Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

This fresh strawberry ice cream is made without eggs or a stove-top, making it a super simple ice cream recipe to make at home. All you need is 7 ingredients and an ice cream maker to make this strawberry ice cream recipe that is bursting with fresh strawberry flavor.
An ice cream scooper scooping strawberry ice cream from a tub.
A pink footed bowl with scoops of strawberry ice cream topped with strawberry halves.

Why this recipe works

There’s no better way to celebrate summer than with ice cream. This strawberry ice cream recipe does not disappoint. Using ripe strawberries and a few other simple ingredients, you can have a fresh strawberry ice cream for dessert worth of an ice cream parlor. 

This is a Philadelphia-style ice cream made without eggs, which makes this recipe that much easier. You don’t need to make a custard base on the stove-top! Just blend it all together and pour into your ice cream maker. 

Fresh strawberries are truly the star of this homemade strawberry ice cream recipe. Creamy and refreshing, it’s the perfect solution to beating the heat on a hot summer day.

You’ll love this recipe because:

  • It has no eggs. One of the trickiest part of making your own homemade ice cream is tempering the eggs and making a custard on the stovetop. However, this recipe is a Philadelphia-style ice cream that has no eggs!
  • It’s naturally gluten-free. If you are on a gluten-free diet like me, you can have this strawberry ice cream recipe! It’s naturally gluten-free with just 7 simple ingredients.
  • It has simple ingredients. I love that this recipe is so easy to make and requires 7 ingredients that you may already have on hand! There are no additives, fillers, or ingredients you can’t pronounce like you might find in store-bought brands of ice cream. Just simple, whole ingredients.

Ingredients

Small bowls on a pink herringbone table for making strawberry ice cream, including strawberries, milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt with text overlays over each ingredient.

Ingredient Notes

  • strawberries – For best results, use in-season fresh strawberries for this recipe. If it’s out of season, use frozen strawberries instead as they are picked at the height of their ripeness and then frozen. Out of season strawberries are available at the grocery store, but they lack flavor. To use frozen strawberries, let them thaw completely and then drain them before proceeding with the recipe. 
  • lemon juice – Use fresh lemon juice from a lemon for this recipe. You can also add some lemon zest if you’d like. I can normally get 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice from one lemon. 
  • whole milk – Use whole milk for this recipe to make a super creamy ice cream. If you use skim milk, 1% milk, or lower fat milks it will throw off the fat ratio and will result in a thinner and icier ice cream. 
  • vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract for best results, not imitation vanilla extract. You can also add some vanilla beans to the ice cream if you’d like. The vanilla bean flecks show up really nicely in this strawberry ice cream recipe. 

Equipment

For this recipe, he only special equipment you’ll need is an ice cream machine. I have two ice cream makers in my kitchen that I use regularly for making ice cream. I use both my Cuisinart ice cream maker and my Breville compressor ice cream maker. 

The Cuisinart ICE30BC is a 2 quart ice cream maker that churns ice cream using a cold ice cream bowl. You will need to freeze the bowl for at least 24 hours before churning, otherwise the ice cream will not solidify. I typically will churn the ice cream for about 25 minutes in this ice cream maker. 

The Breville Smart Scoop BCI600XL Ice Cream Maker is a compression ice cream maker that has a built-in compressor to constantly cool the ice cream as it churns. You do not need to pre-chill the ice cream bowl for this machine, or any compression ice cream maker.

I’ve had my Cuisinart ice cream maker for over 12 years and it’s still working great, so that’s the one I will typically recommend you use and start with. The Breville compression ice cream maker is great if you are short on freezer space or are making multiple batches of ice cream in a day and can’t wait between churns for the bowl to freeze. However, since it is a compressor ice cream maker, it is much more of an investment.

Step-by-Step instructions

This strawberry ice cream recipe is very easy to make at home!

Follow the step-by-step instructions below with matching pictures to help you make this ice cream recipe perfectly every time.

For the ingredient list with measurements, full instructions, printable recipe, and additional notes, please scroll down to the recipe card.

A glass mixing bowl with sliced strawberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in it.
Add strawberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice to a bowl. Stir together.
An overhead view of a glass bowl of macerated strawberries with a gold spoon.
Let the strawberry mixture sit at room temperature for an hour to let the strawberry juices release.
A food processor with sliced macerated strawberries in it.
Add the macerated strawberries to a food processor. Process until smooth.
A glass bowl with pureed strawberries, heavy cream, vanilla extra and granulated sugar in it.
Add the strawberry puree to a bowl with the remaining sugar, whole milk, heavy cream, salt and vanilla.
A glass bowl of strawberry ice cream base before churning.
Stir until combined. Refrigerate for 2 hours to let the mixture chill and thicken.
An ice cream maker with churned strawberry ice cream in it.
Churn strawberry ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the machine’s instructions.
A glass loaf pan filled with strawberry ice cream on a pink herringbone table.
Spoon the churned ice cream into a loaf pan or shallow container. Let freeze for 3 hours.
An ice cream scooper scooping strawberry ice cream from a tub.
Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping and serving.

