This really is The Best Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe around. It's super creamy and has tons of fresh strawberry flavor. What makes it the best strawberry ice cream? It's made with the ripest of strawberries and two secret ingredients. You will LOVE this iconic summer dessert!
Friends! Today is the 11th Throw Back Thursday. Where does the time go?
For the past (almost) year, I've been going through the archives on TEM to find the best recipes that are hidden away and have some pretty terrible photos attached to them. Once a month, I remake (and often rewrite) those recipes, retake the photos and reshare them with you. These #tbt posts have turned into some of my favourites.
I've been tinkering with this strawberry ice cream recipe ever since I first shared it with you back in 2012. It was good then, but it is great now.
When I say it's the best strawberry ice cream recipe, I mean it.
Strawberry ice cream can be a bit of a beast to master. It's often bland and can easily turn icy. THIS strawberry ice cream recipe is neither of those things. It's full of fresh strawberry flavor and super creamy.
There are three things you need to master strawberry ice cream ….
The first thing you need are the ripest strawberries. How do you know they're ripe? You should be able to smell them from across the room, they should taste as sweet as candy, and they should be pink (not white) when you cut them in half. Farmers markets are a great place to find ripe strawberries.
If you're making this in the fall or winter, make sure to use frozen strawberries that have been picked in season.
The other two things you need? Read on and I'll tell you all about them in the recipe …
{ps. I've hidden the original photos of this strawberry ice cream at the bottom of this post. You can see how the original strawberry ice cream recipe was a little icy. Not so anymore! }
Original post date: May 5th, 2012
It's my nephew's third birthday this weekend. THIRD! I know that people always say those cheesy things like, “they get big so fast.” But really, they get big so fast. He came down to spend the week with me a few weeks ago and was my partner in crime in the kitchen. His favourite ice cream is strawberry ice cream. I don't mind it, but he loves it.
I mean, he really loves it.
It was like magic for him. Hell, it's like magic for me. You pour milk into a pot, mix in some egg yolks, cook it till it forms a custard, mix in some strawberries, and then wait patiently for it to cool in the fridge. Then the real magic happens.
He helped me set up the ice cream maker, and pour in the custard then stood with his nose halfway inside the ice cream maker for the next half hour. Every two minutes he'd look up and exclaim, “Aunty Aunty look, we make ice cream!” Like magic happening before his eyes, the thin strawberry custard turned into one of his favourite things in the entire world. It's like alchemy.
Happy birthday little monkey!!
If you make this Strawberry Ice Cream recipe make sure you snap a pic and tag @theendlessmeal on Instagram. I love seeing TEM recipes you create!
- 4 cups finely chopped strawberries (see notes)
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar, divided
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- A pinch of sea salt
- 1 cup whipping cream
- Optional, but recommended: 2 tablespoons vodka
- Place the strawberries and ¾ cup sugar in a medium sized pot over high heat and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, give the pot a stir and reduce the heat to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool slightly. Pour about half the strawberries into a blender and blend on high until smooth. Add the pureed and chopped strawberries into a bowl together and place them in your fridge to cool.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining ½ cup sugar.
- Heat the whole milk and coconut oil in a small pot over medium-high heat until steam rises from the pot. Add the vanilla and pinch of sea salt. Whisk some of the hot milk into the egg yolks to temper them, then add the egg yolks to the pot of hot milk. Place the pot over medium heat and, whisking constantly but slowly, bring the milk almost to a boil. You want the custard to thicken to the point where it will coat the back of a spoon.
- Pour the custard into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve Make sure to use a sieve to filter out any little bits of cooked egg. Add the whipping cream, strawberries, and vodka to the bowl and whisk together well. Place the bowl into your fridge to let it cool completely, at least 4 hours.
- Once the strawberry ice cream custard is completely cold, process it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Transfer the strawberry ice cream to a freezer-proof dish and cover the top with parchment paper directly on the ice cream. Freeze until firm.
* The coconut oil increases the fat content to make the ice cream creamier.
* The vodka prevents the ice cream from becoming icy.
