Searching for a simple & delicious ice-cream recipe? If you landed on my
page, more than likely it’s because you absolutely love ice-cream or someone in your life does. That’s what I did, and I found the recipe I wanted over at A Latte Food*. I only made a few small changes and it turned out perfect for us. I love the use of honey in this recipe and being egg-free is a bonus.

Most people think of Strawberry ice-cream as a classic. You can find it in just about any shop or grocery store, BUT after making this I truly felt like I had just experienced it for the first time. Homemade vs. store bought isn’t even the same category.

My daughter LOVES strawberry anything. But turning them into a frozen dessert takes it to another level. I don’t know if it is because of the pink color or because it has berries, but either way making your own is the way to go. I made this for her birthday celebration over the weekend and we shared it with family. Everyone had the same reaction; I can honestly say that this is the best strawberry ice-cream I have ever tasted and it’s VERY easy to make with simple ingredients.

Here’s a fun fact about me. I grew up in Ventura County, California and it is the land of strawberries. There are fields of them everywhere. There is even a special festival every May dedicated this special fruit. Making this wasn’t just for my family, it was also a little nostalgic for me. Now that I live in Arizona, every time I see them at the store I go back to my childhood. Fields as far as the eye could see, the fruit stands on the corner, and the little green baskets of the freshest strawberries you can buy.

I hope you give this special treat a try and enjoy it as much as we do. When you buy your berries take a look at the box. They just might be from my hometown…

What You’ll Need:

Fresh Strawberries- I know that fresh strawberries aren’t always as convenient as frozen but for this recipe you will need 1-pound of fresh berries. Frozen holds too much water and will cause the formation of ice crystals. Grab them the morning of, or the day before but the fresher the better.

Nice bright strawberries don’t only add to the flavor but the color that we all recognize in the classic store-bought stuff. When cutting them, I just remove the stems and cut them into bite-sized pieces. I don’t take the step to hull out the middle. It didn’t make a difference either way for us, so I kept it simple.

Honey- One of my favorite things about this recipe (besides the simplicity) is that I get to use my favorite honey. I love a good creamy honey.

Heavy Whipping Cream AND Half & Half- I have tried several recipes of different kinds of ice-cream since purchasing my maker and this is a very good combination. Recipes that call for just whole milk or a combination of aren’t as creamy. These both hold less water which gives you that creamy texture and rich flavor we all want. 

Clear Vanilla Flavor– I went for a clear vanilla in this recipe. Because I adapted it to double the amount, I didn’t want the natural color of vanilla to interfere with the brightness of the pink. It’s not a necessity, you can use regular vanilla extract here and it shouldn’t make much of a difference. But my main goal was to serve a showstopper with the birthday cake. 

Lemon Juice- A tiny bit of lemon juice brings out the flavors. You wouldn’t think a teaspoon would do much it does. It also balances that sweetness. You can use bottled or fresh. Both work just as well.

Pastry Cutter– Later in the recipe you will need to mash the berries if you want that bright pink color and the smaller pieces well incorporated into the ice-cream. If you do not have a pastry cutter, feel free to use a potato masher but the chunks will be larger.

Blender– I like to whip the cream mixture together in my blender. I use the “frozen” setting on my high-speed blender and it makes it whipped and light. I find that I get a fluffier result. The ice-cream turns out a little creamier when I take the extra step, however if you don’t want to use a blender then you can easily whisk by hand for a minute and you will still get a great result.

You can also make a “smooth” version by blending or pulsing half (8 ounces) of the strawberries in with the cream. This is a great option if you want to avoid too many frozen bits of berries. Pulsing them a few times in the blender is a great way to go.

The ice-cream itself is velvety smooth but the bits of strawberries do freeze. The great thing about making your own ice-cream is making it the way you want. Play around with it… try it both ways, it certainly can’t hurt to try.

If you decide to blend half of the berries also keep in mind that there will be a higher water content and will be a little less creamy overall. (Stay tuned, I may be trying a few tricks to make this recipe even better.) Both ways are equally delicious. Go with the way you prefer or even better, try this recipe a few times to find your sweet spot. I just make it as written and it’s perfect.

Ice Cream Machine– I love my gadgets and enjoy using the attachment for my Kitchenaid. If you do not have one of these, feel free to use any ice-cream machine you have and follow the directions in the user manual. This recipe makes about 12 scoops.

Storage Containers– Since I have made investment in my kitchen gadgets, I take it one step further by always keeping two ice-cream containers on hand. My family has a treat every night after dinner, and we love to have some choices. Ice cream goes better with cookies than milk any day and having choices makes it more fun.

You can of course use any shallow air-tight plastic or a metal container that will fit your ice-cream, but I love these because the shape allows me to scoop every last bit out. They fit so well in my freezer and are stackable. You can’t mistake it for last week’s leftovers.

Ice-Cream Scoop- I remember when I was just starting out as an adult living on my own and making do with what I had in my tiny kitchen. I’ll never forget digging into ice-cream with a nice big spoon and bending it backwards beyond repair. You’ll want a good scoop no matter how soft & smooth it is. Part of that joy & nostalgia comes from serving yourself something that looks like it came from a cute little sweets shop.

You will use it for more than just ice-cream. I use mine to portion out pancakes, waffles, muffins, and cupcakes when cooking and baking. I’ve even made giant cookies that go perfect with this recipe.

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Tips & Suggestions:

• If you like a soft serve texture, then you can scoop this as soon as your machine is done. . Put the leftover amount in your container and freeze for at least two hours for traditional ice-cream.
• With the Kitchenaid attachment, make sure you freeze the bowl for at least 24 hours before using and let it come to room temperature when you are done/before washing it out. Also, use something gentle such as silicone spatula to remove your ice-cream. The bowl itself is not something you want to scratch.
• Bring the ice-cream out of the freezer to sit on cooling rack for about 5-10 minutes before scooping (This depends on the warmth of you kitchen). Because we are skipping all the additives and preservatives, it just needs a few minutes to soften, not melt. The rack keeps it elevated off of the counter, allowing air to flow around it so the bottom does not start to thaw at a faster rate. We need it just a little softer for a good scoop. 
• This makes an EXCELLENT accompaniment to birthday cake, serve it alone with your favorite cookie or on a good ol’ fashioned waffle cone. As I mentioned before, my daughter loves to have this with a sugar cookie on the side. It’s like having an ice-cream sandwich without the mess. Everything stays in the bowl, no drips, no sticky mess. And of course if you love to make the real deal sandwich go for it!
• Keep all of your ingredients as chilled as possible, except for the honey. You need the honey to be room temperature in order to dissolve with the juices of your strawberries.
• Do not overmix the ice cream during the freezing process. I set up the bowl and attachment, then switch the mixer to STIR and slowly pour in the good stuff. If you feel it is going to slow and freezing up along the sides, slide it over to SPEED 1. Any faster than that and the bowl can spill the cream over the edges.
• Set a timer for 10 minutes and it usually doesn’t take more than an extra few minutes beyond that to start to set. It will start form a ball if you let it go too long. Around the 10 minute mark it should start to look like soft serve. Of course it will depend on how chilled your ingredients were, the machine you are using (if not a Kitchenaid attachment) and the temperature of your kitchen.
• It is not recommended that you reduce or replace the sugar and honey with an alternative sweetener. Not only does the sugar play a role in the great flavor, but it is an important part of the great texture. Have you ever looked at the back of the packaging on the store-bought stuff? As a kid I never realized what goes into the factory made process and when you make it yourself it is already MILES healthier just by avoiding all of those additives and preservatives.

*Adapted from A Latte Food