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This strawberry ice cream is so gorgeous and fluffy and thick. It has an almost marshmallowy texture. You won’t need much to satisfy you as it’s quite rich! THM S, low carb
No cook, so easy
I had a cooked version of this ice cream (with a custard base) all ready to post but decided to give a no cook version a go. I’m so glad I did! This one (based on my Ultimate Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe) is SO easy to make and even more delicious than the cooked version was. Because it doesn’t get cooked, the strawberry puree is bright and pink and tastes so fresh and springy. Typically a cooked custard base makes for a better textured ice cream, but the combination of cream, glucomannan, vegetable glycerin, and THM Gentle Sweet (made with xylitol) ensures that this no cook strawberry ice cream has a velvety smooth texture.
It’s scoopable!
This strawberry ice cream (as written) is scoopable right out of the freezer – no problem – but I do like to enjoy it on the meltier side because of the higher water content of the strawberries. Just let it warm up on the counter for a few minutes before eating for the ultimate experience.
What’s the citric acid for?
Believe it or not, this really makes the strawberry flavor pop! I used it in this Creamy Strawberry Gello Salad for the same reason, and I have a few other strawberry recipes in the works that have benefited from it as well. You can find citric acid in the canning/preserving section of Walmart or a grocery store…or buy it online.
What kind of sweetener is best for sugar free ice cream?
I prefer THM Gentle Sweet (made with xylitol) for ice cream because it provides the best balanced sweetness and creamy, scoopable texture of any sweetener I have tried.
I’ve also used a combination of xylitol and stevia with success, but I do slightly prefer the texture using THM Gentle Sweet.
It’s important to use a xylitol based sweetener (like Gentle Sweet) because xylitol keeps the ice cream more scoopable after being in the freezer overnight. Xylitol does cause digestive upset in some people and is poisonous to dogs so I understand that not everyone wants to use it, but you may sacrifice scoopability if you substitute other sweeteners.
Jazz it up!
Some possible additions for this strawberry ice cream are…
- natural peanut butter for a PB&J flair
- almond extract
- a pinch of cardamom
- the chocolate chips from this mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe
I don’t recommend adding chunks of strawberry to the ice cream – they will freeze solid. You can always top the ice cream with some sliced fresh strawberries or a “syrup” of mashed frozen/thawed strawberries with a little sweetener, though.
New and improved
This Classic Strawberry Ice Cream recipe is an update of the recipe found on page 229 of Necessary Food, my first cookbook (originally published to the blog in April 2016). That recipe is lower in fat, and it’s great – but it’s best fresh as a soft serve. The recipe in the recipe card below will have a better texture when frozen long term. I’ve learned a few things about ice cream making over the years. 😉
If you know and love the original recipe, I’m providing it below the recipe card in this post so you can still access it. And of course you can find it on page 229 of Necessary Food.
A little helpful math
- Fresh strawberries = a little over 2 cups of puree per pound of berries.
- Frozen whole strawberries = a 24 ounce bag yields about 3 cups of puree
Puree made from fresh or frozen strawberries will work in this recipe.
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STARTING THM
MY RECIPE INDEX
RECIPE INDEX BY FUEL TYPE/ALLERGY/THEME
Strawberry Vinaigrette
Strawberry Delight
Strawberry Frozen Kefir
Strawberry Ice Cream
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
4.9 from 10 reviews
- Author: Briana Thomas Burkholder
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/2 quarts (12 half cup servings)
Description
This strawberry ice cream is so gorgeous and fluffy and thick. It has an almost marshmallowy texture. You won’t need much to satisfy you as it’s quite rich! THM S, low carb
Unless you’re an ice cream guru, don’t change the ingredients around if you want to maintain a scoopable, creamy result. There’s kind of a science to it.
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberry puree (just blended up strawberries – measure after blending)
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup THM Gentle Sweet made with xylitol if you want the ice cream to be scoopable out of the freezer (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable glycerin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon citric acid
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon glucomannan
Instructions
Add all the ingredients except for the glucomannan to a blender. Add the glucomannan and then blend immediately to avoid lumps. Don’t blend long – just until everything is smooth and combined.
