No-Churn Strawberry Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
This no-churn strawberry cookies and cream ice cream comes together without the use of an ice cream maker! Strawberries are briefly cooked to intensify their flavor before being folded into soft-whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk. Vanilla sandwich cookies lend another layer of flavor and texture that pairs well with the sweet strawberries. Once this no-churn ice cream is frozen for 6 hours, it’s ready to scoop and enjoy!
Every bite of this strawberry ice cream tastes like summer! It’s packed with lightly cooked strawberries and chunks of vanilla sandwich cookies. It’s sure to become a favorite recipe. How could you resist a scoop of this ice cream?
Homemade ice cream is surprisingly easy to make. You only need to whip heavy whipping cream, fold in some condensed milk and your ice cream flavors, and then freeze! That’s literally all there is to it.
The heavy whipping cream keeps the ice cream scoopable because of all the air it incorporates. There is no need to use an ice cream maker when using whipped cream.
Since I used fresh strawberries in this recipe, I brought out their flavor by lightly cooking them. It makes them a little jam-like.
My favorite part, besides the strawberries, is the cookies! Store-bought vanilla sandwich cookies work perfectly to add a little crunch and sweetness to the ice cream. It adds a little fun to a classic strawberry ice cream recipe.
If fresh strawberries aren’t in season, don’t worry. Frozen strawberries work wonderfully here, too. There’s no need to thaw them beforehand. Simply add them directly to the saucepan and cook them down, gently mashing them as they soften to help them break into smaller pieces.
Keep in mind that frozen berries usually release a bit more moisture, so they’ll need a little extra cooking time before they thicken and jam up.
While I love the flavor of vanilla sandwich cookies in this recipe, you can easily switch things up by using chocolate sandwich cookies instead. The chocolate adds another layer of richness that pairs beautifully with the strawberries and gives the ice cream a fun cookies-and-cream twist.
Ingredients
- strawberries
- granulated sugar
- lemon juice
- sweetened condensed milk
- sea salt
- heavy whipping cream
- vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- a few vanilla sandwich cookies
How to Make No-Churn Strawberry Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
Add the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Once the strawberries release their juices and start to simmer, stir regularly and begin to mash the strawberries to encourage them to break down.
Once the juices start to thicken and are deeper in color, after about 5-8 minutes, remove the pan from the heat. Allow the strawberries to cool to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.
Add the cooled strawberries to a large mixing bowl along with the sweetened condensed milk and the salt. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
Add the cold heavy whipping cream to the bowl of a stand mixer along with the vanilla bean paste.
Using the whisk attachment, beat on low, gradually working up to medium-high as the mixture thickens and gains volume. Beat until soft peaks form.
Add the whipped cream to the bowl with the sweetened condensed milk and fold it in until well combined.
Fold in the chopped cookies, saving a handful for the top of the ice cream.
Pour the ice cream base into a large loaf pan or other similarly-sized container, then top with the remaining handful of cookies.
Cover the top with plastic wrap, then freeze the ice cream base for a minimum of 6 hours.
When you’re ready to serve the ice cream, remove it from the freezer and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before scooping.
How to Store
Keep homemade ice cream stored in the freezer. Always allow the ice cream to sit for about 15 minutes before scooping, since homemade ice cream is not scoopable straight out of the freezer.
More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes
- No-Churn Pistachio Ice Cream
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
- Blackberry Coconut Ice Cream
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Coconut Basil Ice Cream
What do you think of this creamy homemade strawberry ice cream recipe? What would you serve with a scoop of this? Let me know in the comment section below.
If you share across social media, make sure to tag #aclassictwist, so I can see your beautiful creation come to life!
Happy summer, friends!
No Churn Strawberry Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Recipe
No-Churn Strawberry Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
This no-churn strawberry cookies and cream ice cream comes together without the use of an ice cream maker! Strawberries are briefly cooked to intensify their flavor before being folded into soft-whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk.
Ingredients
- 1 pound strawberries, hulled and diced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- 15 vanilla sandwich cookies, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Add the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Once the strawberries release their juices and start to simmer, stir regularly and begin to mash the strawberries to encourage them to break down. Once the juices start to thicken and are deeper in color, after about 5-8 minutes, remove the pan from the heat. Allow the strawberries to cool to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.
- Add the cooled strawberries to a large mixing bowl along with the sweetened condensed milk and the salt. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- Add the cold heavy whipping cream to the bowl of a stand mixer along with the vanilla bean paste. Using the whisk attachment, beat on low, gradually working up to medium-high as the mixture thickens and gains volume. Beat until soft peaks form.
- Add the whipped cream to the bowl with the sweetened condensed milk and fold it in until well combined. Fold in the chopped cookies, saving a handful for the top of the ice cream.
- Pour the ice cream base into a large loaf pan or other similarly-sized container, then top with the remaining handful of cookies. Cover the top with plastic wrap, then freeze the ice cream base for a minimum of 6 hours.
- When you’re ready to serve the ice cream, remove it from the freezer and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before scooping.
Notes
- Keep leftovers covered with plastic wrap in the freezer and enjoy within a week for the best flavor and texture.
- Cooking the strawberries first helps to intensify the flavor and eliminates icy chunks of fruit in the final ice cream.
- You’ll know the strawberries are ready when the juices look thicker and more syrupy rather than watery.
- Make sure to fold the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk rather than whisking or mixing so that you don’t knock all of the air out of it. This helps ensure a creamy ice cream texture rather than an icy one.
- I used a pullman loaf pan (10x4x4) to freeze and store the ice cream and there was plenty of room. If you only have a standard 9x5 loaf pan, you’ll most likely need an additional smaller container for the remainder of the ice cream.
- Though the ice cream can be eaten straight out of the freezer, I found that letting it sit at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes made scooping much easier.
FAQs
Can I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh? Yes, you can use 1 pound of frozen strawberries in place of the fresh strawberries. There’s no need to thaw them first. Make sure to mash them as they start to soften to encourage them to break down into smaller pieces. Note that frozen strawberries will most likely take longer to cook down than fresh ones.
Can I use chocolate sandwich cookies instead of vanilla sandwich cookies? Yes! You can use chocolate sandwich cookies instead for a different flavor.
Do I have to freeze the ice cream in a loaf pan? No, you do not need to freeze the ice cream base in a loaf pan. Any similarly sized container will work just fine.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 155Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 145mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 2g