Strawberry Crisp Vanilla Ice Cream

This strawberry crisp vanilla ice cream is possibly the best ice cream flavor I’ve developed.

Think salted double-vanilla-bean honey ice cream, rippled with sweet balsamic strawberry syrup, and flecked with crunchy pieces of coconut sugar oat crisp. There’s a myriad of textures and flavors here that marry together so well!

Strawberry Crisp Vanilla Ice Cream Ingredients

Ice Cream Base

• Large eggs: Standard large eggs yield ~18g of yolk; however, if you’re using smaller eggs or eggs from the farmer’s market, the yield will vary. So if you really want to get granular, I highly recommend weighing your yolks.
• Heavy cream and milk OR homemade nut milk: This recipe works with both dairy and non-dairy milk/cream. I’ve left detailed instructions in the recipe card for the homemade nut milk I use for this recipe. If you’re using regular dairy, you’ll need heavy cream and milk.
• Honey: Feel free to swap this out for equal parts (by volume) of granulated sugar. However, I strongly recommend going with a floral honey — it pairs so well with the other components in this ice cream. Additionally, using a liquid sweetener like honey (or maple syrup) helps prevent any crystallization when the ice cream is frozen.
• Ground vanilla, scraped vanilla bean, OR vanilla paste: I love the ground vanilla from Beyond Good. Alternatively, you can use vanilla paste; double the amount needed, as it’s less intense than ground vanilla.
• Vanilla extract: I like to add a splash of vanilla extract to the custard base after it’s chilled for extra vanilla flavor. Heat inhibits vanilla extract and mutes its flavor, which is why I like adding it to the chilled custard.
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt: If you’re using Morton kosher salt, reduce the salt by half. Morton is much saltier and denser than Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Strawberry Puree

• Fresh strawberries
• Balsamic vinegar: Balsamic vinegar and strawberries are just a match made in heaven (acid enhances the flavor of strawberries).
• Honey: Feel free to swap this out for equal parts (by volume) of granulated sugar.
• Diamond crystal kosher salt

Coconut Sugar Oat Crisp

• All-purpose flour: If you’re gluten-free, you can swap in a GF flour blend.
• Rolled oats
• Coconut sugar or light brown sugar
• Salted butter

How to Make this Strawberry Crisp Vanilla Ice Cream

Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl and set aside.

Add the milk and cream (or homemade nut milk) to a pot, along with the honey, ground vanilla (or vanilla paste), and salt. Heat over medium heat until hot to the touch.

Scoop about 1/2 cup of the milk mixture out, and, whisking constantly, stream it into the bowl of egg yolks. Repeat this twice more to temper the eggs. Then, whisking the milk mixture constantly, stream in the tempered eggs. Switch to a rubber spatula/large wooden spoon, and stir constantly (I typically stir the mixture every 10 seconds) until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. This could take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how high the heat is.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl or pitcher to catch any egg white bits. Then place the custard base in an ice bath, stirring constantly until cool. Cover the base with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the fridge overnight.

Add the strawberries, honey (or cane sugar), balsamic, vanilla, and kosher salt to a small saute pan or pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat and let the strawberries cook down, stirring occasionally. They’ll release water during this process, and it’ll slowly evaporate, making a concentrated strawberry compote as it continues to cook down.

Blend the compote with an immersion blender (transfer it to a jar or something similar so it’s easier), strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and refrigerate the final strawberry puree in a jar.

To make the oat crisp, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Add the flour, oats, coconut sugar, and melted butter to a small bowl and mix until a loose dough forms. Spread the dough out onto the prepared sheet pan in an even layer (it’s similar to baking granola), and bake for 7-8 minutes or until golden-brown. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool an additional 10-15 minutes, or until it’s firm. Break into tiny pieces and store in a container at room temperature (make sure the oat crisp is cool before storing it, otherwise it’ll steam and become soggy).

Pour the chilled base into your ice cream bowl and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Mine takes about 20 minutes to churn up – it should be the consistency of soft serve.

Layer the ice cream into the container, starting with the ice cream, a spoonful of the strawberry puree, and a generous sprinkle of the oat crisp; repeat this process. Swirl the ice cream with a small spoon or knife. Place a parchment round on top (this helps prevent crystallization), and freeze for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.

Notes & Suggestions

• Strawberries get icy when rippled into ice cream – hence my very involved strawberry puree method. Essentially, I make a very concentrated strawberry compote, boil off as much water as possible, puree the compote, and then strain it through a sieve. It becomes a concentrated, syrupy strawberry puree that freezes so well!
• The coconut sugar oat crisp is definitely a hero component of this ice cream. It’s just flour, oats, sugar, and butter, but it’s simply fantastic. We (my entire family) couldn’t stop snacking on it, so I highly recommend doubling it if you want extra for snacking/sprinkling on the ice cream.
• This strawberry crisp vanilla ice cream is a great recipe/method to riff off, especially if you want to use different berries or fruits. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, etc., would all work well in place of the strawberries.

Can’t wait for you to make this strawberry crisp vanilla ice cream! I realize I say this every time I share a new ice cream recipe, but this one really is the best one I’ve made so far. Please leave a starred rating and review, love hearing from you!

Strawberry Crisp Vanilla Ice Cream

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• Author: Yasmeen Ali
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Chill Time: 24 hours
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 24 hours 50 minutes
• Yield: 1 quart 1x
• Category: Dessert

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Description

This strawberry crisp vanilla ice cream is rippled with honey-balsamic strawberry syrup and flecked with pieces of crunchy coconut sugar oat crisp. It’s the ultimate summer ice cream flavor!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Vanilla Bean Base 

• 90 g (5 large) egg yolks 
• 480 g (2 cups) heavy cream and 300 g (1 ¼ cups) milk OR 760 g (3 ¼ cups) homemade nut milk (see below)*
• 1/2 cup (150 g) honey (sub with maple syrup or cane sugar)
• 1/2 tsp ground vanilla or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Strawberry Puree

• 215 g sliced (about 2 cups) strawberries, quartered
• 36 g (2 tbsp) honey or granulated sugar
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar 
• 1/4 tsp vanilla paste or ground vanilla
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt 

Coconut Sugar Oat Crisp

• 20g (3 tbsp) all-purpose flour
• 25g (3 tbsp) rolled oats
• 20g (2 tbsp) coconut sugar (sub with light brown sugar)
• 22g (2 tbsp) melted salted butter

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Instructions

Vanilla Bean Base

1. Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Add the milk and cream (or homemade nut milk) to a pot, along with the honey, ground vanilla (or vanilla paste), and salt. Heat over medium heat until hot to the touch.
3. Scoop about 1/2 cup of the milk mixture out, and, whisking constantly, stream it into the bowl of egg yolks. Repeat this twice more to temper the eggs. Then, whisking the milk mixture constantly, stream in the tempered eggs. Switch to a rubber spatula/large wooden spoon, and stir constantly (I typically stir the mixture every 10 seconds) until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. This could take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how high the heat is.
4. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl or pitcher to catch any egg white bits. Then place the custard base in an ice bath, stirring constantly until cool. Cover the base with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the fridge overnight.

Strawberry Puree

1. Add the strawberries, honey (or cane sugar), balsamic, vanilla, and kosher salt to a small saute pan or pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat and let the strawberries cook down, stirring occasionally. They’ll release water during this process, and it’ll slowly evaporate, making a concentrated strawberry compote as it continues to cook down.
2. Blend the compote with an immersion blender (transfer it to a jar or something similar so it’s easier), strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and refrigerate the final strawberry puree in a jar.

Coconut Sugar Oat Crisp

1. To make the oat crisp, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Add the flour, oats, coconut sugar, and melted butter to a small bowl and mix until a loose dough forms. Spread the dough out onto the prepared sheet pan in an even layer (it’s similar to baking granola), and bake for 7-8 minutes or until golden-brown. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool an additional 10-15 minutes, or until it’s firm. Break into tiny pieces and store in a container at room temperature (make sure the oat crisp is cool before storing it, otherwise it’ll steam and become soggy).

Churn, Ripple, & Freeze

1. Pour the chilled base into your ice cream bowl and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Mine takes about 20 minutes to churn up – it should be the consistency of soft serve.
2. Layer the ice cream into the container, starting with the ice cream, a spoonful of the strawberry puree, and a generous sprinkle of the oat crisp; repeat this process. Swirl the ice cream with a small spoon or knife. Place a parchment round on top (this helps prevent crystallization), and freeze for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.

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