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This small batch strawberry ice cream is creamy and full of fresh berry flavor, with chunks of chocolate throughout. It mixes up in 10 minutes, no ice cream maker needed.
Featured Comment
“This is such an easy recipe and so delicious too.”
– Ashleigh
Quick Look
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Freeze Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
- Equipment: Electric hand mixer and a freezer-safe dish
- Cook Method: No-churn
- Servings: 6
- Difficulty: Easy
- Flavor Profile: The flavor is sweet and creamy, with juicy, lightly tart strawberries and rich chocolate.
This homemade strawberry ice cream is soft and smooth, sweet and fruity, with bits of chocolate that taste a little like chocolate-covered strawberries.
Why I Love This Strawberry Ice Cream
Some of my favorite summer memories are of my grandfather making strawberry ice cream on his front porch in southeast Louisiana. He had one of those old hand-crank machines, and my cousins and I would sit around it, waiting for the ice cream to thicken.
Strawberry was the flavor he loved most, and on a sweltering afternoon it was about the only thing that could cool us down.
I have an ice cream machine now, and I still reach for this small batch strawberry ice cream recipe more than anything. It gives me that same fresh flavor without the cranking, and it makes just enough instead of a gallon I’d never get through.
I whip the cream, fold in the sweetened condensed milk, add the strawberries and chocolate, and let the freezer do the work.
What comes out is a soft, smooth scoop full of sweet strawberries and bits of chocolate. It tastes like the ice cream from my grandfather’s porch, and now I can make it any afternoon without dragging out a machine.
If you want more, I’ve got a whole collection of single serving and small batch ice cream recipes worth working through. A few I make often are no-churn vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream for one, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and small batch butter pecan ice cream.
Ingredient Notes
This strawberry chocolate chip ice cream comes together with five simple ingredients, and here’s what each one does. If you have any ingredients leftover, check our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
Heavy cream: Whipped to stiff peaks, heavy cream traps air, and that trapped air is what gives no-churn ice cream its light, scoopable texture without a machine. Use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream with at least 36% milk fat, and keep it cold so it whips up. For a dairy-free version, use full-fat coconut milk. Leftover cream works well in our single serving banana pudding or chocolate pot de crème.
Sweetened condensed milk: This sweetens the ice cream and, because it’s thick with sugar, keeps the mixture from freezing rock-hard, so you get a soft scoop instead of an icy block. Use a full 14-ounce can. For a dairy-free version, swap in sweetened condensed coconut milk. Use any leftovers in a mini key lime pie or small tres leches cake.
Vanilla extract: A teaspoon adds a warm vanilla flavor.
Strawberries: These are what make it strawberry ice cream. You chop them and fold them in, so instead of a berry-flavored base you get pockets of fresh, juicy strawberry in every scoop. Fresh, ripe berries are best, though thawed frozen ones work too, and you’ll want to chop them small so they spread evenly. Use the rest of your berries in a single serving strawberry crisp, or frozen strawberry daiquiri.
Chocolate: Reach for chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, depending on whether you want small bits or bigger chunks. Semisweet is what I usually use, and it gives the ice cream a rich chocolate flavor. Dark chocolate works well if you want something less sweet and more intense. For a dairy-free or vegan version, use dairy-free chocolate or carob chips. Leftover chocolate is great in a small batch of chocolate chip cookies.
Recipe Variations
It’s easy to change up this no-churn strawberry ice cream with a few simple swaps:
Mixed berry: Use raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries in place of the strawberries, or add about ½ cup along with the strawberries for a mixed-berry version.
More strawberry flavor: Swirl in 2 to 3 tablespoons of strawberry pie filling before freezing for a stronger berry flavor and a brighter color.
Skip the chocolate: Leave the chocolate out for a classic strawberry ice cream with nothing folded in but fruit.
Strawberry popsicles: Pour the mixture into molds instead of a dish and freeze for strawberry ice cream pops.
How To Make Strawberry Ice Cream
This homemade strawberry ice cream comes together with a hand mixer and a freezer, no machine required. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- Make the base: In a large bowl, whisk the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla together until smooth.
- Whip the cream: In a separate cold bowl, beat the cold heavy cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the cream holds its shape and doesn’t slide when you tip the bowl.
- Fold them together: Add the whipped cream to the condensed milk mixture and gently fold until no white streaks remain. Fold instead of stir, since that’s what keeps the air in and the ice cream scoopable.
