as fast as you can eat it. This is light, creamy, smooth homemade ice cream with bits of strawberries mixed throughout.

Top a scoop of this Strawberry Ice Cream with Simple Berry Sauce or Homemade Chocolate Sauce and serve it over Double Chocolate Brownies for a dessert that any fan of chocolate-covered strawberries will love.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember when making ice cream with fresh strawberries is to taste the berries.

It sounds overly simple, but the berries will contribute nearly all of the flavor to this recipe. If the berries are sweet and flavorful, the ice cream will be fantastic.

However, flavorless fruits will not be magically transformed into great ice cream. The resulting ice cream when working with subpar fruits is going to be very bland.

Often you can get away with subpar berries for cobbler, cake, or a crisp, because the cooking process enhances the flavors in a way that the simplest of ice creams will not be able to do.

I’ve been making this Strawberry Ice Cream for over ten years now and I’m happy to tell you that milk, half and half, or a combination of milk and cream may be used to make this ice cream. 

If you choose to make this recipe with only milk, the result is a smooth and creamy “ice milk” recipe with no cream involved, that is nonetheless delicious.

We actually enjoy it made all three ways, though similar to The Best (and Easiest) Ice Cream You’ll Ever Make, the half cream and half milk variation is the one I make the most often.

Dairy combinations for this ice cream:

• 1 cup milk + 1 cup cream
• 2 cups half and half
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups coconut milk (for a dairy free option)

Strawberry Vanilla Ice Cream

In contrast to the more common custard-based ice cream varieties, this ice cream is what I remember from childhood. It’s simply fruit and milk or cream with sugar and a splash of vanilla – no eggs, no cooking, no fuss required.

Strawberries and vanilla are a flavor pairing that works beautifully together. If you happen to have vanilla beans or vanilla paste on hand, definitely use them! The boost in vanilla flavor definitely works here.

We all really love this Strawberry Vanilla Ice Cream. This is a recipe I find myself making whenever I have an abundance of strawberries on hand.

Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

1. Place the strawberries in a large bowl. Use a potato masher, a fork, or a wooden spoon to crush them. Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir to combine
2. Add the milk and cream. Stir to combine and then pour into the ice cream maker.
3. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the finished ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer until ready to serve.

To make this recipe even simpler, place all ingredients for this recipe in the blender and puree to combine before pouring directly into the ice cream maker to churn.

The result is creamier ice cream without as many little berry pieces. I prefer the berries mashed over pureed, but both methods create delicious strawberry ice cream.

Ice Cream with Fruit

Pineapple, mint, coconut, and lime are combined to create this Pineapple Mint Gelato. It is a refreshingly light and not too sweet frozen treat – as if your favorite mojito married itself to a bowl of ice cream.

Creamy Raspberry Coconut Ice Cream filled with fresh raspberries is so easy to make, and so much fun to eat, you’re going to be making it all summer long.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Ice Cream is an intense strawberry burst of flavor with melting chocolate pieces and a creamy vanilla base.

Fresh berries are tucked in between brown sugar and oat layers and then baked into bubbling golden brown heaven before being tucked into swirls of Strawberry Crisp Ice Cream.

Creamy vanilla ice cream filled with chunks of peach cobbler turned out to be everything I’d imagined. With chunks of cinnamon crust and syrupy peaches in every bite, this Peach Cobbler Ice Cream is irresistible.

This sweet and slightly tart Cherry Ice Cream is made with just a handful of easy ingredients. No custard base, no eggs, no cooking time, just a quick whirl in the blender with sweet cream, sugar, and cherries.

Tart and sweet Roasted Rhubarb Ice Cream is a flavor combo my taste buds crave. I love anything with a sweet contrast.

Apple Crisp Ice Cream is made with the creamiest of homemade vanilla ice creams, then completely loaded with bits of cinnamon sweet baked apples and crunchy streusel topping.

Mango Pineapple Ice Cream is one of the most refreshing ice creams I’ve ever made. It still boggles my mind that so much fresh flavor is possible from a couple of cans of fruit, a splash of cream, and a squeeze of lime.

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Servings: 6 ½ cup servings

• ▢ 1½ cups fresh strawberries, trimmed about 8 large berries
• ▢ ⅔ cup sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 cup whole milk * see below for alternative dairy combinations
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream * see below for alternative dairy combinations

• Place the strawberries in a large bowl. Use a potato masher, a fork, or a wooden spoon to crush them. Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir to combine

• Add the milk and cream. Stir to combine and then pour into the ice cream maker.

• Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the finished ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer until ready to serve.

Milk, half and half, or a combination of milk and cream may be used to make this ice cream. 

Dairy combinations for this ice cream:

1 cup milk + 1 cup cream

2 cups half and half

2 cups milk

2 cups coconut milk (for a dairy free option)

To make this recipe even simpler, place all ingredients for this recipe in the blender and puree to combine before pouring directly into the ice cream maker to churn.

Calories: 257kcal · Carbohydrates: 28g · Protein: 3g · Fat: 16g · Saturated Fat: 10g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g · Monounsaturated Fat: 4g · Cholesterol: 50mg · Sodium: 124mg · Potassium: 155mg · Fiber: 1g · Sugar: 27g · Vitamin A: 653IU · Vitamin C: 21mg · Calcium: 82mg · Iron: 1mg

{originally published 6/18/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 8/2/22}