Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

5 from 1 vote

Sep 25, 2023

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This strawberry cheesecake ice cream tastes just like a slice of cool and creamy cheesecake! Made from a sweet and tangy cheesecake ice cream base flavored with real strawberries, this homemade recipe is a delicious treat any time of the year.

Hand holding up a waffle cone filled with three scoops of strawberry cheesecake ice cream.

You think you know what rich and creamy ice cream is, and then you have a scoop of this Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. It’s SO smooth and SO creamy, with bursts of bright summer strawberries and sweet cheesecake flavor in every bite. This recipe was inspired years ago by David Lebovitz’s book, The Perfect Scoop. With this homemade ice cream, there’s no need to stand over the stove cooking up a custard base, and the texture is way silkier than frozen yogurt. It’s indulgent enough to satisfy any ice cream craving, and it’s actually super simple to make at home!

Why You’ll Love This Cheesecake Ice Cream Recipe

No custard. While you will need an ice cream maker, this is Philadelphia-style ice cream. Meaning, no egg yolks! It has all the creamy texture minus the need for a custard base.
Fresh ingredients. Making your own ice cream is the best because you know exactly what goes into it. This strawberry cheesecake ice cream is packed with real berries wrapped up in simple, fresh dairy, with real lemon zest and a bit of sugar for sweetness. No additives or unpronounceable ingredients here!
Better than storebought. Not to mention, homemade is more affordable. This recipe is rich, creamy, and perfectly sweet, like your favorite pints of Ben and Jerry’s Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream, made at home for a lot less money.

Ingredients for Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Cream Cheese: You’ll need one 8-ounce package of cream cheese to form the cheesecake base for the ice cream. For best results, use full-fat cream cheese.
Lemon: Fresh lemon zest brightens up the flavors of the ice cream.
Sour Cream: Contributes to the silky-smoothness of the ice cream as well as the tanginess of the flavors.
Half-and-Half: Or heavy whipping cream for the base. The ice cream will turn out richer and creamier when made with full-fat heavy cream; however, half-and-half is a good option if you’d prefer to lighten things up.
Sugar: Regular granulated sugar adds sweetness, while a pinch of salt helps to balance and enhance the flavors.
Strawberries: I use freshly washed, hulled, and chopped strawberries. You can just as easily make raspberry cheesecake or blueberry cheesecake ice cream using any berries you’d like. I recommend making ice cream with fresh berries, though, as frozen berries can contain excess water.

The base for strawberry cheesecake ice cream combined in a blender.

Strawberry cheesecake ice cream inside the ice cream maker.

How to Make Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Below, we’ll go over step-by-step how to make the base, churn the ice cream, and then store your homemade ice cream in the freezer.

Prepare the ice cream base. Begin by dicing up the cream cheese into cubes. Next, add the cream cheese and the rest of the ingredients (apart from the strawberries for now) to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Chill. Place the cheesecake ice cream base into the fridge to chill for a couple of hours.
Churn the ice cream. Transfer the base to your ice cream maker. You’ll need to freeze and churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s directions for your ice cream machine.
Add the strawberries. A few minutes before your ice cream is finished churning, chuck in the chopped strawberries. Many ice cream makers have an ingredient spout specifically for this purpose. Once the ice cream is ready, get scooping!

An ice cream scoop serving up a scoop of strawberry cheesecake ice cream from a loaf pan.

Recipe Tips

If you’ve never made homemade ice cream before, you’re going to be amazed at how easy it is. Here are some tips to get this recipe right every time:

Use full-fat ingredients for the best ice cream texture. High-fat content in the cream cheese, sour cream, and heavy cream will yield the creamiest results, as it helps to keep ice crystals from forming.
Don’t skip the sugar. Yes, sugar adds sweetness, but it also contributes to the creamy texture of homemade ice cream. Don’t skip it!
Chill the bowl of your ice cream maker. Most models call for chilling the ice cream maker bowl before adding your ingredients.
Fresh strawberries are best, but you can use frozen in a pinch. Make sure to thaw and drain frozen strawberries before adding them to the ice cream.
Homemade ice cream is harder than store-bought ice cream when it comes out of the freezer. This is because it doesn’t contain any of the additives that keep store-bought ice cream soft. To make it easier to scoop, take the ice cream out of the freezer about 10 minutes before serving.

Overhead view of three scoops of strawberry cheesecake ice cream in a bowl garnished with fresh strawberries, surrounded by scattered berries.

Add-Ins and Variation Ideas

You can easily make this ice cream with your favorite mix-ins and flavor variations. Be mindful and don’t go overboard regarding add-ins, as too many chunky ingredients will make the ice cream harder to scoop. Here are some ideas:

Strawberry Sauce. Instead of chopped strawberries, make this strawberry cheesecake ice cream with fresh strawberry sauce.
Graham Crackers. For some extra crunch, add chopped or crushed graham crackers to the ice cream along with the strawberries.
Cookies. Add in chopped white chocolate chip cookies, vanilla wafers, Oreos, gingersnaps, or shortbread cookies.
Chocolate. Toss in dark or white chocolate chips and chopped chocolate, or drizzle in fudge sauce (caramel sauce would also be yummy!).
Different fruit. Make blueberry cheesecake ice cream, or raspberry cheesecake ice cream, or try a different fruit, like cherries, pineapple chunks, or chopped mango or peaches.

How to Make Ice Cream Without an Ice Cream Maker

You can make this homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker in the style of my cottage cheese ice cream. Simply blend the ingredients as directed, and then pulse in the chopped strawberries. Then, instead of chilling the mixture in the fridge, transfer the ice cream base to a loaf pan or container and freeze it for 3 to 4 hours.

Hand holding up a waffle cone filled with three scoops of ice cream.

How to Serve Homemade Ice Cream

There are so many fun ways to serve this ice cream beyond just a bowl or cone! For toppings, try sprinkling it with crushed or chopped pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts for some crunch. Chocolate chips, shavings, and crumbled cookies are also great options. Drizzle the ice cream with boozy chocolate dipping sauce for a grown-ups-only twist. This summery treat pairs wonderfully with mini lemon cakes or slices of soft lemon yogurt cake.

It’s also fantastic over fudgy Nutella brownies or blondies. For an indulgent breakfast or brunch, serve scoops over cream cheese waffles or baked French toast topped with whipped cream. And for a fun twist, scoop this ice cream between two cookies to make delicious ice cream sandwiches.

Overhead view of three scoops of strawberry cheesecake ice cream in a bowl garnished with fresh strawberries.

How to Store

Store this strawberry cheesecake ice cream airtight in the freezer, with a layer of plastic wrap or parchment paper pressed directly to the surface of the ice cream. This prevents the ice cream from icing over. Properly stored, this ice cream will keep frozen for up to 1 month.

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5 from 1 vote