Strawberry Ice Cream Cheesecake
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What will it be – cheesecake or ice cream? You can have both with this Strawberry Ice Cream Cheesecake! Rich and creamy, this delicious dessert recipe is perfect for the warmer days ahead.
Strawberry Ice Cream Cheesecake:
Cold weather blew into Pittsburgh this week, so posting about an ice cream dessert might seem a bit silly. However, I like to think ahead and plan for warmer days to come. If you do, too, you’ll definitely want to add this Strawberry Ice Cream Cheesecake to your spring and summer menus.
I was excited to make this recipe because I love ice cream-based desserts. They remind me of the past and fun times with family. This connection is probably because of the ice cream salad (which actually isn’t a salad) that my great aunt made. The mere mention of ice cream desserts always makes me think of it. (Note to self: Make that recipe and share it on IBC!)
Anywho, even though summer is still months away, I thought this picture-perfect Strawberry Ice Cream Cheesecake might be a unique treat to whip up for Easter, a bridal/baby shower, Mother’s Day, or another springtime celebration. (I plan to celebrate the first day of spring this year. I hope you do, too!)
How Do You Make Strawberry Ice Cream Cheesecake?
It’s pretty easy.
I started with a pretzel crust because I love the taste, and it pairs nicely with strawberries. (That reminds me of my Strawberry Jello Salad! Have you tried it?)
Once the crust is made, it’s time to prepare the cheesecake filling.
The filling consists of cream cheese, ice cream, and strawberry puree. You’ll make the puree first. You can use fresh or frozen strawberries, depending on what’s available. If you’re not a fan of strawberries, use blueberries, blackberries, peaches, or another fruit that you like. I prefer strawberries because they are delicious and give this cheesecake a beautiful pink hue.
The base of the cheesecake filling is the cream cheese and ice cream. The ice cream should be close to room temperature so it’s soft and almost runny. If it’s too cold, it will chill your cream cheese and prevent proper blending.
Mix the cream cheese, ice cream, and puree together until smooth. Then add the mixture to your prepared pretzel crust. After a few hours in the freezer, your Strawberry Ice Cream Cheesecake will be ready! I recommended removing it from the freezer about 30 minutes before serving.
As you might have guessed, I couldn’t resist dressing up the cheesecake a bit. A few fresh berries and dollops of whipped cream are all it needs.
Cool, creamy, tangy, and sweet! And it looks gorgeous, too. You’ll be looking for excuses to make it.
If you enjoyed this Ice Cream Cheesecake, you may also like:
- Strawberry Coconut Cake
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Cheesecake Bars
- Strawberry Cheesecake Dip
- Lemon Curd Cheesecake Tarts
Strawberry Ice Cream Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) strawberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 18 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1.5- quart vanilla ice cream softened
- Additional berries plus whipped cream for garnish
Pretzel Crust:
- 2 cups small pretzels
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cups unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Begin by lining the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place the pretzels in a food processor. Pulse until they resemble sand. (Alternatively, you can place the pretzels in a plastic sealable plastic bag and smash them repeatedly with a rolling pin.)
- Add the finely crushed pretzels, brown sugar, and melted butter to a bowl. Stir to combine. Spoon this mixture into the prepared springform pan and press the mixture down with your fingers to form an even layer of crust. Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Place the strawberries in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the berries start to break down. You can speed up the process by crushing the berries with the back of a spoon. Remove the cooked strawberries from heat and strain them through a fine sieve into a bowl. Use a spatula or a spoon to push through as much of the liquid as possible. Discard the leftover pulp from the sieve. Set aside the strawberry liquid to cool.
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until well-blended. Add the ice cream and mix well. Fold in the strawberry puree.
- Pour this mixture over the prepared crust and freeze the cheesecake for 4 hours or until firm.
- Remove the cheesecake from the freezer about 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh berries and whipped cream.
Wonderful! Can’t decide between two delicious options, ice cream or cheesecake? This covers it!!!
Next week I’ll try it with juicy Georgia peaches. Yummmmmm.
Can you make this the night before or do you have to make it the day of? If the previous day do you leave it in freezer overnight? How long to thaw then?
I so need to make this but I’m confused. Sorry for another question about the cream cheese but you say that 18 Oz is 2.5 eight oz packages. Wouldn’t that make it 20 oz? 8 + 8 + 4. = 20
I just want it to be as perfect as yours looks!
18 total ounces of cream cheese. My math was wrong in my previous comment.
Thanks!
xo Michael
Hi I want to make this but what’s 1.5quart ? Is it cups or grams or ounces?
1.5 quarts is equal to 6 cups
xo Michael
I’m diabetic. Do you think I could replace 1/2 of the white sugar with Splenda and use lower sugar ice cream?
Looks delicious! Although 18 ounces of cream cheese sounds like a lot.. is that 2 bricks of cream cheese? Or do you mean 8 ounces? Thanks!
18 ounces. That’s 2.25 packages. It’s a cheesecake so, like any cheesecake, it requires a lot of cream cheese. 🙂
xo Michael
Thank you!
I will be making this this weekend! Would you recommend frozen if fresh strawberries? I’m torn!
My philosophy is that fresh and seasonal ingredients are always better.
xo Michael
2 cups of strawberries whole or after it’s been sieved?
2 cups whole strawberries.
xo Michael
is 18 oz of cream cheese correct?? seems like a lot…
Yep! That is correct!
xo Michael
YUM!!!
I mostly crave ice cream when its chilly out!! LOL
I guess cause it seems tragic when a cone melts and drips down my hands!! what a waste!!!
I love the sound of this recipe, must try it soon.
But I suggest using the discarded strawberry pulp in a smoothie!!
Waste not, want not!!
This looks amazing! Several of our local grocery stores have had strawberries super cheap lately, I am going to pick some up and give this a try. I love how fancy it looks but seems incredibly easy to make. Thanks for sharing!!!
Yes, it really is so easy to make!
xo Michael
Just finished making this and it is delicious! It has been unseasonably warm in California so this sounded perfect.
I did tweak it a bit by using fresh strawberries and cooking them with a little sugar to give up the juice, after I strained them I puréed the pulp and added that to the mixture along with the juice. It doesn’t look as feminine as yours but is definitely strawberry. I also used strawberry ice cream. Can you tell I like strawberry ?? Great recipe! Thank you Michael and love your new house!! PS, there is enough mixture to fill a 9” pan.
wow and it looks gorgeous too, pretzel crust is another bonus but really have to give it to you for a creative cheesecake by adding ice cream to the cream cheese base, nice and thank you!
You’re so welcome! I’m all about unique twists on recipes. This is a fun and tasty treat!
xo Michael