Name: Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 5 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients: 1 lb strawberries, hulled and diced (roughly 2 cups); 1 cup granulated sugar, divided; 8 ounces cream cheese, softened; 2 cups heavy cream; 1 cup whole milk; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 1 cup graham crackers, roughly chopped (approximately 4 oz)

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A rich and creamy cheesecake ice cream is swirled with a scratch-made strawberry sauce and crushed graham crackers to make the most amazing Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream.

This churned ice cream is made in the Philadelphia style, which means that it doesn’t use egg yolks. An egg yolk custard isn’t needed in this recipe though, because the addition of cream cheese makes the texture of cheesecake ice cream perfectly creamy.

This homemade recipe is egg-free, nut-free, and easily made gluten free.

a glass dish filled with three scoops of strawberry cheesecake ice cream packed with berries and graham cracker pieces. In the background is a bowl of strawberries and a cone of the same ice cream.

Strawberry Ice Cream is a favorite ice cream flavor, third only to vanilla and chocolate.

This must be because the flavor of strawberries and cream is so absolutely perfect! The bright, slightly tart flavor of strawberries is gently mellowed by cream and sugar in our Strawberry Ice Cream and Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream recipes.

For another amazing ice cream recipe with cream cheese, try this red velvet ice cream. Mascarpone ice cream is also a reader favorite.

Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream takes this perfection one step further, as we introduce tangy cream cheese to the mix. This recipe tastes just like a New York Style cheesecake with a graham cracker crust and sweet strawberry topping.

Why You’re Going to Love This Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Recipe

Philadelphia Style – No egg yolks are needed to make this delicious homemade ice cream recipe. We will still be enjoying a rich, creamy ice cream from our ice cream maker without the fuss of making a custard.

Fresh, All-Natural Ingredients – Store bought strawberry ice cream is likely to include artificially flavors and colors. None of that is needed when you make ice cream at home.

Save Money – If you’re used to buying six or seven-dollar Ben and Jerry’s Strawberry Cheesecake pints, you’ll be thrilled to have this recipe. You will make way more ice cream for the same amount of money, and it will be tastier.

Step By Step Recipe: As always, this recipe includes step-by-step instructions for making the ice cream base, churning the ice cream, and properly storing homemade ice cream. You’ll be an ice cream making pro in no time!

The ingredients for strawberry cheesecake ice cream recipe, including cream cheese, graham cracker pieces, and fresh strawberries. Each ingredient is measured into a separate bowl on a marble counter, viewed from above.

Ingredients in Homemade Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Strawberries – Fresh strawberries are ideal when making ice cream, as frozen berries can contain too much water. Wash, hull, and quarter the strawberries to get them ready to cook.

Sugar – For sweetness and amazing ice cream texture, plain, white, granulated sugar is the perfect choice.

Cream Cheese – You must have some cream cheese to make a cheesecake flavored ice cream! Cream cheese is sweetened and mixed right into the base for this strawberry-swirled ice cream. While I generally suggest that your ingredients are chilled, cream cheese is an exception. Let it come to room temperature before starting.

Heavy Cream – This is the base of our ice cream, and what makes the ice cream creamy!

Whole Milk – Using both heavy cream and regular milk gives the creamiest texture to our homemade ice cream recipes.

Vanilla Extract – To flavor our ice cream base, a good quality pure vanilla extract is key.

Kosher Salt – A bit of salt balances the sweetness in this recipe.

Graham Crackers – Crushed graham crackers emulate the graham cracker crust of strawberry cheesecake. We used gluten-free graham crackers in the images, but traditional ones will work just the same.

photo collage showing 8 steps needed to make strawberry cheesecake ice cream in an ice cream maker.

How to Make Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream from Scratch

Place the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer at least 24 hours ahead of time to be sure that it’s completely frozen.

