Strawberry cheesecake ice cream - this easy vegan ice cream consists of a creamy vanilla cheesecake ice cream base swirled with strawberry sauce and biscuit pieces.
It is smooth, rich, creamy and refreshing, and it is also so incredibly simple to make!
This vegan strawberry cheesecake ice cream is a great way to make the best of strawberry season!
While I love my classic vegan strawberry ice cream recipe, this cheesecake version is even easier to make, and tastes just like a delicious strawberry cheesecake, but in ice cream form!
If you are looking for more ways to use up a glut of strawberries then you may also like my vegan strawberry shortcake, coconut strawberry tart and chocolate strawberry tart.
Ingredient Details:
Cream cheese: Make sure that you use a vegan cream cheese with a firmish texture and that you like the flavour of. I use Philadelphia vegan cream cheese or Violife. Do not use a low fat variety!
Non-dairy double cream: You need to use a cream that is designed for whipping, ideally with a fat percentage of at least 30%. I recommend Elmlea plant in the UK, though Oatly whippable would also work, as would Nature's Charm coconut whipping cream.
Plant milk: unsweetened soy milk is the best option here as it has a neutral flavour and creamy texture. (I like Alpro Unsweetened Soya milk the best).
You can use any kind of plant milk you like but bear in mind that the flavour of the milk will affect the flavour of the ice cream.
Digestive biscuits: I use Digestive biscuits but another kind of (crunchy) biscuit such as Ginger snaps/nuts, Biscoff, Graham crackers, Hobnobs or Oreo's will also work.
Caster sugar: Either caster or granulated sugar will be fine. Do not swap the sugar for any other kind of sweetener.
Lemon juice: Adds a bit of extra tang that is often lacking in vegan cream cheese. Either fresh or bottled is fine.
Strawberries: While you could technically use frozen ones, fresh is easier as you can chop them up. If using frozen, just cook them straight from frozen, no need to defrost first, and use the back of a wooden spoon to smoosh them against the side of the pan to break them up once they have softened.
Cornflour (cornstarch): This thickens the strawberry sauce, you could use arrowroot instead.
How To Make Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
- Step 1: Place the cream cheese, cream, milk, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until cold.
- Step 2: Roughly chop the strawberries and place them in a pan with the sugar and lemon juice. Heat until the fruit is soft and is breaking down.
- Step 3: Mix the cornflour with a splash of cold water and add it to the pan, heat until boiling and thickened. Refrigerate until cold.
- Step 4: Churn the ice cream in an ice cream maker until it reaches soft serve consistency.
- Step 5: Add the roughly broken biscuits in the last couple of minutes of churning.
- Step 6: Spoon some of the strawberry sauce over the base of your ice cream container, scoop the ice cream on top, dollop over the rest of the strawberry sauce, gently swirl with a knife then freeze for a couple of hours.
Top Tips:
As with all of my recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
This ice cream is quite solid straight out of the freezer so make sure that you take it out at least 15 minutes before serving to allow it to soften up a little.
I recommend making the ice cream base and strawberry sauce the day before you churn it so that it has time to properly chill first. It needs to be cold when it goes into the ice cream maker.
I have a 2 litre ice cream maker (this one by Cuisinart).
I recommend placing the container that you are going to put the ice cream in in the freezer to chill while the ice cream is churning. This will help stop the ice cream from getting too melty while you transfer it to the container.
Don't skimp on the sugar! Sugar is important in ice cream not only for the flavour but also for the creamy texture. Things also taste less sweet when they are cold, so bear in mind that you want the unfrozen base to taste a bit sweeter than you want the finished ice cream to taste.
For an even richer, creamier ice cream, swap some or all of the milk for more double cream.
If you prefer a smooth strawberry sauce, puree it before adding the cornflour.
FAQ's:
If you don’t have an ice cream maker you can still make this ice cream, it just takes a bit more work and the texture may be a bit more icy.
Once the base is chilled, pour it into a large freezerproof container and pop it in the freezer. Every 30 minutes or so, remove it from the freezer and give it a quick whisk with an electric mixer to break up any ice crystals then return it to the freezer.
Repeat this until it reaches soft-serve consistency then allow to freeze for a couple of hours before serving.
Obviously ice cream needs to be kept in the freezer; make sure that you use a freezer-proof container either with a lid or wrap it well with plastic wrap. Store the ice cream for up to 3 months, though the sooner it is eaten the better.
Homemade ice creams set a lot firmer than shop bought ones, so let it sit out on the counter for 15 minutes, or in the fridge for 30 before scooping to give it a chance to soften up slightly.
Variations:
- Swap the strawberries for other fruits such as raspberries, blueberries or cherries. You may need to add a little more sugar to taste.
- Mix in a couple of handfuls of chocolate chips.
- Omit the strawberry sauce and biscuit pieces for a plain (but still delicious!) cheesecake ice cream.
- Use whatever kind of biscuits (cookies) you like such as Biscoff, gingersnaps, Oreos, bourbons or custard creams.
- Swap the biscuits for chopped up brownies.
- Add a chocolate fudge swirl.
More Vegan Ice Creams:
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Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream (vegan)
Equipment
- ice cream maker
Ingredients
Cheesecake Ice Cream:
- 250 g (1 cup) vegan cream cheese (full fat)
- 250 ml (1 cup) vegan double cream (I use Elmlea)
- 250 ml (1 cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soya)
- 160 g (¾ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Strawberry Sauce:
- 250 g (9 oz) fresh strawberries
- 25 g (2 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 Tablespoon cold water
Mix-In:
- 6 (approx 100g) Digestive biscuits (or other biscuit/cookie of your choosing) broken into pieces
Instructions
- Make sure that the bowl of your ice cream maker has been in the freezer long enough to be fully frozen, ideally 24 hours.
- Place the cream cheese, cream, milk, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until cold.250 g (1 cup) vegan cream cheese (full fat), 250 ml (1 cup) vegan double cream (I use Elmlea), 250 ml (1 cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soya), 160 g (¾ cup) caster or granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- Hull and roughly chop the strawberries and place them in a pan with the sugar and lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. Cook until the fruit is soft and is breaking down; smush any larger pieces against the side of the pan with the back of a wooden spoon.250 g (9 oz) fresh strawberries, 25 g (2 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
- Mix the cornflour and cold water together then stir it into the strawberry mixture. Heat while stirring until it comes to the boil and thickens. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until cold.1 Tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch), 1 Tablespoon cold water
- Once the ice cream mixture is thoroughly chilled, give it a good whisk then pour it into your ice cream maker and churn until it reaches soft serve consistency.
- Add the broken biscuit pieces in the last couple of minutes of churning.6 (approx 100g) Digestive biscuits (or other biscuit/cookie of your choosing)
- Spoon some of the strawberry sauce over the base of your ice cream container, scoop the ice cream on top, dollop over the rest of the strawberry sauce then gently swirl together with a knife.
- Freeze for about 4 hours until firm. Once fully frozen the ice cream will be quite solid straight out the freezer, let it warm up at room temperature for fifteen minutes before scooping.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- I recommend placing the container that you are going to put the ice cream in in the freezer to chill while the ice cream is churning. This will help stop the ice cream from getting too melty while you transfer it to the container.
- For an even richer, creamier ice cream, swap some or all of the milk for more double cream.
- If you prefer a smooth strawberry sauce, puree it before adding the cornflour.
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