No-churn Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

This is the easiest homemade ice cream I make with a fresh strawberry flavor that is outstanding! A no-churn, 4-ingredient recipe made mostly in the blender (no need for an ice cream maker) that works with frozen berries also. Keep a batch ready at all times for impromptu cravings or last-minute desserts. It's one of those fantastic and easy recipes to have at arm's length when strawberry season starts.

Albeit being repetitive, this is the best strawberry (or any berry really, it's great with raspberries too) homemade ice cream I ever came across. And I hope you'll feel the same. I really hope so. It's that good and easy to make. The perfect treat.

Made mostly in a blender (no ice cream maker involved, isn't that the best part?) it has only 4 ingredients! Did I mention that already? So, considering it doesn't involve the stove and takes very little work, you can get ready to whip up this recipe again and again, How's that for lazy desserts that we can make on hot, Summer days?

I came across it a few Christmas ago. We tend to have extremely quiet holidays or ridiculously boisterous, large ones. In one of the latter, we were about forty and my cousin's sister-in-law had made her famous homemade strawberry ice cream.

It was a very large batch - we all chip in with food and bring so much more than we need, we could feed an army, literally - and I was eager to try the much talked about ice cream, which she originally made with homegrown raspberries. It didn't disappoint! It was amazing and so incredibly easy to make.

Why it works:

1. It's made in a blender: this makes is a breeze to prepare and there's no ice cream machine needed and no custard to be made ahead. Super simple.
2. 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.
3. Berries: you can use any type, but strawberries and raspberries work best by far.
4. Scaling: you can easily scale the recipe. The limit is the size of your blender.
5. 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.

Ingredients

• Fresh strawberries: this will allow you to use less liquid. But frozen strawberries work very well also and I have used them many times. You can let them thaw a little to get rid of the extra liquid. But don't let them get completely mushy.
• Heavy cream: it's my first choice but you can also use double cream or heavy whipping cream. 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), much needed with no-churn ice cream recipes. So I recommend you don't omit it.
• Sugar: white, granulated is the way to go.

Easy steps

Strawberry mixture

• Wash and hull the 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 Iif 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.
• 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.

The whipped cream

• Whip cream to soft/medium peaks. Use a large bowl for easier mixing later. When the cream is correctly whipped, it will hold a shape when you lift the beaters, but the peak won't hold (image below) it will fall immediately. So you need to whip it to soft/medium peaks only because it will be mixed further when the strawberry mixture is added. Don't wait until stiff peaks form please (as you would for chantilly cream) because it might curdle when you integrate it with the strawberry puree.
• Add the strawberry mixture to the cream. Mix with a spatula until you have a uniformly red and wonderfully smooth concoction.
• Freeze until solid. Pour the ice cream mixture in a freezer-safe container. It will take less time to solidify if you use a shallow dish or bowl. So keep that in mind depending on the time you're planning to serve it. If you're making it ahead, I recommend using a freezer container with a lid.

I don't like cream much, as the main ingredient I mean. So, strawberry cream or vanilla ice creams are not really my first choices. I go for sorbets mostly. Well, this homemade ice cream is like a luscious berry sorbet, but creamy at the same time. We do know for a fact that it has cream and quite a bit. But somehow it doesn't taste creamy with little strawberry flavor. It is creamy in texture, which makes it even better.

That said, this is my absolute favorite go-to berry ice cream recipe, the perfect treat to make on a hot summer day, especially when strawberry season rolls around and the fruit is ripe and sweet and perfect. As I mention before, many times I choose raspberries, with the acidity balancing the cream better. But that's getting into much detail, since it barely lasts a day in the fridge, no matter what berry I use.

So people, this is a perfect, easy, crowd-pleasing, no-churn strawberry ice cream. Because life is better with great recipes.

Top tips

• Use a blender or food processor. Both work, but the food processor might leave the mixture a little bit chunkier.
• 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. Take into account 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 it. I like to it eat plain, maybe with some fresh strawberries added. But you can also serve it with brownies (oh yes, they pair wonderfully) or topped with a light fudge sauce.

Frequently asked questions

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