Making good homemade strawberry ice cream is time-consuming and tricky. You’d think simply churning fresh berries with custard would work, but it doesn’t. Instead, the fruit ends up icy hard, while the ice cream stays soft and silky—not the ideal texture. With my quick blender method, frozen strawberries pureed with milk and sweetener turn to ice cream… instantly!
Rather than using heavy cream, I keep it light with evaporated milk, which offers all the benefits of cream with half the calories. And because evaporated milk is less rich, it allows the strawberry flavor to really shine. And although I haven’t given up sugar, I’m using less of it. Here I sweeten the strawberries with agave, a natural sweetener with a low glycemic index, which prevents the usual sharp rise and fall in the blood sugar.
If you haven’t planned your 4th of July dessert yet, here’s one to consider. Strawberries are abundant right now. Plus, check out the ingredient list. This recipe calls for just three–strawberries, agave, and evaporated milk. And the best part… you don’t even need an ice cream freezer. If you top it with a little whipped cream and a few fresh blueberries, it’s the right color for tomorrow’s holiday, and it’s wonderfully a light, fresh dessert after the big cookout.
Happy 4th of July to you all.
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled, halved if large, and frozen
- ½ cup agave
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- Place frozen berries in a blender canister add agave and milk. Thoroughly blend on highest setting, stopping and stirring the mixture 3 or 4 times to evenly process, so that the ice cream is smooth with small bits of strawberries. Transfer to a shallow pan and freeze to a scoopable texture, about 1 hour.
I’ve got a bag of frozen mango in the freezer. And I think there’s a lonely can of evaporated milk in the pantry. Hello, I have ice cream!
Hey Wendi,
Other fruits don’t necessarily translate because of all the seeds, but mango’s perfect!
This looks divine! And I love that it’s lighter.
Brilliant! I love that the strawberries don’t get hard!
YUM! Could I use sugar if I don’t have agave, or would it mess up the whole thing?
Great idea! I totally dig this!
Love the color of this icecream and strawberry is my favorite flavor for any icesream based treat.. I am a little confused by the measurement listed for the evaporated milk. Please clear the cobwebs from my head for me. I am sure it jusr me. and makes sense to everyone else out there. Thanks a bunch
Can’t wait to give this a try!
This is so exciting because I don’t have an ice cream maker and have been wanting to make homemade ice cream with the kids. They’ll love this! Thanks!
Instant and ice cream in the same sentence sounds like something I can get behind! I will be eating this shortly…..thank you!
Hi Pam–looks like a great recipe, but I am pregnant, so can’t have agave. How much sugar should I use instead? Thank you!
Hey Danielle, good question. You can substitute an equal amount of honey or sugar in place of the agave. If using sugar, however, I’d dissolve it in the milk first. Good luck and congratulations!
Can evaporated milk be used in place of cream in other recipes? I make a pasta sauce with tomatoes, basil and whipping cream and wonder if evaporated milk would work in that.
Good question, Beth, and you bet you can use evaporated milk in place of cream in savory dishes. I do it all the time!