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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
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MY RECIPE INDEX
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RECIPE INDEX BY FUEL TYPE/ALLERGY/THEME
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Strawberry Vinaigrette
-
Strawberry Delight
-
Strawberry Frozen Kefir
Strawberry Ice Cream
- 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
Keywords: thm, trim healthy mama, low carb strawberry ice cream, sugar free strawberry ice cream, thm strawberry ice cream, best thm ice cream recipe, scoopable ice cream, no cook
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.
Hi Briana, DO yo think this would work for other fruits (the new version of the recipe)? Specifically I’m thinking about cherries or peaches. I love the strawberry- just have some other fruits to use up too!
I think it probably would, but anything other than berries would turn this into a THM crossover. 🙂
I have both cookbooks and have made 3 or 4 of the ice cream recipes before this one. I have liked them all but kept them to myself until this Strawberry Ice Cream because once I tasted it, I knew my husband would like it too and he did. He has eaten it as much as me (and likes the recent vanilla bean recipe as well.) I’m now trying to figure out how or if it’s possible to convert other recipes using the Gentle Sweet with Xylitol instead of the doonks of stevia if that is the key to a more creamy texture. After my husband eating this strawberry ice cream and the most recent vanilla bean recipe, he’s asking for chocolate flavor!
★★★★★
Well the chocolate is easy – just add 1/3 cup cocoa powder to the Ultimate Vanilla recipe and skip the extra vanilla powder. 🙂 It’s amazing!
As for your question about converting other recipes to using Gentle Sweet, this will help with that >> https://www.briana-thomas.com/ice-cream/#sweetener
Made it tonight and it is amazing! Thank youuuuu!
★★★★★
Briana, Do you think it would work if I just put the mixed ingredients into my Ninja Creami and froze it and then ran it through the ice cream setting?
I’m sorry – I’m not familiar with the Ninja Creami and how it works.
A quick question for you!! If I have Xylitol free Gentle sweet , but have Xylitol sweetener separately how much should I add to this recipe ? Thank you so much!
I’m not sure I understand your question…are you planning on using both sweeteners, or just the xylitol? Your best bet is to just sweeten to taste with your preferred sweetener if you don’t have the sweetener I use. 🙂 Here’s the THM sweetener conversion chart if you want to estimate >> https://media.trimhealthymama.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/05/07222306/THM.Sweetener-Conversion-Chart.pdf
Hi Briana! Could you suggest any subs for the cottage cheese? I live overseas and don’t have access to it unfortunately 🙁
I don’t know of any perfect substitutions off hand, but you could always try replacing the cottage cheese with more cream and almond milk. The texture and nutritional info will be a little different. Or you could just try making a strawberry version of this recipe >> https://www.briana-thomas.com/basic-vanilla-scoopable-ice-cream/
This is my 3rd batch of ice cream this week since I got my ice cream maker. I used our first fresh strawberries. I did substitute a 1/2 tsp of Glycerite and a 1/4 cup of powdered Swerve for sweeteners. We ate it right away. Such a delicious flavor and a pretty color. Thank you for all your wonderful sugar free ice cream recipes. They are so yummy! Love them for on plan THM desserts, but my sons love them too!
★★★★★
We made this in a cuisinart ice cream maker yesterday. After mixing in the ice cream maker it was fluffy but not frozen. We put it on the freezer and then it is rock solid. What did we do wrong. I have never used the ice cream maker before. Got it at a Thrift store.
You probably didn’t do anything wrong. 🙂 This is one of my older recipes so it’s best as a soft serve right after churning or just let it harden in the freezer for an hour or two to firm up a little but not freeze solid. Since this recipe is no cook, relatively low in fats, and uses stevia as the sweetener, it will freeze hard eventually. You can just let the leftovers thaw on the counter for 30-60 minutes before eating. Or you could try one of my more recent ice cream recipes, like this Basic Vanilla Scoopable >> https://www.briana-thomas.com/basic-vanilla-scoopable-ice-cream/ That recipe uses some different techniques and ingredients to help it stay softer long term.
