Easy Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Without an Ice Cream Maker (+ Tips)
You don’t need a fancy machine to make delicious ice cream at home! This homemade strawberry ice cream is creamy, refreshing and made with fresh strawberries. No eggs or ice cream maker required for this recipe!
Servings 1 ½ quarts / 1.25 kilos, approximately
Ingredients
For the puree
- 1 pound / 453 g fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled, stems removed, finely chopped
- ¼ cup / 50 g granulated sugar
- ¼ cup / 60 ml vodka
For the base
- 2 cups (500ml) heavy whipping cream (or whipping cream with at least 35% fat)
- 1 pound / 453 g fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled, stems removed and cut into tiny pieces
- 1 14-ounce (397 g) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Macerate the strawberries
- Put the chopped strawberries, sugar and vodka in a small bowl.
- Stir everything together and let it sit for an hour or more.
Make the puree
- Drain the strawberries. (Reserve the vodka syrup to pour over ice cream when it’s done!)
- Puree the strawberries in a food processor. You could also mash them with a fork, potato masher or pastry blender. Set aside.
Make the base
- In a large bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
- Add the vanilla and sweetened condensed milk and mix until combined.
- Add the puree to the base and mix well.
Toss in the add-ins & freeze
- Fold in the chopped strawberries or any other add-ins, if using.
- Pour into a freezer-safe container. I use a pyrex pan. Spread evenly on top.
- Then cover with plastic wrap and then some foil and freeze for at least 6 hours (or overnight).
- For a creamier consistency, take pieces of frozen ice cream and put them in a food processor and pulse until really smooth. Then put it back in the container, cover the surface with plastic wrap again and put it back in the freezer.
- This ice cream can be stored in the freezer for about 2 ½ weeks.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Use ripe strawberries that are in season for a more flavorful ice cream. The riper the strawberries, the better!
- After I wash the strawberries, I put them on a paper towel and then pat them dry to absorb as much moisture as possible.
- Make sure the strawberries are cut into TINY pieces. Otherwise you’ll be biting into large chunks of frozen fruit.
- I didn’t add any sugar because my strawberries were very ripe and I felt the sugar in the condensed milk was just right. If your strawberries aren’t that ripe, you may want to add a little sugar, about ¼ cup to the heavy cream while you whip it.
- Before whipping the cream, put a metal bowl in the freezer for about 15 minutes before adding the cream so that it whips faster.
- Put the can of sweetened condensed milk in the freezer for a few minutes before you start. Alternatively, you could put it in the fridge a day ahead.
- Store the ice cream in the coldest part of your freezer. I always keep it in the back and I avoid putting it in the freezer door.
- Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving to soften it up a bit.
