Strawberry honey nice cream is how you get the sweet fruity flavor and texture of strawberry ice cream with no dairy, no refined sugar, and no churning! Originally published August 2020. Last updated August 2022.
This strawberry honey nice cream is a practically guilt-free treat that you can enjoy soft-serve style or freeze for classic, firm scoops. The color and flavor are spot on for strawberry ice cream but there's no churning involved. Read: you don't need an ice cream maker for my dairy-free dessert. Let's get into the creamy, swirly details!
If you like making homemade ice cream without a machine, try these recipes next!
What is Nice Cream?
Nice cream is basically healthy ice cream. Frozen fruit and milk are blended together to mimic the consistency of traditional ice cream. But there's no churning involved. Because the ingredients and processing are minimal, it's a much better-for-you frozen dessert. My honey sweetened strawberry nice cream is made the same way and I've also made a boozy sorbet using a similar method.
Many nice cream recipes call for frozen bananas for the base but I realized you can make nice cream with no banana when I created this tropical pineapple nice cream a few years back. Here, we're just using frozen strawberries, honey, coconut milk, and a touch of vanilla extract. If you want to make this a vegan strawberry nice cream, you can substitute the honey for agave.
What You'll Need for this Recipe
You're only four ingredients away from creamy strawberry ice cream at home. You might even have everything on hand already. If not, here's what to add to your grocery list.
- Coconut Milk
- Frozen Strawberries
- Honey
- Vanilla Extract
I recommend using full fat coconut milk (the kind from the can) in this recipe for the creamiest, most ice cream like texture. Milks you would drink from a carton will generally yield a looser and icier texture, however, oat milk is a close second!
Tools for Making Strawberry Honey Nice Cream
- Food Processor - You could use a blender instead if you don't have one.
- Rubber Spatula - Great for getting all the nice cream out into the freezing container and making those beautiful swirls and swoops in it.
- Loaf Pan - This is my freezing vessel of choice because it's freezer safe and just very convenient to scoop out of.
- Ice Cream Scoop - Because you've got to get the frozen nice cream out somehow, right?
How to Freeze Fruit for Nice Cream
To make this strawberry honey nice cream, you can use pre-frozen strawberries from the grocery store. You can also just freeze the strawberries you already have on hand. Flash freezing is a wonderful way to preserve produce that's near its end or save up seasonal stuff like berries and cherries when they're at their best or on sale. I've talked about flash freezing fruit before but can't recall if I shared the process so here's how to flash freeze fruit for nice cream...or whatever else you might want it for.
- Line a sheet pan with wax or parchment paper.
- Prep fruit to its desired form for eating. This includes removing any pits or seeds, cutting off rinds or stems, and, in this case, hulling strawberries to remove the green leaves and stems.
- If necessary, cut fruit into bite size pieces.
- Spread prepared fruit out onto lined sheet pan so that the pieces don't touch. This step prevents the fruit from freezing together in one big block.
- Place pan in freezer and leave for at least four hours.
- Transfer frozen fruit into a zip-top storage bag. Seal and store in freezer.
You can make nice cream with many different fruits and I have plans for a peach version next. The process is so simple. I mentioned my pineapple nice cream above and think you should also check out this watermelon granita. It uses flash frozen watermelon and is definitely worth your attention.
Strawberry Honey Nice Cream Video
And here's a visual on how to make homemade strawberry ice cream with no ice cream maker!
I hope you try this strawberry honey nice cream for yourself. Be sure to let me know how you like it once you do. And sharing is caring so pin this recipe on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
How to Make Strawberry Nice Cream
Strawberry Honey Nice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound frozen strawberries
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 13.5 ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor and process on high until smooth.
- It will be necessary to pause the food processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times in order to ensure a smooth, uniform mixture with no big chunks. I recommend using a rubber spatula for this.
- Enjoy as a soft-serve dessert or freeze for at least three hours for firmer scoops.
Video
Notes
- If you decide to freeze the nice cream, it will need 10 minutes to thaw before being scoopable.
- Keeps for about two weeks in the freezer.
Nutrition
Tope says
This looks so good! I'll have to make this for my son after his birthday!
Layla says
Trying this tonight!!!
Demetrius says
Definitely will have to check this out!
Meiko says
I just love the scoop shot after you blend. I looks so smooth an creamy!
GG says
Got make this one, easy peasy
Renia says
Love love love this easy recipe. The outcome was some of the creamiest no-churn ice cream I've made!
Eileen says
Do you know the nutrition content? I need to know the sugar grams.
Jazz says
Hi, Eileen! Based on MyFitnessPal, this recipe has 30.25 grams of sugar per serving.
Helen Walker says
Can you use low fat coconut milk
Jazz says
Hi, Helen! The fat content of the coconut milk is what helps with the creamy texture. So, while you can use low fat milk, the texture will not be as creamy.
Sharon says
Yums!!
Jerri Lien says
Yumm! Do you think it will work with oat or rice milk?
Jazz says
Hi Jerri! You can use other milks but the texture will be different. The fat content of the coconut milk is what provides the creaminess in this nice cream so I recommend looking for a milk that has similar fat content.
Natalie Redman says
Wow what gorgeous ice cream!
Tamara says
I had some strawberries that needed to be used ASAP, and this was perfect!! It’s still so hot outside in south Florida, so this was a very welcomed treat for me and the kiddos!
Robin says
I love this idea! Could I use agave syrup in lieu of honey?
Jazz says
Hi, Robin. You can definitely use agave syrup instead of honey. Maple syrup would work, too.
Britney says
This recipe is amazing! It really satisfied my sweet tooth while still getting a healthy serving of fruit! Loved it!
Barry J. says
This looks amazing! I'm always looking for ice cream recipes that don't require an ice cream makers. Definitely going to be making this soon!
Adri Ruff says
This was the perfect treat for the end of summer! Thanks for always coming through with amazing recipes.
Samantha says
Yum! This is so creamy with just the right amount of sweetness!
Chenée Lewis says
This was so easy to make! And I was so pleased with how creamy and delicious it was. Definitely making this again since I'm trying to cut back on dairy!
Carita says
This was the perfect treat for my daughter and I to work on together! Super creamy and we both love strawberry flavored anything. Will for sure make this again!
Desirée says
New fav nice cream recipe! So easy and soooo good!
Capri says
The honey in this gives it the perfect amount of sweetness! Yumm!
Chef Mireille says
I have been wanting to try it but am yet to do so. I love that yours does not use banana as then we can have more varietal flavors. This one was the first I tried and OMG it was so good and so creamy. It really tasted like parlor soft serve! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
Marta says
I love everything about this strawberry nice cream, but the main thing is that I felt no guilt while indulging my sweet tooth.
Crystal says
First of all, I’ll allow you to beat me over the head with some nice cream any day! As long as you’re sharing! This was my first time making ice cream and it was so delicious, fruity and easy!! Thank you for sharing!!