Strawberry & Crème Fraiche Ice Cream

Nothing beats creamy and rich homemade ice cream, especially when it’s made with fresh strawberries. This Strawberry & Creme Fraiche Ice Cream is full of fresh strawberry flavor with a luscious creamy texture, it’ll become your favorite recipe for summer!

Once you make homemade ice cream, it’s hard to go back to store-bought. Don’t get me wrong, there are some outstanding ice cream brands out there, but nothing beats the rich creaminess of homemade ice cream. And this Strawberry & Creme Fraiche Ice Cream recipe is hands-down my favorite ice cream recipe and will not disappoint! 

Made with crème fraiche and sweetened condensed milk (did I mention this was a rich, creamy ice cream?!), this Strawberry and Crème Fraiche Ice Cream will pleasantly surprise you with its flavor and velvety texture. The slight tang from the crème fraiche makes for a phenomenal flavor, and its higher-fat content makes this ice cream so luxuriously rich. This is a plan-ahead recipe, so be prepared to make it ahead of time, but I promise it’s worth it!

How to make Strawberry Ice Cream?

This is a plan-ahead recipe for two reasons. First, you need to put your ice cream maker bowl in the freezer for at least 12 hours, or according to your ice cream maker instructions. Second, you will need to cook down the strawberries with some sugar and cool completely before adding it into your ice cream mixture. 

Aside from freezing the ice cream maker bowl, the first step is to cook down or reduce the strawberries and sugar on your stovetop – making a compote. Cooking releases water and concentrates the strawberry flavor. You end up making more of a strawberry jam, which intensifies the strawberry flavor throughout the ice cream. Next, you add lemon juice and a pinch of kosher salt for freshness. Mashing this mixture with a fork or potato masher helps release the juices and preserves some strawberry chunks for extra bursts of flavor. 

After allowing the strawberry compote to cool completely, refrigerate while making the ice cream base. In a medium bowl (I like to use a batter bowl for easy pouring), whisk to combine milk and remaining sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Wisk in the heavy cream, crème fraiche, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or overnight. I find that chilling this ice cream base recipe for at least 2 hours helps make creamy, thick ice cream.

After allowing each mixture to cool appropriately, it’s time to make your ice cream! Turn on the ice cream maker, pour the milk/heavy cream mixture into the frozen freezer bowl, and mix until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. Add in chilled strawberry compote and let mix for 5 additional minutes.

Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer for about 2 hours, or overnight and enjoy!

How Long Will the Ice Cream Keep?

Usually, homemade ice cream doesn’t last long in my house. Still, from my experience, it’s best to eat homemade ice cream within 2-4 weeks of making it. Because this recipe has a higher fat content, I’ve had it taste great at week 4.

Tips for Keeping Homemade Ice Cream in Your Freezer

• Use airtight containers. I like to use these deli containers.
• After serving ice cream out of your airtight container, place a piece of plastic wrap firmly against the entire surface of the ice cream (this helps prevent ice crystals).
• Store your ice cream at 0°F or below. We store our ice cream in our stand-up freezer that gets temperatures down to -10°F
• Store ice cream in the back of the freezer and not the freezer door.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does. Happy Summer friends!

p.s. Check out my other delicious strawberry recipes here.

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