Best Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe (with two secret ingredients!)
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This is the homemade strawberry ice cream recipe that dreams are made of. It’s super creamy and bursting with fresh strawberry flavor. This iconic summer treat is easy to make at home and only takes about 30 minutes of hands-on prep time. Plus, I use two unique ingredients to make this ice cream super creamy and never icy.
I’ve spent a long time dialing in this strawberry ice cream, and the secret is treating it like real ice cream. A proper homemade base starts with egg yolks—there’s no shortcut here. The yolks give the ice cream its rich flavor, silky body, and unmistakably creamy texture that sets great ice cream apart from the icy, bland versions so many homemade batches fall into. This custard-style base lets the fresh strawberry flavor shine while staying lush and smooth from the first scoop to the last.
I also add two small but mighty ingredients that make a big difference. A touch of refined coconut oil boosts the fat content just enough to make the ice cream extra creamy without adding any coconut flavor (refined is key here). And a splash of vodka—totally optional—helps keep the ice cream soft and scoopable by preventing ice crystals from forming. The result is intensely strawberry-forward, deeply creamy ice cream that tastes as if it came from a top-notch ice cream shop. You’ll need an ice cream maker for this method, but if you don’t have one, my no-churn ice cream version is a great backup.
Tips for making the best strawberry ice cream
Here are a few tricks I use to make strawberry ice cream that turns out creamy and delicious every time:
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Use very ripe strawberries. You should be able to smell them easily, they should taste extra sweet, and be pink all the way through when sliced. Farmers’ markets are ideal.
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Use frozen strawberries out of season. If it’s fall or winter, frozen strawberries picked at peak ripeness work beautifully.
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Boost the fat content. I add refined coconut oil to make the ice cream extra creamy. Be sure it’s refined so there’s no coconut flavor.
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Add a splash of vodka. It won’t affect the taste, but it helps prevent ice crystals and keeps the ice cream soft and scoopable.
Best Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe (with two special ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped strawberries (see notes)
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (divided)
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup refined coconut oil (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 cup whipping cream
- Optional but recommended: 2 tablespoons vodka
Instructions
- 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.4 cups chopped strawberries
- 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.4 egg yolks
- Heat the whole milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt in a small pot over medium-high heat until steam rises from the pot. Then 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.1 cup whole milk, ¼ cup refined coconut oil, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla, 1 pinch sea salt
- Pour the custard into a large 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. Place the bowl into your fridge to let it cool completely, for at least 4 hours.1 cup whipping cream, Optional but recommended: 2 tablespoons vodka
- Once the strawberry ice cream custard is completely cold, process it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When it's done, it'll have the consistency of soft serve ice cream. 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.
Video
Notes
- The strawberries. Don’t skimp on the boiling time. If they’re not boiled long enough, they will add water to the ice cream, which can cause it to be icy.
- The dairy. This recipe works with whole milk and whipping cream. If you substitute either with lower fat or plant-based options, it will turn icy.
- Use all 4 eggs. Egg yolks add fat, which makes ice cream creamy.
- Churn it well. Wait until you hear your ice cream maker slow down and struggle to churn the ice cream – that’s how you know it’s ready. If you don’t churn it long enough, it can become icy.
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Hands down, the best strawberry ice cream I’ve ever made. Been making this recipe for a few years now, using fresh berries we pick every June. The 2 secret ingredients are key and what make this recipe stand out from the rest — so smooth and creamy, my kiddos, husband, neighbors (and myself!), gobble this up faster than it can be made. Thank you for sharing this awesome goodness, Kristen — this is winner for sure!
Recipe was a success! Everyone loved it! I omitted the strawberry bits as my son doesn’t like it and added bright pink colour! Coconut taste is really nice and makes it very creamy!
I attempted this recipe today and excited to taste test tomorrow. For the “4 cups finely chopped strawberries”, I chopped up the strawberries and then measured them to be 4 cups. Was I supposed to measure 4 cups of strawberries, then finely chop them? My ice cream base color was a lot redder than yours, so I was wondering if I did it right!
You measured correctly!
Hi! I was wondering if I can substitute the coconut oil? My daughter can have any coconut but I haven’t found a recipe for strawberries that makes curd like this one. It sounds absolutely delicious!
If your daughter is unable to have coconut oil then it’s best to simply omit it. 🙂
I tripled the receipt to fill my three quart ice cream maker
Some of the best ice cream I have had in a long time tasted great
I didn’t put in the vodka
Didn’t see that it had to chill for 4 hours, I thought that it would just take 30 minutes. Oops , other than that it was really nice, good flavor
What other oil can you use, I don’t like coconut ?
I suggest either looking for refined (tasteless) coconut oil or omitting it.
Would I be able to swap vanilla bean paste for the extract?
That will work!
I made this exactly to the recipe. It is truly delicious and very creamy with a just hint of coconut, which is different. I made it to serve on top of double fudge brownies for 4th of July, and the slight coconut (nutiva) flavor being perfect with chocolate (and a cup of coffee) it’s sure to become a favorite.
OMG! I made this recipe as is. It is delicious! The process seems long and tedious…..perhaps because this was my first home made icream…lol!
This was so successful. I am looking forward to making another flavor. My favorite ice cream is mocha almond fudge. Do you have a similar flavor profile to share?
So happy that you enjoyed the recipe! I’ll need to work on a mocha almond fudge version for you. 🙂
Best strawberry ice cream I’ve ever tasted. It’s so rich in flavour and superior in taste.
Me and my family love it.
Ive been sharing the recipe with family and friends and the feedback is amazing. thanks Kristen.
Simply delicious and creamy and a good balance of strawberry flavour! Thanks!!
Question. . . I plan on trying this tomorrow. . . Your instructions say, “Place the strawberries and 3/4 cup sugar in a medium-sized pot over high heat and bring it to a boil.” How do strawberries and sugar alone, with no liquid, come to a boil? Seems like there’d be burning of straweberries and/or sugar, no?
The sugar will start to melt and the strawberries will release their liquid. Seems odd, I know, but that’s what happens. 🙂
I would have to say this is the best strawberry ice cream I ever made. Had to use frozen strawberries but it made no difference.
I was thinking of trying your recipe soon however I am diabetic. If I substitute Splenda in place of the sugar will this adversely effect the ice cream? And if not how much Splenda for one cup of sugar ?
I’m sorry but I’m not familiar with splenda. If the directions on the package say it can be substituted in most recipes then I would think it would be safe to try. 🙂
10/10 would definitely make again! My wife was skeptical about strawberry ice cream, because store-bought is usually “meh”, at best. I decided to try it because strawberries were on sale. The recipe is easy to follow and the result was delicious. I used gin in place of vodka, seemingly to no negative outcomes.