This strawberry sherbet homemade ice cream recipe has a sherbet texture. It has a secret ingredient that makes it so easy and tasty!
Homemade ice cream has been a favorite in our family for years. My grandparents made it when I was little, then my mom, and now I am carrying on the tradition.
I grew up on hot summer days swimming at my Mema and Papa’s pool. We would often have family celebrations there, where everyone gathered for fellowship, fun, and food! One of our favorite desserts was homemade ice cream.
My Mema would put all the ingredients in the ice cream churn and let it run while sitting under the shade watching us play. Orange pineapple was my Papa’s favorite, but we were always open to new and exciting flavors.
This strawberry ice cream is heavenly! One taste of this “berry” delicious dessert, and you are a fan for life!
As we often say down here, “It is mouthwatering good!”
Psst… if you love homemade ice cream, check out our orange pineapple homemade ice cream or our straight-up homemade pineapple ice cream as well.
Strawberry Homemade Ice Cream With A Sherbet Texture
This beautiful, pinkish ice cream is light and a little tart with a texture more like sherbet than an ice cream. It is cooling, icy, and clean to the taste. It is like having a field of scarlet strawberries envelope your tongue with an explosion of sweet goodness! Summer in a bowl!!
Our secret ingredient..
Everyone loves a secret…don’t they? Well, we don’t mind sharing our secret tip for this luscious ice cream. It’s all about the “soda”…Fanta Strawberry that is!! The soda gives it the vibrant pink “pop” of color and adds the “zest” to the ice cream, making it decadent and tasty.
Of course the sweetened condensed milk doesn’t hurt either….just saying!!
Why do ice cream makers use ice cream salt?
Ice cream salt is used rather than table salt because it lowers the freezing temperature of the ingredients. For homemade ice cream, it allows the temperature of the mixture around the ice cream to get colder, thus freezing the mixture.
Rock salt isn’t processed as much as table salt, so it is much chunkier. The kids love to taste the “rock salt candy”.
How long does this take to make?
While there is no “set” time for making this recipe, typically ice cream will be ready when using an ice cream maker anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. We keep a close eye on the ice and salt (constantly adding more) to help speed the process along.
The time depends on the recipe, outside temperature, your particular ice cream maker, and how often you add ice and salt. So you may have to make a “batch or two” to help you get a more accurate time frame…but enjoy your culinary journey to discovery!
Can you freeze this?
In our family, there isn’t usually a whole lot left to freeze. Everyone goes back for seconds and thirds. If you are lucky enough to have any of this delicious ice cream left, it most definitely can be frozen and enjoyed later. Just put it in a plastic airtight container and freeze.
However, it will be harder than normal ice cream, and you may have to leave it “sitting” out to thaw before you can enjoy another bowl of this delectable dessert, but it is so worth the wait!
Substitutes for the strawberry chunks
This recipe calls for strawberries, fresh or frozen. You can leave the berries as chunks for extra texture or process them in a blender to give the ice cream a smoother appearance while still retaining the scrumptious taste of the berries.
Strawberry Sherbet Homemade Ice Cream (With Ice Cream Machine)
Equipment
- Homemade ice cream maker
- Blender
Ingredients
- 2.5 liters strawberry soda (you'll need two 2-liter bottles)
- 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups strawberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Puree the strawberries with a small amount of soda until smooth.
- Mix together 2.5 liters of the strawberry soda, sweetened condensed milk, and strawberries. You will pour one 2-liter bottle of soda, and mix with the milk and strawberries. After that, fill the canister up to the fill line with about a quarter of the other bottle of the strawberry soda. You'll likely end up using around 2.5 liters in total.
- Stir really well until blended.
- Put into electric ice cream freezer and prepare as directed on freezer.
- Churn with ice and rock salt for 30-45 minutes (or longer).
- The motor will stop when the ice cream is frozen. Spoon ice cream into bowls and enjoy by itself or with cake or cookies.
Notes
- You can substitute diet soda as well. It might not be as sweet but will still taste delicious.
- You can either blend the strawberries or leave as chunks.
- You can also substitute peach soda and fresh/frozen peaches.
- You can use Fanta, Nehi, or Sunkist sodas.
- You will need 2-3 bags of ice and 1 box of rock salt for churning. Amount needed will vary based on size of ice cream maker.
