Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream
This rich and creamy vegan strawberry ice cream is packed with 8 cups of fresh strawberries and lots of fresh strawberry flavor! You don't need any bananas, cashews or coconut cream and best of all, you don't need a fancy ice cream machine to make this dessert!
Ingredients
Strawberry Ice Cream
- 6 cups (720g) ripe strawberries fresh or frozen and thawed (note 1)
- 11-ounces (320g) dairy-free sweetened condensed milk such as oat, coconut or soy (1 can)
- 2 cups (450g) dairy-free whipping cream chilled (note 2)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or to taste
Strawberry Swirl (optional but recommended)
- 2 cups (240g) ripe strawberries fresh or frozen and thawed
- 3 tablespoons (40g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons (7g) cornstarch / corn flour
Instructions
Prepare the strawberry reduction:
- Add the larger amount of strawberries (6 cups / 720g) to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and pour into a large saucepan.
- Bring to a boil for 5-10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the puree has reduced to about 1/3 of its size. This can take 20-25 minutes, depending on your stove and saucepan. You should have around 3/4 cup or 240g of a reduced strawberry puree (less is fine). Let the reduction cool fully.
Prepare the strawberry sauce (do this at the same time as the reduction):
- Blend the smaller amount of strawberries (2 cups / 240g) and pour into a small saucepan. Add the sugar and cornstarch, then whisk until there are no lumps.
- Boil the mixture for 1-2 minutes while stirring frequently, then reduce to medium-low heat. Cook until the puree thickens and coats the back of a spoon. This usually takes 5-10 minutes. Cook the sauce for longer for a thicker consistency, or cook for less time for a thinner consistency. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to thicken further. You can also prepare the strawberry reduction and sauce a day before and chill in the refrigerator.
Prepare the ice cream:
- Add the strawberry reduction and condensed milk to a medium bowl and mix until smooth and set aside. For a smoother ice cream, you can reblend the mixture in a blender or food processor. (Note 3 for optional food coloring)
- Add the chilled whipping cream to a bowl (if using a hand mixer), or the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip until you get stiff peaks.
- Add the strawberry reduction mixture to the whipped cream. Using a spatula, gently fold the mixtures together until there are no more pink or white streaks. Try to avoid overmixing as this will beat the air out of the cream.
- Scoop the ice cream mixture into a 9" (23cm) loaf pan, or airtight container. If you made the strawberry sauce, dollop it throughout the ice cream and lightly swirl the mixtures together with a knife. For example, you can dollop 1/3 of the ice cream mixture into the pan, swirl through a few spoons of the strawberry sauce, then repeat with the remaining ice cream and sauce (note 4).
- Cover the ice cream and freeze for 4 hours (for a soft-serve consistency) or overnight (for a firmer consistency). Usually, you can scoop the ice cream straight from the freezer. However, if your ice cream is firmer, thaw it at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.
- Store leftover ice cream in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
- I've tested this recipe with both fresh and frozen strawberries and they are both delicious and very creamy. As we're cooking down the strawberries, it doesn't matter if you use fresh or frozen.
- This recipe works best with a dairy-free cream that's meant for whipping such as Country Crock, Flora, Elmea, etc. Canned coconut whipping cream will work, but it results in a denser ice cream.
- If you prefer your ice cream to have a stronger pink color, feel free to add a few drops of pink gel food coloring to the condensed milk mixture. Note that the ice cream naturally intensifies and darkens in color as it freezes.
- If you have any leftover strawberry sauce, thin it out with some water or maple syrup and drizzle it on top of your ice cream before serving!