Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream (No Churn)

With swirls of strawberry sauce and a buttery graham cracker crumble, this ice cream has all the sweet, rich, tangy flavor of strawberry cheesecake. The recipe doesn’t require an ice cream machine: simply blend the ice cream ingredients in a food processor, layer the mixture with strawberry sauce and crumbled graham crackers in a loaf pan, and place in the freezer. After freezing overnight, you’ll have dreamy, creamy ice cream that’s way better than anything you could buy at the store.

Note that the strawberry sauce needs time to cool before layering it on the ice cream, but you can speed up the process in the freezer if you like.

For this no-churn strawberry ice cream recipe you will need: strawberries, cornstarch, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, graham cracker crumbs, unsalted butter, dark brown sugar, heavy cream, cream cheese, sour cream and salt.

Step 1: Prepare the strawberry sauce. In a small saucepan, combine strawberries, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and ¾ cup cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick and glossy, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cold.

Pro Tip: To speed up the process, put it in the freezer and stir every 5 minutes so it cools evenly.

Step 2: Prepare the graham cracker crust. Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl and mix until combined. Press into an even ¼-inch layer onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until edges are golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Let it cool, then break it into pieces with a spoon.

Pro Tip: When mixing, use a spoon first, then your fingers to make sure everything is mixed well—your fingers help break up any stubborn brown sugar clumps.

Step 3: Prepare the cheesecake ice cream. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, blend the heavy cream, cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt until smooth and creamy and the sugar is completely dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 4: layer the ingredients. In a 9×5-inch loaf pan, arrange one-third of the crumbled crust evenly on the bottom, drizzle with one-quarter of the strawberry sauce, then pour in one-third of the ice cream mixture. Sprinkle another third of the crumble over the ice cream, followed by a quarter of the strawberry coulis and a third of the ice cream mixture. Repeat once more and finish by swirling the last quarter of the strawberry sauce over the top layer of ice cream.