This roasted balsamic strawberry ice cream is incredibly refreshing with a beautiful strawberry flavor.

It’s officially summer and we’re excited to share a recipe for roasted balsamic strawberry ice cream. I’ve been making this ice cream for a few years and it’s always a hit at ice cream socials. Roasted strawberry on its own is amazing but adding a touch of balsamic vinegar makes it extra special. The balsamic imparts a refreshing complexity to the already fruity and delicious ice cream.

I used Gaviota strawberries from JR Organics Farm which were really sweet so not a whole lot of sugar was needed. Two egg yolks added a touch of creaminess to the ice cream. The only trick to making this ice cream is cooking the custard slowly over low heat to avoid scrambling the eggs. Once the custard was cool enough, I refrigerated it overnight for the flavor the develop. After 30 minutes of churning in my Cuisinart ice cream maker, I was in strawberry heaven. While it’s peak strawberry season, grab some from your farmers market and make this roasted balsamic strawberry ice cream.

If you like frozen desserts, check out these recipes: roasted goat cheese crumble ice cream, rhubarb crumble ice cream, mulberry crumble ice cream, and strawberry elderflower sorbet.

Roasted balsamic strawberry ice cream
Ingredients
- 4 cups organic strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsps granulated sugar
- 2 organic medium egg yolks
- 6 tbsps granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups organic heavy cream
- 1 cup organic 2% milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine the strawberries, balsamic vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a roasting pan. Toss gently to coat and bake in the oven for 10 minutes until the strawberries are soft and release their juices.
- Let the strawberries cool lightly for about 15 minutes.
- Transfer the strawberries and juice to a blender and puree until smooth.
- Strain the strawberry puree through a fine mesh strainer. You should get about 2 cups. Set aside.
- In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks with 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar just to break them up. Set aside.
- In a heavy saucepan over medium low heat, combine cream, milk, and salt and let it heat up until you see the liquid bubbling at the edges.
- Measure out half a cup of cream mixture.
- While whisking the eggs constantly, whisk the hot cream mixture into the eggs until smooth. Continue tempering the eggs by adding another ½ cup of hot cream to the bowl with the yolks.
- Pour the cream-egg mixture back to the saucepan. Add the strawberry puree.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until it is thickened and coats the back of a spatula, about 5-7 minutes.
- Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container to remove any egg pieces that were cooked during the process.
- Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziplock freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in an ice bath until cold, about 30 minutes.
- Refrigerate the ice cream base for at least 4 hours or overnight. I like to refrigerate the base overnight for the most flavor.
- Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister of your ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Spin until thick and creamy about 30-35 minutes.
- Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.
Katy
What temp for the strawberries?
Vy Tran
Hi Katy! It's 350 degrees F.
Luke
How much strawberries is this in pounds?
Vy Tran
Hi Luke! You'll probably need close to 2 pounds of strawberries.
ayana
Hi Vy, I have the mixture in my fridge getting ready to be mixed tomorrow and it smells amazing! It looks like there's a lot of ice cream base, would it be too much for my 1.5 qt ice cream maker? I couldn't see how much ice cream it yields
Vy Tran
Hi Ayana! You can divide the mixture in half and spin them twice. It yields about 2 pints.
ayana
Gosh why isn't the recipe rating letting me rate this 5 stars?! Vy, this recipe was INCREEEDIBLE!!! Oh my gosh! It was so creamy and tangy and sweet and delicious! I'm DEFINITELY making this again!
ayana
Ok, I had to repost because I couldn't rate it 5 stars in my comment but oh man, thanks so much for this recipe! I'm absolutely smitten. The balsamic vinegar goes so well with the strawberry. And it wasn't insanely difficult to scoop out the next day in the freezer like other ice cream recipes I've tried. So yum!
Vy Tran
Hi Ayana! I'm so happy you liked it! The balsamic vinegar brings it to the next level. July is National Ice Cream Month and I'll be sharing a few more ice cream recipes that you might like.
Reese
My base totally curdled as I was adding the strawberry purée. Do you have any troubleshooting tips for this?
Vy Tran
Hi Reese! I'm not sure why this happened. I would recommend keeping the strawberry puree separate and fold it into the custard right before you churn. Hopefully this will help!