I’m not sure you’re ready for this crazy method to make no cook fresh strawberry ice cream. The method to my madness is to soak the strawberries in sugar and a splash of vodka instead of cooking them! As you might know, anytime you make ice cream with fresh fruit, you normally have to cook the fruit to soften it. If you don’t, the fruit pieces become like little tiny rocks in your ice cream–and no one wants that! My major complaint with the typical cooked fruit ice cream method is that fresh fruit just tastes better! I want the bright, fresh acidity of strawberry in my ice cream, not a cooked strawberry jam flavor. So, if you’re with me, let’s talk more about this method for strawberry ice cream.
Strawberry ice cream recipe:
The steps to make this strawberry ice cream recipe is quite simple and hands-off. After following these steps to ensure perfectly creamy strawberry ice cream, place it in the freezer to firm it up. Before scooping and serving, let it rest on the counter for about 15 minutes.
How much vodka do you put in homemade ice cream?
You might be wondering why I include a tablespoon of vodka to my strawberry ice cream base. Alcohol lowers the freezing point of the mixture, making it softer and thus preventing any iciness. The alcohol technically increases the portion of liquids (fruit juices and vodka) to fats (cream and sour cream), and helps keep the ice soft softer and more scoop able.
Why homemade ice cream is icy?
The vodka in this recipe should keep this ice cream from becoming icy and hard to scoop. However, should you leave it out or play around with the proportions of this recipe, it might become icy. It could be because your ice cream maker isn’t freezing the mixture fast enough and allowing ice crystals to form. Or, your ice cream lacks enough fat and sugar to stay soft when frozen. If you follow this recipe exactly, I promise you will have soft, scoop-able delicious strawberry ice cream!
We love this strawberry ice cream plain and unadorned, but at the insistence of my family members, we’ve also added shaved chocolate for a chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes vibe. I added some large flakes of toasted coconut to my most recent batch, and then drizzled it with hot fudge before serving–it was exactly as delicious as it sounds. Just a note about ice cream makers: the one I linked to isn’t entirely necessary to make good ice cream. We bought that one after many years of using the $40 Cuisinart model. The only reason for the upgrade is because the Wynter model doesn’t require us to keep the bowl in the freezer before use. My Wynter ice cream maker is ready to make ice cream whenever I am, and it doesn’t take up any of my precious freezer space storing a bowl. However, the cheaper Cuisinart model served me well for many, many years. In fact, it’s still the model that my Mom uses.
Strawberry ice cream homemade:
This strawberry ice cream recipe comes from the best book ever written about homemade ice cream, The Perfect Scoop by Dave Lebovitz. I’ve made many, many recipes from this book, and they are all completely flawless. The addition of sour cream here is genius, and it makes me want to add it to all of my ice cream recipes! One final note: although I haven’t tried it, I think this recipe would be great with any type of fruit. I want to try fresh peaches next, and it goes without saying that any berry is great here, not just strawberries.
Ice cream maker recipes that you might love:
Dairy-Free Coconut Milk Ice Cream Recipe from Dave Lebovitz’s ice cream cookbook called The Perfect Scoop.
Ice Cream Maker (without freezer bowl) Ice Cream Maker (with freezer bowl) The Perfect Scoop
Blackberry Chip Ice Cream (no churn) Peanut Butter Ice Cream Banana Ice Cream Graham Cracker Ice Cream
