Imagine the best aspects of cheesecake with fresh strawberries and churn them all into a homemade ice cream. Yup, our strawberry cheesecake ice cream recipe certainly makes a heavenly scoop—a result of the combination of the rich milks, dense cream cheese and pureed strawberries with crushed graham crackers on top. A hot summer day demands the finest frozen treats, and this recipe takes the (cheese)cake.
Ingredients for Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Half-and-half cream: Do not substitute any other type of milk or cream for half-and-half; its high fat content lowers the freezing point for easier ice cream scooping.
- Lemons:Â The zest and juice from a lemon brighten up an otherwise heavy-on-the-cream frozen dessert.
- Cream cheese: Cube and soften the cream cheese before starting this homemade strawberry cheesecake ice cream so your base isn’t lumpy.
- Strawberries: Give your strawberries a good salt water wash before using them. We love this hack for drawing out any debris or small bugs.
- Graham crackers: A cheesecake isn’t complete without a graham cracker crust—and we’re not ones to cut corners in the delicious department.
Directions
Step 1: Blend the base
Place the half-and-half, vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and cream cheese in a blender.
Cover the blender with the lid and process until everything is smooth.
Step 2: Add the whipping cream
Pour in the heavy whipping cream. Cover with the lid and process just until the cream is blended into the mixture. Pour the mixture into a large bowl.
Step 3: Puree the strawberries
Add 1-1/2 cups of the fresh strawberries into the blender. Cover with the lid and process the strawberries until they’re pureed. Pour the strawberry puree into the cream mixture and stir just until combined.
Step 4: Add to the ice cream maker
Pour the ice cream base into the cylinder of the ice cream maker, so that it’s no more than two-thirds full (the ice cream needs room to aerate). Refrigerate any leftover ice cream base to churn later, or another time.
Step 5: Churn
Churn the ice cream following your ice cream maker’s instructions.
Step 6: Store and serve
Transfer the ice cream to freezer-safe containers. Be sure to leave an inch of headspace, as the ice cream may expand while in the freezer. Freeze the ice cream for four to six hours, or until it’s firm.
Scoop your ice cream into a bowl and serve it with crushed graham crackers and sliced strawberries.
Recipe Variations
- Add a graham cracker swirl: Instead of garnishing crushed graham crackers on top, layer them into the ice cream for a crunchy graham cracker swirl throughout. Layer the ice cream into the container in three parts, sprinkling in 1/4 cup of graham crackers on top of each layer and swirling it in with a butter knife.
- Swirl in jam: Add even more strawberry flavor to this ice cream with strawberry jam. Layer the ice cream into the container in three parts, adding 1/4 cup of the jam on top of each layer and swirling it in with a butter knife. You’ll love the bites of sticky-sweet jam against the smooth ice cream.
- Steep with lavender: Strawberries have a delicate floral note melded into their sweetness. Complement this delicateness with lavender flower. Steep culinary-grade lavender in the half-and-half and strain out the flower buds before incorporating the cream in the recipe.
How to Store Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
The ice cream can be stored in the freezer, in a freezer-safe container, for up to two months.
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Tips
What ice cream machine should I buy?
If you love homemade ice cream, it’s worth buying an ice cream machine! Our Test Kitchen picked the best ice cream makers for your kitchen.
Can I make this strawberry cheesecake ice cream recipe vegan?
This recipe relies on the fat from the dairy ingredients to achieve its cheesecake-like taste and rich texture, so it cannot easily be made vegan. But we have plenty of sorbet recipes and other dairy-free frozen dessert recipes that will hit the spot on a sweltering day.