You can check out this post for answers to common questions about homemade ice cream and how the different ingredients affect the end result >> https://www.briana-thomas.com/your-healthy-ice-cream-faqs-answered/
We made this last night and loved it! Such a lovely strawberry flavor, even with frozen strawberries. I did not miss the sugar at all. Thanks for making eating healthy/losing weight a lot more enjoyable!
★★★★★
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it, Mary Kay!
Is there a way to make this in a vitamix?
Thanks x
An ice cream machine will definitely make the best texture, but you can find a suggestion for making ice cream with a blender in this post: https://www.briana-thomas.com/your-healthy-ice-cream-faqs-answered/
This was just the treat I was looking for, I cannot wait to try more flavors. And substituting coconut milk for my nut allergy daughter. Thanks for making it so easy and delicious. I think I am going to make you a daily stop.
★★★★★
I’m so glad it worked out for you, Renee!
This looks delish! Can you help me understand why almond milk (non dairy) but then dairy products are used in cottage cheese and whipped cream? Thanks! ~Joyce
Hi Joyce! I’m not quite sure that I understand your question. Are you wondering why I used both dairy and non-dairy ingredients in this recipe? I used both because I didn’t want to use all cream (too calorie dense), or all cottage cheese (you’d taste it, eventually), but regular dairy milk is very high in carbs. Hence the almond milk. 🙂 It’s a very low calorie, non-carby milk substitute in this ice cream recipe. 🙂
Hi Briana:
I loved the strawberry ice cream. Definitely a winner! Thanks for all you do!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you liked it, Tamara! Thanks for trying it!
Can this be made using any other THM sweetners? I don’t have the Pure Stevia but have the other two
Sure! You can use this conversion chart to help >> https://media.trimhealthymama.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/05/07222306/THM.Sweetener-Conversion-Chart.pdf
Briana, have you ever used a product called ‘now’ Better Stevia Glycerite’?
(I am trying to figure out why I have it in my cabinet ? & think it might have been an ingredient for ice cream I’d purchased ages ago & forgot about.)
Do you have any experience with this product and will ‘Glycerite’ fulfill the need for glycerine in the ice cream recipes? TIA!!!
I’m afraid I’m not familiar with glycerite. What form is it in? Glycerin is a thick, somewhat sticky liquid.
I’ve made the classic strawberry ice cream a few times. The first two times it was rather bland tasting and the heavy cream was like a fat blanket over all the flavors. So I investigated recipes and watched some ice cream making videos. The first thing I learned was that strawberries have a high content of water in them and that can affect the flavor. (I also used store bought early strawberries and they usually lack full flavor anyway.) So I purchased some strawberry extract and that helped some. Then I learned something interesting from a woman who makes ice cream as a business. in one recipe video I watched they heated the heavy cream and put tea bags in it to steep for flavor. They cooked all the ingredients for their ice cream, but I didn’t want to heat the almond milk and cottage cheese. So, I heated the heavy cream just enough to scald it (before it boils and has a “skin” on the top .) I put 2 Celestial Seasonings Black Cherry Berry tea bags in the cream and let them steep for a while. When it cooled to about room temperature, I added some of the almond milk to the heavy cream with the tea bags in it and let it steep a while more. (I started the process just before cooking dinner. Added the almond milk just before I ate my dinner, and then took the tea bags out after eating while cleaning up after dinner. Didn’t watch the clock) I put the rest of the ingredients into the blender, using frozen strawberries, and a teaspoon of strawberry extract, and gently squeezed the liquid out of the tea bags and added that mixture to the blender. I let the blended mixture sit in the refrigerator for about an hour and then made the ice cream. Put it in the freezer for about an hour. It was very good. I thought I might try using half and half because the frozen heavy cream has a fatty flavor to it.
★★★★
Cool idea – thanks for sharing! All depends on what you’re used to, I guess.
What kind of ice cream maker do you use? I’m an eyeing a one quart electric one on Amazon. Do you think that would be good enough/big enough? I’m going to buy through your link I just want to find the right one first!
Hi Cheryl! This is the one I use (affiliate link): https://www.briana-thomas.com/recommends/cuisinart-1-12-qt-automatic-ice-cream-churn/
It’s a 1 1/2 qt. I recommend getting one a little bigger than 1 qt. 🙂 The 1 1/2 qt. is a fairly standard size for most recipes I’ve seen.
