Strawberry Daiquiri Ice Cream

Trying to decide between homemade strawberry ice cream and a frosty frozen strawberry daiquiri? Why choose — when my strawberry rum daiquiri ice cream recipe gives you the best of both worlds. Made with fresh strawberries, dark rum and a bit of lime juice in a delectable ice cream base, this creamy, luscious, boozy ice cream is brain-freeze good! Use your favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt maker  to churn a batch of this strawberry rum ice cream at home.

There’s something about homemade strawberry ice cream that takes me back to when I was a kid. I think it’s the pale pink hue, fruity flavor and creamy, frozen melts-on-your-tongue glory that first hooked me. This strawberry rum ice cream is a grown-up daiquiri version of that childhood favorite. 

Ingredients for strawberry daiquiri ice cream

• Whole Milk
• Cornstarch
• Cream Cheese
• Sea Salt
• Heavy Cream
• Light Corn Syrup
• Sugar
• Dark Rum
• Fresh Roasted Strawberry Purée

This easy recipe should be started the day before you actually churn the ice cream in order to give the ingredients time to thoroughly chill. Since many ice cream makers also require the canisters to freeze for 24 hours before using, it pays to plan for this strawberry rum ice cream.

Strawberry purée is what flavors the ice cream and also creates a bright red ribbon of fresh fruit. It’s simple to make with only 3 ingredients: strawberries, sugar and lime juice. (If it’s not strawberry season when you’re making this, you can use frozen berries).

Making the roasted strawberry purée

1. Slice the strawberries into half inch pieces and transfer to a small glass or ceramic baking dish.
2. Add the sugar and lime juice and toss to combine.
3. Roast the berries for 8-10 minutes or until they release their juices.
4. Transfer the berries to a mini food processor and pulse until smooth.

You’ll only use  about 1 cup of the strawberry purée for this daiquiri ice cream recipe. Half a cup is added to the ice cream base and the other half gets layered and swirled into the churned ice cream. The remainder can be used as a sauce over your breakfast yogurt or even in frozen cocktails.

I used Jeni Britton Bauer’s (of Jeni’s Splendid fame) method for making the base of this homemade strawberry daiquiri ice cream. Her technique is a bit unorthodox, however, her ice cream recipes are spot on — yielding creamy, delicious, foolproof desserts — every time.    I don’t know about you, but I’ve had my share of grainy, icy, sad attempts at homemade — which only served to boost sales for those pricey $6 pints of premium.  No more.  I use her techniques, and tweak them to come up with my own fantasy flavor combos that yield a full quart of fabulous frozen confection. 

Making the ice cream base

1. Measure out the milk and then combine 2 tablespoons of it with the cornstarch. Whisk to form a slurry and set aside.
2. Combine the cream cheese and sea salt in a large bowl and use a hand mixer to blend together. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan combine the remainder of the milk with sugar, light corn syrup and heavy cream.
4. Bring to a boil and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
5. Remove from heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Return to the heat and boil, whisking constantly for one minute or until the mixture thickens.
6. Transfer 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture to the cream cheese and beat it in until smooth. Add the remainder of the cream mixture and beat until well combined with the hand mixer.

This is the ice cream base. To give it the strawberry rum daiquiri flavor, stir in half a cup of the strawberry purée and 1/4 cup of dark rum and chill for several hours or overnight. 

Churning

You can use whatever type of ice cream churn you like for this recipe. I use a Cuisinart canister style ice cream maker. They’re relatively inexpensive and do a good job making a creamy, frozen confection. Kitchen Aid also makes an ice cream attachment for its stand mixer, which also turns out great ice cream, but even if you have an old-school, hand crank churn, it’s gonna be good. 

How long does it take to churn and freeze the ice cream?

Each manufacturer is different, but you can usually tell when it’s finished churning by when the mixture doesn’t continue to thicken and freeze and starts to pull away from the sides of the canister. It usually takes 20- 25 minutes.

You’ll want to work quickly to pack the ice cream before it starts to melt. If you don’t have an ice cream container like this, you can also use a plastic tub, or a loaf pan.

Packing strawberry daiquiri ice cream

1. Scoop a spoonful of the churned ice cream into the packing container and drizzle with a few tablespoons of reserved chilled strawberry purée.
2. Continue to layer the ice cream, alternating between the ice cream and strawberry sauce.
3. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and freeze for at least 4 hours to completely chill.

Why you’ll love this

If you’re a strawberry fan, this boozy homemade strawberry ice cream is for you. It’s ultra creamy, smooth melting with an almost chewy texture. The swirls of fresh strawberry sauce add a pleasant tart contrast to the sweet fruit and rum ice cream. A bonus of adding alcohol to this dessert, is that 40 proof rum freezes at 22°F or -7°C which is much lower than the typical home freezer. Therefore, the ice cream doesn’t freeze to a solid block and is easy to scoop, even right from the icebox.  

What does rum-infused strawberry ice cream taste like?

My taste-testers LOVED this flavor combo. The ice cream is meltingly sweet with an almost aromatic perfume of strawberry. You can taste the dark rum, too. It’s not harsh or overpowering, but it’s definitely there.  One of my tasters actually detected the small bit of cream cheese in the ice cream base. Not enough to make it taste like a cheesecake ice cream, but he noticed that tangy quality and enjoyed it. I think you’ll love it too!

What to serve with homemade strawberry daiquiri ice cream:

• Balsamic Caramel Sauce
• Chocolate Fudge Espresso Sauce
• Wafer Thin Sugar Cookies
• Oatmeal Chews
• Thin and Crispy Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

More homemade ice creams with booze:

• Legendary Rum Raisin Ice Cream
• Bourbon Peach Ice Cream with Streusel
• Stout Caramel Pretzel Ice Cream
• Cherry Ice Cream

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