Churn the ice cream base in a 1.5 quart ice cream churn according to manufacturer’s directions. Let it churn until it reaches a firm soft serve consistency. This recipe (as written) fluffs up to fill a 1.5 quart ice cream churn due to the high cream content (the cream expands as it churns).
Transfer the ice cream to a storage container (I like this Tupperware Rectangle Modular Mate) and freeze to firm up. Overnight is great.
This ice cream as written is scoopable right out of the freezer!
Notes
Puree made from fresh or frozen strawberries will work in this recipe.
I don’t recommend adding chunks of strawberry to the ice cream – they will freeze solid. You can always top the ice cream with some sliced fresh strawberries or a “syrup” of mashed frozen/thawed strawberries with a little sweetener, though.
Possible additions: natural peanut butter for a PB&J flair, almond extract, a pinch of cardamom, the chocolate chips from this mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe
Sweetener: THM Gentle Sweet (made with xylitol) is my favorite sweetener to use for ice cream because it provides the best balanced sweetness and creamy, scoopable texture of any sweetener I have tried. It’s important to use a xylitol based sweetener (like Gentle Sweet) because xylitol keeps the ice cream scoopable after being in the freezer overnight. Xylitol is part of the key to the scoopability of this ice cream, so substituting other sweeteners could change that. Xylitol does cause digestive upset in some people and is poisonous to dogs so I understand that not everyone wants to use it, but you may sacrifice scoopability if you substitute other sweeteners. Feel free to add more sweetener if desired.
Vegetable glycerin: I don’t recommend omitting the vegetable glycerin. It helps keep the ice cream from sticking to the ice cream maker and improves the creamy texture of the ice cream.
Citric acid: This really makes the strawberry flavor pop. You can find it in the canning/preserving section of Walmart or a grocery store.
Glucomannan: Glucomannan is a natural thickening agent. In this recipe it acts as an emulsifier that makes the ice cream creamy and adds a bit more body. If you don’t have it you could try substituting xanthan gum in its place.
To make this ice cream lower calorie: You’re welcome to try a cup of cream and a cup of half and half in place of the two cups of heavy whipping cream in this recipe, but the ice cream will be more icy and not as creamy. It would still be delicious! The lower the fat content, the meltier I like the ice cream to be when eating it.
Allergy info: gluten free, egg free, nut free
This Classic Strawberry Ice Cream recipe is an update of the recipe found on page 229 of Necessary Food, my first cookbook. This new recipe has better texture and scoopability. Updated May 2022. (You can also find the old recipe at the bottom of this blog post.)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 0 mins
- Category: Ice Cream
- Method: Churn
- Cuisine: THM S, low carb, sugar free
ORIGINAL Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe
page 229, Necessary Food
Yields about 1 1/2 quarts
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 2 cups strawberries
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1 tablespoon vegetable glycerin
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 7 doonks THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder (a doonk is 1/32 teaspoon)*
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon glucomannan
Blend all the ingredients together in a blender until smooth. (Add the glucomannan right before blending so it doesn’t clump.) Churn in a 1.5 quart ice cream churn according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to an ice cream container and freeze for 30-60 minutes to firm up, if desired.
NOTES:
- *Sweeten to taste. I now prefer THM Gentle Sweet (made with xylitol) to sweeten my ice cream recipes (see note about that in the recipe above for my reasons). If you want to replace the stevia with Gentle Sweet, this recipe will probably need about 1/2 cup THM Gentle Sweet, but adjust to taste.
- This ice cream is best fresh as a soft serve (because it’s no-cook and lower in fat). Using THM Gentle Sweet (made with xylitol) to sweeten it will help it be more scoopable after long term freezing, but this strawberry ice cream will still be icier than the recipe in the recipe card above due to the lower fat content. Low fat ice creams are best served on the melty side for max creaminess.
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