- Layer in the strawberries and chocolate: Pour half the mixture into a freezer-safe dish. Scatter the chopped strawberries and chocolate evenly over the top, then spread the rest of the mixture over them.
- Swirl: Drag a knife or skewer through the layers a few times to marble the fruit and chocolate through.
- Freeze: Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and freeze at least 6 hours, until firm. Overnight gives you the cleanest scoop.
Expert Tips
Start with cold cream and a cold bowl: Chill the mixing bowl and beaters for 5 to 10 minutes first, and keep the cream in the fridge until the moment you whip it. Cold cream whips faster and holds more air.
Whip to stiff peaks, then stop: Once the cream holds its shape, quit. Keep going and it turns grainy and starts heading toward butter, which you can’t fold smoothly.
Pat the strawberries dry: Blot the chopped berries with a paper towel before folding them in. Less surface water means fewer hard, icy bits in the finished ice cream.
Press plastic wrap onto the surface before freezing: Lay it directly on top so no air touches the ice cream, then store the dish in the back of the freezer where the temperature stays steadiest. Both keep freezer burn and ice crystals away.
Troubleshooting
If your strawberry ice cream isn’t turning out quite right, here’s how to fix common issues like ice cream that’s too hard to scoop, a batch that won’t freeze firm, or whipped cream that turns grainy.
Why is my no-churn strawberry ice cream too hard to scoop?
Let it sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping. No-churn ice cream freezes firm, and a short rest on the counter softens it enough to scoop cleanly without melting it.
Why didn’t my ice cream freeze firm?
It most likely needs more time, at least 6 hours and ideally overnight. If it’s still soft after a full freeze, the cream wasn’t whipped to stiff peaks before folding, so there wasn’t enough air to hold its shape.
Why did my whipped cream turn grainy and clumpy?
You whipped it too long and it started turning to butter. Grainy cream won’t fold in smoothly, so start over with fresh, cold cream and stop as soon as it holds stiff peaks.
Can I refreeze strawberry ice cream after it melts?
Yes, but it will be icier and less smooth than the first time. Melting and refreezing forms larger ice crystals, so for the best texture, only take out what you plan to eat.
Ways To Enjoy Your Strawberry Ice Cream
Here are a few easy ways to serve a scoop of this homemade strawberry ice cream:
- Strawberry milkshake: Blend a scoop with a splash of milk for a quick strawberry milkshake.
- À la mode: Set a scoop on top of a warm deep dish chocolate chip cookie and let it soften into the cookie.
- With strawberry shortcake: Serve a scoop alongside a single serve strawberry shortcake for double the berries.
- As a sundae: Top a scoop with homemade whipped cream and a drizzle of your favorite sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. This is a no-churn recipe, so all you need is a bowl, a hand mixer, and a freezer. The whipped cream does the job an ice cream maker normally would.
At least 6 hours. Overnight is better for a firm scoop, since the center takes the longest to set.
Yes. Thaw them first and drain off the extra liquid, then chop and fold them in like fresh berries.
About 2 weeks for the best texture, though it keeps up to 2 months in an airtight container. After that it turns icy.
An airtight, freezer-safe container with a tight lid. A loaf pan or shallow dish covered well also works.
About 6, roughly a quart of ice cream. To make less, halve every ingredient.
RELATED: 15 Dessert Recipes For One
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you make this small batch strawberry ice cream, I’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a rating and a comment below to let me know.
And if you snap a photo, tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) I love seeing what you make.
Small Batch Strawberry Ice Cream
Equipment
- 9.5-inch oval dish or similar size freezer safe dish
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce can) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream – cold
- 4 large strawberries – chopped
- 2 ounces semi sweet chocolate – chopped or use chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla together until smooth.
- Chill a separate large bowl in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes, then whip the cold heavy cream in it on high until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture until no white streaks remain.
- Pour half of the mixture into a freezer-safe dish.
- Scatter the chopped strawberries and chocolate evenly over the top, then spread the remaining mixture over them.
- Drag a knife through the layers a few times to create a marbled swirl.
- Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I love this one dish for me. I live by myself and this is a dream for me.
Another fabulous Recipe. Could I substitute heavy cream?
Holly,
The recipe calls for using heavy cream already. I recommend using only the ingredients listed in the recipe for success.
I’m very sensitive to chocolate but this would totally work for other add-ins.
Oh, this is so good!!!
Thank you, Alison.