Recipe FAQs

Can you use frozen strawberries instead of fresh?

Yes, you can use frozen strawberries instead of fresh strawberries. In fact, if strawberries are not in season, I’d suggest using frozen strawberries as they’ll have more flavor. To use frozen strawberries, let them thaw and then strain them before proceeding with the recipe as frozen strawberries will have more moisture than fresh strawberries. 

Can I use any milk?

This recipe uses heavy whipping cream and whole milk which helps it get the proper fat content ratio. I do not recommend substituting either as it will change the fat content.

Is strawberry ice cream gluten-free?

This recipe is naturally gluten-free as written. You can serve it with store-bought gluten-free ice cream cones. As always, check all ingredients to be sure that they are in fact gluten-free. Sometimes products are made on the same manufacturing lines as gluten which is something to watch for if you have celiac disease or a gluten allergy. 

hints & tips

  • Typically, with a Philly-style ice cream you do not have to chill the base before churning because all of the ingredients are very cold already. However, since we are macerating strawberries in sugar at room temperature and strawberries make up a good chunk of this recipe, I highly recommend chilling it for 2 hours before churning so that your base is very cold before churning.
  • Strawberries have natural pectin which will help the base thicken before it even gets into the ice cream maker resulting in a super creamy texture without the eggs! 
  • I like to store my ice cream in pint-sized containers with a lid. Place a piece of parchment paper directly on top of the ice cream under the lid, similar to how it comes from the grocery store. This will help prevent ice crystals from forming on top of the ice cream.
An overhead view of a glass bowl with scoops of strawberry ice cream topped with strawberry halves.

Serving suggestions

Strawberry ice cream is great served in a bowl or in a gluten-free ice cream cone. However, you can take this ice cream to the next level, too!

Make an ice cream sundae with a few scoops of this strawberry ice cream and a drizzle of my homemade strawberry coulis

Make a peanut butter and jelly ice cream sandwich by sandwiching a scoop of ice cream between two of my flourless peanut butter cookies

Make a brownie sundae using my almond flour brownies recipe and drizzle with some chocolate sauce and top with macerated strawberries

Serve a scoop over my gluten-free strawberry shortcake recipe for a frozen take on the summer classic.

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know! Please rate it and leave a comment below. You can also share your pictures and tag @adashofmegnut on Instagram.

An ice cream scooper scooping strawberry ice cream from a tub.

Strawberry Ice Cream

This fresh strawberry ice cream is made without eggs or a stove-top, making it a super simple ice cream recipe to make at home. All you need is 7 ingredients and an ice cream maker to make this strawberry ice cream recipe that is bursting with fresh strawberry flavor.
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Chilling Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 363kcal
Author: Megan

Ingredients

  • 1 lb strawberries (sliced or quartered (3-4 cups / 450g))
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (divided (250g))
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (30mL)
  • 1 cup whole milk (8 fl oz / 240mL)
  • 2 cups heavy cream (16 fl oz / 480mL)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Add the strawberries, 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, and lemon juice to a large bowl. Stir together. Let sit at room temperature for an hour to let the juices release from the strawberries.
  • Add the strawberries and their juices to a food processor. Process until smooth.
  • Pour the strawberry mixture back into the large mixing bowl. Add remaining sugar, whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  • Churn ice cream according to your ice cream machine's directions (mine took about 30 minutes), until it is a soft serve consistency.
  • Scoop the ice cream into a shallow container or loaf pan and freeze for 3 hours, or until firm.
  • Let the ice cream sit out at room temperature for a few minutes to soften before you scoop and serve.

Notes

  • This recipe makes 2 pints of ice cream as written. 
  • The nutritional information that is provided is an estimate and is based on 8 servings total from 2 pints of ice cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 174mg | Potassium: 195mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 931IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ADashofMegnut or tag #adashofmegnut!
about megan

I’m Megan

A gluten-free food blogger from Chicago and lover of all things food, showing you gluten-free can be easy and delicious, too. Let’s make gluten-free stress free together! Read more…

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6 Comments

  1. strawberry with gummy bears has been my fav for years- thanks for sharing!

  2. The Galley Gourmet says:

    Your ice cream looks so light and fluffy. Perfect for the summer. Happy cooking and baking:)

  3. @claire

    ever since i was little i always get an ice cream with gummy bears and candy nerds in it from an ice cream shop near my cabin. everyone thinks im nuts but its soooo good. im glad you at least like ice cream with gummy bears in it!

  4. Wow this looks amazing! Thanks for your comment on my blog. I’m so glad I found yours. This post especially is resonating with me because I am in love with strawberries…and ice cream is basically my fave food of all time, haha! Nice to meet you!

  5. This looks and sounds delicious. We don’t yet have local berries but hopefully the weather will settle down and they will soon be available. This is my first visit to your blog so I’ve taken some time to poke about and read your earlier entries. I’m so glad I did that. I really like the food and recipes you share with your readers and I’ll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary