No-Churn Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream

Summer is almost here, and that means it’s time for strawberries! This no-churn strawberry shortcake ice cream recipe is a delicious take on a classic dessert that’s easy to make and perfect for serving friends and family! 

There’s honestly nothing better than homemade ice cream. And I know I’ve said it a thousand times, but there’s also really nothing better than fresh, in-season strawberries. It’s one of the big reasons I think making homemade strawberry jam is so worthwhile. Capturing that flavor so you can enjoy it later is magic. 

Vanilla ice cream is awesome, but adding strawberries to it is epic. 

Why No-Churn Ice Cream

If you’re like me, though, you don’t really have the time to fuss with getting an ice cream maker prepped and churning ice cream. That’s why we have this no-churn version on deck. 

You don’t have to worry about getting bags of ice, layering it with salt, carefully filling the churn, using all your bath towels to keep from getting salt water everywhere, and then babysitting the ice cream churn. 

Instead, It’s a simple matter of mixing your ingredients and putting them in the freezer. That’s it. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love churned ice cream. But I don’t want to run to town for ice I don’t have freezer space for, and I don’t really have space to store an ice cream maker when I’m not using it. 

So for me right now, no-churn is the key to homemade ice cream.

Even if you do have an ice cream maker, you may want to indulge in this rich, creamy version of ice cream. 

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Recipe

This recipe has five very simple ingredients: 

• Heavy cream. Since we won’t be churning this ice cream, we whip cream to give it the scoopable texture that makes a good ice cream good.  
• Powdered sugar. To sweeten the cream, we add powdered sugar as we whip it. But just a little – nobody wants their ice cream to be too sweet. 
• Sweetened condensed milk. This adds richness and sweetness to our ice cream. We’ll fold it into the whipped cream. While the cream is light and airy, the condensed milk is heavy, counterbalancing what would be light and airy into perfect, smooth creaminess.
• Strawberries. You can use fresh, chopped strawberries or frozen. I like to blend mine a bit so that there are still good chunks but also a drizzle to swirl through the ice cream for flavor and color. 
• Shortbread cookies or vanilla wafers. You can always make your own shortbread, such as with this gluten free strawberry shortcake recipe. Then break it into chunks and add it to your ice cream, but an easy alternative is packaged shortbread cookies or vanilla wafers. In this batch, I used gluten free vanilla wafers. 

It’s a very simple list, but there are some optional additions if you want to go the extra mile. 

Extra add-ins for Strawberry Ice Cream

• Strawberry extract. Adding a half teaspoon to your cream as you whip it creates a more intense strawberry flavor, but can be seen by picky eaters as artificial. Use your own judgment here! 
• White chips/chopped white chocolate. Are you kidding me? That would be such a tasty addition! Just make sure your chocolate is chopped finely enough so that nobody breaks a tooth on a frozen piece. 
• Dark chocolate. For that matter, dark chocolate pairs really well with strawberries!
• Fudge sauce. We do love homemade fudge sauce! It would be a great topping for your strawberry shortcake ice cream or even swirled throughout before you freeze it. 
• Freeze-dried strawberries. You can add crushed freeze-dried strawberries to your ice cream to make a lovely pink color and strawberry flavor.
• Strawberry Sauce. Swirled throughout or drizzled on top would just be icing on the cake.

How to make Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream

I’ve already alluded to directions for making this ice cream above, but here’s a full outline (don’t forget, the printable recipe card giving you full measurements and directions is below, as well as a short video tutorial).

1. Whip cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. 
2. Beat or stir in sweetened condensed milk
   
   
3. Chop or puree strawberries using an immersion blender or food processor
4. Break/chop cookies
5. Fold strawberries and cookies into whipped cream mixture
   
   
6. Pour into a freezer safe container
   
   
7. Freezer for 8 hours, or overnight
8. Serve.

So easy. 

If you want to serve your ice cream with cones, Edward and Sons makes great gluten free ice cream cones!

How to store Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream

Obviously, it’s already frozen, so for storage, just make sure it’s covered to avoid freezer burn. 

It’s easiest to store if you’ve frozen your ice cream in an airtight container like these Rubbermaid containers or a cleaned-out ice cream bucket. 

If you’ve frozen it in a bread pan like I have in these pictures, then you may want to wrap it in a few layers of Saran Wrap and then wrap that in foil. 

The good news is, once you’ve got it properly contained, you can store it in the freezer for up to three months. 

The bad news is your family will likely eat it all up long before then. No joke, I have a hard time keeping my family away from it. 

More homemade ice cream recipes

Truth be told, there are endless variations you can make on both no-churn and traditional ice cream recipes, and once you go down that rabbit trail, you may never stop. Your creative brain just won’t shut off. 

That said, I’ve only got three other recipes – all no-churn – here on the site. 

• No-churn cherry cheesecake ice cream
• No-churn peach cobbler ice cream
• Gluten-free ice cream cake recipe

Print