Summer is just around the corner and nothing says summer more than ice cream! This delicious homemade Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream has a tangy cream cheese base and is bursting with strawberry goodness and you’ll never guess the secret ingredient!
SECRET INGREDIENT
Have you ever added fresh strawberries to ice cream and noticed that the texture of your ice cream was icy and not as creamy as it could be? Well, it’s because fresh strawberries are made up of 92% water. And what happens when water freezes? It becomes ice! The high water content in fresh strawberries causes ice cream to become icy, thus losing it’s creamy texture. So what can we use in place of fresh strawberries you ask? The secret ingredient to making the best Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream ever is, freeze-dried strawberries!
WHAT ARE FREEZE-DRIED STRAWBERRIES?
In the simplest of terms, freeze-drying is a process in which 98% of water is removed from a product while also retaining its nutrients and flavor. According to the FDA, freeze-drying or lyophilization removes water by freezing a product at a low temperature and then placing it under a vacuum. This allows the ice to change directly from a solid state to vapor, all while bypassing the liquid phase. This leaves the fruit dry, light and crisp, which is ideal for our ice cream.
CHURN VS NO-CHURN
As an ice cream lover, nothing beats homemade churned ice cream! I know I may ruffle a few feathers when I say this, but I think churned ice cream is far more superior in texture and taste than its counterpart. There is no shortage of no-churn ice cream recipes on the internet, but frankly, the results are just not the same. Sure, it’s easy to make and doesn’t require an ice cream machine, but the texture and taste is not quite like the real thing.
The thought of making homemade ice cream may seem intimidating at first, but it’s not as difficult as you think. The base to any ice cream recipe is milk, cream and sugar. However, we are taking this decadent Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream to whole another level by adding egg yolks. This is known as a French custard style ice cream. The addition of egg yolks creates an ice cream that is ultra creamy, smooth and rich. Yolks are easily incorporated by a technique called “tempering”.
WHY AND HOW DO WE TEMPER EGGS?
In cooking, tempering is the process of combining two ingredients together of drastically different temperatures. In our ice cream recipe for instance, we need to combine cold egg yolks to hot cream. Tempering the yolks will ensure a silky texture and prevent curdling.
The general technique is to add a little bit of the hot liquid to the egg yolks, all while whisking vigorously. You repeat the process several times by adding more liquid to the yolks little by little. Once the yolks are warm and to temperature, you slowly add the yolks back into the hot cream/milk mixture. Whisking vigorously and constantly during this whole process is very important. Please see detailed instructions below.
INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Whole Milk – Stick to full-fat whole milk.
- Granulated Sugar – Just the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Egg Yolks – This recipe calls for 5 large egg yolks, which I find is the perfect amount of richness. I’ve experimented with 3 and 4 yolks and it totally works too. I would not suggest omitting the egg yolks all together though, only because it will take away from the richness. Cheesecake after all, is quite rich.
- Full Fat Cream Cheese – Please use the cream cheese brick not whipped cream cheese. Also, I find that Philadelphia Cream Cheese is the best. It melts much better.
- Vanilla Extract or Paste – Using real vanilla extract instead of imitation will yield a better flavor profile.
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries – I find mine at Trader Joe’s, but you can find them at Whole Foods and Amazon.
- Strawberry Preserves or Jam – To amp up the strawberry flavor, I like adding swirls of strawberry preserves.
- Graham Crackers – You can’t have cheesecake without crushed graham crackers. Alternatively, you may use gluten-free graham crackers if you have a gluten intolerance.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
- Ice Cream Machine – I have the Cuisinart 1.5 Quart Ice Cream maker and I love it! It cost about $60 usd. I keep the bowl my freezer year round so I can make ice cream anytime. You can also make frozen yogurt and sorbet with this machine. I will be posting recipes in the future.
- Thermometer – I use a digital thermometer for instant accuracy. Since we are cooking the custard to a specific temperature, having some sort of thermometer is helpful so you don’t run the risk of overcooking your custard, which can cause curdling.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ever since I learned how to make homemade ice cream 2 years ago, I rarely buy store-bought ice cream anymore. It’s really rewarding and satisfying knowing you made this frozen novelty. Making your own ice cream gives you the freedom and creativity of making any unique flavor you want.
I really hope you make this amazing Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream! It is always a huge hit with my friends and family and I’m sure it will be with yours. Once you learn the basics of making a custard style ice cream, there is no stopping you. Until next time!
MORE FROZEN TREATS
Recipe
STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM
- Total Time: 20 Minutes for Base, 8 Hours of Chilling, 10 Minutes of Churning & 4 Hours of Freezing
- Yield: 1.5 Quart 1x
Description
This homemade Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream will be on repeat all summer! Bursting with strawberry goodness. It’s ultra creamy and decadent!
