This is the easiest homemade ice cream I make with an outstanding fresh strawberry flavor! A no-churn, 4-ingredient recipe made mostly in a blender (no need for an ice cream maker) that also works with frozen berries. Keep a batch ready at all times for impromptu cravings or last-minute desserts. A fantastic recipe to have at arm's length when the strawberry season starts.
This is the first no churn ice cream recipe we shared on this blog, and it's still our number one homemade ice cream when fresh berries hit the market and the perfect treat for a hot summer day.
A close call with the frozen strawberry pie if I had to choose a favorite no-bake strawberry dessert.
And I hope you'll feel the same. It's that good and easy to make. A luscious berry sorbet, but creamy at the same time.
Made mostly in a blender (no ice cream maker involved), it has only 4 ingredients making it a perfect, easy, crowd-pleasing, no-churn strawberry ice cream. A fantastic recipe!
It doesn't taste creamy with little strawberry flavor. It is creamy in texture with lots of berry flavor, which makes it even better.
And though we became raging fans of this vanilla ice cream, this is a homemade strawberry ice cream without condensed milk.
I came across it a few Christmas ago when my cousin's sister-in-law had made her famous homemade strawberry ice cream.
I was eager to try the much-talked-about ice cream she originally made with homegrown raspberries.
It didn't disappoint! It was amazing and so incredibly easy to make.
Why make this recipe
- No equipment is needed: it's a strawberry ice cream recipe without ice cream maker or custard involved, so it's a breeze to prepare.
- Creamy ice cream: considering how little work goes into making it and the lack of egg yolks (used in custard-based ones), this recipe renders a fantastically creamy concoction without losing the fresh berry flavor.
- Berries: you can use any type, but strawberries and raspberries work best by far.
- Scaling: the recipe is easily scalable. The limit is the size of your blender.
- Last-minute dessert: as with any ice cream, you can have a batch in the freezer at all times for when company drops by or if you have a sudden craving.
Ingredient list
- Fresh strawberries: this will allow you to use less liquid. But frozen strawberries also work well, and I have used them many times. Let them thaw a little to get rid of the extra liquid. But don't let them get completely mushy.
- Heavy cream is my first choice, but double or heavy whipping cream can be used. Don't use low-fat or anything of the sort.
- Lemon juice: besides adding some acidity to balance the richness and sweetness of the other ingredients, it's a way to prevent crystallization (ice crystals from forming after it's frozen), which is much needed with no-churn ice cream recipes. So I recommend you don't omit it.
- White granulated sugar.
How to make blender berry ice cream
Strawberry mixture
- Wash and hull the strawberries. You can add them to the blender whole, or cut into large chunks or small pieces, whatever way you feel will be best for your blender. This is especially important if the strawberries are rock-hard frozen and your blender is not very potent; and you might want to let them thaw a little.
- Add sugar and blend until you have pureed strawberries. There will be bubble and the mixture will be thick but runny. This is the first part of this delicious ice cream recipe.
- Blender: a regular or an immersion blender can be used. If using the latter, puree the strawberries and sugar directly in the bowl you'll be using.
The whipped cream
- Whip cream until medium soft peaks form. Use a large bowl for easier integration later. When the cream is correctly whipped, the tip won't hold and it will fall immediately when you lift the beaters. This ice cream base will be mixed further with the strawberry puree. So don't wait until stiff peaks form (as you would for chantilly cream) because it might curdle when you integrate it with the strawberry mixture.
- Add the strawberries to the cream. Mix with a spatula until you have a uniformly red and wonderfully smooth concoction.
Freezing
Pour the ice cream mixture into a freezer-safe container or metal loaf pan.
Freeze until solid. The time it takes will depend on your freezer and the container you use. If short on time, solidifying will take less time if you use a shallow container. So keep that in mind depending on when you plan to serve it.
If you're making it days or weeks ahead, use a freezer container with a lid or cover with plastic wrap.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Use a regular blender, immersion blender or food processor: they all work, but the food processor might render a chunkier mixture.
- Take it out 15-20 before you want to serve it: it freezes rock solid, literally. You won't be able to scrape the surface unless you leave it out at room temperature for a little while.
- Strawberries and raspberries work best: or a mix. Consider that some berries (raspberries, blackberries) have tiny seeds that can become a bit of a pain when eating. So you might want to sift the puree before mixing it with the cream.
