Strawberry cheesecake ice cream is a rich and creamy vanilla cream cheese ice cream layered swirls of homemade strawberry sauce, bite sized cheesecake pieces and brown sugar graham cracker crumbs. This no churn cheesecake ice cream is an easy to make treat everyone will love.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I love a good homemade ice cream recipe. A few recipes from the blog that I adore are my My Black Cherry Ice Cream, Apple Ice Cream, Biscoff Ice Cream, Tiramisu Ice Cream, Nutella Ice Cream and Cookies and Cream Ice Cream. I am so excited to add this homemade strawberry cream cheese ice cream recipe to the blog. I know you’ll love this ice cream too.
- You love cheesecake. I love cheesecake. My favorite part has always been the part of the cheesecake that meets the strawberry topping. This strawberry cheesecake ice cream recipe has all the same flavors as strawberry cheesecake, just in ice cream form.
- Super simple to make. Once the strawberry sauce is made and cooled, you can make this wonderfully easy ice cream with cream cheese and strawberries in less than 30 minutes. After assembling the ice cream just let the ice cream freeze for about 6 - 8 hours, scoop and enjoy.
- Fresh twist on a classic dessert. Let’s take all the best flavors and components of cheesecake and turn it into the best ice cream flavor ever.
Ingredients
This cheesecake strawberry ice cream recipe needs only a handful of ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge.
- Strawberry Sauce: Gather strawberries, sugar and cornstarch.
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: Gather graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, salt and melted butter.
- Cream Cheese Ice Cream Base: Gather heavy cream, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, salt and cheesecake pieces.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make this strawberry and cream cheese ice cream if you need them.
- Strawberries: Use fresh, ripe and sweet strawberries. Taste the strawberries to ensure they are sweet. If needed, add a little more sugar to taste. Frozen strawberries can also be used if needed.
- Cornstarch: This is used to thicken the strawberries. Omit if needed, but ensure the strawberries are reduced down to a sauce like consistency.
- Graham Crackers: Use your preferred graham crackers. If you prefer something a bit salty, use ritz crackers in place of the graham crackers.
- Unsalted Butter: Feel free to use your preferred unsalted butter. Miyokos Plant Butter is a good choice for a plant based butter.
- Granulated Sugar: This recipe hasn’t been tested with alternative sugars. However, maple sugar would be a good substitute.
- Cream Cheese: This strawberry cheesecake ice cream is made with full fat Philadelphia cream cheese. It is important to use full fat versus reduced fat for this baked cheesecake recipe. I personally love using Philadelphia for all my cheesecake recipes, even the ice cream ones.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This is another essential ingredient for homemade ice cream when not using an ice cream maker.
- Vanilla Extract: This provides a lovely background flavor for the ice cream.
- Heavy Cream: This is an essential ingredient to the structure and texture of ice cream when it’s made without an ice cream mixer. Heavy cream usually whips to amount twice the amount.
- Cheesecake: This is optional but highly encouraged. This recipe calls for about 3 cups of cheesecake pieces. I used most of a small cheesecake from Trader Joes. Feel free to use your favorite cheesecake.
How To Make
Let me show you how to make strawberry cheesecake ice cream in a few easy steps.
Make the Strawberry Sauce and Cookie Crumbs
- Wash, dry, hull and cut the strawberries into small pieces. Add the strawberries, sugar and cornstarch to a sauce pan. Cook the strawberries over medium heat for about 15 - 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the strawberries transform into a chunky strawberry sauce. Cool the strawberry sauce to room temperature before mixing into the ice cream. This whole process takes about 45 minutes.
- Place the graham crackers into a plastic bag. Crush the graham crackers until they form crumbs. Alternatively use graham crackers that are already in crumbs. Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the brown sugar and salt until well combined. Mix in the melted butter with a fork about 1 tablespoon at a time until a streusel like texture forms. Transfer to the fridge to chill while the strawberry sauce cools.
Make the Cheesecake Ice Cream
3. Pour the heavy cream into a mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment. Whip the cream at medium speed for 5 - 6 minutes or until the whipped cream is medium-stiff peak. Scoop out the whipped cream into another bowl and set aside. Swap the whisk attachment for a paddle attachment. In the same mixing bowl as the one used to make the whipped cream (or a clean one if you prefer) add the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract or paste and salt. Cream the ingredients together on low speed until smooth and fully combined. With the mixer on low (still using the paddle attachment), mix in the whipped cream until just combined. If you are using real cheesecake pieces mix in about 2 cups of the cheesecake pieces and about ½ graham cracker crumbs into the ice cream base.
Assemble the Ice Cream
4. Assemble the cheesecake strawberry ice cream. Evenly spread about ½ of the base cheesecake ice cream into a large freezer safe container. Swirl ½ of the cooled strawberry sauce into the base ice cream. Top the strawberry swirl with graham cracker crumbs and ½ of the remaining cup of cheesecake pieces. Repeat with the remaining cream cheese ice cream, followed by the strawberry sauce, graham cracker crumbs and cheesecake pieces. Transfer to the freezer to set for 1-2 hours. Then cover the entire container in plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Freeze the ice cream for another 6 hours, but preferably overnight. Pull the ice cream out to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes, scoop and enjoy.
