Strawberry ice cream is one of those desserts I look forward to every spring, the moment strawberries actually taste like strawberries again — sweet, fragrant, a little tart. With just three ingredients and about fifteen minutes of hands-on work, you can make it at home with or without an ice cream maker, and it turns out properly creamy, without the icy crunch that ruins so many homemade attempts.
I remember the first few times I tried making it as a kid with no machine in the house — it always came out rock-hard, nearly impossible to scoop, and nothing like the soft, rosy-pink strawberry ice cream from the good gelato shop down the road. It took a lot of trial and error to land on a version that actually works without a machine, and an even better one for anyone who does have a KitchenAid attachment or a Ninja Creami sitting in the cupboard.
This has become my go-to strawberry ice cream recipe — good enough to eat by the scoop, but also a great base for a strawberry ice cream cake, a swirl of strawberry cream through a sundae, or a topping for pancakes and brioche. Make it once while strawberries are in season, and you’ll be making it on repeat.
Recipe Overview
| Prep Time | Freeze/Churn Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|
| 15 minutes | 5–6 hours (no-churn) or 30–45 min (machine) | ~15 min active |
| Cost | Cuisine | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Low | American/Italian-style | ~198 kcal per 100g |
Ingredients
Serves 8 (makes about 1.5 litres / one loaf-tin’s worth)
For the strawberry ice cream:
- 800g fresh strawberries, hulled (weighed after trimming)
- 500ml cream, well chilled (or pre-sweetened whipping cream)
- 170ml sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tbsp caster sugar (only if your cream isn’t pre-sweetened)
For the strawberry compote (optional, for serving):
- 200g strawberries, chopped
- 2 tbsp sugar
How to Make Strawberry Ice Cream
- Wash and dry the strawberries thoroughly, then hull them and cut into pieces. Weigh out 800g.
- Blend the strawberries until completely smooth, with no lumps.
- Push the puree through a fine sieve to strain out the seeds — this step is what gives the finished ice cream a silky texture instead of a grainy one.
- Stir the condensed milk into the strained strawberry puree and set the bowl aside.
- In a separate bowl, whip the cream to firm peaks.
- Pour the strawberry mixture into the whipped cream and fold gently with a spatula, working from the bottom up, until fully combined and evenly coloured. Avoid stirring hard, or you’ll knock the air out of the cream.
Strawberry Ice Cream Without a Machine
Pour the mixture into a loaf tin or any freezer-safe container. Cover tightly with cling film pressed directly onto the surface, and freeze for at least 5–6 hours, ideally overnight, until fully set.
Strawberry Ice Cream With an Ice Cream Maker (Including KitchenAid)
Once the mixture is ready, transfer the bowl to the fridge and chill for at least 1 hour — it needs to be properly cold (around 4°C) before churning, or it won’t set correctly.
If using a self-refrigerating machine: pour the chilled mixture straight in and churn for 20–30 minutes, until thick and creamy.
If using a machine with a freezer bowl (including a KitchenAid ice cream attachment): make sure the bowl has been in the freezer for at least 8–12 hours beforehand, then pour in the chilled mixture and churn for 20–30 minutes.
Serve immediately for a soft-serve texture, or freeze for a further 1–2 hours for a firmer, scoopable result.
A note on the Ninja Creami: this machine works differently — freeze the finished mixture solid in the pint container for 24 hours first, then run the Ice Cream program (using a Re-spin cycle if the texture looks powdery rather than smooth) instead of churning it fresh.
Making the Strawberry Compote
While the ice cream sets, add the chopped strawberries and sugar to a non-stick pan. Cook over medium heat, mashing about half the pieces with a fork, until you have a thick, glossy sauce — around 5–6 minutes. Let it cool completely before using; it should be fully cold when spooned over the ice cream.
Once your strawberry ice cream has set (with or without a machine), it’s ready to serve. If made without a machine, let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping into cones or bowls, topped with a spoonful of the compote.
Tips and Variations
- No pre-sweetened cream? Use plain liquid cream and whip in 2 tablespoons of icing sugar as you go. The total cream volume should still come to 500g.
- Strawberry ice cream without cream or condensed milk: blend 500g frozen strawberries, 500g thick plain yoghurt, and 4–5 tablespoons of honey until smooth — a lighter, tangier take on strawberry icecream.
- Turn it into a cake: layer the churned or set ice cream between rounds of sponge or crushed biscuit in a springform tin, then freeze — a simple route to a strawberry ice cream cake with no separate recipe needed.
- No dairy at all: try a strawberry sorbet base instead, made purely from fruit, sugar, and water.
If you like the idea of turning this into a cake but want something even simpler than layering scoops of ice cream, try the same cream-and-condensed-milk method in cake form — my Raspberry Semifreddo Cake uses that exact base technique over a biscuit crust, and swapping in strawberries instead of raspberries turns it into an easy strawberry semifreddo cake with almost no extra effort.
How to Store Strawberry Ice Cream
Homemade strawberry ice cream keeps in the freezer for around 3 months. If made in a loaf tin, keep it tightly wrapped in cling film; otherwise, store it in an airtight container. Always let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving so it’s easy to scoop.
