A balanced strawberry ice cream full of fresh fruit flavor with perfectly smooth texture.
Why is strawberry ice cream so hard to make?
This recipe took the most testing out of any I’ve encountered yet. Strawberries are deceptively difficult fruits since they’re 90% water. When that water freezes it becomes solid ice. Too much ice in ice cream results in a grainy and hard texture, not the smooth luxurious texture we’re looking for. This recipe employs several techniques to counteract this ice crystal formation, namely:
- Skim milk powder: increases solids content and reduces free water for a creamier, smoother final product
- Stabilizers (locust bean gum): increases viscosity, reduces ice crystallization during storage
- Dextrose: lowers freezing point without adding high perceived sweetness, in other words this keeps the ice cream scoopable without being too sweet
What is dextrose? Can I substitute it?
Dextrose is a simple sugar used in pastry. Dextrose is pure glucose and about 70% as sweet as table sugar, sucrose. Sugars are necessary in ice cream because they inhibit ice crystal formation. However, if you use regular sugar (sucrose) for the entirety of the amount it will taste too sweet. Dextrose allows you to precisely control texture in relation to perceived sweetness.
You can substitute dextrose with 1.25x the amount of glucose syrup or corn syrup (not high fructose corn syrup), which is more widely available in grocery stores.
I buy my dextrose powder online from Amazon, linked here.
What is locust bean gum?
Locust bean gum is a plant-based stabilizer used sparingly in ice creams.
Locust bean gum, also known as carob bean gum, is incredibly powerful at suppressing ice formation. It needs to be heated to the producer’s temperature to achieve full hydration and activate its benefits.
I buy my locust bean gum online from Amazon, linked here.
Feel free to replace the stabilizers with your preferred ratio or a pre-blended stabilizer base (e.g. Cremodan, Avabase, etc.).
Can I start with frozen strawberries?
Yes! The reason I call for freezing your own strawberries is because I believe the best ingredients result in the best output. When testing with frozen strawberries purchased at the grocery store I found the result to be less flavorful and often more acidic, though still tasty. If you have frozen strawberries from last season this is the perfect recipe to put them to use.
Do I need an ice cream machine for this recipe?
This recipe was made with a home machine in mind and tested using the Cuisinart ICE-21. This machine has lasted me over 10 years thus far and the pre-cooled canister spins ice cream in less than 20 minutes.
Check out my other ice cream recipes to make with your machine.
Strawberry Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 300 g strawberries hulled and sliced
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar sub 1g malic acid
- 200 g heavy cream
- 270 g whole milk
- 75 g sugar
- 45 g dextrose powder sub 60g corn syrup
- 50 g skim milk powder
- 1.2 g locust bean gum sub 2 large egg yolks + 10g cornstarch dissolved in 20g cold milk
- 3 g kosher salt 1/2 tsp
Instructions
- Spread the strawberries on a tray and freeze for at least 2 hours, until solid. Defrost strawberries at room temperature for an hour.
- Blend strawberries with balsamic vinegar or malic acid, then strain to remove seeds. Portion 250g puree and reserve in refrigerator. Puree can be made up to 3 days ahead.
- In a bowl, whisk together sugar, dextrose, locust bean gum, skim milk powder, and salt. In a saucepot, combine the sugar mixture with the cream and milk.Add egg yolks and cornstarch slurry at this stage if substituting and whisk well to incorporate.
- Bring the mixture up to locust bean gum hydration temperature (as specified by supplier, e.g. Modernist Pantry calls for 165F) over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes to fully hydrate the stabilizer. If using egg yolks and cornstarch, heat mixture to 200F for cornstarch to fully gelatinize then remove from heat immediately.
- Create an ice bath with by filling a large bowl halfway with ice and water. Transfer the cooked base to another bowl and place the bowl in the ice bath to cool.
- Once cool, whisk in the strawberry puree, cover and set in the fridge for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight, to develop body and flavor.If preparing the ice cream base more than 1 day in advance of churning I recommend storing the puree and dairy base separately in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Combine before churning.
- Churn the ice cream base according to machine directions. Ice cream is ready once texture resembles soft serve. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 4 hours to fully solidify.
Hey people!!!!!
Good mood and good luck to everyone!!!!!
I just made this to chill overnight. I substituted dexstrose powder for glucose syrup and lucost bean gum for xanthan gum. I’m not sure how will that work, but we’ll see tomorrow. I already tasted the ice cream base and it was good, but salty. I hope the saltiness won’t be as strong when it’s ready…..
Great! Diddent make it though ;/
This strawberry ice cream is very delicious. I thought it would be a bit acidic for the balsamic vinegar, but it turned out just fine. Instead of an ice cream machine, I took a small plate, put it in a bigger bowl, and filled up the gap with ice and salt, mixes it for about 30 mins, and then put it in the freezer.
Great recipe! It made the freshest strawberry ice cream I’ve ever tried. I also tried swapping the strawberry for blueberries (from frozen) and it worked well. This will be my go-to base recipe for any fruit-based ice cream where I want a fresh flavour.
For 2 decades of unsatisfaction, a better strawberry ice cream has eluded me. Until now. I’ve made this 3 times and say it’s the best ever. You deserve a Nobel Prize for your efforts. Also, I have the same Hawaiian shirt. Thank you very mucho!