Strawberry ice cream was always a special treat growing up in my family. We made our favorite frozen dessert for summertime get togethers and church ice cream socials. How to make old-fashioned homemade strawberry ice cream using an ice cream maker.

blue bowl of old-fashioned homemade strawberry ice cream

There's nothing quite like a bowl of my dad's homemade banana ice cream… Besides maybe his homemade strawberry ice cream. Oh my goodness, I love summer because it means delectable bowls of creamy frozen deliciousness.

This strawberry ice cream recipe is made using an old-fashioned ice cream maker, not the crank kind, but the motor kind (you're welcome). You can use an old crank handled maker if you want, but I prefer motor.

You can also use fresh or frozen berries. For some reason, when we went to make this ice cream, the stores were completely out of strawberries, everywhere we looked. Hence, no strawberries in the photos.

scoop of homemade strawberry ice cream in a metal canister

Not sure if there's a shortage or what, but we decided to use frozen, and it turned out beautifully. You will want to crush or purée the berries ahead of time.

Tips for how to make strawberry ice cream:

I recommend using a mixer to mix up your ice cream. This will ensure that the ingredients are mixed really well.

Start by creaming (or mixing) the eggs* and the sugar together. Then you'll add in the vanilla extract.

add a can of sweetened condensed milk to strawberry ice cream mixture

Next you'll mix in the sweetened condensed milk, scraping all the ooey gooey liquid out of the can.

add evaporated milk to strawberry ice cream mixture

Then add all 3 cans of evaporated milk. Now my mom and dad use nothing but Milnot, and when they use Milnot, they only use 2 cans. For any other brand, they say to use 3 cans. So we went with 3 cans.

Add in a good-sized dash of salt, which equals out to about a teaspoon.

crushed strawberries for homemade ice cream recipe, in glass measuring cup next to Bosch mixer

If your strawberries are crushed and ready to go, you can pour them into the mixer. Mix everything together well, and watch your mixture turn a nice pink color.

Make sure your ice cream freezer, especially the canister, is washed out good. We store ours in the garage, so we always have to wash it before we use it.

Pour the mixture into the metal canister of your ice cream maker.

homemade strawberry ice cream mixture in metal canister with churning paddle

Finish topping it off with whole milk, making sure to fill it about 3/4 of the way full, leaving room for expansion as it freezes. Your metal canister should have a fill line.

adding milk to metal canister for homemade ice cream recipes

Tips for how to freeze homemade strawberry ice cream:

Put the lid on, and place the canister down into the bucket of your ice cream maker. Crush a big bag of ice, gradually pouring ice around the canister.

Tip: You can add up to a gallon of water if needed, as well. We sometimes do this because our motor will seize up. Adding a bit of water will help it keep turning.

ice and rock salt in ice cream maker for homemade ice cream recipe

Add 2-3 cups of rock salt as you add the ice, making sure to top it off with rock salt.

Let the motor run until it stops. Once the ice cream is frozen, the motor on your ice cream maker will stop churning. Unplug it immediately. This should signal that the ice cream is completely frozen.

remove lid from ice cream maker to reveal homemade strawberry ice cream

Wipe any excess ice or rock salt off the lid and out from around the top of the canister. Then remove the lid.

homemade strawberry ice cream in ice cream maker

Mmmm, I love this recipe. Homemade ice cream is so good!

churning paddle in strawberry ice cream in old-fashioned ice cream maker

Carefully remove the churning paddle, and serve the paddle to the winning kid (may the best boy or girl win).

blue bowl of soft serve, old-fashioned, strawberry ice cream

Serve up the ice cream immediately.

If you're not ready to serve it up just yet, you can always leave the lid on, remove the motor, top the canister off with ice, and place a towel or two over it to insulate it and keep it cold.

Alternative options for your homemade ice cream recipe:

Hand crush the strawberries so you'll have bigger chunks of berries in your ice cream.
Instead of just straight strawberry, why not make it strawberry banana? Add a couple bananas in with the strawberries for added fruity flavor.
You could make this a berry ice cream by adding all sorts of berries, including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
Add both crushed frozen peaches and strawberries to your ice cream mixture.
Make whipped cream or strawberry sauce to top off your ice cream.
If you happen to be making strawberry ice cream for the 4th of July, serve it up with my friend Kristy's American Flag Cookie Cake or my Strawberry Jello Flag Cake. Yum!

close up bowl of homemade strawberry ice cream

More homemade ice cream recipes and frozen treats you may enjoy:

Chocolate Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
Banana Ice Cream

Kitchen tools you may need to make homemade strawberry ice cream:

Mixer – A mixer will ensure you mix everything together really well.
Ice Cream Freezer – This is an ice cream maker recipe, so you'll need a maker.
Food Storage Containers – We use dishes similar to these to store our ice cream in the freezer, especially when we have a big batch.
Ice Cream Scoop – Can't have ice cream without a scooper.

Want to see how to make this strawberry ice cream recipe? Watch our video!

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