Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream takes you back to warm summer days and lazy porch rockers. With only 5 ingredients, this recipe is quick and easy to prepare.
One of the best things about this time of the year is U-Pick Strawberries. It’s the only time of the year when I know every berry in my fridge is a good beery. You know what I’m talking about. You’re at the store, you spot the strawberry packages, they look good. You pick one up, inspect it. Pick another up, inspect again, turning over, checking the berries on the bottom. Finally, you think you have a good one.
You get home, unload all the groceries then open your pack of berries only to find 4-5 of your precious berries are bruised, beaten or only half ripe.
This doesn’t happen with U-Pick. Every berry is hand selected by me or my personally trained pickers (aka the kids.) It takes years of training to be one of my certified pickers.
Biggest is not always the tastiest. Look for good color all over. Firm but not hard. Oh, and yes, absolutely taste test in the field. I encourage taste testing many berries as you pick for “quality control” purposes.
And really, there is something to this. You can test a berry in one row and it can be the perfect sweetness, then move a few rows down and you might find the berries have turned tart. It’s not just that I want the kids to get a belly full while still in the field, honest.
We’ll try to pick every weekend during the season. Usually each person will pick a gallon of berries. Depending on who goes with me, I’ll have anywhere from 5-10 pounds of berries each trip.
I’ll freeze them, make jam, make syrup, add them to every meal I can. 2 out of 3 of my kids will go for strawberries over chips so they’re also the perfect anytime snack, score one for Mom!
Not only is it strawberry season, it’s also warm enough to be ice cream season! How better to celebrate spring than incorporate the two. Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream is easy to put together so if you have an electric ice-cream maker, you won’t have to wait too long for it.
Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1-2 cups strawberries, cleaned and sliced
Instructions
- With a whisk, combine all ingredients except strawberries, just until frothy. Freeze for 45 minutes. Remove from freezer and gently whisk again to stir. Pour into Ice cream maker and freeze according to machine's instructions. Approximately 10 minutes before machine is done churning, add in strawberries. Finish churning then transfer ice cream to freezer container and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
I’m sharing at some of these great parties.
Niki Shepherd says
Oh la la Joan! I love this and it sounds so delicious!! I’m totally gonna try this one soon, I LOVE ice cream recipes, I know it will be great!! 🙂
Joan Hayes says
Niki, you’ve created an Ice Cream monster, I’ve got 2 more recipes to write up and a thousand combinations swimming around in my head.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love strawberry ice cream, I could go for a bowl right now!
Kalamity Kelli says
I love strawberry season – it’s almost here in this part of the country too. Your ice cream looks so delicious – I’m going to cut it down a bit and use it in my ice cream maker as soon as I have some beautiful red berries in my hot little hands! 🙂
Joan Hayes says
Kelli, I have to warn you, this won’t last long! So, so Good!
Gloria @ Simply Gloria says
Joan, I’m in love with this ice cream! I actually buy extra strawberries to freeze them and pop them into ice cream…it’s the only way I will eat strawberries! Pinning! And, your newest follower!
Joan Hayes says
Gloria, I’m so glad to have you here. During picking season, I’ll probably go through 40-50 pounds of strawberries so I can freeze a bunch and make some jam and syrup. The at least when they’re hard to find in the winter I know I still have my “stash.”
Carrie says
This sounds scrumpt and looks easy enough for even me!
We’re having some good weather down south now, but the heat is coming on and it’s gonna come on strong. This looks heavenly. And as far as I’m concerned…ANYTHING with strawberries hits the spot!
Joan Hayes says
Carrie, you definitely need an Ice Cream make if you don’t have one, you and your new daughter can have fun all summer long making new flavors!
tanya says
Looks so good Joan! So perfect for this warm weather! I’ve never picked my own strawberries, but have always wanted to do that. I suspect my kids would eat a hefty amount while picking-we love berries. But you are right, getting them at the store can be a coin toss!
Emily says
WOw! How fun that you live so close to a U-pick place… I would love to have all those berries in my freezer… I just have to settle for the sales… thanks for linking up to Tasteful Tuesdays at Nap-Time Creations… Winners for the giveaway will be announced Wed… Have you entered?
http://www.nap-timecreations.com
Lynne says
Looks delicious! Our U-pick season is later and the only place around charges around $4 a pound so we go but don’t generally stock up due to the cost. I do adore fresh picked strawberries though! If only the ones in my garden would give me some berries I’d be set!
Joan Hayes says
Thanks Lynne! I have such a black thumb, I’ve tried growing my own strawberries but never end up with a single berry.
Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen says
Oh I want some of this sooo bad! I love it! Thanks for sharing on Show Me Your Plaid Monday’s!
Cheryl @ That's What Che Said... says
This looks amazing. Pick your own strawberries is almost in season here in St. Louis! I can’t wait to try this recipe! I featured you today at Monday Funday! Please stop over for a button! Thanks for partying with us! xoxo Cheryl
https://www.thatswhatchesaid.net/2013/21-dessert-recipes/
Joan Hayes says
Thanks Cheryl!
The Café Sucre Farine says
Yum, yum, yum, we’re just beginning to see the first home grown berries here in North Carolina. Love this time of the year. Your ice cream looks fantastic. You’re so right about training the “pickers”. There was a time when my daughter just wanted to get it over and when we came home there were all kinds of unripe, green berreis in her basket. She got in a boatload of trouble and now she is the perfect berry picker and trying to teach her children the “art”. Haha, I hope she has one that loads up the basket with green berries, just to get the job done 🙂
Joan Hayes says
I love this story! Chris, you just have me smiling from ear to ear! Part of the training I included was a “best berry” contest. Helped give a little motivation to look for the good ones!
Karyn - Pint Sized Baker says
I love homemade ice cream! Next time, add a banana to the mix 😉 So good! Thanks for linking up at Pint Sized Baker’s Two Cup Tuesday Party! I’ve pinned this! I hope to see you again on Monday Night!
jasmine says
OmG! This ice cream looks like everything I dream of…..and I’m not an ice cream fan at all, but this I want! Yummy!
Joan Hayes says
Thanks Jasmine!
Suzanne says
Great for all the fresh strawberries we have this Spring, one of my favorite ice creams too.
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts says
We don’t get a local strawberry season until June. I will definitely keep this recipe for then, because I always pick way too many and need to come up with ideas
April @ Angel's Homestead says
I love this! I’m going to be doing a round up of berry recipes next Friday, and would like to include your photo. With full credit and link to your site of course. Please join the party Saturday Spotlight @ Angels Homestead, it starts at 12 am Friday night, and runs until 12 midnight Wednesday.
https://angelshomestead.com/
Hope to see you there 🙂
April
Joan Hayes says
Thanks April, And thanks for including me in your round up!
Dina says
this sounds like a great strawberry ice cream recipe!
Dina says
this sounds so creamy and delish! perfect for summer!
Linda says
Holy Crapola…this stuff is good. I made it for some friends but it’s going to be tough to give it away. Just tried out a brand new ice cream maker and I have to say this stuff is seriously good! You make those strawberries fresh Oregon strawberries (Haagen Daz agrees they are the best ones!) and you just take it to the Nth! Thanks for a great recipe!!
Alisa Doddie says
Do you have a recipe to make this without an ice cream maker?
Joan Hayes says
This recipe does require an Ice Cream maker. I haven’t done a strawberry ice cream but I do have no machine needed Chocolate ICe cream https://chocolatechocolateandmore.com/2014/04/easy-chocolate-ice-cream/