Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Substitutions & Swaps

🍓 The Fruit

• Blueberries - Cook them down the same way; they hold their color and turn jammy
• Peaches - Peel and dice; gorgeous against the tangy base
• Cherries - Pit and roast during their short season for a deep, almost wine-like swirl
• Frozen berries - Work great year-round; thaw and drain off extra liquid first

🧀 The Cheesecake Base

• Mascarpone - Swap for some or all of the cream cheese for a silkier, richer base
• Greek yogurt - Use in place of the sour cream for extra tang and a little less fat
• Goat cheese - A small amount adds a grown-up, tangier cheesecake note
• Full-fat only - Skip low-fat cream cheese and sour cream; fat is what keeps it scoopable instead of icy

🍯 The Sweetener

• Granulated sugar - Cleaner sweetness if you do not want the molasses note of brown sugar
• Honey or maple syrup - Adds flavor; reduce slightly since they read sweeter than sugar
• Sweetened condensed milk - For a no-churn route, fold it in and skip the separate sugar

🍦 Churn vs No-Churn

• Ice cream maker - Churn the chilled base for the smoothest, most scoopable texture
• No-churn version - Whip the cream to soft peaks, fold into the sweetened cream cheese base, and freeze in a loaf pan
• Food processor shortcut - Blend frozen chunks of the base until creamy for a quick soft-serve

🍪 The Mix-Ins

• Crushed graham crackers - The classic cheesecake-crust crunch; fold in at the end so they stay crisp
• Shortbread or vanilla wafers - Buttery alternative to graham for the crust element
• White chocolate chunks - Melt into pockets of extra-sweet richness
• Extra strawberry swirl - Reserve some of the roasted berries to ribbon on top before freezing

🍓🧀🍦 Tips & Tricks for the Best Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Tangy, creamy and swirled with roasted strawberries, the easiest homemade ice cream you'll make all summer

• Bring the cream cheese fully to room temperature. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps no amount of whisking fixes. Soft cream cheese blends into a glassy-smooth base.
• Roast the strawberries before swirling. A quick roast with brown sugar concentrates the flavor and drives off water, so the swirl tastes intense instead of watering down the base.
• Cool the strawberries completely. Warm fruit melts the base and makes it icy. Chill the roasted berries before they ever touch the cream.
• Chill the base before it goes in the machine. A base at fridge temperature churns faster and freezes smoother. Warm base means big ice crystals.
• Do not over-churn. Pull it when it looks like soft-serve. Run the machine too long and the texture turns dense and buttery.
• Swirl, do not stir, the strawberries. Layer the berries through the ice cream and drag a knife through once or twice. Stirring muddies it into uniform pink instead of distinct ribbons.
• Press plastic wrap onto the surface. Direct contact stops freezer burn and the gritty ice layer that forms on top of exposed ice cream.
• Use a shallow container. Ice cream freezes faster and smoother in a wide, shallow pan than in a deep tub. Faster freezing means smaller crystals.
• Add a squeeze of lemon to the base. A little acid sharpens the cheesecake tang and keeps the whole thing from tasting flatly sweet.
• Let it sit 5 minutes before scooping. Homemade ice cream freezes harder than store-bought. A short rest on the counter gives you clean, round scoops instead of a bent spoon.

If you don't have an ice cream maker and are in the market for one - here are a few of my favs.

• This is the king of ice cream makers and really only needed if you're making ice cream regularly! Also available here on Amazon
• This one we've had for years (got it as one of our wedding gifts) and it's amazing! You just need to keep the insert in the freezer so make sure you have room. Also available here on Amazon.