Name: Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
Prep time: 3 h
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 9 h
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12 ounces frozen strawberries; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 3 cups heavy whipping cream, divided; ½ cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup light brown sugar; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Made with just 6 ingredients, this Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream is a little bit tart and a little bit sweet but completely bursting with strawberry flavor. Enjoy in the summer months or year-round, thanks to the frozen strawberries.

This post is sponsored by ADA Mideast. All opinions are my own.

Easy Homemade Ice Cream with Strawberries

If you’ve never made homemade ice cream, you’re in a real treat. It’s so much easier than you’d think! You just need a little bit of time, patience, and pre-planning. This Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream requires just 6 ingredients and is slow-churned using an ice cream machine. The end result is a little bit tart and a little bit sweet but completely bursting with strawberry flavor.

You can enjoy this strawberry ice cream as a soft-serve consistency but I usually freeze it for a few hours before enjoying, to firm it back up. I will admit that I snuck into the freezer with a spoon in my hand several times just to sneak a bite! It’s that good!

We’re also celebrating National Dairy Month with my friends at the American Dairy Association Mideast. The month of June is the month when most ice-cream is produced.

The average American eats about 20 quarts of ice cream a year and I mind as well do my part to contribute. Am I right?

I only wish I could share with my dairy farming friends in Ohio and West Virginia. I have always really appreciated the hard-working farmers who never take a day off, care deeply for their cattle and help to keep our bellies full of cheese, yogurt ice cream and of course, milk.

Did you know in an average year, Ohio and West Virginia dairy cows produce approximately 5.6 billion pounds, or about 656 million gallons of milk from over 2000 dairy farms.

Did you know it takes about 12 pounds of milk to make one pound of ice cream? In the past, I have visited a few ice cream production facilities, and I always thought ice cream production was such a fun and interesting process. You can learn more about ice cream is made and how it makes it way to your freezer. I love watching the containers be filled! But making homemade ice cream is equally as fun and a bit simpler. Let’s dive in.

An ice cream scoop scooping strawberry ice cream

Easy Ingredients List

Here are the 6 ingredients you’ll need for this homemade ice cream recipe!

Heavy whipping cream – Contains the highest percentage of milk fat making it the best option for homemade ice cream. If you don’t have heavy cream, you can use whole milk.
Strawberries – I use frozen strawberries in this churn ice cream.
Lemon Juice – For a little bit of tartness to bring out the strawberry flavor
Granulated sugar – Sweetens the ice cream.
Light brown sugar – Offers a little bit of caramelization. If you don’t have brown sugar use all white granulated sugar
Vanilla extract

Frozen vs Fresh Strawberries

Frozen strawberries are best. They are frozen at peak freshness, which results in the most flavor. Plus you don’t have to wait for strawberries to be in season. Fresh strawberries can be used but the flavor is not the same – especially if they weren’t just recently picked at peak freshness.

Can I Use Other Fruit?

I love the bright red color and flavor of strawberries but yes, you could use other types of berries in this recipe without making changes. Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries would all work. You could also use a triple berry blend to get the best of all the flavors.

Do I Need An Ice Cream Maker For This Recipe?

Yes, you will need an ice cream maker for this strawberry ice cream. The ingredients are churned into the ice cream making to achieve a thick, smooth consistency. Any ice cream maker will work – just be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions beforehand as many machines need to pre-freeze for up to 12 hours.

How to Make Strawberry Ice Cream

This churned ice cream is ready in a few easy steps – just leave plenty of time to chill the strawberry mixture and freeze the ice cream after churning.

Strawberry ice cream in an ice cream maker

Make the strawberry mixture. Pulse the berries and lemon juice in a food processor until the berries have a granular consistency.
Combine strawberries and cream. Combine 2 cups of the heavy whipping cream with the sugars and strawberries on the stovetop, until lightly boiling. Remove from heat, add the remaining heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
Chill. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours. Stir before adding to the ice cream machine.
Churn. Transfer the mixture to the ice cream maker and churn until it has a soft serve-like consistency.
Freeze. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm.

Angled view of a small bowl of strawberry ice cream

How to Store Homemade Ice Cream

It’s best to store the churned ice cream in a freezer-safe container or Tupperware that can be tightly sealed. Old ice cream cartons can also be used, if they are in good shape. If needed, divide the mixture up between two containers so neither is over-filled and each container seals tightly.

Homemade ice cream will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks if properly stored.

Since this recipe uses frozen strawberries, you can enjoy this recipe all year-round instead of waiting for strawberries to be in season! Do you know what else is always in season? Dairy farming.

For more information about dairy nutrition, to find delicious new recipes and to meet Ohio and West Virginia dairy farmers, visit Drink-Milk.com, and follow the American Dairy Association Mideast on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.