Can I sub cream cheese instead of cottage cheese, or extra cream? We are a long ways from the store…..
The recipe would definitely be richer if you do that, but you’re welcome to try!
Thank you, Briana! I used this as my base recipe tonight, adding 1/8 tsp Lorann strawberry oil, 1/8 cup raw cacao powder and 1 1/2 scoop protein powder and I used xanthum gum instead of gluccie. It was delicious! So many of us THM’ers appreciate your hard work more than you’ll ever know. I also did the freezer bag method for the ice cream making. Worked great!
★★★★★
Great job making it your own!
Hey Briana,
I just tried making ice cream for the first time last week and used this for my first recipe. I’m wanting to make your mint fudge one for my dad for Father’s day bc mint chip is his favorite but he’s given it up in an attempt to become healthier. The flavor was delicious but unfortunately the texture was super icy. I used the vegetable glycerin so I’m hoping you can help me figure out my error so I don’t make that mistake for his beloved ice cream 😉 I had 2 things I thought may have been the issue but am a newbie so who knows 😉 #1-maybe I didn’t churn it long enough? I used the kitchenaid attachment & it said to churn 20-30 min & that you may hear the beater slipping once it’s done. Well I finally took it out after about 45 min bc I still didn’t hear anything but didn’t know if I should keep going or not.
#2-I put it in a bowl to freeze it and the middle was still liquidy the next morning. I thought maybe if I had put it in a flat container it would’ve frozen consistently? My toddler & hubby ate the sides the night I made it & the texture of that was fine but after leaving it in over 24 hours to finally get it all to freeze it was just all super icy?
(It was also a super hot day tho we did have the AC on but idk if that makes a huge difference? )
★★★★★
Hi Amy, homemade ice cream doesn’t have the junk in it that storebought ice cream does, so any homemade ice cream you make, healthy or otherwise, will freeze solid if left in the freezer for an extended period of time unless a) you use an exorbitant amount of cream or sweetened condensed milk or b) use a LOT of vegetable glycerin. My ice cream recipes make small batches and are meant to be eaten at a soft serve consistency after churning. 🙂 If you have leftovers, you can freeze them and then let them thaw slowly in the fridge for 3-4 hours or 30-40 minutes at room temperature before eating. It sounds like maybe yours didn’t churn right from the beginning; are you sure your freezer canister was frozen solid?
Well the canister was in the freezer for about 48 hours 😉 so I don’t think it could’ve gotten more frozen 🙂 but I did notice that it started to drip from condensation after it was churning for a while. It was probably close to 90 outside so even with the AC on inside the house was warmer than usual (plus I used the oven for supper). The recipe just said to freeze for 30-60 minutes after churning so that’s what I did but the sides seemed ok but the middle was actually more runny than when I had put it in the freezer. Maybe the hot Temps were the main culprit? Or that plus the bowl (uneven freezing?)
Hmm…that’s strange. I’ve never used a Kitchenaid attachment to make ice cream, but I know that people have successfully made my ice cream recipes using them so I’m not sure what the problem is. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help! The very warm temperatures would be my best guess as well. If you try again and it still doesn’t work, I would try using more cream in place of some of the almond milk and see if that makes it set up firmer.
Ok!! Thank you!!
Thank you, Briana, for the classic strawberry ice cream recipe! I picked fresh berries on Saturday and made this ice cream that evening. Wow! is it so smooth, creamy, and delicious!
★★★★★
Thank you. I was craving strawberry ice cream. Going to make it right NOW!!
Hi Briana,
Loving your recipes, but…I’m trying to find the nutrition values for your recipes, I’m most intertested in the carbs. Please advise. thank you Paul
Hi Paul, the healthy eating lifestyle I follow focuses on not having to count the numbers, so I embrace that freedom and do not post the nutritional info for my recipes. 🙂 You can find out more about the healthy eating lifestyle I follow here >> https://www.briana-thomas.com/starting-trim-healthy-mama/
You’re welcome to calculate the nutritional info on your own using an app like MyFitnessPal.