How To Make Ahead, Store and Serve
- Make Ahead: The strawberry sauce and graham cracker crumbs can be made 3 - 4 days ahead and stored in separate containers in the fridge until ready to use in the ice cream.
- Store: The creamy and decadent ice cream can be stored in an airtight and freezer proof container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Serve: Scoop the strawberry cream cheese ice cream into bowls and enjoy. Feel free to top with more fresh strawberries if you like. This apple pie ice cream would also be incredibly delicious served on top of my Strawberry Cobbler or in between two cookies such as my Strawberry Shortcake Cookies.
M’s Expert Tips
- Allow time. Making and cooling the strawberry sauce will take about 30 - 45 minutes. While the strawberry swirl sauce is cooling, the graham cracker crumbs can be made and chilled in the fridge.
- Taste and adjust. Make sure to taste each component before assembling the ice cream. Feel free to adjust according to your preference for sweetness and creaminess.
- For even more cheesecake flavor, use real cheesecake. Cream cheese, graham crackers and strawberry sauce make up the main flavor components to create the nod to cheesecake. For more cheesecake flavor, I highly suggest using pieces of real cheesecake (homemade or store bought) in both the base and as small pieces swirled throughout to get the more cheesecake flavor.
- Make sure to chill the ice cream for at least 6 - 8 hours: For the best strawberry cheesecake ice cream, do not skimp on the freezer time.
FAQs
This recipe for strawberry cream cheese ice cream tastes like cheesecake with just enough strawberry swirl to balance out the richness of the cream cheese ice cream.
This strawberry cheesecake ice cream recipe uses pieces of real cheesecake in both the base and as whole pieces swirled in the ice cream. If you prefer to omit the cheesecake completely, the ice cream will still be very delicious, but will taste more like an ultra creamy vanilla and strawberry ice cream.
This cheesecake strawberry ice cream is similar to the one made by both Blue Bell and Ben & Jerry’s in that they both have cheesecake pieces and swirls of sweet strawberry sauce.
Other Cheesecake Recipes to Try
If you try this Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Recipe
Equipment
- 1 medium sauce pan
- 1 knife
- 1 8 cup (1.89 L) or larger capacity freezer proof container
Ingredients
Strawberry Sauce
- 2 cups diced strawberries
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 1 cup (100 g) graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (60 ml) melted butter
Cream Cheese Ice Cream Base
- 2 cups (480 ml) cold heavy cream
- 4 oz. (113 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 3 cups cheesecake pieces, optional see notes
Instructions
- Wash, dry, hull and cut the strawberries into small pieces. Add the strawberries, sugar and cornstarch to a sauce pan. Cook the strawberries over medium heat for about 15 - 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the strawberries transform into a chunky strawberry sauce. Cool the strawberry sauce to room temperature before mixing into the ice cream. This whole process takes about 45 minutes.2 cups diced strawberries, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Place the graham crackers into a plastic bag. Crush the graham crackers until they form crumbs. Alternatively use graham crackers that are already in crumbs. Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the brown sugar and salt until well combined. Mix in the melted butter with a fork about 1 tablespoon at a time until a streusel like texture forms. Transfer to the fridge to chill while the strawberry sauce cools.1 cup (100 g) graham cracker crumbs , ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup (60 ml) melted butter
- Pour the heavy cream into a mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment. Whip the cream at medium speed for 5 - 6 minutes or until the whipped cream is medium-stiff peak. Scoop out the whipped cream into another bowl and set aside.2 cups (480 ml) cold heavy cream
- Swap the whisk attachment for a paddle attachment. In the same mixing bowl as the one used to make the whipped cream (or a clean one if you prefer) add the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract or paste and salt. Cream the ingredients together on low speed until smooth and fully combined. With the mixer on low (still using the paddle attachment), mix in the whipped cream until just combined.If you are using real cheesecake pieces mix in about 2 cups of the cheesecake pieces and about ½ graham cracker crumbs into the ice cream base.4 oz. (113 g) cream cheese, room temperature, 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract , 3 cups cheesecake pieces, optional
- Assemble the cheesecake strawberry ice cream. Evenly spread about ½ of the base cheesecake ice cream into a large freezer safe container. Swirl ½ of the cooled strawberry sauce into the base ice cream. Top the strawberry swirl with graham cracker crumbs and ½ of the remaining cup of cheesecake pieces. Repeat with the remaining cream cheese ice cream, followed by the strawberry sauce, graham cracker crumbs and cheesecake pieces.
- Transfer to the freezer to set for 1-2 hours. Then cover the entire container in plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Freeze the ice cream for another 6 hours, but preferably overnight. Pull the ice cream out to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes, scoop and enjoy.
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