Dairy-Free Strawberry Ice Cream
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
This easy dairy-free strawberry ice cream is rich, creamy, and made without an ice cream maker. Coconut cream, strawberries, a touch of honey — plus one secret addition — get a quick spin in the blender, then freeze overnight into a smooth, scoopable, no-churn treat. One can of coconut cream makes this recipe a naturally portioned smaller batch of ice cream that’s bright, berry-forward, and perfect for summer.
FEATURED REVIEW
“Easy and delicious! great I love it” ★★★★★ Rocio
A Quick Look At This Strawberry Ice Cream
- Yield: Approximately 3 cups, or 4 servings
- Active Time: 10 minutes, then an overnight freeze
- Method: No churning, no ice cream maker — just a good blender
- Texture: Rich, smooth, and scoopable
- The Secret: Coconut milk yogurt for a creamier scoop
- ✨Why Make This: A smaller batch that avoids the leftovers, and a dairy-free treat when the ice cream craving hits
This recipe was born out of my coconut cream phase. I’d been making coconut whipped cream on repeat, and somewhere between batches, I wondered: if coconut cream could whip up that thick, could it freeze into something just as thick and creamy.
The answer is yes. The fat in coconut cream behaves a lot like dairy, and once you add in fresh strawberries, it practically begs to become ice cream. And I love that one can of coconut cream is like built-in portion control for my household of two. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened my freezer to find a half-finished gallon that sat so long it grew that sad cap of ice crystals.
My first batch was promising, but the texture needed rounding out. The fix turned out to be coconut milk yogurt — it smooths everything into a more luscious scoop. And I reach for a flavor that matches the berry so it blends right in.
To keep the flavor bright, a little lemon juice and a pinch of salt punctuate everything. That brightness is what I love most about this ice cream. When traditional dairy ice cream can feel heavy, this lands somewhere between ice cream and sorbet — creamy, but light.
It turned out so well, I couldn’t help spinning it into other flavors, like my dairy-free piña colada ice cream and dairy-free strawberry floats for two.
How To Make Dairy Free Ice Cream With Coconut Cream
For this ice cream recipe, everything goes into the blender. It’s that simple. But there are a few ingredient choices that I make.
The spotlight ingredient — strawberries — can be fresh or frozen. I’ll usually opt for fresh when in season, but if you find yourself with an ice cream craving mid-winter, frozen works fine.
Now comes the most important ingredient: canned coconut cream. The can must be refrigerated overnight to firm up the solids so they separate from the liquid. Those solids are what you want — they’re the fat that gives this ice cream its body. Extra liquid will lead to an icy ice cream.
And after years of making this with a can of full-fat coconut milk, I switched to coconut cream for one simple reason: consistency. A good can of coconut cream runs almost entirely solids, while coconut milk can be a gamble — some cans come up nearly all liquid, and a can that’s been pre-shaken on the shelf won’t separate at all. If you crack one open and there’s barely any solid, set it aside for a smoothie and grab another.
Coconut cream is thick and easy to spoon out of the can. Cans of coconut cream are almost entirely coconut solids.
I also steer clear of the brands with a heavy coconut flavor. They’ll usually be labeled with things like unrefined, no gums, or they’ll simply have a lot of extra ingredients.
From there, it’s just a blend. Add all of the ingredients to the blender and let it run until completely smooth and creamy. You’re looking for a thick, pourable mixture with no chunks of unblended berry.
Pour it into your air-tight, freezer-safe container, smooth the top, and freeze overnight. That’s it. The hardest part is waiting. And one of my favorite tips: let the ice cream sit on the counter for a few minutes for easy scooping.
No Ice Cream Maker? You Don’t Need One
Every ice cream recipe on Butter and Bliss is no-churn, and this one is no exception. There’s no custard to cook, no machine to haul out, and no bowl you forgot to pre-freeze.
That said, if you have one and love using it, readers have commented that the blended mixture turned out great in their ice cream maker. So if you’d rather churn, follow your machine’s instructions. Either way, you end up with the same creamy, dairy-free strawberry ice cream.
What This Dairy Free Ice Cream Tastes Like
- Think a hybrid of strawberry ice cream and sorbet. The texture is creamy from the coconut cream, but lighter than dairy custard. It’s there as a supporting ingredient to let the strawberry flavor shine.
- The coconut flavor is mild. If you use my recommendation of coconut cream, it is barely noticeable and sits cleanly behind the strawberry.
- It’s not frozen yogurt. Even though I use dairy free yogurt, most brands have a very mellow coconut flavor. It’s there to add creaminess.
Did You Make It? Let’s Hear About It!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Did this become your go-to summer scoop, or did you branch out and try it with a different berry? Leave a comment and a star rating below — I love hearing how it turned out for you.