- Serving: I like to eat it plain, maybe with some fresh strawberries added. You can serve it on top of a brownie square (they pair wonderfully) or topped with a light fudge sauce.
- Vanilla extract: you can add ½ a teaspoon for a mellower flavor. I like pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.
With this recipe! The recipe card below includes ingredients, instructions, and tips to make a creamy, easy, no-churn strawberry ice cream.
For a no-churn version, you need strawberries, sugar, cream and lemon. Some use condensed milk. You will also need egg yolks and an ice cream maker for custard-based ice cream.
This happens due to crystallization because the water content of the ice cream solidifies faster than the fat (cream). Most recipes use an ice cream machine because churning allows the fats and water to solidify slowly and more evenly. This recipe avoids that, to an extent, by using lemon juice.
Related recipes you might like:
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Strawberry Ice Cream (best no churn recipe)
This is the easiest homemade ice cream with an outstanding fresh strawberry flavor! A no-churn, 4-ingredient recipe made mostly in the blender (no need for an ice cream maker) that also works with frozen berries.
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries (or raspberries)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 ¼ cups whipping cream
Instructions
- In a blender put rinsed and hulled strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice. You can leave it macerating for ½ hour the berries and sugar first, before pureeing it, so they release some of their natural juice.
- Blend until it’s creamy and smoothie-like, an even mixture with no strawberry chunks.
- Beat cream to ¾ consistency, soft/medium peaks. See Notes below please.
- Add the strawberry mixture to the cream, integrating well.
- Transfer to a freezer-proof container.
- Freeze for several hours, about 4 depending on your freezer and the container you used, until solid, before eating,
Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Use a regular blender, immersion blender or food processor: they all work, but the food processor might render a chunkier mixture.
- Freeze until solid. Pour the ice cream mixture into a freezer-safe container or metal loaf pan. If short on time, solidifying will take less time if you use a shallow container. So keep that in mind depending on when you plan to serve it. If you're making it days or weeks ahead, use a freezer container with a lid or cover with plastic wrap.
- Frozen strawberries. You can add them to the blender whole, cut large strawberry chunks or small pieces, whatever way you feel will be best for your blender. This is especially important if the strawberries are frozen and you might want to let them thaw a little before cutting them. Because rock hard strawberries are similar to ice cubes. And not all blenders are cool with that.
- Take it out 15-20 before you want to serve it: it freezes rock solid, literally. You won't be able to scrape the surface unless you leave it out at room temperature for a little while.
- Strawberries and raspberries work best: or a mix. Consider that some berries (raspberries, blackberries) have tiny seeds that can become a bit of a pain when eating. So you might want to sift the puree before mixing it with the cream.
- Serving: I like to eat it plain, maybe with some fresh strawberries added. You can serve it on top of a brownie square (they pair wonderfully) or topped with a light fudge sauce.
- Vanilla extract: you can add ½ a teaspoon for a mellower flavor. I like pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Freezing time: 4 hours
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: International
Nutrition
- Serving Size: â…•
- Calories: 464
- Sugar: 66.1 g
- Sodium: 17.6 mg
- Fat: 21.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 68.7 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 2.3 g
- Cholesterol: 67.2 mg
Keywords: strawberry ice cream
Nancy says
After the strawberries are blended and the cream whipped, Do you whip them together with the mixer or fold them together?
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Nancy, you fold them until smooth and even colored.
Rose Boyd says
Hi. Do you need to use the lemon juice if using frozen strawberries?
Also are you able to tell me the metric equiv? (grams and millilitres).
I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Thanks
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Rose! The lemon juice is used to bring out the flavor of the strawberries, balance sweetness and the richness of the cream. It doesn't matter if the berries are fresh or frozen. You can omit it.
In metric it would be 454g of strawberries, 300g sugar, 310g cream. You can toggle the US/M button to change from US measurements to metric. Happy baking!
Rachael says
There is lemon juice in the. ingredients list but the method doesn’t say when to add the lemon. Is it blended with the strawberries and sugar?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Rachel, you add it to the blender with the fruit and sugar.
Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey says
Your ice cream recipe has come at the perfect time for me as its getting really hot here this week! The strawberry ice cream looks so delicious and I love that it is only 4 ingredients and no-churn!
Marwin Brown says
This looks rich and creamy and like such an easy recipe to make. Perfect for summer too!