Dairy Free

Try this creamy and delicious Dairy-Free Strawberry Ice Cream from Michelle Smith at The Whole Smiths! She was gracious enough to not only create this amazing frozen treat for us using fresh California strawberries, but to share her thoughts on how to make the best creamy dairy-free ice cream in a guest post below:

Want to know something that I’ve realized over the last week? Everybody loves strawberries. Sorry Raymond, but it’s really strawberries that everybody loves. Grown-ups, kids, grandmas, dogs, everyone. Truly, have you ever met anyone that said, “No thank you, I don’t like strawberries.”? Neither have I.

Thankfully, California strawberries are such a fun, versatile and healthy food to add into our diets and they’re available year around. Whether it’s eating them straight up or adding them to a salad, baked goods, or even a margarita, the ways to get your “8-a-day” in are endless.

Did you know?

One serving of strawberries contains more vitamin C than an orange? 110% to be exact. And even better, despite being sweet they’re naturally low in sugar. One serving of strawberries has half the amount of sugar of an apple. In addition, strawberries are loaded up in antioxidants, phytochemicals fiber and potassium.

And while California strawberries are available year around, summer is just around the corner and nothing screams “summer” better than a bowl of fresh strawberries. And ice cream. Summer always comes with ice cream. And because of that, I decided to create the perfect Dairy-Free Strawberry Ice Cream using California strawberries that you can indulge in guilt-free all summer long.

I’m not going to lie, creating a dairy-free ice cream that wasn’t overly icy was no easy feat. Alternative milks tend to have a higher water content than traditional dairy and tend to make an “icy” ice cream. In addition the water content for those beautiful juicy strawberries can add to that iciness.

So here’s how I fixed that problem… First, I added some eggs to the ice cream base to create more of a “custard” and make the base a bit creamier. And second, I reduced the strawberries down over some heat to remove some of the liquid and concentrate the strawberry flavor.

And success!

When the ice cream is done, I filled up a large freezer-proof jar and store it in the freezer. We can dig in at any time.

This Dairy-Free Strawberry Ice Cream is the perfect example of that. Not only were we able to add fresh California strawberries to it, but I was able to omit the refined sugar by using honey instead and use nothing but simple ingredients.

Next time you grab a giant clam shell of California strawberries don’t forget this recipe, it’s the perfect way to use up those last few strawberries that you don’t want to go bad.

How do you guys get your 8-a-day in?

– Michelle

This post was created by Michelle Smith from thewholesmiths.com. 

Be sure to try this and more of our delightful strawberry desserts.