* If you sprinkle fresh strawberries on top to make it look extra pretty (like I've done in the photos) they will be icy when you eat them.
The original photos of this Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe:
If you’re interested in learning a few tricks that I did to improve my food photography, check out the posts 10 Food Photography Tips for New Food Bloggers and The 10 Best Food Photography Props to Improve Your Food Photography and The Food Photography Equipment I Use.
Want some more delicious ice cream recipes? Check these out:
White Balsamic and Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream {vegan + paleo!}
Black Pepper Pistachio Ice Cream {vegan + paleo}
Boozy Cherry Garcia Ice Cream {vegan + paleo!}
Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream {vegan + paleo}
Almond Chocolate Nice Cream
Kristen Stevens
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Hi, I’m Kristen! 
This is a great recipe. I can’t take credit for making it as my husband did most of the work however it certainly is delicious. Love the flavor of fresh strawberries. I will reduce the amount of coconut oil next time as it was more noticeable than I like. Thanks Kristen, so good I’ll be making a second batch tomorrow.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
OK – It’s official – this IS the best Strawberry ice Cream recipe ever! I made some yesterday and served it to my wife after dinner – she LOVED it and said it was the best ice cream she had ever had! I just used a hint of coconut oil and the ice cream was beautiful and creamy – adding the vodka is inspired – it scoops easily directly from the freezer.
You are now top of my search list for recipes.
Thanks
I’m so happy to hear you think it’s the best, too!!
Hey! Am I able to not do the coconut oil??
I find I like the extra boost of fat to help keep the recipe creamy. If you can’t do, simply omit it. 🙂
I tried this recipe but the flavor of coconut overpowers the strawberry. Especially disappointing because I don’t like coconut.
Oh no … I wonder what happened? The coconut oil I buy is very mild flavored so it never overpowers the strawberry. I wonder if your coconut oil is extra coconut-y flavored?
Ice cream looks fantastic
This looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try it! My current recipe doesn’t have the egg yolks. And being low-carb, I have to use a sugar substitute of some kind. But I’m sure that will work OK for me with this recipe.
Hey Buttoni,
I made another ice cream without egg yolks the other day and it turned out awesome too. You can find the recipe here, http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/2012/04/roasted-pineapple-sage-ice-cream-jenis-splendid.html Maybe you could substitute strawberries for the pineapple and leave out the sage. I would love to hear how it turns out after you make it!
I too love strawberry. I have been waiting patiently for peak season, and it is finally here. I am going to the market.
Little Monkey looks like one of my family. He made my heart turn over. Too cute.
Hi Madonna,
I’m so jealous that it is strawberry season for you already! We have another month to go before I can indulge again. I had frozen a bunch from the farmers market last summer and used the last for this ice cream. Hope you enjoy it!
I love strawberries,and this ice cream looks delicios…next on my menu 🙂 Thank’s !
Super hug!
Hi Angelica,
You’re so welcome! I hope that you love it as much as my little nephew did!
Strawberry ice cream isn’t usually my first pick, but FRESH strawberry ice cream? Can’t wait to make this!!
It’s not usually one of my favourites either but the fresh strawberries really made a huge difference. Tastes just like a little bit of summer. Hope you like it too!
Hey, can I do it without ice cream maker? I mean that just do all this things which are in the recipe, place it in a fridge for several hours and eat? 🙂
Hey Agata,
I’ve never tried it before myself but I have definitely read recipes for ice cream that can be made with no ice cream maker. From what I’ve read you can put the ice cream in the freezer for forty-five minutes. Then remove it and whisk or beat it with a hand held blender. Put it back in the freezer then repeat the process of whisking or beating it every half hour until it is frozen, about 2-3 hours. The reason you won’t want to just put it in your freezer and leave it to freeze is because large pieces of ice will form and it won’t be as creamy.
Hope this helps! Let me know how it turns out for you. I’m interested to hear!
Your nephew is adorable!!! This sounds amazing as well. Beautiful photos! 🙂
Thanks, Ali! I think so too 🙂 He’s so much fun to spend time with!