Dairy-Free Strawberry Ice Cream
by Erin Cernich
Equipment
Ingredients
- 13.5 ounces unsweetened canned coconut cream, full fat (1 can refrigerated overnight)
- 5.3 ounces coconut milk strawberry yogurt
- 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 2 tablespoons honey (sweeten to taste)
- 1 pinch salt (optional to enhance flavor and sweetness)
Instructions
- Refrigerate the can of unsweetened coconut cream the night before – This will cause the coconut solids and liquids to separate in the can. We are only using the coconut solids from the can.
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. This may take about 3 minutes.13.5 ounces unsweetened canned coconut cream, full fat, 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, juice from 1/2 a lemon, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 pinch salt, 5.3 ounces coconut milk strawberry yogurt
- Pour the ice cream mix into the ice cream container and freeze overnight.
- When ready to serve, remove the ice cream from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften, then serve in an ice cream cone or bowl.
Notes
- Serving Size – Makes about 3 cups of ice cream, or four servings. Easily doubled for a larger batch.
- Coconut Cream vs. Coconut Milk – Canned coconut cream is my preference because it has more solids. Canned full-fat coconut milk works too, but it has less solid content, so you may need more than one can to get enough. Refrigerate the can overnight so the solids and liquid separate — too much liquid is what turns ice cream icy. If your can has hardly any solids, open another. Do not use carton coconut milk.
- Sweetener – Use any sweetener you like, or leave it out. For vegan ice cream, swap the honey for maple syrup.
- Defrost Slightly – This ice cream freezes firm, so let it sit on the counter a few minutes to soften before scooping.
- Yogurt – I use the small single-serve coconut yogurt from So Delicious.
- Ice Cream Container – No ice cream container? A loaf pan, small cake pan, small casserole dish, or sturdy storage container all work. For everything but a lidded container, cover with plastic wrap and foil to keep the ice cream cold.
Nutrition Estimates
About the Author …
Hi, I’m Erin! With years of experience baking for two in my own small household, I know about the love for desserts without the leftovers. I’ve tested, written, and photographed every one of the 300+ recipes on my website. And even had some of my desserts featured on Taste of Home, The Spruce Eats, ELLE, Parade, and more! From traditional to gluten free desserts for two, I have the recipe for you.
Click here to learn more about me →
Hi there! The ingredients list says coconut cream but the instructions seem to describe coconut milk – I just want to make sure I’m using the right ingredients. Am I just confused? Thanks!
Hi Claire – Yes, my recommendation is use a can of coconut cream (I get mine at Target). A can of coconut milk is the same thing, just has more liquid in the cann. Thanks for bringing this to my attention – I’ve clarified the recipe.
Easy and delicious! great I love it
Thanks so much Rocio!
it has a strong taste of yogurt. is that the point?
It depends on the type of yogurt you use. The coconut milk yogurt is more subtle than normal.
This recipe sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it! After blending all the ingredients, do you think it would work well to add the mixture to an ice cream maker to churn rather than just pour into a container to freeze?
I have not used an ice cream maker, so can’t say for certain, but may be worth a try! I’d just follow instructions for the machine.
I churned the ice cream mix in my ice cream maker and it turned out well. Thank you for the recipe!
Wonderful – thanks so much for letting me (and other readers) know!
I’ve made No Churn ice cream & love the easy recipes.
But I’ve always made it using sweetened condensed milk & whipped topping. Both come in lowfat versions, but your recipe us even healthier.
I used frozen strawberries (fresh, I froze surplus myself) & made the ice cream directly in the container I froze it in – saved plastic tub from store bought ice cream. I also used my immersion(stick) blender & it was powerful enough to mix everything in under 3 minutes.
Result was a delicious strawberry ice cream.
Thanks for the recipe 😁
Awesome – thank you Debby! I’ll have to try the immersion blender!
Usually I’m pressed for time. My best friend passed away 4 years ago and I inherited her now 77 y.o. mom lol who is lactose intolerant. I buy her Lactaid vanilla because that’s all that’s available or that her system can tolerate and she really wants strawberry. Taking HUGE shortcuts on busy days and using ready made ice cream and SoDelicious Yogurt, how much should I use of the ice cream?
Hi Michelle – I would start with at least 2 cups of ice cream if you are using the single serving (5.3 ounce) SoDelicious yogurt. If you wanted even more strawberry flavor, you could add a handful of fresh or frozen strawberries as well, and blend it all together!
I want to make this for a Type 2 diabetic. How do the carbs and sugars work out? Can Stevia replace the sugar?
Hi Beth – I have used the following calculator for nutritional details – https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076 – For the sweetener replacement, I have never used Stevia, but think that would work. You would just need to add as much/little to suit your taste. For other recipe modifications for specific dietary requirements, you may want to check with your Doctor. Thanks!
I have just finished making my first batch of your
Dairy Free Strawberry Ice Cream; I don’t think it will be my last. It was so easy to make and if it tastes as good frozen as it did out of the food processor bowl, we have a winner!! I made my own Strawberry Coconut Yoghurt so I’m hoping it works.
Thanks for a great recipe. Next up, Strawberry Whipped Coconut Cream.
Cheers Gerry
I’m so glad you enjoyed the ice cream Gerry! Thank you for the kind feedback!