No-Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

I’ve been contributing to the site, GO BOLD WITH BUTTER (for the American Butter Institute) for about 2 years now. You might even recall that as part of this dream collaboration, I contribute about 2 recipes a month to them and occasionally share said recipes here on my blog. Mainly because I feel like you just don’t have enough butter in your lives as it is. I want to be that bad influence that your parents and doctors warned you about because butter is so tasty. I’m happy to report that I finally get to start up again this year. I mean, any excuse to cook with and eat more butter is a win in my book. But who am I telling? This isn’t news to you. I’m sure you understand what I’m talking about. This No-Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream seems like the right way to begin the 2017 butter season. Ice cream without a complicated machine? It’s basically screaming to be made by you all summer long, and make it you shall because how can you say no to ice cream? Look at me in the face and answer that, but before you answer that, how can you say no to ice cream AND cheesecake? You can’t. You just can’t. I won’t let you. 

Let’s first make the cheesecake bites that are going to go all up into our ice cream.  Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a medium bowl. Pour it out into two small ramekins or one large and then press it down into an even layer.

**Tip: Pop the crust into the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm it up. It’ll make spreading the cheesecake filling a lot easier this way.**

Beat together the cream cheese, heavy cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. You can do this by hand or with a mixer if you want to whip it up super quick. I’m always taking the quick route, so don’t feel bad about it. Pour it over the top of the crust and smooth it into an even layer. 

Place the cheesecake in the freezer until completely set and firm, about 4 hours, but overnight is best. This makes it easier to remove from the ramekins and cutting it into bite sized pieces. The colder the cheesecake chunks, the better.  

Meanwhile, let’s make the strawberry sauce for the strawberry part of this cheesecake ice cream. In a medium bowl, toss together the fresh strawberries, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Cook over medium heat until the strawberries have softened and the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and pour into an airtight container.

**Tip: The sauce can be made a few days in advance and stored in the fridge, for a few days, until ready to use. Just make sure you store it in an airtight container.**

Okay, so now that those two components are taken care of and ready to go, let’s proceed with the actual ice cream base. So like the recipe claims, this is a no-churn recipe. That’s the best part about it. Let’s keep that in the back of our minds so that we can make it all year around. 

**Tip: This base is perfect for all sorts of different flavorings you’d like to try. Once you give this one a try, make it again and go crazy because the possibilities are endless!**

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cream cheese, heavy cream, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Process for a few minutes until the mixture becomes super thick. It’ll take a while but don’t lose hope, it will happen. 

**Tip: You should keep in mind that the recipe yields a lot of ice cream, and so if you don’t have a large enough food processor to hold it all in, you might have to cut it in half and process it in two batches to fit it all.**

To assemble the ice cream, pour half the ice cream base into the bottom of a large dish or container. Drizzle with the cooled strawberry sauce and swirl the two together. Then sprinkle with cubes of the cheesecake bites. 

**Tip: You can buy little disposable ice cream containers and use that to assemble and store the ice cream, or you can use a large freezer-safe dish. No matter what, just make sure you can cover it tightly with either a lid or plastic wrap and foil. We’re all just making it work together.**

Repeat the layering process with the remaining half of the ice cream base, the strawberry sauce (reserving some for serving) and the cheesecake bites. 

Cover with plastic wrap and foil to prevent any frost bite, and place in the freezer to firm up the ice cream. You want it to freeze for at least 4 hours, or overnight for the best results. This is something you can make ahead of time and keep it in the freezer for when company comes over or you’re in need of something sweet and amazing. 

You can really take this “cheesecake” ice cream idea and really run with it, with whatever fruit or berry is in season at the time. OR whatever is on sale, which is the way I choose what fruit to use. Since it is summer after all, I thought strawberries would be the best route to take. But raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or even peaches out be amazing in this! 

Once you’re ready to serve, let the ice cream sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before scooping into cones, or bowls or just straight into your mouth. I’m not judging. Drizzle with that reserved strawberry sauce and cheesecake bites, if you saved any. No worries if you didn’t because the ice cream is plenty decadent as it is. Either way, you’re going to enjoy it! 

So I continue to mention this to you guys, but Saveur Magazine is hosting their annual Food Blog Award nominations right now as we speak. If you have a few minutes to spare, head on over to their site, and nominate your favorite food blogs. If one of your favorite food blogs happens to be mine, and you enjoy the work I put out, I’d be ever so grateful if you nominated The Candid Appetite for either the “Most Inspired Weeknight Dinners” category or “Best Photography.” I promise I won’t harp much longer on this, but I figured why not give it a go?! Thank you so much to all those who have voted! Remember, you can keep voting up until July 19th! 

 
**Thank you for your continued support of the occasional sponsored post on this site. They help keep the blog going, allowing me to continue to share my recipes with you on a weekly basis. I never want my sponsorships to feel forced, which is why I only partner with companies I feel very passionate about and actually use on a regular basis.**

**Click here to get the recipe for this No-Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream**