Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
This creamy no-churn strawberry ice cream gets its richness from a simple honey-sweetened condensed milk and its flavor from a homemade strawberry reduction, with fresh strawberry bits folded in for texture. It's a weekend project worth doing together, especially with kids on quality control duty.
Servings 8
Calories 270kcal
Equipment
- Medium saucepan (for strawberry sauce)
- Small saucepan (for condensed milk, if homemade)
- Immersion blender
- Large mixing bowl (chilled, if possible)
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Spatula
- Freezer-safe container with lid
- Plastic wrap
Ingredients
Strawberry Sauce
- About 2 cups fresh strawberries hulled and halved
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
Homemade Condensed Sweetened Milk
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup local honey
- OR substitute 1.5 cans store-bought sweetened condensed milk
Ice Cream Base
- 4 cups 1 quart cold heavy whipping cream
- All of the cooled condensed milk homemade or store-bought
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 to 1.25 cups cooled strawberry reduction sauce
- 1 cup fresh strawberries hulled and chopped small
Instructions
- Make the strawberry sauce: simmer strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes until thickened. Blend smooth with an immersion blender. Cool completely. Reserve 1/4 to 1/2 cup for topping.
- Make the condensed milk: whisk milk and honey together in a saucepan. Simmer on low for 20 to 25 minutes until thickened. Cool completely. (Skip this step if using store-bought.)
- Whip cold heavy cream in a large bowl to stiff peaks, 3 to 5 minutes with a stand mixer or 7 to 9 minutes by hand.
- With the mixer on low, gently blend in the condensed milk and vanilla until just incorporated.
- Fold in the cooled strawberry sauce with a spatula until evenly pink.
- Fold in the fresh chopped strawberries.
- Pour into a freezer-safe container, press plastic wrap to the surface, and freeze at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping. Drizzle with reserved warmed strawberry sauce to serve.
Notes
- Keep everything cold: cold cream, cold bowl if possible, cold condensed milk. Warm ingredients fight the whipping process and reduce volume.
- Cool the sauce completely before adding it to the cream. Warm sauce will deflate your whipped cream.
- Do not overmix once the condensed milk is incorporated. Every extra second risks losing volume.
- Let the kids help. The mess is part of the process, and their taste-testing and quality control make it better.
