No-Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

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—you simply blend the ice cream ingredients in a food processor, layer the mixture with the strawberry sauce and graham cracker crumbles in a loaf pan, and pop it in the freezer. After an overnight freeze, you’ll have a creamy, dreamy ice cream that’s far better than anything you could buy at the store.

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

For this no-churn strawberry ice cream recipe, you’ll 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: Make the strawberry sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the strawberries, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice, and ¾ cup cold water. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce the 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 things up, pop it in the freezer and stir every 5 minutes so it cools evenly.

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

Pro tip: When mixing, use a spoon first and then your fingers to make sure everything is evenly combined—your fingers help break up any stubborn lumps of brown sugar.

Step 3: Make the cheesecake ice cream. In a food processor fitted with the 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 fully dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 4: Layer the ingredients. In a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, arrange one-third of the crust crumbles 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 crumbles over the ice cream, followed by a quarter of the strawberry sauce, and a third of the ice cream mixture. Repeat the layering once more, and finish by swirling the final quarter of the strawberry sauce over the top ice cream layer.