Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream is an old-fashioned favorite when made simply with strawberries, sugar, and cream (or milk). Just a few ingredients adds up to a summer ice cream treat that everyone loves.

Strawberry ice cream melts into deliciousness about as fast as you can eat it. This is light, creamy, smooth homemade ice cream with bits of strawberries mixed throughout.
Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream
The MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember when making ice cream with fresh strawberries is to taste the berries.
It sounds overly simple, but the berries will contribute nearly all of the flavor to this recipe. If the berries are sweet and flavorful, the ice cream will be fantastic.
However, flavourless fruits will not be magically transformed into great ice cream. The resulting ice cream when working with subpar fruits is going to be very bland.
Often you can get away with subpar berries for cobbler, cake or crisp because the cooking process enhances the flavors in a way that the simplest of ice creams will not be able to do.

I’ve been making this Strawberry Ice Cream for over ten years now and I’m happy to tell you that milk, half and half, or a combination of milk and cream may be used to make this ice cream.
If you choose to make this recipe with only milk, the result is a smooth and creamy “ice milk” recipe with no cream involved that is nonetheless delicious.
We actually enjoy it made all three ways, though the half cream and half milk variation is the one I make the most often.
Dairy combinations for this ice cream:
- 1 cup milk + 1 cup cream
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups coconut milk (for a dairy-free option)

Strawberry Vanilla Ice Cream
In contrast to the more common custard-based ice cream varieties, this ice cream is what I remember from childhood. It’s simply fruit and milk or cream with sugar and a splash of vanilla – no eggs, no cooking, no fuss required.
Strawberries and vanilla are a flavour pairing that works beautifully together. If you happen to have vanilla beans or vanilla paste on hand, definitely use them! The boost in vanilla flavor definitely works here.
We all really love this Strawberry Vanilla Ice Cream. This is a recipe I find myself making whenever I have an abundance of strawberries on hand.

Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe
- Place the strawberries in a large bowl. Use a potato masher, a fork, or a wooden spoon to crush them. Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir to combine
- Add the milk and cream. Stir to combine and then pour into the ice cream maker.
- Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the finished ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer until ready to serve.
To make this recipe even simpler, place all ingredients for this recipe in the blender and puree to combine before pouring directly into the ice cream maker to churn.
The result is creamier ice cream without as many little berry pieces. I prefer the berries mashed over pureed, but both methods create delicious strawberry ice cream.