Ingredients
Ice Cream Base
- 2 Cups (1 pint or 473 grams) Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Cup (245 grams) Whole Milk
- ½ Cup + 2 tablespoon (100 grams + 25 grams) Granulated Sugar, divided
- 5 Large Egg Yolks
- 1 8oz (226 grams) Block Cream Cheese (Philadelphia is the best), cubed & room temp
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Paste
Add-Ins
- 1 ¼ Cup (34 grams), Freeze-Dried Strawberries, roughly chopped or crushed by hand (see notes below)
- 3 Tbsp Strawberry Jam or Preserves
- Crushed Honey Graham Crackers (I used 4 rectangles total, but use as much as you’d like)
Instructions
- Place cubed cream cheese in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together heavy cream, milk and ½ cup of sugar. Allow the mixture to reach about 170ºF (76 ºC). Careful not to boil.
- Meanwhile, place egg yolks and 2 tbsps of sugar in a small bowl and whisk until it thickens and turns to a pale yellow.
- Once the cream/milk mixture reaches 170ºF, turn the heat off. Now we need to temper the yolks. In a slow and steady stream, add ¼ cup (56 grams) of the warm cream/milk mixture into the yolks while whisking continuously. This is important so you don’t scramble the yolks. Add another ¼ cup (56 grams) and whisk, repeat 2 more time. Slowly pour the yolk mixture back into the pot and whisk well and constantly. Over medium heat, bring the mixture back up 170ºF (76ºC).
- Pour the custard over cream cheese and let sit for about 2 minutes. The heat of the hot custard will melt the cream cheese. Add vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Strain mixture into a clean medium sized bowl. We are straining to ensure a smooth custard.
- Place the plastic wrap directly onto the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Place another piece of plastic wrap over the bowl and cover completely.
- Chill overnight for at least 8 hours. The colder the better.
- When you are ready to churn, add freeze-dried strawberries to the chilled custard and mix well. Pour the custard into an ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer’s directions.
- Depending on your ice cream machine, it will thicken and nearly double in size after about 10 minutes.
- Add half the of the churned ice cream into a container and several tiny dollops of strawberry preserves (1.5 tablespoon worth) and swirl into ice cream. Add crushed graham crackers. Repeat layers again with the remaining ice cream. Swirl another 1.5 tablespoons of preserves and top with graham crackers.
- Store ice cream in an airtight container and freeze for at least 4 hours before digging in. Scoop and bask in the glory of your homemade ice cream!
Notes
- If you want more strawberry flavor, take half of the freeze-dried strawberries and blitz them in a food processor or grinder. Add to the chilled custard along with the rest of the freeze-dried strawberry pieces.
- The freeze-dried strawberries are measured straight out the bag and before chopping. I used a whole bag from Trader Joe’s which is 1.2 oz (34 grams).
- As far as assembling the ice cream. You can add the strawberry preserves and crushed graham crackers into the ice cream while it’s churning if you do not want to layer it. If you go with this method, add the preserves and graham crackers after the ice cream resembles soft serve. In my machine, it takes about 8 minutes.
- Homemade ice cream is best eaten within a week, although I doubt it would last that long. For best results store in an airtight container to prevent ice crystals from forming.
- Prep Time: 25 Minutes For Base + 8 Hours of Chilling
- Freeze Time: 4 Hours
- Category: Ice Cream
If you have made this recipe, I would love to know how it turned out for you! Please consider leaving a star rating and review below and tag me on Instagram @shortstackkitchen. Thank you so much!
Cang
This is my first time making ice cream and when I got my ice cream maker I got a little excited and did not read the manufacture’s instructions on freezing the bowl for 22 hours as recommended. Instead, I stored the bowl in the freezer overnight and my custard never turned into ice cream. To make sure if your bowl is ready, shake it and if don’t hear liquid moving, then it’s ready for use.
On my second attempt, wow, it was divine! It was creamy, not too sweet, aromatic strawberry flavor popping everywhere, and the graham crackers taste like you’re eating cheese cake. And I don’t even like cheesecake. This is probably the only thing closest to cheesecake that I will eat. The recipes is easy to follow. I don’t have milk and heavy cream so I substituted for 3 cups of half and half and it was still creamy. This has became a family favorite. Thank you Lisa for sharing!
Lisa Huynh
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for sharing your feedback! I keep my ice cream bowl in my freezer year round, that way I can make ice cream any time. Yes, half and half is a great substitution as it’s half milk and half cream. I’m so happy you and you family enjoyed it. It’s definitely a favorite in my kitchen too!