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A homemade strawberry ice cream recipe featuring fresh summer strawberries, chunks of dark chocolate, and swirls of homemade fudge sauce.
Why Make This Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe?
I love all kinds of ice cream and frozen treats—everything from store-bought ice cream to locally-made brands. But I especially love making my own homemade ice cream. I love it so much, in fact, that the cylinder for my Cuisinart ice cream maker lives in my freezer year-round. I even own an extra bowl for double batches.
This chocolate strawberry ice cream recipe is most definitely a winner. It starts with chunks of juicy, fresh summer strawberries. After churning the base, toss in good-quality chopped dark chocolate or miniature chocolate chips, swirl with ripples of homemade fudge sauce, and freeze until creamy and scoopable.
The result? A homemade ice cream that tastes just like a chocolate covered strawberry!
Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Ingredients
To make this homemade strawberry ice cream recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Strawberries – You can make the purée with fresh or frozen berries. If using frozen, allow the strawberries to thaw before tossing them with the lemon juice and honey.
- Lemon Juice – For macerating the strawberries. Opt for real lemon juice, not the bottled kind.
- Honey – Combined with granulated sugar, honey sweetens the macerated berries.
- Whole Milk – For maximum creaminess, use for whole milk for the ice cream base, rather than skimmed.
- Whipping Cream – Or heavy cream, in the US. Look for a milk fat percentage around 35-36%.
- Cocoa Powder – For the fudge sauce. Use regular unsweetened cocoa powder, not Dutch processed.
- Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar adds sweetness to the base, and prevents the homemade ice cream from freezing solid. You’ll also need granulated sugar to prepare the homemade fudge sauce.
- Alcohol – Homemade ice cream does not contain the emulsifiers and stablizers that prevent store-bought frozen desserts from solidifying, so a teaspoon of alcohol helps to inhibit freezing instead. You can omit the alcohol, but note that the ice cream will have an icier texture, and may take longer to thaw.
- Kosher Salt – A small amount kosher salt balances out the sweetness of the macerated berries.
- Vanilla Bean Paste – Nielsen-Massey makes my favorite vanilla bean paste. You can use extract, but paste (or the scrapings from one vanilla pod) offer a more pronounced vanilla flavor.
- Miniature Chocolate Chips – You’ll need miniature chocolate chips, or small pieces of chopped dark chocolate. Don’t use regular chocolate chips—they’re too large to churn, and difficult to chew.
- Corn Syrup – Corn syrup (or Light Karo Syrup) creates a sweet, fluid fudge sauce that won’t crystallize as it cools.
Making and Using the Fudge Sauce
This recipe features a simple homemade fudge sauce made from corn syrup, water, granulated sugar, and cocoa powder.
To make the fudge sauce, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat, and stir until the sauce thickens slightly. Keep the mixture moving constantly, and don’t walk away from the stove or the sauce might burn, giving the cocoa an unpleasant bitter taste.
After making the sauce, pour it into a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate until cold to the touch. The fudge sauce must be completely cold before you swirl it into the strawberry ice cream mixture, or the ice cream will melt. For this reason, I recommend making the fudge sauce at the same time you prepare the base and chilling both components overnight.
To create the fudge ripples, add the churned ice cream and drizzles of sauce to the container in alternating layers. Depending on the size and shape of your container (and how chocolatey you like in your chocolate-strawberry ice cream!) you might not need all of the sauce. Save the leftover sauce for sundaes, or use it to garnish a homemade milkshake.
Recommended Tools and Ingredients for Making Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
To make chocolate strawberry ice cream, I recommend the following tools and equipment:
- Blender or Food Processor – For turning the macerated strawberries into a chunky purée.
- Ice Cream Maker – For an entry-level machine that gets the job done, I recommend this Cuisinart 1.5 quart ice cream maker. Thoroughly freeze the bowl (I recommend at least 48 hours) before use, or store it in the freezer at all times.
- Ice Cream Scoop – For scooping and serving homemade ice cream. I prefer a sturdy metal scoop, like this one.
- Hand Whisk – You’ll need a whisk to combine the milk, cream, and strawberry purée to make the ice cream base.
- Flexible Rubber Spatula – Use a rubber spatula to scrape the churned base from the ice cream maker into your storage container. Opt for soft silicone utensils rather than metal, which can scratch the bowl’s delicate interior.
- Storage Containers – Store homemade strawberry ice cream in lidded plastic food storage containers, cardboard pint containers, or reusable silicone ice cream containers.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
The fudge sauce must be completely cool before layering it into the churned ice cream base. I recommend making the fudge sauce at the same time you prepare the base, then chilling both overnight.
You can store homemade ice cream in the freezer for up to one month. Prior to serving, allow strawberry ice cream to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, or until just soft enough to scoop.
Scoop churned ice cream into pint or quart-size plastic food storage containers. You can also use disposable cardboard pint containers, like these, or purchase reusable ice cream containers.
Other homemade ice cream recipes you might enjoy:
Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe
Mango Ice Cream Recipe
Coconut Ice Cream Recipe
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Ice Cream
- Total Time: 40 minutes (+ chilling/freezing time)
- Yield: About 1 kg 1x
Description
A homemade strawberry ice cream recipe made with fresh summer strawberries, chunks of dark chocolate, and swirls of homemade fudge sauce.
Ingredients
Fudge Sauce:
80 grams light corn syrup (1/4 cup)
60 milliliters water (1/4 cup)
50 grams granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
20 grams unsweetened cocoa powder (3 tablespoons)
Ice Cream:
250 grams chopped fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed if frozen (2 cups)
105 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
20 grams honey (1 tablespoon)
15 milliliters fresh lemon juice (1 tablespoon)
240 milliliters whole milk ( 1 cup)
240 milliliters whipping cream (1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon vodka, optional to prevent freezing
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
50 grams miniature chocolate chips (1/4 cup)
Instructions
Fudge Sauce:
In a small saucepan, stir together corn syrup, water, granulated sugar, and cocoa powder.
Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Pour into a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until cold to the touch.
Ice Cream:
In a small bowl, stir together strawberries, granulated sugar, honey, and lemon juice.
Set aside and allow strawberries to macerate until syrupy, about 10 minutes.
Mash strawberries with a potato masher, or process in a blender until thick and chunky.
In a large bowl, whisk milk, cream, vanilla bean paste, kosher salt, and vodka, if using.
Whisk in the strawberries.
Cover bowl and refrigerate 12 hours, or overnight.
Whisk chilled base briskly to recombine. Pour into ice cream maker, with bowl frozen according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Churn until thick and creamy, about 15-20 minutes. The consistency will resemble soft serve ice cream.
With ice cream maker still churning, add miniature chocolate chips.
Scoop ice cream into a freezer-safe container, alternating with spoonfuls of the fudge sauce. You might not need all of the sauce.
Freeze 2-4 hours prior to serving, or until ice cream reaches scoopable consistency.
Store homemade ice cream in the freezer for up to one month. For a scoopable consistency, allow to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes prior to serving.
Notes
You might not need all of the fudge sauce. If you have some left over after layering it into your ice cream, it keeps well in the fridge and makes a delicious sundae topping.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chilling Time: 12 hours (base) + 4 hours (freeze)
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Ice Cream
- Method: Stovetop + Ice Cream Maker
- Cuisine: Dessert