Recipes

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

With the perfect balance of strawberries and cream, homemade strawberry ice crem is the perfect taste of summer!

With the perfect balance of strawberries and cream, homemade strawberry ice cream is the perfect taste of summer!

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you have any questions about this, just click here! All content copyright Where’s Emma Now 2012-2024.

Jump to Recipe

Growing up, I have fond memories of helping watching my dad make homemade ice cream outside – the constant whine of the motor, the smell of the salt as it worked through the ice, the anticipation of something delicious. It was a summer treat that we always loved and never did quite enough.

Fast forward to my wedding. As my husband and I played the fun – and really strange – game of putting together our wedding registery, we thought about asking for an ice cream maker. The memories! The treat! But we both also remembered that our families probably used it less than once a year each, and it was something we could live without.

As the wedding gifts began arriving, we got a surprise: an ice cream maker! How fun. It’s one of those old school traditional wedding registry items, so no surprise there.

With the perfect balance of strawberries and cream, homemade strawberry ice cream is the perfect taste of summer!

Then we got a second. And a third.

Y’all, we ended up receiving FOUR ice cream makers.

Apparently, so many of our relatives were surprised we didn’t register for one that they took it upon themselves to get it for us.


Moral of the story: if you’re getting married in the south, go ahead and register for an ice cream maker. You’ll probably get one anyway, and that way guests will know when someone’s already bought one for you.

With the perfect balance of strawberries and cream, homemade strawberry ice cream is the perfect taste of summer!
With the perfect balance of strawberries and cream, homemade strawberry ice cream is the perfect taste of summer!

But back to ice cream making: it’s fun! It’s one of those iconic summer activities, harkening back to a slower time. And the ice cream is so.dang.good.

Under the influence of The Great British Baking Show, I opted to make a custard base for my homemade ice cream. It’s an extra step and you have to give yourself more time, but trust me, it’s worth it. The result is the creamiest, silkiest ice cream you’ve ever tasted – and you made it!

Strawberry is my husband’s favorite, so that’s what we make most often. I like to both make a puree and also toss chunks of strawberries in there to get maximum strawberry flavor.

Since they’re fresh strawberries, I cut up my strawberry chunks and then freeze them on a tray for 20 minutes so they don’t water down the ice cream. If you cut the strawberries first and let them freeze while you make the custard, that’s plenty of time.

Making and straining a puree is another step that seems finicky, but it’ll give you more concentrated strawberry flavor with fewer seeds or pulpy bits. It’s not that hard after you blend them, just grab a sieve and a spoon.

With the perfect balance of strawberries and cream, homemade strawberry ice cream is the perfect taste of summer!
With the perfect balance of strawberries and cream, homemade strawberry ice cream is the perfect taste of summer!
With the perfect balance of strawberries and cream, homemade strawberry ice cream is the perfect taste of summer!

Tools you’ll need: ice cream maker, blender, sieve, and sauce pan.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Churning time25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fruit, ice cream, Summer
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 2 cups half and half
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cream
  • 1 lb strawberries

Instructions

Custard

  • In a medium saucepan, combine the half and half with salt and 1/4 cup sugar over low heat. Stir occaisionally for 5 minutes or until steam begins rise off the liquid. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Beat the egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar together until color lightens a bit and gets thicker.
  • Stir 1/2 cup half and half mixture into the yolks, stirring well until combined. Add another 1/2 cup or so of the half and half and combine again. Then add the egg mixture back into the remaining half and half, stirring constantly until combined.
  • Return the liquid to low heat and stir constantly until thickened using the spoon test, about 4-5 minutes.
  • Set aside and allow the mixture to cool completely.

Strawberry puree

  • Core the strawberries and put 2/3 of them into a blender. Blend on high for a minute or two, until pureed.
  • Push the puree through a sieve to get the seeds out. You should have roughly 1 cup puree.
  • Dice the remaining strawberries and throw the in freezer.

Finish it off

  • When the half and half mixture is cool, stir in the cream and strawberry puree.
  • Pour half the liquid into the ice cream maker canister and then add half the strawberries from the freezer. Add the rest of the liquid and top with strawberries.
  • Churn according to your ice cream maker's instructions. I find it's usually about 25 minutes, and the sound changes pitch when the ice cream is ready.

That’s all you need for the best strawberry ice cream you’ve ever tasted!

What are your favorite summer traditions from childhood? Do you still do them now?

With the perfect balance of strawberries and cream, homemade strawberry ice cream is the perfect taste of summer!
With the perfect balance of strawberries and cream, homemade strawberry ice cream is the perfect taste of summer!

Want more ideas for summer fun? Join our email list below for a free printable summer bucket list!

Join my mailing list for members-only exclusive content!



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.