Homemade Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream With Fresh Berries

This creamy homemade strawberry cheesecake ice cream is loaded with fresh strawberries, rich cream cheese, and graham cracker crumbles swirled throughout. It’s an easy summer dessert that tastes so much better than store bought!

Back when we lived in Arkansas, I remember going to Suzie Q’s almost every week to get my favorite strawberry cheesecake malt. To this day, it remains one of my favorite ice cream flavors, so much so that I finally decided to make this cheesecake flavored version of my homemade vanilla ice cream recipe.

Now, don’t worry, you won’t need an entire strawberry swirl cheesecake to make this recipe. In fact, we’ll just need some graham crackers and cream cheese to make the cheesecake ice cream base. You can make it in with any kind of fruit, but strawberry is my favorite.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Strawberry cheesecake ice cream is actually super easy to make. You’ll just need to mix everything together for this no bake dessert, and let it churn.
• This is a cold, refreshing treat that’s just perfect for the summertime. Not only is it ultra creamy, but this cheesecake flavored ice cream is chock full of fresh strawberry flavor from the macerated strawberries.
• Serve it up at your Memorial Day grill-out, 4th of July celebrations, summer picnics, church potlucks, hot days at the lake, family reunions, or any other warm weather event.
• Make it ahead and store it in the freezer so that you can enjoy an indulgent sweet treat whenever the craving hits!
• Strawberry cheesecake ice cream is versatile, and you don’t have to use strawberries. This recipe makes a good cheesecake ice cream base, and you can add any kind of fruit you want to make any flavor cheesecake ice cream.

Ingredients & Substitutions Notes

• Strawberries – I used fresh strawberries for this recipe, but you can also use frozen strawberries. Just be sure to let them thaw out overnight in the refrigerator first.
• Cream Cheese –You’ll need a full-fat cream cheese like Philadelphia cream cheese to make this ultra creamy strawberry cheesecake ice cream.
• Whole Milk – I recommend using whole milk. You can use either 2% milk or even skim milk, but it won’t be as rich and creamy.
• Heavy Cream – You’ll also need heavy whipping cream. In fact, the best homemade strawberry cheesecake ice cream uses more cream than actual milk!
• Graham Crackers – Last but not least, you’ll need to crumble up the graham crackers. I add them in only once the ice cream has mostly frozen. If you add them too soon, it’ll make them soggy.

How to Make Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Before getting started, use a paring knife cut the stems of your strawberries, and chop them up with a large knife. Then chop or crush up your graham crackers and set aside. If you’re using an ice cream maker with a freezer bowl like mine, set it in the freezer at least 24 hours before making the recipe so that it has plenty of time to freeze.

Macerating the Strawberries

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped strawberries with the cornstarch and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir gently. Then allow the strawberries to macerate, or soften, in the juices for at least 2 hours in the fridge.
2. Strain the berries over a small bowl, reserving or setting aside the juices for later.
3. Using a potato masher, mash or purée half the berries and set aside; also set aside the rest of the un-mashed berries.

How to Make Homemade Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, and milk ’til the sugar dissolves.
2. Whisk in the heavy cream, reserved strawberry juice, mashed strawberries, vanilla extract, and sea salt.
3. Turn on the ice cream freezer, and pour the mixture into the pre-frozen freezer bowl with the churn paddle in place. Place the cover on top, and let the mixture freeze ’til it thickens, about 20-25 minutes.
4. About 2-3 minutes before the freezing is completed (the ice cream should have a soft creamy texture), spoon the rest of the un-mashed strawberries, along with the graham crackers, into the ice cream, and let everything mix in completely. Your ice cream maker will be very full at this point.
5. Once everything is swirled into the ice cream, it’s ready, and you can turn off the machine. Then scoop the soft-serve ice cream into an airtight container, and place it in the freezer for 3-4 hours, or overnight, to firm up more.
6. That’s it! Serve when ready.

I like to scoop my strawberry cheesecake ice cream into an ice cream cone (My kids love waffle cones). You can also scoop it into a bowl and enjoy as is. Top it off with chocolate syrup, or pile on more fresh strawberries.

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s

Optional Add-Ins & Recipe Variations

• Use another fruit! Think raspberry cheesecake ice cream, blueberry cheesecake ice cream or even cherry cheesecake ice cream.
• Swap out the graham cracker crumbles for Oreo cookie crumbles instead. You can also use other flavored graham crackers, like these cinnamon graham crackers.
• If your ice cream has started to soften, you can use it make the best strawberry cheesecake popsicles. Let your ice cream set on the counter for 15-20 minutes so that it can start to soften. Scoop into popsicle molds, and transfer back to the freezer for about 4-6 hours, or ’til rock solid and ready to eat!
• Use this cheesecake ice cream in place of the vanilla ice cream in this vanilla milkshake recipe to make strawberry cheesecake milkshakes!
• Make it a strawberry swirl cheesecake ice cream! Instead of churning your strawberries into the ice cream, set them aside. Once frozen, pour your ice cream into a freezer container. Then swirl mashed up strawberries or strawberry sauce into the top to make decadent strawberry swirls!

More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes

• Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream
• Homemade Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
• Fruity Pebbles Ice Cream
• Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
• Mint Oreo Ice Cream
• Butterfinger Ice Cream
• Strawberry Ice Cream

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