Combine the diced strawberries and ¼ cup of the granulated sugar in a medium saucepan.
Heat over medium and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until the strawberry sauce thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until ready to use.
In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and the remaining ¾ cups of granulated sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to make sure it’s very cold before churning.
Churn the ice cream mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions (mine took about 25 minutes), until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
Spoon ⅓ of the ice cream base into a shallow container or a loaf pan. Drizzle ⅓ of the strawberry sauce over the ice cream. Sprinkle ⅓ of the graham crackers over the sauce.
Repeat two more times with the remaining ice cream, strawberry sauce, and graham crackers. Lightly swirl with a knife to distribute.
Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.

These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.

closeup view of strawberry cheesecake ice cream scooped with an ice cream scoop.

How To Store Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Store this Cheesecake ice cream in the freezer in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper pressed on top for up to one month.

Tips for Making this Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Recipe

Use quality ingredients – When making homemade ice cream, you’ll want to make sure you are using high quality ingredients for the best outcome.

Chill out – If possible, always start with chilled ingredients. This is important for homemade no-churn ice cream recipes and ice cream maker recipes.

But let the cream cheese be at room temperature – If the cream cheese is cold, you won’t be able to get it smooth enough to incorporate into the ice cream base without lumps.

Don’t skimp on the fat – High fat milks and creams are essential when making homemade ice cream. Opting for a low-fat option often leads to icy ice creams and inconsistency in the texture.

Don’t go crazy with the add-ins – If you’re adding in additional ingredients, pick one or two and make sure they are chopped into pieces no larger than a blueberry or pea.

Don’t skimp on the sugar – Sugar not only adds sweetness to homemade ice creams, it also helps with the texture. Sugar is essential for the creamy texture in ice cream.

Fresh strawberries are best – If you can’t find good fresh strawberries, you can use frozen ones. Allow them to thaw, and drain away most of the liquid before cooking the strawberry sauce.

For a different texture – you can mash or puree the strawberry sauce once it has cooled down a bit. As written, this strawberry cheesecake ice cream has lots of small pieces of strawberries mixed it, and I like it that way!

Try it with different fruit – I haven’t fully tested it yet, but you should be able to make this recipe using raspberries, blueberries, or cherries too.

Try a shortcut – It’s not hard to make the fresh strawberry syrup here, but you could use a jar of strawberry ice cream topping instead to save a bit of time.

a sugar cone topped with cheesecake ice cream with big pieces of strawberries.

No Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Directions

Chill a shallow container or a loaf pan in the freezer while you mix the ice cream ingredients.

Pour the ice cream mixture into the prepared pan and freeze for 3-4 hours. Stir the ice cream every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours to help add air. This will help create a creamy, smooth texture.

Swirl in the strawberries and graham crackers after the first two hours so that the parts of this ice cream recipe stay somewhat separate.

Cheesecake Ice Cream Add-Ins

Strawberry cheesecake ice cream is pretty much perfect already, with the rich cream cheese base, strawberry sauce, and graham crackers. You can try adding other things if you like though! Here are some ideas:

Other Cookies: Try gingersnaps, Oreos, or shortbread cookies in place of graham crackers. This recipe might also be good with chunks of pound cake stirred in!
Chocolate: Try adding some finely chopped chocolate or a swirl of hot fudge sauce.

You might also like blueberry cheesecake ice cream.

Whatever you decide to add, don’t go too crazy! It is possible to add TOO many mix-ins and make the ice cream difficult to scoop and enjoy.

Why Do I Need to Let Homemade Ice Cream Soften Before Scooping?

Commercially made ice creams contain preservatives that allow them to be softer when frozen. Since our homemade ice cream doesn’t include any unnatural ingredients, it will freeze almost solid. Just a few minutes at room temperature will make it soft enough to scoop. Try to be patient!

a sugar cone topped with cheesecake ice cream with big pieces of strawberries. Text at bottom of image says Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Recipe

More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes

Try these other fun ice cream flavors that are based on yummy desserts!

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