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Homemade Old Fashioned Strawberry Ice Cream is the best tasting summer dessert.
Nothing beats creamy ice cream made from scratch, especially when its made with fresh strawberries. This strawberry ice cream recipe is as good as it gets. Egg yolks, cream, and vanilla bean are the base of this decadent dessert! You can even use this recipe to make a strawberry ice cream cake!
Why this recipe works:
Homemade strawberry ice cream is one of those basic must-have must-make summer dessert recipes. There are so many reasons why this recipe stands out and I can’t wait for you to make it!
- Fresh strawberries are macerated with lemon juice and sugar to really bring out the flavor and improve the texture for this recipe.
- This is a true strawberry ice cream recipe with eggs. The egg yolks combined with the heavy cream and milk create a creamy custard base.
- A vanilla bean is infused into the scaled cream. This creates an intense vanilla flavor that really compliments the fresh strawberries. I know vanilla beans are expensive, but man are they worth it!
- Instead of just using granulated sugar, golden brown sugar is also part of this ice cream recipe. It adds a rich, almost caramel flavor to the base.
- This recipe does take a long time to make to develop the flavors and to chill, but the base is actually very easy to make and an ice cream maker processes it into a smooth and creamy frozen treat!
Ingredient list:
To make this homemade strawberry ice cream recipe you will need: egg yolks, sugar (both granulated and golden brown), heavy cream, milk, fresh strawberries, and a squeeze of lemon. I also use a vanilla bean, which really sets the flavor over the top.
Here’s how to make it:
If you’ve ever wanted to make homemade strawberry ice cream, allow me to guide you through the process. The recipe and the process are really not that difficult, and you will never want to buy store bought ice cream again!
- Macerate the strawberries in lemon juice with some of the sugar. I find that letting this mixture sit for several hours really releases the juice and harmonizes the flavors.
- When you’re ready to make the ice cream base, you will whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and the salt. The more you whisk, the creamier and lighter in color this mixture will get.
- Next you will scald the cream and the milk with the vanilla bean. A small portion of this hot mixture will be combined with the egg mixture to temper it. Once tempered, you will continually add more of the hot mixture until everything is combined. This then gets added back to the pot where it will continue to cook over low heat until it thickens. This mixture will then need to be chilled in the refrigerator.
- The chilled macerated strawberries are combined with the chilled ice cream base and then processed in an ice cream maker. Once done, I like to transfer the soft ice cream to a loaf pan to firm up in the freezer.
Recipe tips:
- If you don’t already have an ice cream maker, I highly recommend getting one. Its has been worth every penny in our house. I usually like to freeze the base container in my deep freezer as opposed to the house freezer because it gets that much colder.
- If you don’t have a vanilla bean pod, you can use one tablespoon of vanilla extract.
- How to avoid ice crystals: Ever make homemade ice cream and it freezes too hard or develops ice crystals? Mary, a reader, recommends stirring a tablespoon of vodka into the custard before freezing. A little vodka always helps!
Related recipes:
Love strawberry dessert recipes? You will have to try these favorites:
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe
- Fresh Strawberry Pie Recipe
- Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
- Best Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
- Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Strawberry Marshmallows
- Strawberry Shortcake Poke Cake
- Strawberry Lemonade Baked Donuts
- Old Fashioned Icebox Cake with coconut and strawberries
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- Strawberry Orange Sorbet
- Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups strawberries stems removed, sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup golden brown sugar
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean seeds scraped
Instructions
- Combine 4 cups strawberries with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and half of the sugar in a bowl. Toss until the ingredients are well incorporated and allow to macerate in the refrigerator for several hours to let the natural juice of the strawberry come out.
- In a large bowl, add 4 large egg yolks. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup golden brown sugar as well as 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt Whisk together until lightened in color and smooth.
- Pour the 1 1/2 cups whole milk, the 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, and1 vanilla bean into a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally while pressing onto the vanilla beans to extract the flavor and the seeds, and then remove the pot from the heat.
- Use a ladle to transfer one spoonful at a time of the hot milk/cream to the egg yolk mixture while whisking the entire time. Your goal is to slowly mix in the hot mixture to temper the eggs but not to cook them. Continue to slowly add the hot cream while whisking until all of it has been thoroughly combined.
- Return the entire tempered egg mixture to the saucepan and place over medium low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. For me, this was more of a gut feel thing to know when it was ready, but you can definitely tell when the mixture has thickened. Do not let it get to the point where the eggs begin to cook. You should be able to touch the mixture with your finger without burning it.
- Pour the mixture into a bowl and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least four hours.
- Alternatively, you can pour the mixture into a bowl and set over another large bowl filled with ice water. Stir to cool the mixture down. You want the custard to be ice cold before churning.
- Remove the vanilla bean pod. Stir the chilled strawberry mixture into the custard.
- Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s directions. I was able to process the entire batch at once in my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Freeze for a couple of hours to allow the ice cream to harden. Then scoop and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in November 2017 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient and process photos, as well as recipe tips. Don’t worry – the recipe hasn’t changed!
Fabulously wonderful recipe! I let the strawberries sit in the sugar and lemon juice overnight. In the morning, I made the custard base, and like another commenter, I reduced the strawberry liquid to burn off some of the water. When I came home from work, I mixed the two together and churned them in my KitchenAid ice cream maker. It took only about 15-20 minutes. The result was a deliciously intense strawberry flavor in a wonderfully creamy ice cream. Absolutely delish! Thank you for a great recipe! Oh, and I used cream and whole milk instead of half and half.
I just want to attest to the fact that this recipe yielded THE MOST DELICIOUS strawberry ice cream I have ever had in my life.
The flavour and texture is great. I have a problem with how hard it freezes. It is like a rock. Any suggestions about why it gets so hard?
Homemade ice cream seems to freeze especially hard. For me too. I usually just allow it to sit out for a few minutes before scooping. Must have something to do with the water content in the berries?
Hello~
Not sure if this was asked before but, what is your advice for those without an ice cream machine?
I know there are old fashioned ways to make ice cream without a machine, but I’ve never done it so I’m not much help. Sorry!
Perfect! Perfectly scoopable right out of the freezer. Gorgeous too. I do like the suggestion of boiling down the syrup.
Can you replace the strawberry to make other fruit flavor?
I think other fruits would work as well, however the moisture content would probably need to be similar to strawberries. I would think raspberries or blackberries would work best.
When I tasted the warm base, I was certain the brown sugar was a mistake. It was not- it’s very subtle in the finished product an complimented the flavor beautifully. One suggestion- I drained the strawberries over a pan, and reduced it to a syrup to get some of the water out (otherwise I feel the ice cream gets to icy). It gives a big strawberry flavor and a beautiful color. Thank you!!
Great suggestion. Thank you!
Good to know, thanks!
This is an awesome recipe/ My mother used to make all sorts of ice cream because my parents frequently entertained in the summer. Last year I bought a new mixer and it came with a *free* ice cream attachment (KitchenAid). A couple of weeks ago I made my first vanilla ice cream in it and it was pretty good. Yesterday I made strawberry ice cream based on your recipe. It was so awesome! And it was a big throwback to my early teenage years. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. (BTW, followed it almost to a “T”.)
Thank you!!! Glad you liked it!
Came out awesome.
Qualifies you as awesome. Looking for gold medal emoji. 💥 How about super star? Thanks for your time , really enjoyed it . In fact I’m in the restaurant business , probably gonna steal this one. I’ll forward you royalties.
With strawberry’s do i add the juice also, or do I drain.?
Keep the juice!
I used frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones. The next time I will thaw them more, and pour off some of the juice, as my ice cream came out a little too icy. Great recipe otherwise.
How big is a serving?
Will a double recipe fit in my 2quart ice cream maker?
Hi Jenny, I just updated the recipe and nutritional information. This recipe makes about 8 cups of ice cream and I based the nutritional info on each serving being about a cup. That being said, this recipe would be perfect for your 2 quart ice cream maker but you’d have to make it twice if you wanted to double the recipe. Hope that helps! Krissy
Kissy, just one quick question. You mentioned pouring the half-and-half into the mixture in your strawberry ice cream recipe however, in your ingredient list you do not list half & half. Did you mean the milk that you have listed in the ingredient list?
Doh! So sorry about that typo (and for taking so long to reply). To be honest, either milk or half and half work, but i just updated to say half and half because I prefer the fat.
Hey, in your ingredients list, you say 1 1/2 cups milk but then in the instructions, you say half and half. Is it supposed to be milk with the heavy cream or half and half with the heavy cream?